Taylor Swift- My New Elizabethan

Taylor Swift was born in 1989, and is an American Singer-songwriter. She moved to Tennessee from Pennsylvania at the age of 14 to pursue a career in country music. During her career she has had a multiplatinum album four times, she’s had seven Grammy’s and has a large dedicated following, they even hold the name “Swifties”. With all of this she’s also been the highlight in many gossip magazines for her very personal lyrics and her long list of boyfriends throughout her career. All of these traits remind me of Queen Elizabeth herself, she was a self promoter, a true beauty and always struggled with the men in her life. That is why I chose Taylor Swift as my New Elizabethan.

Personal life aside, Taylor Swift as a very intellectual business women. As a country star she still got herself into the charts and has even recently worked her way into being a pop artist. She knows exactly what is wanted from the current consumer audience and she does what she needs to get to this success level. Her career mind started from an early age, when she was 11 she took it into her own hands to get herself known. She went up and down Music Row knocking on producers doors, letting them know that they should listen to her music. The rejection made her more determined and she new she had to do something to set her apart from other artists. She learnt to play guitar at the age of 12, and then the song writing followed. Once she had a few songs she returned to Nashville where people started to notice her talent.

Her first deal was with RCA Records although she never renewed as she wanted to be able to sing the songs she had written. She took the initiative and power over her career, something every business women should do. Her childhood was far from normal as she was so dedicated to her career. She took a leap of faith when a guy from Universal wanted to create his own company, and she signed with them. She knew that going with a smaller company she could really work with them closely to create her sound. She worked so closely with them that she even helped stuff her CD’s into envelopes and send them to radio stations, she took control. Queen Elizabeth was also a self promoter, although she did this through her Portraits. She new what she wanted and how she wanted to be portrayed and I feel this is very similar to Taylor.

As well as a great business women, Taylor was truly passionate about her music. She has a confidence in the music industry even while others don’t. she proclaims “I’m one of the few living souls in the music industry who still believes that the music industry is not dying… it’s just coming alive.” This is quite like Elizabeth, who always had faith in her country and its power even when others doubted her.

One of Taylors most famous traits is her use of personal situations within her songs, she doesn’t hold back on naming and shaming her ex boyfriends. Luckily she isn’t low on them, from her childhood loves to her famous exes, she has written many hits that give an insight to her life. However other than this small insight she is actually quiet about her love life while it is happening. This was similar to Queen Elizabeth, although her love life was rumoured about, no one ever quite new the full picture. Although Taylor Swift has a few more, the boys include:

Joe Jonas (July 2008-October)- It all ended over a 27 second phone call. This inspired the songs Last Kiss and Forever and Always. However in more recent times she has shown that she has forgiven the Jonas brother through the song Holy Ground.

Taylor Lautner (August 2009-December)- They bonded over the movie set of Valentines day, but she spoke little of it. We only have a glimpse through the song Back To December where she talks about a rough night with an ex.

John Mayer (December 2009-Febraury 2010)- With another sour ending at the age of 19, Taylor wrote the song Dear John in which she says “Don’t you think I was too young to be messed with? The girl in the dress cried the whole way home.”

Cory Monteith (April 2010-May)- Although it isn’t for certain, many believe Speak Now and Mine are both songs about Cory as it was about a guy she barely new but could see a relationship with.

Jake Gyllenhaal- (October 2010- January 2011)- Due to his busy schedule as a actor, Taylor always claimed he was unreliable, which she writes about in The Last Time.

Finally Conor Kennedy (July 2012-October)- this is linked to the song Begin Again and is all about finally getting over a bad relationship.

Taylor has never been one to care about the judgements she faces because of her relationship status, something Queen Elizabeth also felt. Although on two different spectrums, Queen Elizabeth would portray herself as a virgin, no matter the speculation over her love affairs. Taylor Swift took everything more in her stride, and made a joke on the rumours. This is seen in her song Shake It Off with the lyric “I go on too many dates (chuckle) but I cant make them stay, at least that’s what people say mmm-mmm” and in Blank Space with the lyric “Got a long list of ex-lovers they’ll tell you I’m insane. Ain’t it funny rumors fly and I know you heard about me…”. Another similarity is that Elizabeth always went for bad boys, which is obvious with Taylor, she even sings in blank space “I could make the bad guys good for a weekend.”

