EDITED BY LAURA BAILEY

I've always had a huge stylecrush on Laura Bailey, her new 'edited' collection for Topshop had made me like her evn more. Her interview (below) is well worth a read so I've reblogged it from topshop.com. Enjoy!

Model, writer, contributing editor to British Vogue, ambassador for both Chanel and the British Fashion Council, it’s safe to say that Laura Bailey is quite the expert when it comes to fashion.

Lucky for us, we managed to steal the blonde bombshell away from her busy schedule this week to guest edit our SS12 collections. The result? A true reflection of Laura’s inimitable British style: simple and sophisticated with a quirky vintage-looking twist.



Laura’s selection is available to shop online now, as well as in our 286 Regent Street space at our Oxford Circus London flagship. Time to get a little up, close and personal with the lady herself…

Hi Laura! How would you describe your trademark style?
I'm always attracted to the brave and the British: a high heel and a streak of eyeliner.

For a piece to be chosen as part of my EDIT…
It simply needs to be something I LOVE and want to wear now.

My biggest influence right now is…
I have many! Sixties starlets at Cannes, a sporty-chic beach vibe and the two Laurens, Bacall and Hutton! And Steve Hiett's 'Girls in the Grass' portraits, Sam Taylor-Wood's self-portraits and Tierney Gearon's photographs are just a few of my favourite visual inspirations.

My favourite vintage era is…
The seventies, though I happily bounce between the forties and eighties too and occasionally all at once!

My earliest fashion memory is…
May Day morning - seeing Oxford students in ball gowns on boats on the Cherwell as I biked to school in awe of their otherworldly glamour (along with the obligatory transforming of regulation school skirts into minis and competitive unpicking of the stripes on our ties with a compass…!) I also really loved my hockey strip and still feel inappropriately nostalgic for it when I'm buying shin pads and football studs for my son.

When I was growing up I wanted to dress like…
My step-sister and her friends who oozed a city glamour way beyond my village tomboy sensibility. When I first moved to London, anyone who looked vaguely like Debbie Harry edged me towards the piercing parlour plus a too-long flirtation with neon and black – and bleach!

My all time favourite designers are…
Jonathan Saunders, Christopher Kane, Bella Freud, Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel and Sister by Sibling are my new style crush.

The wardrobe I’d most like to steal belongs to…
Amanda Harlech - for evening and Thandie Newton for everyday.

The one item of clothing I couldn’t live without…
A simple white vest to wear under everything in winter with my favourite cutoffs, an armful of bangles, over a bikini in the summer or just in bed.

My essential styling tips…
Something vintage in the mix, bare legs (even the palest) are nearly always the best option and I'm becoming dangerously attracted to REAL jewellery, especially by Solange Azagury-Partridge.

My top summer reads are…
'The Art of Fielding' by Chad Harbach, 'The Sisters Brothers' by Patrick DeWitt and 'The Baroness' by Hannah Rothschild. Forever favourites are Jeanette Winterson, Tolstoy, Thomas Hardy and Gabriel Garcia Marquez.

This summer, I am most looking forward to…
A trip to St Tropez with family and friends.



