In the latest installment of Twin’s A Model Moment series, we meet Chloe Lecareux. Chloe recently moved to London from Paris, and, at the tender age of 20, has already developed a distinctive style that really comes through in her shots. Pared back, but carefully considered, her look shows a love of fashion – which is only fitting for a model. Already spotted by Rankin, who has used her for an upcoming exclusive, and has just returned from Barcelona Fashion Week, Chloe is sure to only go from strength to strength as she gets older.

On London

There are so many things I love about London: The vintage clothes shops; the parks for cycling and walking; and especially the museums. The city is so lively and eccentric – everyone here seems so real, no matter how they dress. My favourite place, though, is the Tate. I love art, and I love how a place can be busy and quiet at the same time. It’s perfect for some quiet reflection on a rainy Sunday. I just stumbled across the gallery while I was wandering around one day.

On style

My style changes all the time, but what’s most important to me is a good cut – and lots of black! Acne and Cėline are my favourite labels, but I mainly shop at Zara and &OtherStories on the high street. When I was in Spain for fashion week, I bought several pairs of Zara trousers as it’s so much cheaper over there. I’m absolutely crazy about Portobello Market. I always find something beautiful there, like vintage Prada trousers or a silk cocktail dress from Amanda Wakeley. However, what I’m coveting most at the moment is a Leica camera as I’m really passionate about photography.

viva-paris.com

Make up by Gillian Campbell using Jurlique Skincare and Bobbi Brown Cosmetics

Hair by Ditte Lund Lassen using Bumble and Bumble.

Tags: Chloe Lecareaux, london, Sophia Aerts, Viva Paris

The model has become a figure of fashion myth and legend, always perfect, always stylish and with an instinct for what to do, what to wear whilst doing it and whom to be seen doing it with; a kind of ‘cool compass’, if you will. Social media has lent their off-duty hours an aura of cool, a time when these chameleons are being their own beautiful selves, doing their own beautiful thing. They suddenly develop a personality, a style of their own, and become all the more enticing for it.

So when the international carousel of shows, shoots and castings stops for a brief instant and comes to rest in London, where does the model spend her time? In a new series, Twin, in collaboration with photographer Sophia Aerts, has hand-selected up-and-coming models and shot them at their most beloved place in the city, giving you an insight into their lives and loves.

Meet Avery Tharp of Next Model Management. A 22-year old hailing from California, Avery has a captivating blend of wide-eyed innocence and sultry pout. She has a youthful energy and determination, but nevertheless maintains a certain mindfulness that comes across in her work. Twin catches up with her after a four week stay in London.

On London

My favourite place in London is the walk from Borough Market, through Southwark Cathedral, along the river, past the Tate and over to St Paul’s. If I’m really in the mood I’ll walk all the way home [to Old Street]. I love being by the river – it’s so relaxing.

Walking enables me to be independent and I can go where I want to; you don’t often get to do things for yourself when you’re a model. Sometimes I just want to do what I want to do, and when I want to do it.

Another great place in London is Camellia’s Tea House, near Carnaby Street. It’s a tiny café, hidden away on the third floor, with a whole wall of teas. I love all kinds – chai, earl grey – and I’m going to take some with me when I go back home.

On style

I’m very relaxed when it comes to style. I like to think I dress in a way that is simple, easy and chic. The last thing I bought was this leather jacket from Neiman Marcus in New York. At the end of the day, it’s about looking nice but feeling comfortable, a balance between finding something you like and something that suits you.

I do have some staples though: I would never be able to give up my coat in winter, and in summer time I can’t live without my favourite pair of shorts, which are white cotton with blue stripes.

nextmanagement.com

Hair & Make Up: Aga Dobosz

Tags: Avery Tharp, london, Next Model Management, Sophia Aerts

Parisian label A.P.C., known for its hipster-meets-chic aesthetic, is to open it’s latest store in London’s Soho. The new space features a simple storefront with clean displays that parallel the brand’s minimalist designs. You’ll find both men’s and womenswear collections, as well as shoes and accessories such as bags and belts split over multiple floors.

A.P.C. Soho is located at 48 Lexington Street, London, W1F 0LR and is open now. 

apc.fr

Tags: A.P.C., london, soho

It’s not often that a fashion photographer wields enough influence to create an issue of Vogue featuring only black models; neither is it very common for just one person to photograph each and every cover of Vogue Italia for the past 20 years. But then, Steven Meisel’s extraordinary passion and talent set him up for an illustrious career from his early days as a fashion illustrator.

International auction house Phillips is launching a travelling selling exhibition of Meisel’s work. Role-play has already visited Paris, and will be arriving at 30 Berkeley Square in London from 16 December to 11 January next year, before heading to New York.

