Roller-Grrl with Purple Hair, LEAMINGTON

I have been chancing my arm in Leamington and asking straight up if i can photograph women. I hope my public lynching which will surely follow amuses the crowds of parents with prams and staffie owners.

However, this girl said no. Just like all the others today :). Well, she didn't say no but her friend did. However she said thanks and goodbye so all wasn't bad.

Rollerblades are old enough now to be retro. Old style quad skates look deliberate and these inlines have a nice early 90s positivity to them.

Her outfit was modern though. Slash cut, neckless, sleeveless T, glimpse of pink shorts and purple ends in her hair.

In short, awe.

Cocktail Dress Plan, NOT SURE WHERE

I'd like to do something like this. With style taken from this.
With a dress from a charity shop and a model from somewhere, not sure yet.


















UPDATE: Bought a cocktail dress from a charity shop, not really like the above which i'm still looking for, but this one looks good and fits in well with this abandoned factory up the road in leamington who used to make GORAY skirts back in the 40s and 50s. This dress isn't really like those old skirts but things change and the colours are good.

While i was there checking it out a Blonde-Bombshell walked past and i asked her to consider doing the pic. Hopefully she will...so changed the pic accordingly.

Also, there's a lot of short haired women around at the moment...
would be good to do one with this dress, on some safe railings somewhere.

Lady Race Car Driver, Tweed Riding Coat, Mallory Park.

Well tailored Riding Coat with rich detail on the buttons, cuff and lining. Very British, almost British Baroque.

That's her car, Lady Bluebell.

Restorator/Constructor, Piazza della Scala, MILANO

I don't know if this lady worked construction or reconstruction, either way she does it with some style.

I was watching people drink from the fountain and drawing them too, she was the only one I asked, I mean to do some more this summer there.

Thanks to her.

Futurism Dress, Piazza del Duomo, Milano

Seeing some Futurism art in an auction sale, seeing a woman taking pictures with her iPhone with her hands high in the air, plus having some time on my hands, I become a dress designer and put it all together. So then i could shoot the catalogue too in the square. Just need some more designs, so I went to the new-ish Museum of 1900's art in the square to get some ideas from Italian, hopefully Milanese, art.

Having failed my History of Art A' level with an 'N', I'm not in a strong position to criticise but I will anyway. Too many drab Boccioni paintings, they need to sell these and with the money buy some colourful paintings like this one (only 20K GBP), which, if copied, would make great dress designs, scarves or hankies.

There was one picture which would make a great fabric design, I can remember what it was called (Purple Red) and the year (1963) but not the painter's name, though it was a woman.

Fringe, Black/White Stripes, via Torino, MILANO

7 PM: She was waiting around the tram stop. The scene didn't make sense, the way she stood, how she'd change places every minute or so, great posture, making eye contact.
I think she was giving lessons in how to wear a cheap dress. People were paying attention.

She looked like she was cut out and pasted onto the browns and greys of that busy street.

I found a sneak-pic I took. I still can't figure out what was going on.

I paid the price for doing it though, two 'truzzi' boys saw me with my camera and asked me to take their mindless portrait.

Pink Shoes, Playsuit, Via Spartaco, MILANO

Had a bit of an unlucky week with the camera, gradually lost confidence and clear intent bit-by-bit so did some after-the-event drawings. Frustrating yet fulfilling at the same time.

I had a bit of confidence left when I saw her from a busy road, and went back to the side-road she parked in to try and photograph her with her consent, but the glamour was gone.

I did the drawing on via Buenos Aires, as there are lots of legs walking by i could sample from.

Tropical playsuit, purple/pink heels.

Two Up on a Four Stroke, MILANO

I saw this yesterday, it's not an uncommon sight and drew it today.

Then i went to Porta Romana this evening and saw it again, took a snap from 15-20 feet away, I should have kept walking closer and snapping but I still got something I hope. (added photo 6 days later)

Might be a while until the next upload as i will be laptopless.

Be still snapping though and probably drawing.

Back in Babila-zone, MILANO

I saw a de Chirico painting last week in the flesh, and it was fairly rubbish, looked like he did it in a day or less, but i've always liked his empty streets with solitary figures in them and if i had caught her up or seen her again today, i would have photographed this woman (if she'd let me), this way.

She had a short dress on with a dark band around the bottom, which made your brain think it was a two piece but no two piece could be that low without falling down, so it was an optical illusion of sorts (well it wasn't really but...).

Drawing on experience, MILANO

This woman was playing with her hair while she examined the homeware stall at Porta Romana market. She had big red Lolita glasses on and a flowered summer dress, she didn't buy anything.

This is very much a Milano specific look...very tight jeans and a tiny tight top. You see it all over, and it should be easy to find someone to pose with my sketchbook looking at a picture of someone like her.