Finally Taylor Swift’s look very much sticks to the Elizabethan era. She has very pale skin, which she always pairs with a light rouged cheek and a red lip. She even named one of her albums Red. Her hair always has a crimped texture and is a beautiful light blonde. She is a wonderful modern Elizabethan.

Overall I feel that Taylor is a true Elizabethan. She is a strong independent women, who has love affairs like many, but deals with it in her own strong way. She knew exactly how to get herself out there and forever promotes herself to be the best she can be.

Reference:

Wikipedia. (). Taylor Swift. Available: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taylor_Swift. Last accessed 5/12/14.

Eells, J. (2014). The Reinvention of Taylor Swift. Available: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/taylor-swift-1989-cover-story-20140908. Last accessed 5/12/14.

 Rosen, J. (2013). Platinum Underdog: Why Is Taylor Swift the Biggest Pop Star in the World. Available: http://www.vulture.com/2013/11/taylor-swift-reigning-queen-of-pop.html. Last accessed 5/12/14.

The Taming of The Shrew

The Taming of The Shrew is a one of Shakespeare's many loved comedies, that has been adapted many times through the centuries. However the BBC rewrites this Shakespearian play to create a new, modern version set in this century, which makes it more realistic for our times. This was part of a series of Shakespeare retold in 2005, and stars the likes of Shirley Henderson, Rufus Sewell, Jamie Murray, Steven Tompkinson and Twiggy. It follows the story of Katherine Minola, who is a successful politician who is tipped to be leader of her party. However as an individual she has a very short temper and is still single at the age of 38, so many are pushing her to get married. When she meets Petruchio, all becomes possible. 

I feel that this show and its characters has many links to the Elizabethans. Katherine being one of the main characters in the show has many connections to Queen Elizabeth herself. Even in the opening sequence when she is walking past the politicians, her pace and stance shows power much like Cate Blanchett at the end of the film Elizabeth. Her style also replicates the queen in certain aspects, in particular her middle parting and bun and her pale complexion which were popular during the Elizabethan Era. 

The story line for Katherine also significantly links to Queen Elizabeth as they suggest that to be in leadership she should change her lifestyle and find a man to become more popular with her people, something the Queen had always battled during her reign. There is a common theme of how she is a virgin even at the age of 30, Elizabeth was known as the "Virgin Queen". Even at the end of The Taming of The Shrew she never admits wether she is a virgin although its hinted that she isn't, this was always an un known fact as Queen Elizabeths love affairs were always kept very secret, so as to show her love for her country was stronger than her love for men. In The Taming of The Shrew Katherine also marries an Earl, and although we are not certain on Queen Elizabeths love life in that much detail, she is linked to Earls throughout her reign. 

On her wedding day Katherine wears a dress that is synched at the waist and flows outwards, a look that is popular in that Era, she also wears white which is a sign of purity on your wedding day. 

I also feel Petruchio is a new Elizabethan in the Taming of the Shrew. For one, he is an Earl, and Queen Elizabeth was thought to have many love affairs with Earls during her reign. His clothing during the wedding looked very much like the clothing the Tudors wore, with rich colours and materials such as velvet. He also wears fur during the show, which was a costly fabric that only the rich, such as Earls, could afford during the Elizabethan Era. His hair was curly, which was what many of the men fashioned in that Era. 

Wainwright, S. (2005). The Taming of The Shrew. Available: http://www.bbc.co.uk/drama/shakespeare/tamingoftheshrew/. Last accessed 5/12/14.

To me, Bianca is very similar to Queen Elizabeths sister Mary. For one the character Harry (Biancas agent) questions whether they are real sisters, this could be a reference to the fact that they are half sisters, and that Mary denies any link to her "Bastard" sister Elizabeth. Within Bianca's house she also has portraits of herself, and her clothing is black with jewels, which was a popular fashion in her era. Harry also reminds me of an Elizabethan as he is an eccentric aristocrat, and I feel that him being Northern shows him to be of a lower status. 