The show features 25 images that capture Meisel’s most notable contributions to fashion photography, including an image from the 1990s, when Meisel was instrumental in welcoming the grunge aesthetic into mainstream fashion. He has since concluded that the image is one of his favourite pictures, as, in his words, it ‘captured a real cultural moment of a music scene and a fashion scene fusing together to create a new look.’

Meisel has undoubtedly become one of the most significant fashion photographers working today and this exhibition is a brilliant opportunity to view his work as it is intended to be seen.

Steven Meisel: Role Play opens tomorrow, 16 December till 11 January 2015. Located at Phillips 30 Berkeley Square London. 

phillips.com

Tags: exhibition, fashion photography, london, Phillips auction house, Steven Meisel

This year, Freize London adds to its repertoire of platforms for performance-based installations with ‘Live’, fashionably supported by Alexander McQueen, the Associate Sponsor of the art fair for the second year running.

Visitors will be able to watch a restaging of Robert Breer’s self-propelled Floats, and experience the sensation that they themselves are moving whilst actually remaining motionless, or relax by ‘vacationing’ during an installation from Tamara Henderson. Another of the 6 selected galleries, Shanzhai Biennial, will reconceive Frieze as a lifestyle brand, with products available for purchase.

‘Live’ is a major new initiative that is designed to integrate an important part of Freize’s history into the modern fair – the continuing commitment to showcasing the most experimental and ambitious art to capture visitor’s imagination.

freizelondon.com

Tags: Alexander Mcqueen, Art, Frieze, london

For aficionados, fashion is much more than a frivolous indulgence in the latest trends. It is about self-expression, identity and creativity. This is what the major autumn exhibition at the London Design Museum intends to celebrate. Women Fashion Power opens on 29 October, looking at the ways in which women are using fashion to define and enhance their place in the world. Fittingly, the exhibition is designed by Dame Zaha Hadid, the first and only woman to have won the prestigious Pritzker Architecture Prize in 2004. She herself is well known for her fashion statements, currently sporting pink ombré hair.

It will feature exclusive interviews, an immersive multimedia journey including archive photography and film footage, and historic pieces of clothing to illustrate a timeline of fashion over the past 150 years, from restrictive corsets to Louboutin’s statement heels. There will be an iconic Yves Saint Laurent ‘Le Smoking’ suit, a Mansfield suit worn by Margaret Thatcher and a Jacques Azagury dress worn by Princess Diana, amongst others. To add to the excitement, over 25 contemporary women will be featured in the exhibition, and each of them has donated one of their outfits. Naomi Campbell, Dame Vivienne Westwood, Livia Firth (wife of Colin), Roksanda Ilincic and Natalie Massenet (of Net-A-Porter) are just a few of the famous names.

Fashion, it seems, is growing ever more important as a tool of empowerment, for building a reputation, attracting attention, and asserting authority. You might want to think on that when you plan your next outfit…

Women Fashion Power at the London Design Museum, from 29 October to 26 April.

designmuseum.org

Tags: exhibition, Fashion, london, London Design Museum, Women

Dover Street Market, the oh-so-stylish retail outpost from Japanese label Comme Des Garçons, is about to break its conspicuous social media silence with the launch of its Instragram, @doverstreetmarketlondon.

While it is obviously not the first fashion brand to turn to the world wide web for creative inspiration, it is somewhat surprising given that, until now, DSM has been abstemious when it comes to social networking. So what has prompted this move online?

The Instagram heralds a series of celebrations to mark DSM’s ten-year anniversary. Since opening its doors in London on 10 September 2004, DSM has well and truly established itself as a fashion haven, and these festivities will be its crowning moment.The entire store will undergo some exciting changes, and the exclusive collaborations will have fashionistas in a frenzy.

After three days of closure, the store will reopen on September 1, with a completely transformed basement and second floor, while the first floor will be entirely given over to Louis Vuitton for the duration of AW14. The Rose Bakery will be enlarged, as will the jewellery and wallet display on the ground level. The basement will be home to a new NikeLab, to be celebrated by the release of a special edition shoe, and Tokyo’s Good Design Shop (a collaboration between Comme Des Garçons and D & DEPT). There will be event spaces dedicated to different designers that will change each week, and four open days throughout September when these designers will be in store to greet customers.

Perhaps most exciting will be ‘Market Street Dover’, some temporary market stalls that will be set up all through the building selling special collaborations and products celebrating ‘ten years future and past’ of DSM. The stalls will be hawking a bevvy of limited-edition creations from Sacai, Simone Rocha, Rick Owens and Phoebe English, to name but a few.

