Walking The Catwalk

Press Show, Paris Collections, Pret a Porter, Chantal Thomas, womenswear, Mrs V , The Model edit, www.themodeledit.com, Vanessa Voegele-Downing, modelling, catwalk, french designer fashion, redhead, model

 

Countdown to London Fashion Week S/S,17 so I give you old style me, Mrs V, wearing Chantal Thomas in both shots and feeling solid about it. Chantal Thomass made really feminine  clothes and sensational lingerie, not that I was need to model that… Apart from the very dated shoes I think that no-one would throw stones at me if I stood waiting for the 137 anywhere along it’s route. It does look a bit like I couldn’t decide which scarf and where, thought sod it I’ve got this, and self confidence is a marvellous thing.

 

chantal Thomas, Mrs V, www.themodeledit.com, Vanessa voegele-Downing, model, french fashion, catwalk, press show, Paris, redhead, supermodel

 

Again Chantal Thomass Press Show, Carree du Louvre.  All the model edit is saying is that the collections are really fun to watch but unforgettable to walk.

 Am I moonlighting in a Pantomime  as principal boy?

Beauty Keepers Part 2.

Uniqlo earring box, Uniqlo, Uniqlo plastic container, storage box, earring box, earring container, earrings

Took a week of Sundays to actually write the second instalment  of themodeledit Beauty Keepers, and as ’tis the Lords day when I’m compiling this, please forgive. The little acrylic  box, ideally  situated on an extremely pretty french antique dressing table (which is all I’ve ever wanted, hint, lol) in order to completely showcase my amazing Earring archive, most of which cost 2p but affords me massive flamboyance for that self same reason. Two of the best things ever are my second ear piercings. The massive thrill of plugging these piercings every day with fripperies , pretty, edgy, dangly, studs, subversive, conformist, valuable, costume, trends and tasteless. Look’ee here, they all fit into this transparent container sold by Muji. The actual insets are optional and cost a tiny bit more, but let us love that this option is available. The transparence is so useful of a Monday morning when I’m fiddling about trying to sort out my look  for the 2 minute school run. Vain? No! Styleblogger yes! Cannot tell you more stringently that there is joy to be found here with this little acrylic box. Totally envisaging my life becoming more organised…

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Yves Saint Laurent, Hedi Slimane, The Black Hole.

‘A la’ Yves Saint Laurent (www.themodeledit.com personal protest, use of full YSL name ) and reaction to their Instagram shutdown of all posts pertaining to H Slimane’s there, I have no images today. My mental image though, is that of thought control, implemented from the CEO throne room at the court of YSL, by eradicating all traces of Instagram imagery posted during Hedi Slimane’s tenure. Are we lost in the crossfire of some bitch fight? is this the very bitter end of a love affair that was actually only ever based on decimal points? How do we feel about that? Are we ok about being so curated? Will the disappearance of these images help us to totally forget that Hedi was ever there? Will those of us that bought some of his clothes whilst he was Creative Director feel like fools because our purchases are now considered a mistake and an aberration by YSL? Examining the ever so slightly megalomaniac leaning of this action, should we thank our lucky stars that, despite the conveyor belt through put of disposable designers, equalled only by the regularity with which Premier League football managers shuffle off their professional coil, any reference to the Yves Saint Laurent himself, has somehow dodged the cull and still remains? Although the ‘Yves’ part of the Saint Laurent was’t so lucky, was the erasing of the word ‘Yves’ a sort of ring fencing of that era, or acquiescing to a despotic Mr Slimane? How boring that not only do we have to be told the the mental state of each designer prior to them putting pen to drawing paper in order for us to understand why we should like something, thus eradicating any need for frivolous thoughts like ‘I like that colour’ Now we aren’t allowed to remember what people would prefer us to forget, and are becoming collateral damage of an argument that started off as a beautiful relationship… I’m talking about Yves Saint Laurent and his designs.

All That Glitters is Not Gold.

 

Monks metallic top, high necked metallic top, silver top, silver sequinned top, www.themodeledit.com, MrsV, Vanessa Voegele-Downing

The sun’s out, and everything is shiny so themodeledit.com is sharing a style find. Rushing around Carnaby Street on Friday I found this top at Monki  and bought it not in silver as shown, but in black, reduced from £30 to £8 in store, even though it says £15 from Asos. Loads still hanging there ( whats the matter???) It’s slightly tailored and made me get all Audrey Hepburn about myself, freckles and frizzy hair not withstanding… that is me Mrs V. I wore it under my Lee dungarees to the theatre. Nothing cultural, but a Soho venue and a day to evening situation developed. This top elevated an outfit that had pounded the streets with me by day, to ending up walking me down The Mall at 11pm by night.

metallic, Mango, short sleeved top, silver t shirt, round necked, pleated fabric

£9.99

On a roll (neck) and supposing that not everyone wants a tailored top, but still wants their body crossed with silver, I suggest this ever so pretty pleated metallic t shirt from Mango. Mango launched their ‘Metallics’ collection last week and have featured Karlie Kloss modelling it. They’re not silly, she’s just a gorgeous girl, naturally flipping’ fabulous. Best not to dwell there, instead look at the message; shouty silver will do the job, nothing left for you to worry about, lipgloss or ‘stick if you fancy, and Glow from Topshop because I fancy . Now read on for news of your bottoms…

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Just The Clothes Please.

