My friends, Oscar and Lauren, at Roar! had the idea to compose a ‘winter fashion shoot’ showcasing both casual and formal looks around King’s. Luckily, as part of King’s campus falls in Somerset House, we were able to (after some grovelling, mind!) shoot some photos against the Christmas tree and ice rink there as well!
Oscar had a photographer friend, KKgas Perales, who he had worked with before, who was helping us with the shoot and the guy was awesome. Everything from telling us that he dresses like a tourist so he can take shots anywhere without being questioned and that it is easier to ask for forgiveness than for permission, to making us feel relaxed when posing; he was great. I personally prefer smiling over the moody pout but had to look ‘angry’ in some shots, so I’m fully prepared to look like an idiot in those shots but the day was so much fun.
Adding not being able to get out of bed at an early hour and function properly to the long list of why I could never be a model, I groggily arrived at the Strand campus, ready to be attacked by a hairbrush and makeup palette. Being the clueless sad excuse for a girl that I am when it comes to hair and makeup, I was glad to have girls who knew exactly what to do! Jacinta went all out with plum eyeshadow and a shimmery silvery layer on top and accentuated my eyes with eyeliner and mascara. Chloe redeemed herself from the ‘dry shampoo incident’ with Lauren with my pretty amazing topknot which stayed in place all day (that’s a pretty impressive feat) and then we all got into our outfits for the first shoot.
For the ‘casual’ shots, Cleo wore a black lycra bodysuit with an oversized grey mottled coat. Accessories-wise, she wore black cut-out ankle boots and a cosy faux fur hat. I wore black tights and an oversized neon-orange jumper from H&M, which I am in love with and plan to buy oh so soon. Paired with the jumper were some black suede knee-high boots from Primark (I couldn’t believe it when I realised that’s where they were from-at £18 they are an absolute bargain!) and wore…a scarf or two with it. That’s a complete understatement. I wore about six oversized scarves and snoods to give the outfit a layered look. It was hilarious putting them on and making sure my face didn’t get completely swallowed up but it looked really cool. I might not use quite that many, but layering several knitted scarves is something I want to do more often to make a simple outfit a little bit more exciting.
Oscar practically donated half his wardrobe of edgy vintage and charity shop finds to the shoot. For the first look, Oscar wore black skinny trousers, Timberland boots and a green Stanley Kane (a British designer who had offered clothes for the shoot) shirt. Toby also wore Stanley Kane; a green and navy sweatshirt with jeans and brown shoes.
For the formal look, Cleo and I had to change into dresses; her into an adorable tartan dress from Primark with a white split peter pan collar and me into a pink Jacquard satin swing slip dress from Topshop. Cleo accessorized with black tights and the same black ankle boots and added a fitted leather jacket on top, with a cream faux fur scarf around her shoulders. I kept with black tights too but changed into my black DNKY shoe boots for a more glamorous look. It was freezing so I was more than grateful for Oscar’s extremely oversized black fur coat. Cleo’s hair was in voluminous curls whilst mine was removed from topknot position and pushed to one side.
The boys smartened up too; Oscar in a burgandy shirt with a holly-print Christmas jumper on top. He wore black formal trousers, his trademark patent black shoes and a blue velvet blazer. Toby also wore a velvet blazer, but a green one, and paired with charcoal jeans “so tight he hadn’t worn jeans like them since he was 12”! He rocked a bit of a Louis Tomlinson and wore black smart shoes with no socks and showing all kinds of ankle.
The shoot was really fun as it was relaxed but still professional at the same time. One King’s student asked who we were (in passing) which was quite comical as we replied ‘same as you…King’s!’. We used Somerset House, King’s Strand Campus, the arches on the Terrace, the notorious Walkabout steps and underneath Waterloo Bridge as ‘locations’ as the photographer kept taking us for ‘a walk’ to move around, relax and find new lighting I suppose. I had to leave at this point but I think the others ventured off to Covent Garden for some more shots. It was a fun day and hopefully the photos look amazing.
Here are some ‘sneak peeks’ from Lauren’s phone but stay tuned for a later entry with the photos 🙂