I think a business school had a field trip, it was 20 year olds in suits and pencil skirts...it looked crazy, i think i picked up american accents but for some reason, didnt ask the 'best' of the bunch to pose crossing the road or something quick and simple. I just passively watched her climb aboard the air-con bus to drive her away.

She had a one piece pencil dress on which looked crazily unreal and very bright red shoes.

Oh well...there must have been a reason for not asking her...dark forces at play in the sunshine :-).

Street Sketch Chinese Chick ;-) , MILANO

I was drawing something in my notebook when a chinese couple stood behind me and the young lady asked me how i did it, if it was from imagination or reality, if i could draw people, if so how much? I said no charge but i'm only drawing girls not boys. She said ok and took a pose by the cathedral. She went a little red when a small audience briefly formed, but kept amazing still and her boyfriend was a model in patience too. I think i spent 15 minutes maybe more, drew her too tall...but not perfect but not too bad either.

She actually was very nice. Her boyfriend took a picture on his iPhone of the drawing ...but cut the head off the drawing...she beat him around the head for good measure.
He also took a picture of me and her which i hope to get :) (will post)

i was a bit worried i looked like a street artist and would either get beaten up by other street performers for being on their patch or asked to do some pix of big americani. this didnt happen.

Great fun girl and charming boyfriend :)



(VVV thanks for the picture VVV)

Sant'Alessandro, MILANO

Another awesome model donating her time to the cause.

These short cotton dresses are very Milano at the moment, remind me of something renaissance-esque.

Will look for these modelled in England on my return.

Thanks to this model very much!

Another cute walk/pose, couldn't decide so here's two!

Lessons Learned,Porta Romana, MILANO

Probably a good job the model picked where and how to

snap this dress as it went see-through in the photo from back light-as below.

I've put a couple of her up so i can remember her

poses for other shots, as she knows what she's doing

about 100 times more than i do.

I hope I never generalise with models in future, they can be incredibly helpful like this one, crossing the road for better light and suggesting/doing different stuff.

Anyhow, super classical outfit, like a Grecian statue.

Thanks to her a million times.

Research Day :-), Milano

Tonight someone asked me how my day went blogging. I said, thinking quickly, today was a research day.

I went to Babila again, not intentionally but got stuck there after seeing a woman in a white pencil skirt and green satin top while i was having a coffee with a charming Braziliana.

So I went back and loitered hoping she would come back on her lunch break. I drew how I would like to photograph her at a crossing but alas she never showed.

But then, at another crossing, some big boots, like hyperstyled horse riding boots, clearly not for horse riding but looked Cavalry all over. She was in all black and began to pull at the leggings fabric to get some air in the very hot sun, while waiting for the signal. She took her scarf off and tied it just so to her hand bag, she held it up to see if it was perfetto, approved and crossed the road.

Later i went way out of town, in the suburbs amongst new apartment blocks in a district on the end at the trainline. Still full of style, this is where i hope to get some new stuff tomorrow.

Niet, Milano

I liked her bob and her leggings and her wrinkled blouse, but most of all her wedges which were super high tech made out of nylon cords. Unfortunately I showed her a drawing of the Amazonia and after considering it for a second she made a sad face, held up her hand and said "No".

So here's a drawing of a Russian Refusal.

Loose boots and leggings, MILANO

Here's another excellent instance of loose engineer boots and leggings combination that I havent seen in England.



I had seen someone early this morning but she disappeared before i could ask her, so i did a drawing instead and went looking for someone in this style that seems very popular in Milano at the moment.

Later that day, this young lady walking along said she would do it. I said the drawing was almost exact, she pointed out the hair was different and the heels were missing. Ha ha.

Anyhow, she was great, seemed pleased to be asked and was great at doing it.


Thanks to her!

I like the way the boots make the whole walk slinkier, hope she doesn't mind me saying, and relaxed too.









Like the super-relaxed off the shoulder jumper shirt/tunic/top.

Next time i see them I'm going to listen to the sound they make :)


Thanks to this woman very much, she is a good sport.

Remember all models get a print of drawing (if there is one) and photo -just get in touch and will post from the UK. :-)

San Babila, Milano.

I saw this incredible woman go into Mango and waited,
thinking i have no sketches in my book to show her that would look like her so i did one while i waited for her to come out :-)

I remembered her bejeweled shoes and her 'army type' pockets on her skirt and so was fairly easy sketch to do. She came out about 15 minutes later and i fumbled up to her.

I tried speaking very bad Italian, she said she had very bad English and joked it was a perfect combination, she had good English in fact and agreed to be in my picture.









Check out her jeweled shoes and her double breasted blouson jacket. Her hair was worn in a tight bun. I like that almost 'pencil' skirt worn with the squarish jacket, great silhouette and outline.

My lens has 'compressed' her a little, she was so tall and straight. Magnificent!




