Now seeing all the pieces and including the picture of myself, I think its safe to say that I love Clashing Prints and Colour!

There are one or two pieces I picked that I wanted to elaborate on further:

1. Duro Olowu’s S/S 13 collection

Aaaaah! I want this dress and clutch bag. I have to have this dress and clutch bag.  Something bad will happen if this dress and bag are not in my possession.

It was so hard to pick my favorite piece from this Nigerian’s designer collection, I adore him!

2. Latex bra, Très Bonjour

A few months back I had the displeasure of working with a particular band (who are now defunct, YAY!!), and the few good things that came from the project is the lead singer introduced me to this Berlin-based, latex couture shop.  I want this bra and if I had it, I must confess I’d wear it as a top.  Just kidding.  But I’m not.

3. Swarovski, Aura

Really, I had second thoughts about listing this perfume because I want as little women knowing about it and wearing it as possible.  I love perfumes and I believe I got this from my mama because I remember sneaking into her boudoir as a kid, and trying on the various perfumes she stacked on her dresser.  She was the one that actually got me Aura for Christmas and I have to give her major snaps for this because the scent suits me to a T.  I only wear it in the evenings and it smells just like how I love my nights- exciting, decadent, enlightening, memorable…

4. Burberry Metallic Trenchcoat

This didn’t make the cut but I love it! It’s utter, sheer ghetto fabulousness!

You can go to the OE magazine feature link here.

I did ballet when I was about eight years old for about a year and I stopped just before I got my pointes.  How come?  That’s a long story, but I will say that as much as I love ballet, I much rather watch someone do it than do it myself.  It’s not like contemporary, R & B/Hip-Hop, African, Samba, Lambada, Dancehall (and the list goes on)- where my passion forces me into action, i.e. take dance classes, spend hours on YouTube trying to follow classes etc.

Since I moved to Berlin I’ve befriended two ballerinas, one of which is my mate, Mako who is featured in this post.  When I learnt Mako studied ballet, I asked him if I could take some shots of him pulling some shapes and he obliged.  I have to say that taking these shots made me wish I had a ‘proper’ camera so I could capture some real ‘is he on strings’ movements.

Having said that, I had such a great time taking those pictures and soaking in Mako’s beauty, grace and enthusiasm:

You see the wooden bead necklace on Mako’s vest?  He bought it from India and then pinned it to his top- this is a great way to update or customise your vest during summer.

I love this shot, it really makes me wish I was flexible:

I also adore his black sequins harem trousers, you know how some pieces are just great for movement and dancing? This for me is one of those pieces.

First outfit:
Customised White Vest- H & M, sewed in wooden bead Indian necklace, customised by Mako, Black Sequin Harem Trousers- Flamingo Fashion

After taking the shots, Mako and I had a yummy supper at one of my favorite restaurants, Transit  and then walked it of by strolling around Mitte.  Thanks for a lovely time Mako, when I do that fashion ballet editorial, you know who I’ll be calling!

Second outfit:Black cut offs, sunnies and Mauve sleeveless denim jacket- Vintage, Grey T- H & M.

And so moving on, just what is a Berlin Toxic Bachelor? In my opinion, he is a straight man aged between 35 to 45, he frequents the Mitte late night bars and is sure to be seen coming out of such toilets either with a dishevelled lady on his arm or curiously sniffing and rubbing his nose.  Berlin Toxic Bachelors are often well-educated and have ‘straight 9 to 5′ jobs which often involves international travel.  More likely than not to speak more than three languages, they live in the best parts of Berlin, in fabulously decorated houses.  They are funny (yes Berlin men can be extremely Ha, Ha, Ha…), intelligent, charming and all that jazz.  As you can see from the description I have given, if you live in Berlin I think you’ll agree that such men are like gold dust in a city like this where a lot of men (in my opinion) seem perfectly happy to carry on with a life of Ennui, none the wiser (or richer!!!).

The Berlin Toxic Bachelor hangs on desperately to the frayed strands of his youth by being on the guest list of the ‘cool parties’ which include him being eternally present at events like Fashion Week, Berlinale etc; and he stays ‘down with the kids’ by ‘listening to Hip Hop’.  Ultimately they are men who want to continue going round that Berlin Merry Go Round and Lord help you if you try to get them off it.