Wikipedia. (). The Taming of The Shrew. Available: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Taming_of_the_Shrew. Last accessed 5/12/14.

Inspiration

As well as the make up artists and photographers I have studied, I have found inspiration from photos on Pinterest for my New Elizabethan looks. I want to intertwine quite a few different ideas as I prefer my looks to be a bit out there rather than reserved. 

Photography Blog. (2013). Inspiration make up and props. Available: http://semester2university.wordpress.com/2013/03/13/inspirational-makeup-and-props/. Last accessed 5/12/14.

This was the first look I was drawn to because of the contouring on top of the crisp white base. I also like that the contour is in deep reds as these aspects remind me of the Elizabethan Era. Although this is a simple look, I would incorporate certain aspects into my own looks. 

Tumblr. (). Tumblr. Available: http://www.pinterest.com/lucydbowler/new-elizabethan/. Last accessed 5/12/14.

The aspect that I was drawn to in this image was the lips, I love the graduation from deep red to the natural lip colour. I also love the highlight above the lip. The shape of the lip reminds me of the heart shaped hair that was popular in the Elizabethan era. As well as this the reds they used were not very bold so I like how they've modernised it by blending it out. This also all stands out against the pale complexion. 

Sarah. (). Circus Make Up Inspiration. Available: http://xosarah.com/2012/05/10/circus-make-up-inspiration/. Last accessed 5/12/14.

I love how out there this look is and I really want to link this with the Elizabethan Style. I think I would make this red and contrast it with the white on the rest of the skin and maybe do a slight colour on the lip so as not to attract away from this main subject. 

The Blonde Unicorn. (). Illamasqua heart shaped nails. Available: http://theblondeunicorn.buzznet.com/user/journal/7924501/illamasqua-heart-shaped-nails/. Last accessed 5/12/14.

This look from Illamasqua was one of the first things I thought of when started to debate how I could modernise the Elizabethan look. I love the heart shape to be the main feature as it would go perfectly with the heart shaped hairstyle of the Elizabethan times. I also like how it separates the pale face from the natural skin as in a way I think it is showing the transformation from the Eras. Finally the rouged cheeks and lips are an aspect I really want to modernise and add into my designs. 

Next I am going to experiment with linking these ideas together and seeing what I can create! 

Drawing Skills

We learnt some drawing skills in our lesson so that we can quickly sketch out our ideas to people rather than explaining them. I've always loved drawing so at first I was pretty confident, but this was a very different technique where you hold the pencil at the end rather than the tip. With this I felt like I was a lot more out of control and I wasn't very keen, so I started to hold the pencil from the middle so that I could sketch quicker but with more control. 

We began by drawing 2D shapes and lines to learn the simple drawing skills. We then moved onto practising shading, I went through all of my pencils and went from the darkest to the lightest shade the pencil would go. With this I learnt that I prefer working with B pencils over H pencils as I feel they create a softer tone. To practise this further we then drew shapes and used shading to make them 3D. 

When I got home I wanted to work on my drawing skills further as I haven't sketched that much since leaving 6 form. I took a jug, cup and bowl and placed them together so I could create a still life. I am not completely happy with it as some of the areas of shading are a bit messy. 

David LaChapelle

One of my favourite photographers around at the moment is David LaChapelle. He was born in America in 1963 and since then has done commercial photography, fine art photography, directed music videos and films and been an artist. His images have been used on covers for magazines such as Vogue, GQ, Rolling Stones, i-D and Vanity Fair. His Fine Art photography has been in exhibitions in both galleries and public institutions around the world.

However he is most famous for his photography, which is always stylised as a kind of hyper reality, however it has references to art history and sometimes has social messages. He has worked with a variety of celebrities including Tupac, Eminem, Madonna, Lil Kim, Paris Hilton, Hillary Clinton, Britney Spears and Muhammed Ali.

With this in mind I wanted to look into his work and see if there were any Elizabethan influences. I found so many ways he had modernised the Elizabethan Style but here were a few of my favourites.