Elegante. Only in M.




Thanks to her very much!

Workwear, MILANO

I went out to blog early this morning to get back right in it. No one said blogging was going to be easy, though some might think it is ;-)

But oh my look at this super styled outfit. How about this for co-ordination? Check out those rich blacks and the tan tones, the brushed steel which is like a half way point between the sand colours and the black.

I'm saying no more.

Obviously ideal and superb.

Grazia a lei!

Amazonia, Central Sq, Twilight, MILANO

An incredible woman came out of the twilight yesterday but after a day of 'Non grazia' i didn't have the confidence to ask to photograph her. I might go back tonight to see if her route is regular. Yeah, i know this is getting stalky but...I'm on a working holiday, so it's OK.

Thinking about the Giorno di Non Grazia, i think maybe i had too much black on yesterday, so i went for a more colourful 'clown' outfit today, with some stripey socks i didn't deploy but were there just in case things got desperate. Fortunately they weren't needed and and so i have some photos to post : ).

Deep Purples, MILANO

I have seen much purple this year, though a few of the purple people have said no when it comes to photo-time. This lady asked me to speak slowly and said yes to help me recreate this shot. Her statuesque figure and her purple heels stepping from the curb, was sligtly/incredible to behold and I am surprised to have photographed it.

So many thanks to her, to which she replied earlier 'nothing'.

Snapping in Milan is proving fun.

M for Milano, B for Biker jacket and Biker Boots, MILANO

So it's not just Birmingham with the Biker chic here's proof of global trends to my own eyes.

Those big boots were swinging like clockwork penduli across the square, making for a big comfy, laconic style.

Leggings and leather is pretty together- in this case very pretty together! Complimenti (sounds like an ancient proverb too)!

Haven't seen a bike outfit so finished in the UK, maybe this one here (on the left in the sketch) who said 'no' anyway (big boots too-i think that's the trick).
I think that vest helps with the 'do anything I like' credibility.

So 'super-cool' as they say here.

Grazia a lei!

(Just ran up to her and barked English---she responded immediately in English-incredible).

Gallery Girls II, BIRMINGHAM

Medea has been in Birmingham for 2 months at the Poetry of Drawing Exhibition at Birmingham Art Gallery.

She is very beautiful and reminds me of the best Italian fashion photography.

She leaves town forever on Sunday so go see her tomorrow!

Thanks to her and Evelyn De Morgan for original art!

Great world class exhibition.

Yellow Ruffle on Bicycle, BIRMINGHAM

Maya came back to BFS to recreate the fashion elements seen in this. She even found the exact yellow ruffle top!

Incredible. Big thanks to her!

She was very kind in describing my bicycle as vintage :)

Hope to see more glamourous women on old bikes this summer.

(This is reposted as Blogspot lost the original).

Californian Style in the Paradise Forum.

Was clear even for a bozo-blogger like me that this lady likes LA style... I saw her in Paradise Forum and caught her up a bit further around. Very unusual in Birmingham to see a Trilby/Fedora worn with leggings and heels. In fact, I don't think I've ever seen it anywhere.

Slightly rocker looking, especially with those boots but feminized by the 'vintaged' lace.

Very smart, unique and very good to see on a grey May day.

Thanks to her!

Red and White Stripes with Red Shoes, BIRMINGHAM

This young woman zipped past me and I caught her up, showed her proof of my integrity :) with some prints from the last couple of weeks and she thankfully agreed.

I had to have her in this blog. Real fun outfit with those red shoes, Wizard of Oz style, brightening up rush-hour and moving at high speed.

Everything is great, fun and feminine.

Thanks to her!

Two Pals, Two Tones, BIRMINGHAM

These two friends continue with the 'sand' and black on-off theme that became apparent from today's uploads.

They were visitors to Birmingham, up for the day in their smart town outfits.

Thanks to them and all models for modelling this week.

(Red and white striped dress and red shoe lady coming soon:).

Satin Blouse, Pencil Skirt, Immaculate Perfection, BIRMINGHAM

Even letting the jacket hit the floor as it drapes better that way.

Classic outfit, classic pose, classic shape.

Super!

Thanks to this lady for helping

me attempt some of these poses.

Short Sandy Trench Coat, 60s Detailing, BIRMINGHAM

Dynamic young woman, blasted into it by applying a little lipstick and asking where i was going to be photographing from. I struggled keeping up.

Lots going on here...check her chic outfit yourself!

Thanks to her very much :)

Short Black Coat, BIRMINGHAM

This satin-effect short Trench coat looked very graphic, as did the whole outfit. The brush effect bag and shoes, the highlights in the cloth and the chrome looking very metal and military. I like it. Altogether a very smart look.

This business woman proved very obliging, interested and engaging in order to help me recreate this.

So thanks to her!