Don't forget to check Topshop.com to see Laura's 'picks' for Edited!
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And while you're waiting, here's a little musical inspiration courtesy of Miss Bailey's current playlist:
Nick Cave - Into My Arms
Stone Roses - Waterfall
Ryan Adams - La Cienega Just Smiled
Bob Dylan - Just Like A Woman
Madonna - Like A Prayer
Sade - By Your Side
Leonard Cohen - Suzanne
Soul II Soul - Back To Life
Lily Allen - Smile
The Beloved - The Sun Rising
Pet Shop Boys - West End Girls
Blondie - Atomic
Whitney Houston - I Wanna Dance With Somebody
Primal Scream - Cry Myself Blind
Karen Elson - Stolen Roses
Leona Naess - Calling
Kylie - Can't Get You Out Of My Head
Joni Mitchell - California
The Cure - Catch
Pulp - Pencil Skirt or Babies
Lana Del Ray - Video Games
Rolling Stones - Stray Cat Blues
Blur – Tender
Everything But The Girl - Missing
George Michael - Faith
Patti Smith - Because The Night
Milla Jovovich - Electric Sky
Gossip - Perfect World
Marina and the Diamonds - Primadonna
Ladyhawke - Black White and Blue
Supergrass - Alright
B2K - Bump Bump Bump
Beyonce - Halo
Bowie - Let's Dance
Eminem - Stan
Gregory Isaacs - Night Nurse
Kitty,Daisy and Lewis - Baby Don't You Know
La Roux - In For The Kill
Lenny Kravitz - Fly Away
Mary J Blige - No More Drama
Nico - Chelsea Girls
Nirvana - Come As You Are
Pharrell Williams feat Gwen Stefani - Can I Have It Like That?
Lianne la Havas - Age
Secret Sisters - I've Got A Feeling
The Streets - Fit But You Know It

REBLOGGED FROM:
http://insideout.topshop.com/blog/2012/06/edited-by-laura-bailey.html

This Model Life

In 2002, acclaimed documentary maker, Jane Treays followed 2 models for a year and produced a 3 part programme for Channel 4 featuring young models and showcasing their journeys in the cut-throat world of modeling, and their travels to find fame in England, New York and Tokyo.
The Channel 4 description alludes to the content and although much as you would expect its fascinating to see the industry from the models eye, in my opinion, its even better than seeing it from the perspective of an agency as was the case with The Model Agency (although I did also love that!).

We’ve heard about the glitz and the glamour, the tears and the tantrums - but what’s it really like to work at the (kohl) face of the fashion industry?
With unprecedented access to one of London’s leading agencies, this series gets the inside story on the world of modelling from the scouts, the bookers and - of course - the models themselves.

Upon airing, the show was reviewed by The Telegraph in great detail. It is raw and edgy, focusing on an established model, Erin O’Connor and a brand new model, Ruth Crilley. Its great to see the comparisons between the two, the way the director has opted to portray their highs and lows and most of all how far fashion, and this industry, has come in the last 10 years. There really were some great outfits!!

If you’d like to watch the three episodes of This Model Life, then you can do so at 4OD HERE, or if that doesn’t work, try YouTube HERE!

Burberry 1978 Campaign

The Burberry 1978 campaign, shot by Lord Lichfield in Brighton

I've posted on Tumblr about the gorgeous Mulberry Spring Summer 2012 campaign but every time I see this beauty I can't help but love it more.

Patrick Lichfield’s glorious pictures remain glowing; undimmed, luminous, keepsakes to cherish forever, even as the epochs they epitomise slowly fade —Sunday Telegraph (Stella), September 25 2011

The name of Patrick Lichfield, photographer, is indelibly associated with a world of beauty and style that he inhabited with conspicuous success for more than 40 years. From the time of his first commissions for Life, Queen and Vogue magazines in the mid-1960s, he was chiefly identified as a documenter of this lustrous milieu. Throughout his career he photographed personalities from all walks of life: stars of stage and screen, politicians, aristocracy and royalty, sportsmen and women, models and socialites, as well as ordinary men and women going about their daily business. He was an acute observer of the world around him and of the period in which he lived and worked.

As Earl of Lichfield and cousin of The Queen, Lichfield had entrée to a world unknown to many. His intimate photographs of the Royal Family and their circle afforded a glimpse into an inaccessible world. His 1970s photographs of the British manufacturing industries are historic as many no longer exist today. His editorial and advertising work included fashion, motor, tobacco, cosmetics, pharmaceutical and airline campaigns. From 1978, for 17 years, he created the prestigious Unipart calendar, shot in a number of exotic locations worldwide. He also worked long term for Burberry, Olympus Cameras, the British Tourist Authority and the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group.

Curated by Martin Harrison and divided into sections on Memory, Land, Empires, Cultures and Styles, Perceptions is filled with photographs from Lichfield s entire archive, from the 1960s to 2005, over half of which have never been seen before. This superbly produced retrospective, the first representing his complete career, establishes Patrick Lichfield as one of the great British photographers of the late 20th Century.

