Modern Life – Page 12 – The Prim Girl

theprimgirl / January 29, 2013

Fashion Fantasy

‘Really, I only photograph what I love’ ~Tim Walker

Tim Walker’s fashion photography is stunning. The sheer beauty of his work fascinates me endlessly. I got to Somerset House just in the nick of time to catch his Story Teller exhibition at the end of its run. And boy am I glad I did. Absolutely gorgeous. Known for his surreal, fantastical and fairy tale imagery, Walkers work leaves me drooling. He never fails to play with our concept of scale and imagination. Over sized props, doll like models, dreamlike surroundings, childish, fragile and softly eerie, the narrative in all his work is what makes it stand out from other fashion photography. His work has an echo of the photographer Cindy Sherman, whose work I also love. This exhibition was like escaping into a wonderland for a while, room after room, plain white with wooden floors, filled with magnificent props and the most perfect display of his work. A much better space than the Valentino exhibition which I visited elsewhere in Somerset House.There were also a few short films of photo shoots, the most adorable was the doll one, with a fuzzy dreamy haze and Jewellery box music soundtrack. When I try to choose my most favourite images of Walkers, I can’t, there are way too many, and he has photographed Miss Moss many times too which makes choosing even harder. Here are some images of his that I love the most, and some shots of the props that were at the show. Divine.

Kate Moss by Tim Walker, 2012
Blue Spitfire by Tim Walker, 2009
Swan by Tim Walker, 2002
Giant Doll by Tim Walker, 2012
Sugar crystallized Roses by Tim Walker, 2010
Giant Snail by Tim Walker, 2009
Clockwork Doll by Tim Walker, 2011
Pastel Cats by Tim Walker, 2000
Dress Lamp Tree by Tim Walker, 2002
Spitfire prop at the exhibition
Swan chariot prop at the exhibition
Giant doll prop at the exhibition

Visit Somerset House for details of up and coming exhibitions.

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theprimgirl / January 10, 2013

The Things I Work With

I’m a lucky girl. Lucky because I get to work with and be surrounded by things that I love. Running my vintage fashion shop is a pretty great way to earn my pounds, but the actual shop is just a small portion of what goes into selling clothes. James is pretty much the salesman, he runs the shop most days, and very good he is at it too, he simply excels. I am behind the scenes, and there sure is a whole heap of stuff behind there. My role is to source the stock and then prepare it for the store. Prepping generally involves me being at home, out at the back of our house we have a garage which has been converted into my work space, it’s pretty cold in there but I have everything I need and my cats can visit all day long too, super! I take each item and wash it, whether it be by hand or in the machine and then I steam and iron it and do any fixings and repairs that it may need, making sure it’s in a tip-top shape for being sold. Each and every day I fall in love with an item, most usually a dress. I become amazed at the beauty of it and the detail it contains. I adore looking at old hand stitched seams, explicit tailoring, intricate detail and embroidery that would have taken a whole heap of love to create, it fascinates me all of the time.

My weeks are full and I love that fact. I do sourcing and prep work a few days a week, other days I blog, do admin, go to London, meet friends, oh and a couple of days a week I get myself to the shop to merchandise, clean and tidy and be the most sales-girly I can be. Running Prim involves more work than I have ever known and the stress of owning a shop can grind a girl down, but, in my heart I know that I would take this over an office job any day.

key to my work space
the Prim archives under wraps
a mug of green tea, always
boxes of dresses waiting to be prepped
loving the fact I can put posters up like when I was a teen
Kate on my wall
more posters and my old radio
ironing pile
lace 1950’s Wendy dress
steaming the dress
beautiful
sewing box
original old zips to replace broken ones
steaming a 1930’s lace and crepe gown
keeping me company…and his own tail warm!
steaming a Quant waistcoat
amazing detail on this 50’s Heiress dress
love the old hand stitching I discover in the seams

www.primvintagefashion.com

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theprimgirl / January 4, 2013

Festivities at the Folks new house

Christmas is done.

Now we are all new.

December is a crazy time for most, and especially for those of us who own or work in shops….James and I were stupidly busy; with both our little store and with heaps of absolutely lovely social happenings. So it was with much gratitude that we hotfooted it down to my parents in our old Scirocco on Christmas eve for a few days of respite. A very calm and relaxed affair it was too. Just James, I and my Mum and Dad. My sister and her hubby couldn’t make it down until the next day so with just the four of us it was an utterly tranquil time. Good food, good chats and good lounging. It was also the best chance for me to explore my folks’ new home. They had moved there, literally, just weeks before Christmas and so it was a whole new place for me to call home. They had frantically unpacked and made it feel like theirs just in time for our visit. I totally adore their new house, so many beautiful original features and the space and feel of it is awesome, a truly handsome abode. A lovely time indeed.

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theprimgirl / December 14, 2012

Gods Own Junk Yard

Fairy lights certainly rock my world. But big neon artwork rocks it even a little bit more. The Christmas season has begun and so I met with a good friend in Covent Garden for a festive beverage. We went to Cross Keys on Endell Street, which at this time of year is quite possibly the most seasonally decorated pub in the land. Shiny, sparkly, tinsels, foils baubles and twinkles hang from every inch of the ceiling and walls. Decorations are what I probably love most about Christmas, the world seems to become a grotto of enchantment and lit up delight. Beautiful. After a warming drink or two we headed over to Beak Street in Soho, through the neon signs of the strip joints and peep shows, that when twinned with the Christmas lights of the streets made the evening appear completely other-worldly. Then we arrived at Circus of Soho. Jeepers. A neon paradise. Cult artist Chris Bracey has a pop-up shop there until the end of January. Known as ‘The Neon Man’, Bracey has been working in neon bulb art for over 35 years using salvaged, vintage, fairground and circus signs. He rescues and resurrects these beauties that would otherwise be trashed or end up sat in a neon graveyard. His work is much followed in both London and LA, and features in art, fashion and film. This small exhibition and shop is an absolute wonderland of some of his best work. It’s totally perfect for this time of year, a must see if you adore a bit of kitsch neon, one day I shall have a piece of his work on my wall. Utterly ace.

For more information visit http://www.godsownjunkyard.co.uk

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theprimgirl / November 19, 2012

Kate Moss Up Close

I was out in London last Thursday evening to meet a friend. I heard through the grapevine that a certain Miss Moss was also gonna be out in London. Whoooooop said I.

Kate was launching her new book; ‘Kate: The Kate Moss Book’ and was signing copies at Marc Jacobs’ book store Bookmarc, near Bond Street. Camera in hand I thought I’d pop by to try and get a peek at my favourite girl. When I arrived there was a queue along the side of the shop, around 100 people, not as many as I thought, but then I think maybe her appearance had been kept kinda quiet on the whole. I didn’t choose to queue up and meet her, I preferred the idea of just getting a close-up view as she went in, so I stood with the 5 or 6 Paparazzi guys at the front entrance to the shop. Less than 10 minutes later, there she was, her Mercedes pulled up just feet in front of me and out got Kate! An exhilarated girl was I. I snapped away and surveyed her loveliness with my eyes. The shots I got are mostly pretty rubbish but I adore them. In the blinding light of the flashes Kate was petite, smiley and absolutely bloody dazzling.

The book is a huuuge heavy coffee table book and there are 8 different covers to choose from. The book contains hundreds of photographs, many of which have never been seen before, as chosen by Kate herself to showcase her career which has made her an Icon of a generation. She has dedicated the book to her husband Jamie.

Queen Kate, good to see you.