These men are toxic, simply because they are Casanovas, Don Juan DeMarco’s, ‘Playas’ and so assholicly on.  The Toxic Berlin Bachelor knows what he is bringing to the table and he is well aware that in Berlin, he is manna.  However he chooses, I repeat, he chooses to stay single.  And as long as you are with him to enjoy the ride (literally) and know that you must jump off the ride post-haste when your round is over, to allow for the next female passenger to get on so he can get her off- you will be just fine.  But if not…

In fact remember the SATC episode where Charlotte announces she wants to start dating Mr Pussy seriously, and Samantha says to her sternly that Mr Pussy was to be enjoyed and then ‘set free’; well the same treatment should be applied to Berlin Toxic Bachelors.

As with my last similarly themed post, not all of this shit has been said to me, some of my friends have been on the receiving end of the below shit-

• I’m going through my egotistical phase…

• I only like to use and dominate women…

• Don’t fall in love with me, I’m an asshole…

• I can’t give you what you want…

• I have skills…

• I just want to party…

• I love my girlfriend, but I don’t believe in monogamy…

• I can’t cook but I have a big cock…

• At 10pm, ‘I have a girlfriend…’

At 2am,’I have an open relationship…’

At 4am, ‘I have a ‘thing’…’

At 10am, ‘I have a girlfriend…’

• I tried it with guys but it didn’t work…

Have any of you ladies been on the receiving end of any of these shitty comments? Have you had an encounter with a Toxic Bachelor?  What shit did he say to you? I’d love to know!

1) Morocco-based blogger, Louis Philippe de Gagoue is a true product of the Slash generation being a blogger/stylist/personal shopper/law student-aha! you didn’t see that latter one coming did you? On a side note, what is with us lawyers and our passionate love affair with fashion? Anyhoo, back to the topic at hand, I recently stumbled upon Louis’s blog and the reason why I love it is because of the mix of great photography, interesting locations and his mix of eclectic clothing.

Courtesy of Louis Philippe de Gagoue

Courtesy of Louis Philippe de Gagoue

I also love his tongue in cheek way of dressing that shows a sense of humour and joie de vivre:

Courtesy of Louis Philippe de Gagoue.

2) Nigerian blogger Preye, founder of My African Hairitage Style, I once met a bit of a mumu at a party, who declared that African hair could not grow past chin length, and he had learnt this fact from his Mama- now this was no kiddies party, I was talking to a grown-ass man.  Anyhoo, how I wish Preye had been there at that party to shake her Nigerian, bra-length, natural afro hair in his face!

Courtesy of Myafricanhairitagestyle.wordpress.com

I am a big fan of Preye’s blog because it does what it says on the tin- it acts as natural, afro hair inspiration, which I in particular really need as I recently went for a major chop in an attempt to eradicate about 20 years of damage I’ve done to my hair.  And right now its safe to say that my hair and I are fighting and that in some ways, Preye’s blog acts as a referee- there to blow the whistle, calm me down and give me a bit of hope.

Here she is rocking her natural twists:

Courtesy of Myafricanhairitagestyle.wordpress.com/

I love this updo:

Courtesy of Myafricanhairitagestyle.wordpress.com/

My favorite post of hers was one which she delivered recently where she wrote entirely in perfect pidgin english, not only was it mucho funno to read, but it also made me realise that my pidgin english speaking skills are incredibly poor…tsigh…

I’ll keep you posed of more of the great blogs I discover…

This is where, Stylelikeu comes in, I really don’t know what I would have done without this site, which does all the above work for me.

Although the below ladies hail from all parts of the globe- North England, New York and Malaysia, I feel what ties them all together is their dedication to their mish-mash, melting pot style-

Yuna

I love the way Yuna represents her Muslim culture and tradition by owning a rainbow assortment of turbans which reaffirmed my decision to check out my local fabric store to buy some more turban fabrics.  I told you I was going through a turban phase didn’t I?

Maluca Mala

I find this New York lady very funny and charismatic; and I’d love to party with her.  How amazing are those culottes?

