Blossoming Star
March 24, 2017
Back in autumn last year I was asked to be contribute to a fashion shoot for Jungle magazine. I admire the mix of contemporary fashion, photography and music articles that the magazine share on its online platform, and was thrilled to assist with floral styling and set design on a new project for the first print edition, called Blossoming Star.
Inspired by an abundance of botanical and floral prints coming through for spring/summer 2016, the fashion team would be putting together their picks of the trend. Shooting in a shed in Solihull (ah the glamour!), the brief was simply to bring a little of the outdoors in. Muted shades and greenery were a prerequisite, but other than that I was left to my own devices.
So one drizzly grey October morning, I packed up Whisky Foxtrot (my little car) with a bundle of flowers and tons of foraged foliage, and headed up the M40 to sunny Solihull. When the team had gathered, Hannah and Christiana started on hair and make up, and Daniela and April sorted through mountains of frocks. Our charming hosts showed us out to what would be centre stage for the day, and I began to dress the set.
When I say set, of course I mean shed. But this was no ordinary shed - it was more like an outdoor garden room. Hand-made by the owner, with glazed doors that opened on two sides, the interior tongue and groove panelling, had a paint wash in an off-white. It was a great blank canvas, ready for a twiggy transformation.
Having cleared the space, I began to hang tendrils of ivy, and soft ruscus from the rafters (if sheds’ have rafters!) to create a little overgrown wilderness, as if the garden had grown into the space and begun to take over. Trails of foliage were strewn along dusty bookshelves, moss appeared to grow under a faded wooden bench, and leaves had blown (read - been artfully placed) over wooden floorboards. To mix things up a bit between each shot, I added in woody waxflower, bundles of hydrangea, eucalyptus and mixed foliage in a vintage galvanised bucket. Stems of papery dried hydrangea heads were tucked amongst terracotta plant pots, and a few ferns were purloined from the garden.
Our model Valeriane Le Moi really showed her steel, braving the cold in some cut-away and cropped pieces that were definitely intended for warmer climes. Photographer Thang LV had his work cut out creating a light summery feel on what turned out to be a dark and damp day. The day wrapped and we all warmed our cockles with homemade soup in the family kitchen. I couldn’t wait to see the finished results in print.
In March, I went along to the launch party for Edition 01 , of what will be a biennial print magazine, stocked in Harrods & Selfridges no less, and in stores in London, Paris, New York & Tokyo for starters. Held at London’s Malmaison Hotel in Charterhouse Square, it was a chance to say thank you again for having me along, to meet other contributors and to congratulate the team on all their hard work in putting together the finished product.
Those guys sure know how to throw a party, and after a few Jungle cocktails and a lot of mingling they had everyone dancing and eagerly awaiting editor Ali’s speech. I think its fair to say Ali was nervous about speaking, but he had everyone cheering him on, many with a tear in their eye.
After a lot of sweat and hard graft this dream team pulled it off, and launched the magazine with a bang. It was a great event to showcase their first edition in print. And what a beautiful tome it is - that fabulous smell of fresh print, hmmm, smooth matt paper, and weighty too. Truly worthy of pride of place on the finest of coffee tables! As you can see from the big cheshire cat grin, I was chuffed to bits with the results.
Twiggy Thistle is available for commercial and editorial styling and floristry, as well as weddings and events. Drop us a line if you’d like to know more.
Photographer - Thang LV
Model - Valeriane Le Moi
Hair - Hannah Williams
Make Up - Christiana Howell
Botanical Styling/Set Design - Chantal - Twiggy Thistle