The festivities will kick off on September 1 with the launch of Pharrell Williams’ GIRL fragrance, as well as the unveiling of an installation designed by Comme Des Garçons’ creative director Rei Kawakubo that will cover the entire building’s façade. A happy birthday indeed!

doverstreetmarket.com

Tags: Dover Street Market, Fashion, london

After the success of HONORE in Paris, TRACES is now coming to London as part of PUBLISH/CURATE.

Exploring the concepts of technicality and texture, TRACES is a group show at the TJ Boulting Gallery. Each artist involved presents a unique technique, including lithography, etching, collotype, frottage, screen-printing, mono-print, photogram, transfer, etc. The artists – whether they have developed their own process or have kept in line with classical tradition of printing and drawing – have, as a result, created interesting textural works.

Discover work from artists such as Adeline De Monseignat, Akiko Takizawa, Asger Carslen, Augustin Steyer, Ayca Koseogullari, Boo Saville, Charlotte Schnabl, David Noonan, Eloise Van Der Heyden, Hugo Wilson, Ivy Armour, Tamsin Relly, Victoire Thierree, Victoria Ahrens, Whitney Mcveigh and William Roper-Curzon.

Traces will open from the 1st – 23rd of August, 11am-6pm or by appointment.

TJ Boulting Gallery is located at 59 Riding House St, London W1W 7EG. 

www.tjboulting.com

Tags: london, TJ Boulting Gallery

Work-Shop is a designer superstore curated in collaboration with creative magazine Oh Comely. The pop-up’s purpose is to encourage people to learn more about hand made processes; to introduce to the public a variety of exciting and sometimes undiscovered independent brands, giving us a more soulful lifestyle alternative to the many mass produced items currently available on the high street. Founder Michelle Oh, a jewellery designer with her own eponymous brand, temporarily moved her studio into the shop and not only can you find her creations displayed in the store, but you can take part in jewellery DIY classes to make your own. You’ll also find designer talks hosted by the people behind the brands involved, such as Draw In Light, London Tea Club, Elizabeth Dunn, Espergaerde, Project 104 Swimwear, Wickhams Concern plus more. Full brand list available here.

Twin‘s Fashion Director Celestine Cooney visited the boutique for one of the Work-Shop classes and designed her own ring (below). To find out more and to take part, head to facebook.com/work.shop.

Work-Shop is located at 6 Newburgh Street, London W1F 7RT until 1st August. 

Tags: celestine cooney, Draw In Light, london, Michelle Oh, Pop-Up, Work-Shop

Overly cool brand Opening Ceremony has garnered a cult status through its locations in cities like New York and Tokyo. Luckily for us, London is finally getting a piece of the action, thanks to the launch of label’s first UK shop yesterday. Set in Covent Garden, the 3,000-square-foot pop up store has been opened to coincide with the Olympic Games starting later this month and the company’s ten-year anniversary in September.

The brand has already collaborated with the likes of Chloë Sevigny and Rodarte, but to mark the London O.C. takeover, designers including adidas, Norma Kamali, Topshop, Band of Outsiders, Charles Anastase, Christopher Shannon, House of Holland, Pamela Love and Proenza Schouler have created exclusive capsule collections for the store.

Combined with a selection of rare books curated by the Claire de Rouen team and set in a neon-coloured, geometric shape-decorated landscape courtesy of Studio Toogood, it’s safe to say we have found ourselves a new retail paradise. Let the shopping games begin.

openingceremony.us

Tags: Adidas, Band of Outsiders, Charles Anastase, Chloe Sevigny, Christopher Shannon, Claire de Rouen, House of Holland, london, Norma Kamali, opening ceremony, Pamela Love, Proenza Schouler, Rodarte, shopping, Topshop

If London is known for anything as a fashion capital, it’s nurturing and supporting a hotbed of creative talents all across the design spectrum.

For a second year running, Selfridges has selected its Bright Young Things. The project allows 15 newcomers from the worlds of fashion, art, design and food talents to create a window display for its Oxford and Duke Street stores.

With participants this year including womenswear designer/illustrator and CSM graduate Sorcha O’ Raghallaigh, who specialises in intricate metallic coloured and lace designs (Lady Gaga is a fan)  and designer Maarten van der Horst, who gave a new and fashionable life to the otherwise dreaded Hawaiian prints, it’s a testament to the design talents that the Big Smoke has to offer.

For those more interested in non-fashion creativity, interior designer duo Tinker & Tailor have created a Twitter-friendly interactive space, while coffee connoisseur Jack Coleman made his own personal ode to the art of the brewing and roasting.