The retrospective book of Lichfields work is available from Amazon, priced at £19.50 (used copies available from about £8) http://www.amazon.co.uk/Perceptions-Patrick-Lichfield-Martin-Harrison/dp/1844009483.

My instant connection with the photo comes from an upbringing of summers in Brighton and the surrounding countryside and my current uni situ at Sussex but more than anything it lies with the style and beauty of this striking image. I now really want to uncover the rest of the campaign.

The Art of Vintage

The term vintage was borrowed from wine making and evokes the art of fine living. Vintage fashion, introduced to the Oscars’ red carpet by Julia Roberts in 2001, has grown into a full-fledged, multi-generational trend. But what do the teenager on the look out for a worn leather jacket to match her jeans, the elegant beauty who adorns her curves with a suit from 1900, and the chic matron, proud of her 1957 Kelly bag have in common? The art of fine living. Vintage has become something of a statement for the (many) women and (fewer) men who want to set themselves apart from mass consumption and to revisit the history of elegance.

For me, 'Vintage' doesn't mean so much any more. There are so many 'Vintage' shops selling second hand clothes. I am really into second hand, but true vintage is your mum's Barbour from her twenties, your grandma's bag or ring or a silk Chanel scarf. These are truly valuable vintage items to me at least. When people add a vintage label and whack up the price, it annoys me. I love car boot sales and seeing the same thing for 50p at a boot sale and in a shop for £40 or more is increasingly frustrating. My best buy is still a neon pink, truly vintage Hermes clutch that I picked up for 20p at a Jumble Sale and its when you find a one off like that that vintage truly becomes valuable and worthwhile, as well of course as aesthetically pleasing!

House Sitting

For the last week I've been housesitting. At a gorgeous house in the middle of the countryside, driveway lined with apple orchards. For a cat, a kitten and a 17 year old - the drama is endless and entertaining!

The house belongs to mummy's business partner and is also the home of her children's nursery where mummy happens to work. I've grown up here, with the nursery opening when I was 4 and first went to school, spending summers playing in the field and hanging out with the family (they have 2 daughters, one of 17 and the other 24 so I grew up playing with both of them, being in the middle in ages).

This is the first time that Catherine (daughter number 2) has been left at home alone while her parents have gone abroad so I'm here 'just in case'!

It's not too much of a chore though. The house is gorgeous, a barn built from scratch by the family to mirror the old barn that was already on the land (above). Big glass windows, airy rooms and a lovely space to be in. It really is one of those houses that just feels nicer when its busy though so we've had randomers nearly every night -supper, drinks and whatever else that may have gone on that I, in my big sister role, am not meant to know about!!

This has become quite normal to wake up to in the morning - a huge pile of boys shoes!

My favourite room of the house is the gorgeous kitchen. Designed especially to fit the room and perfect to cook in. Everything is in the right places and the big double fridge always seems to be full!

Housesitting definitely has its perks, yummy food being one of them and the spa membership that we have for the two weeks being another!! Tonight I get to contend with a party of teenagers and am just hoping its sunny enough for them to all be outside in the garden. In the meantime we're heading to the spa to unwind from the week- more to come on that!

The Orphans Arms

I’ve just found a great new brand: The Orhans Arms. Makers of great hand printed apparel. Pieces include printed tees and sweats that are a bit quirky but made with gorgeous materials and the makers of the gorgeous clothes are now also a part of the YBDs.

Background

Joshua Wilks & Jay Shipley founded The Orphan’s Arms in the early summer of 2010 with the solid conscience to create a label that anchors itself uniquely within a context of English heritage and culture. This is a declaration stemming from what they saw as a lack of creativity and originality behind casual labels currently for sale.From humble beginnings at East London’s Brick Lane market The Orphan’s Arms experienced a fantastic response to their poignant and reactionary motif; it seemed there were more than just a few similarly minded individuals jaded with the modern face of faceless manufacture. So, utilizing their own personal experiences and knowledge of literary tradition, historical interest, singular wit and teenage memories they set out to create a collection of totally unique prints, each perfectly indicative to the English heritage style they set out to preserve.
The intellectual palette of The Orphan’s Arms now spans and juxtaposes the entire gamut of English society.