Terry Lovette

I relate so much to this woman, its redunkulous.  From her comment about family, mastering emotional detachment to the reason why she uses hair extensions, its not because she loves hair extensions, but because she must have ‘change’.

http://stylelikeu.com/closets/terry-lovette/#ad-image-0

Natalia Kills

I love her sculptured, textured black pieces, her statement gold jewellery and her modern interpretation of Cleopatra’s makeup. And those curved, vertiginous heels, W.O.W:

michelmen.blogspot.com

I will never forget seeing his nonchalant, bearded face gazing up at me from the magazine newsstands as he graced the cover of Numero Homme.  Anyone who knows me knows I have my Jesus lookalike erm, erm fetish.

themagazinemaker.wordpress.com

Since Petitjean’s (or really, Tresgrandejean) breakthrough front cover on Numero Homme he has walked for renowned designers like Jean Paul Gaultier and Emanual Ungaro, he was chosen as the man to feature alongside supermodel, Linda Evangelista for the 2008 Prada campaign and his editorial client list includes 10 Men, Wound and GQ Style.  He is now signed with Success Models, Paris.

unique.dk

morningpassages.com

creativechaosninc.com

As fashion dictates change, the 29-year-old heavenly creature has gone through many facial changes, ranging from wild mountain beast to shaved city slicker but my favorite looks of his are when he looks as wild as the rivers that run through it.

rafaelsoldi.blogspot.com

vi.sualize.us

The model industry is one of the few lucrative markets where Women Rule- phrases like ‘Supermodel’ were coined for them, they are legendary for inspiring designers, we know who they are dating, many of them have gone on to host shows etc.  But I ask you, can you reel of the names of top male models?  I didn’t think so.  And normally I am fine with this  ‘unfair’ balance until it comes to Patrick Petitjean; true his portfolio reads like the Who’s who of the fashion industry, but I feel if he were a woman that by now he would have his own clothing line, be hosting his own fashion show, have released a record and more of the cliche like.

And doesn’t my man deserve all this and more when as his glorious images suggest you can stick him on the beach, in a studio, a digitally manipulated desert- and he still gonna shine, shine, shiiiiine:

art8gamby.wordpress.com

pichaus.com

Patrick wherever you are I am coming for you, or at very least your booker…

The shoot was for an international magazine called, Colures which is now defunct, I hasten to add that it’s a pity it went bust because at the time it was in my opinion, the best African and African-inspired fashion glossy on the market.

Upon trying to dig up the images for this shoot, I realised that a lot of the original images were in London, so at the moment I am only able to show you 2 images, but they are still images worth showing:

I still remember the name of this fabulous necklace which I sourced from one of the most renowned traditional and tribal jewellery stores in the world:

The Beetle Necklace, Pebble London

I look at these images with a little smile, because it takes me back to a time when it was so much easier to get in touch and hear back from editors and PR’s were a lot more receptive to new talent. Case in point, for this editorial, though I had only been styling for about a year, I was still able to pull from heavy weights like Diana Von Furstenberg. Being a huge fan of print, I remember that at the time, I was constantly borrowing from her collection.

Jacket by Diane Von Furstenberg

What I love about this editorial is that it shows that the trends more or less never change; the running theme I had with this shoot was clashing prints and cultures, and this theme still runs strong in fashion shows today. Don’t believe me? Just have a look at the S/S 13 catwalks of Print TrailBlazers like Mary Katrantzou, Alexander McQueen and Dries Van Noten.

Pictures: David Yeo

Dear Biki

I work with a lot of independent artists (both solo artists and groups) and it’s always a struggle to get wardrobe for photo shoots. I have two album covers coming up and have been doing a lot of research on pull letters. The problem is I’m having is finding out what angle to come from when you’re not commissioned by a print magazine or any magazine in my case. How do I go about getting clothing in this way? Should I write up my own pull letter as the stylist? Or should I have the artist write up a pull letter?

Thanks, Rodney

My Advice

Dear Rodney

First of all, thank you for reaching out to me like this.

In my eight years of working with press offices in the fashion industry, what I have learnt is for them it is all about the End Game.   This means that as it is part of their job to ensure the brand they are looking after is placed in the most credible media- so the brand is seen visibly across the right audience- press offices are very selective as to who they lend.

To answer your question briefly, it is my opinion that a PR Account Manager will not care if you or the artist send the pull out letter, what he/she cares about is-

1)Firstly, do you and the artist fit the brand’s image and ethos?  When PR’s begin to work with a new client (brand), very often that brand gives the PR a list of press they want to be featured in and a list of press which they don’t.  This is why you will never see Alexander Wang in UK’s, LOOK magazine (a mainly High Street magazine).

2) In what media sector will the press clothes be used, and will that media sector lead to high reach of the brand’s target audience?

3) How famous is this artist you want to style, which they will analyze in terms of sales, awards, Facebook Followers and so on.  So you must have this information ready for them.