I think this is the most subtle Elizabethan influence, from the pale skin to the crimped hair. But my favourite part is the subtle hints of red on the lip and the cheeks. Although he makes it a little more modern as rather than being on the apple of the cheek it seems to contour upwards a little but I think that overall this photo is a classy way of showing the Elizabethan style. 

These photos with Uma Therman also have a slight resemblance to the fashion in Elizabethan times. Although the skin is pale and the hair is crimped, my favourite part of this photo is the lips, I love how bright and and attention grabbing they are. I also feel that the rose is suggestive, although it isn't a red rose, the Tudor Rose would regularly pop up in Elizabeth Portraits, so it suggests that sort of influence. 

This Britney Spears photography has obvious connections to the Elizabethans. A popular trait was to have almost un seeable eyebrows, some would even pluck theirs out to create the look. To make the look more contemporary however, bleaching the eyebrows also had a similar outcome. I also love how bold the lip is in comparison to everything else, the hair and the skin are so pale that it makes the lips so much more dramatic. 

My final and favourite image from David is this one, although very out there, I feel it is a great modern take on an Elizabethan style. What I was first drawn to was the hair, it reminds me of the crimping technique we learnt with the geisha grips, as it creates a very frizzy effect. To add to this the colours used are very Elizabethan as pale hair was the trend, however red hair was the favoured colour. As for the make up the pale complexion and red lips are key to the Elizabethan look, however the boldness of the lip is a lot more contemporary as they wouldn't of been able to create such a bright colour. 

I love how in all of LaChapelle's photography he makes his hints subtle and because of how out there his work is they are way more contemporary takes on the era. I take inspiration from this as there are certain aspects I wouldn't deme as beautiful in this day and age, therefore would like my own work to have a very contemporary twist. 

Reference: Wikipedia. (). David LaChapelle. Available: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_LaChapelle. Last accessed 5/12/14.

Kasmin, P. (). David LaChapelle. Available: http://www.paulkasmingallery.com/artists/david-lachapelle. Last accessed 5/12/14.

Kirsty Mitchell

As well as make up artist and designers, photographers can also take their inspiration from the Elizabethan Era. In particular I found this with photographer Kirsty Mitchell. I’ve come across her work before during my study of Fantasy at A Level and I thought the effort that went into her work was exquisite. Every last detail of each image is beautiful but I only now realised how much the Elizabethan Era has influenced her work.

The photos come from a collection called Wonderland, which was inspired by her mother who used to read wonderful story books to her students. It became a tribute to her mothers life. Teamed up with hair and make up artist Elbie Van Eeden they created these gorgeous photos. Kirsty previously was a fashion designer so created the costumes and props herself, and linked her training in art history with her looks.

Elizabethan qualities are evident in the fashion of this photo. The dress is synched at the waist and then flows outwards, a look the wealthy favoured in the Elizabethan times. The crown could be seen as a link to Queen Elizabeth herself, and the pose suggests power. Although her hair isn't clear, we can see that some sort of padding would of been used to create to volume. The Make up also isn't clear however you get hints of Elizabethan through the pale complexion and darker lips. 

This is closer look at the hair and Make up and we can instantly start to link similarities with the era. The Crown and things she is holding suggest royalty. Although I am immediately drawn to her hair, I like how they have powdered over the red hair to make it even paler to match her complexion. You almost don't recognise her features due to how white everything is. Her eyebrows and lashes have been painted white, which was popular in Elizabethan times, although some would even pluck their brows out. I think although it is a simple connection it works very well and I love the frosty feel I get from the whole look. 

Once again the pale complexion and blacked out eyebrows is what instantly reminds me of the Elizabethan Era. I also feel that the hair has elizabethan qualities, by incorporating plaits and buns, which were popular in those times.

The connection is similar across these three images, with the contrasting of the bright red lip to the pale face. Both eyelashes and eyebrows are white which makes them barely noticeable. The first of the three holds a few more similarities, such as the rouged cheek and the red hair, both that were part of the craze in the Elizabethan Era. 

Reference:

Kirsy Mitchell. (). Personal Statement . Available: http://kirstymitchellphotography.com/about-the-artist/artist-statement/. Last accessed 5/12/14.