Inspiration

The Orphan’s Arms collection is a wealth of uncompromising prints, heralding a renaissance of cultural appreciation, inspired by England and its startling heritage. Intellectually rigorous, each piece is inbued with the label’s modern sentiments of nihilism and ironic humour. The Orphan’s Arms simple yet classic shapes serve as an ideal canvas for display- all matched with equally classic colours. Innovative and experimental hand dying and bleaching is employed, culminating in a series of coloured garments seemingly resultant of the busy scrubbings of a Victorian Workhouse laundry. Each item demands to be washed in virgin tears.

The Orphan’s Arms: For him, for her, for the dead, for the dying, for the condemned.

How does it make you feel?

Reactionary.


http://www.youngbritishdesigners.co.uk/designers/on-%7C-off/the-orphans-arms/
A quintessentially English label that harks back to a time of gin palaces, poor houses and public executions. King George IV is on the throne and Paris Hilton upon the public tongue.

And, between the narrow cobbled lanes of London’s old Jewish quarter, within constant earshot of the squeaking plague rats who gather in the mire beneath the haunting shadow of a Hawksmoor church, lies the workshop of The Orphan’s Arms, creating fine hand printed apparel: each one unique, each one an artwork, each one a piece of heritage.

And there, by the light of burning tallow, grown strong on cheese and home brewed beer, we craft our wares for those who keep lovers, and never old friends.

Available now on ASOS its definitely worth checking out: http://www.asos.com/search/the-orphans-arms?hrd=1&q=the+orphans+arms&SearchSuggestUsed=true






I think I actually prefer the boys range and thing they would look great over a pair of fitted girls hotpants - they are most definitely on my summer wishlist!

40 Winks: Bedtime Story Nights

I’ve just found out about a fab event in London’s East End. My gorgeous (and very pregnant!) sister came to visit for the weekend and a couple of weeks ago and she bought with her a bit of insightful London knowledge as she always does to our little bit of secluded Suffolk countryside!!

Situated on The Mile End Road, David Carter, the eccentric proprietor of exclusive Hotel 40 Winks, offers nights of story telling to adult guests combined with Hendrick’s gin and canapes. The only stipulation is that you must know the riddle (sent out by email a few days before) and arrive wearing pyjamas!

Bedtime Stories is an idea that Mr Carter came up with a few years ago and has proved to be a huge hit. Around 30 guests arrive at 7pm in time to change into their pyjamas and nighties - you can be as glamorous as you fancy or so I understand. Hendrick’s is served from teacups and guests then retire to cushions to relax and listen to professional storytellers. The night winds down with a musician playing a few pieces once the stories have been told.
Fashion Beyond Fashion describes the event as follows:

The new-dandy customized boutique hotel 40 Winks, based in the vibrant area of East London – included in the Sunday Times Travel magazine list of the fourteen most amazing things to do in the world – continues to develop catchy happenings in the realm of fashion and literature. Bedtime Story Nights – a series of events and performances involving readings by the award-winning story-teller Rachel Rose Reid – is the last initiative launched by its owner, the interior designer David Carter. A successful chance to share the delights of literature.
http://fashionbeyondfashion.wordpress.com/2010/01/10/40-winks-bedtime-story-nights/

[All images courtesy of www.40winks.org].

There are prizes for the best dressed guest and the charms of the eccentric host are said to very much add to the atmosphere of the evening. My sister has luckily got some of the sought after tickets for July’s event and I can’t wait to go and see what it’s all about, as well as explore the curious house. I look forward to sharing the stories!

If the Bedtime Story Nights in a boutique setting appeal to you then contact David on the email address below.

Bedtime Stories £25 per head

To book, please email info@40winks.org