There’s never been a better reason to stop and take a closer look. Rush hour crowds notwithstanding.

Bright Young Things is on until February 29.
selfridges.com

Tags: Art, Bright Young Things, Design, Fashion, food, Jack Coleman, Lady Gaga, london, Maarten van der Horst, Selfridges, Sorcha O' Raghallaigh, Tinker & Tailor

Launching tonight, The Photocopy Club is a monthly photographic exhibition of Xeroxed photographic work from all over the world. Held alternatively in London and Brighton, The Photocopy Club hankers for the days before email. Photographers are invited to post signed and dated photocopies of their work to the club. Each month a selection of photocopies will be exhibited and then sold. Eliminating digital files and emails, it’s about the tangibility of photography, pushing images off our computers and back into the physical world.

The Photocopy Club takes place tonight at Create Studios in Brighton 6.30pm – 9pm
thephotocopyclub.com
welovecreate.com

Tags: Brighton, london, The Photocopy Club, Xerox

For Twin V we’ve gone to the roots of female creativity and taken a look at the growing young talent working right now. Twin spoke to Grace LaDoja, whose ambition and hard-work has singled her out from her peers. Grace’s eyes and ears are firmly locked on the youth culture pavement. The filmmaker has been documenting youth sub cultures since her first job at 17 and it was her childhood in London that shaped her world.

“Growing up in a three bedroom house with eight other kids around me I learnt if you don’t get up and do something you’ll be unnoticed,” says Grace. “In London you are surrounded by everything culturally relevant. I sucked it all up. I wasn’t the stereotypical black girl living in north London. I was into different music, different scenes on every level. I started running with the things surrounding me. I didn’t even skate but I was fascinated by the scene.”

As part of her first job at sneaker community Crooked Tongues, Grace flew around the world shooting films for brands like Adidas, Stussy and Etnies. Finally a year ago she set up her own production company LaDoja and Sons and has since worked with brands like Nike and Swatch as well as making documentaries such as London to Paris – a film about the cycling scene.

“I love youth culture and I want to document what’s happening now. In the same way as people look to the Eighties and Nineties I want to give kids in the future something to reference from this era. Eventually I’d love to make films like Spike Lee and Martin Scorcese, telling the story of what’s happening.”

“We live in a generation where everyone’s someone and wants to be their own boss. I feel proud to be where I am. I’ve got a space with 15 people working in there and we’re working with big brands. I’m doing something I love and I’m making money. I’m not faking it.”

Twin V is out September 2011
ladojaandsons.com

Tags: Crooked Tongues, Grace Ladoja, london, Nike, Stussy, Swatch

Photographer Lina Scheynius delves into her past for her third book, 03, to a time when her photographs were intended for her eyes only.

While Scheynius is increasingly in demand as a fashion photographer, her personal photographs are, in contrast, a hypnotic hymn to sex, love and uninhibited freedom. Although the photographer’s previous books have been visual diaries detailing her recent life between London, Paris and Sweden, this time around she’s compiled a book of images taken between 1991, when she was just ten-years-old, and early 2007, just before her first magazine commission.

It’s an embryonic collection of pictures, revealing the same ethereal beauty, light and intimacy for which she has become known.  Another chapter in her book of life.

Lina Scheynius’ 03 is available here
linascheynius.com

Tags: Lina Scheynius, london, Paris, Sweden

‘Colour’ at Michael Hoppen Contemporary is enough to brighten anyone’s winter day. On show are a dynamic group of art photographers from Nobuyoshi Araki, Alex Prager, Tim Walker, Valerie Belin and Guy Bourdin – all of whose work is defined by their use of colour, pantone and hue. We love Daniele Tamagni’s energetic ‘Gentlemen of Bacongo’ which get another worthy outing having been moved straight from East London’s Trolley Books. It’s a vivacious display that livens up London.

‘Colour’ is at the Michael Hoppen Gallery, 3 Jubilee Place,
 London
www.michaelhoppengallery.com

James Dean’s Last Stop, Lost Hills, CA, 2008 © Ofer Wolberger

Untitled, 2007 © Valerie Belin
Top picture: Pastel Cats © Tim Walker

Tags: colour, exhibition, london, michael hoppen gallery

Jarvis Cocker is increasing his already exponential creative credentials with an amazing sounding three day pop-up exhibition-cum- event at Village Underground in East London. He’s already tried it – with great success – in Paris. This time around interactive jams with the public who bring instruments, live graffiti from Pure Evil, pole dancing and hula hoop classes, spoken word and special guests are all part of the live line-up.
Get involved.

12-6pm November 9th – 11th
www.jarviscocker.net

Tags: exhibition, Jarvis Cocker, london