Firstly, I sort of do want to apologise for ‘picking on’ Rick Owens. Whilst it’s true that I’m  not a fan, I do admire his candour and his earnest and egotistical belief in what he’s doing. Rick Owens is representative of some designers  from this generation, and because of that he serves my purpose well.  As yet, I’m not a front row regular at Press shows, although I should be as  I need to ask; is everyone sitting  tight on  their front seat thrones, scared of losing their footings? Will no one give an honest unbiased opinion. Why is no one pointing and laughing? Truly Mr Owens, whilst your furniture is fabulous ( and I definitely think that’s the way to go), your clothes are patronising, unwearable in their catwalk state ( you do amend these for people that go to the toilet right?) and are body binding. Don’t think Azzedine Alaia or Herve Leger, think more a Gladys Aylward scenario, and therefore tyrannical and not liberating. I am probably a Mastodon in so far that my model mates and I are largely extinct on the catwalks of today, however my memory of Yves Saint Laurent expounding the motivation behind his each and every collection is nil. Yes, that’s because he didn’t have to, his clothes did the talking, not his ego.

Yves Saint Laurent, vintage couture knitted wedding dress, knitwear, mannequin,

Yves Saint Laurent Haute Couture Knitted Wedding Dress 1965

I’m bored of being lectured by designers about their creations. I want their creations to wander freely in my imagination, to interpret them for myself, and to let my imagination ensnare the items that I will be wearing because they speak directly to me. I don’t need an interpreter to tell me why I like something. I also don’t need my conscience pricked by a couturier, I have all my other senses honed to that. Spare us the designer doctrines, editorialised despite any genuine responsibility to us the customer. What happened to clothes shopping being a treat, an escape or just fun? I don’t want to be beaten about the head by a banner waving designer. Please leave my body image and wardrobe aesthetics out of the political forum.  Another thing, where exactly does this fashion fawning stop? I don’t care which model ‘opened’ or ‘closed’ the show. Will we get to the point where the model is questioned about the angst or joy behind her interpretation of the clothes that she’s modelling, why she particularly paused before she snapped round and headed back up the runway, was that her statement on world peace, who cares? Certainly not themodeledit .Tell you what designers, you send out the clothes. Fashion editors, you report on them, honestly and then, given the above information, we your audience/clients, will make an informed choice. Not designers, because you felt the need to validate the existence of your clothes by sewing a metaphorical poem into them. We don’t need your poem, we need you to spread before us your collections, we’ll channel the rest. It goes like this; “does my bum look big in this?”  etc, etc, because if it does, I ain’t buying it. Even if it was inspired by a sonnet written by Shakespeare and dedicated to the travesty of Elizabethan  Plague deaths.

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Yves Saint Laurent and I (time travel Tuesday).

YSL, Yves Saint Laurent, haute couture, french designers, pret a porter, models, modelling

 

When I asked my London Agency, Laraine Ashton IMG, to arrange for me to spend some time in Paris, I had one thing on my mind, and one thing only. To work for YSL. I had wallpapered my bedroom with tear sheets from magazines, and most of these pages were of YSL clothes, or ads from YSL campaigns. My favourite of which is shown below. How beautiful is that model? It sort of encouraged me that she had a mass of really curly hair…Tick!
YSL, Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche, perfume, scent, designer perfume, Francois Lamy

 

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Cultivated Swedes

Maril Kemp, Swedish Model, long blonde hair, Laraine Ashton, Peter Marlow Model Composites

Here is Maril another Swedish Top Model, a very special person in my modelling career and hugely valued friend. Maril was the very first model that I ever worked with. Our agent Laraine Ashton IMG ( now known solely as IMG), had told me that another of their girls would be at the same job and would take care of me. Hah, 103 years later, Maril is still on speed dial on my phone.

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Helloween

halloween, bunny ears, red lipstick, vampires

It’s a status that avoids many pitfalls and irritations, like mascara, eyebrow taming, concealer and crows feet. I shall be adopting it as my signature look.

 

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

Ungaro and I

Emanuel Ungaro, fashion show, Vanessa Voegele-Downing,sunglasses, turquoise blue, paparazzi,

 

Mostly I am seen to be wandering the chiller aisle in the supermarket, standing on the edge of a sports pitch cheering my daughters on, or cleaning out the chickens, looking like this. It’s casual and puts people at ease when they see me approaching…

Thank you Mr Ungaro for ever thinking that I could pull this off.

My Full Profile

model composite, profile, earrings,red curly hair, Vanessa Voegele-Downing, fashion model

This is the back cover of one of my old Model Composites. These composites are your business cards, and without one of these you simply can’t function as a model. They are your calling card, and must be left with the client after each casting. They not only give out all your vital statistics but should, by way of an array of photos, show your versatility as a model. Today Models can show their full portfolio of shots by means of an iPad , but what stays with the client is still the Model Composite. It is a  vital currency in the Modelling world. A good one can gain you entry to castings by being sent by the Agency directly to the client, which sometimes gets you direct bookings i.e. you don’t even have to go to a casting because the client has chosen you, simply based on your photos. Conversely a bad one can just as easily leave you out in the cold!

My measurements were all achieved by eating entirely normally (for a rugby player), swigging Champagne and any other alcohol at whim, making eating ‘Tarte au Citron’ an Olympic sport, scoffing all kinds of sweets, pastries and a ton of bread. My point is that I was not abstaining from anything, so those measurements indicate my healthy resting weight at that time.

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