With no commissioning letter and with your 2 projects coming up what can you do? You can-

1) For the future, you can start to contact and pitch magazines where you state you want to style your bands for one of their issues, if you get a pull-out from them, use this letter to do a fashion shoot, and also use that as an opportunity to pull separate clothes for your album covers.  This is what Stylists call, ‘Back to Back’ shooting.

2) When one is not blessed with a big budget or contacts, one must get creative.  Remember that for an album cover, what is most important is the image that is portrayed which does not necessarily mean ‘The Latest/Seasonal Clothes’.   After all my favorite album covers include Goldfrapp’s, SuperNature and Prince’s, LoveSexy- and in both, clothes are not the key feature.

3) Many stylists also go to clothes stores that have a policy where you can buy and return.  Personally, I never liked this route as you have to be so careful that when you use such clothes, no damage is done on set, because once there is you are stuck with a piece of clothing you don’t want which you paid for.

4) You need to make friends with independent designers who don’t use PR’s and fast.  They are normally much, much easier to borrow from.  A talented, young designer still studying is even better.

5) Remember you can always borrow clothes from friends and even the artist’s wardrobe.

6) Some Press Offices set up an agreement where you can pay them for use of their brand/s, so you can look into this with your target press offices.

7) On a side note, I would not advise the artist you are styling to write the letter as in my opinion, this does not look professional.  Either you write it as the stylist of the shoot or get the artist’s manager or PR to write it.

Finally, I will say that the higher in the fashion food chain a brand is, the tougher their PR will be, so I will advise you not to contact the bigger PR’s till you can tell them what they want to hear and in the meantime grow your music, magazine and independent designer contacts.

Hope this helps somewhat, Good Luck!

The Echo Vamper Band for KALTBLUT mag, Styled by Me.

Pic courtesy of Bernhard Musil

What makes this jacket rich with history is the fact that the heavy gold embroidery was sourced by Marijo from an old curtain which was no longer in use- so the jacket is not only stylish but also gives a nod to the Recycling/Green Brigade.

Now back to those eyes:

He also told me that his inspiration to make this jacket derived from the ensembles worn in Balkan postcards dated from the 1900s to 1920s (of which he is an avid collector of).

1920 Balkan Postcard

To set off his custom-made jacket, Marijo decided to wear what he calls his ‘MC Hammer’ trousers, Nike trainers and a dishy looking Black tassel, Ottoman hat.

I call this look, ‘Balkan Prince meets Rent Boy in Brooklyn Circa 1990′.

In January 2013, Biki was chosen to be Head Stylist of Africa Fashion Day Berlin (AFDB), A/W 13 .  Intent on being one of the pioneers making African and African inspired fashion global, Biki was very proud to be part of this event, which was the first of its kind in Berlin.  AFDB was held as part of the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, and took place in the prestigious Adlon Hotel.  AFDB was attended by notable German as well as international press, most notably-Vogue Italia.

Biki John also became the 2^nd Fashion Editor of KALTBLUT magazine; a fashion, beauty, music and lifestyle international magazine which is based in Berlin, Germany.  KALTBLUT is published quarterly, and is stocked in cities like London, Paris, Germany, Italy and Amsterdam. For Kaltblut’s current print issue-‘The North’- Biki had the opportunity to work with Berlin-based photographer, Mika Ceron  (whose clients include Nike, Sony Walkman, EMI and Quicksilver).  For this story, Biki John used menswear labels like Marc Stone and womenswear high fashion brands like Augustine Teboul and Dawid Tomaszweski.

She also worked with Berlin-based photographer Bernhard Musil (whose clients include MTV, Maxfactor, Levi’s and Adidas) on a music shoot that featured exciting newcomers, The Echo Vamper.  In order to create the theatrical look seen below, Biki worked with brands such as Très Bonjour and Moga E Mago.  Also read her exclusive interview with the band that is being heralded by Dazed & Confused as, The Band to Watch.

As 2^nd Fashion Editor of KALTBLUT, Biki John is also a writer, the recent ‘The North’ issue features an in-depth article on London based Womenswear designer, Anna Gregory.

Finally Biki John’s highlighted stylist work can be seen in Luanne Mclean’s debut fashion book- Contemporary Fashion Stylists.  The book features entertaining and insightful interviews (and images) with over 20 diverse and international stylists (whose Clients List include EMI, Sony, Nicki Minaj and Usher).  The book can be bought in most Waterstones bookstore (UK) and select independent book stores.  Contemporary Fashion Stylists can also be bought online via Amazon.

If you would like to contact Biki for any upcoming or future projects or you want to see more of her work, please go to www.bikijohn.com.