If I Could, I Would...

Over the Summer, to prepare us for our first year at Solent, we were given an assignment entitled “If I Could, I Would…”. At first, I couldn’t tell whether to be nervous or excited, as this required us to think where we would like to be in 5 years time within our careers and lives, which is a daunting thought. Yet with further research I actually really enjoyed thinking about my future. 
 I created the mood board with magazine clippings and images from the internet that expressed what I saw for my future. We were given 4 main questions to answer and the freedom to explore this in whatever way we preferred. Firstly we had to answer what we would like to be doing as a job in 5 years. Obviously working in make up is my original aspiration, but which path to take is still unknown to me. I’ve always been a fan of the dramatic arts and have an obsession with movies and fantasy TV shows, so that area has always been an interest to me. However I Love how free you can be with Fashion and Editorial work, and when I’m looking at this sort of work I am always being inspired. Therefore I gave examples from both areas of the industry.   

Next I Answered the question “Who would you like to work with?” I wanted to give a range of examples of people in different careers, as there are many aspects I would love to cover. My first is a more obvious choice in Alex Box, the Creative Director for Illamasqua. Not only is Illamasqua one of my favourite brands but I think her work is exquisite and she was the first person I drew inspiration from when I realised that this was the career for me.  I also included a make up artist who I found through facebook under Candy Makeup, her work is stunning and really helped when I was looking at themed photography, as she created such beautiful macabre photos. I also wanted to consider who’s makeup I would like to do within the celebrity world, the two that stood out were Jennifer Lawrence, as I think she’s an amazing actress who I think would be so easy to work with and Cara Delevingne as her beauty will always be remembered in the fashion world. Finally I chose David LaChapelle, an amazing fashion photographer from America. When studying photography he was a big inspiration, as I loved his wacky ideas and stunning photos. 

The last two questions were a bit harder to think of. For one I had to explain what I wanted to look like in 5 years time, well that is just a long list of celebrities who are gorgeous and who I will be constantly envious of. This however did help me move on to the next question “what type of person would you like to be?” as although I would love to look like any of those celebrities, what I really want is to be confident within myself. That’s what make up does for me.  Therefore in this section I put people who were my icons, whether it’s for their pure talent or for there out look on life. To finish off I placed my own face chart in the middle, as my over all aim in 5 years, is that I want to be doing something that makes me happy! 

The next section of the summer project was to watch two movies from a list of classics and review them. We had to concentrate on what made the film so iconic in the fashion world and look in detail at the costume side of the movie. I was already excited for this, firstly being a lover of movies and secondly because I studied Media, therefore have experience in reviewing films. I didn’t, however, realise how much of an impact the costume and makeup team have on a film. They are what sets the time and theme of the whole film. I picked two very different movies as I wanted to explore a range of fashion eras and trends. 

True Romance 

1993

Based on the renowned Bonnie and Clyde tale, True Romance follows the themes of love and crime. This film is more about breaking the rules, not just in its plot but also with what the characters wear. There is an individual vibe to their outfits and you can tell that they aren’t trying to impress anyone.

The makeup and prosthetics were not anything extreme or breath taking, but that’s what makes it so realistic. Alabama’s character, although quite eccentric, wasn’t one of the higher class so would probably not be able to afford lots of makeup, so keeping it to a simple, yet dramatic red lip, its what you would expect of the character. On the prosthetics side was Frank Carrisosa, although there were some simple cuts and bruises, his most successful, was the makeup for Drexl Spivey the pimp. The scar across his eye made him look like the merciless killer he was meant to be, and really defined the character. 

What makes this film so appealing is that these looks would never realistically be pulled off in the real world, and that only a character as out going as Alabama could pull off the outfits. That is what makes this film so iconic, you want to be Alabama but you know it would never be possible to wear the outfits without looking ridiculous. Taking his inspiration from Elvis, Clarence’s character wore bright shirts and even pulled off a pair of gold sunglasses. As a watcher you envy the confidence someone would have to wear exactly what they want. The designer was Susan Becker, who was also known for films such as The Lost Boys and Father of the Bride. 

Overall I think this film is about breaking the rules and although you would never realistically see people wearing these outfits, that’s what makes this movie so successful!   

A Single Man

2009

A Single Man is a drama set in 1962 that follows a gay professor dealing with the grief of losing his long term partner. Along with the compelling performance by Colin Firth, the film was renowned for its smooth intertwining of fashion and film. In the 60’s the boys reflected Pete Townshend from The Who and women, inspired by Jacqueline Kennedy. The Makeup and Hair was true to the times, with the towering beehives and slick liner against a bold white shadow.

With makeup artists such as Kate Biscoe and hair stylists such as Cydney Cornell, it was a given the characters would look stunning. However the character that stood out was Charley (Julianne Moore), she had Elaine Offers on makeup and Alan D’Angerio on hair, creating a large beehive and flawless face. To polish off the look Charley was in a monochrome dress however the men take the lead in the costume department. Stylist Arianne Phillips is renowned in Hollywood and working alongside Tom Ford the costumes were impeccable. 

Even the extras were flawless either in rocker style jeans or refined cardigans. However, the two male style protagonists steal the show. Kenny (Nicholas Hoult) wore a white mohair jumper, with skinny jeans and a beige coat. The colours mirror the personality of the character, youthful, vibrant and pure. 

The man of elegance and class was George (Colin Firth) in a suit designed by Tom Ford. He even visualised a back story for the suit, he saw George visiting Saville Row on a trip to England and buying a custom made suit. The Most iconic part of the outfit, the accessory I will remember, was the horn rimmed spectacles. They brought together the whole outfit and were the defining accessory to the character. This film mirrors the times perfectly, while also showing that for men, style is timeless.