By
SHOWstudio,
22:18 Mon 06 Jul 2009
After thirteen hours on set and five of Simon Foxton's finest, our VMAN model search finalist D'Marco Jones has finished our days shoot and his first time in front of Nick Knight's lens. Our live stream is now over - but if you managed to miss our live split-screen stream broadcasting all the backstage and on set action, our project gallery has been updated (and indeed inundated!) with all the images from the shoot. Uncensored, unretouched and real-time, our images provide a sneak peek at the outfits which will make their final glossy outing later this year when VMAN 15 hits newsstands.
By
Alex Fury,
20:29 Mon 06 Jul 2009
There's no missing the archaic, arcane and extravagant selection of accessories Simon Foxton has chosen to accompany this season's more conventional high fashion looks for this VMAN shoot. These come courtesy of Michael Costiff, punk icon, set designer and covetous collector of some of the world's most fabulous fashion artefacts (check his awe-inspiring archive of early Vivienne Westwood, now in the V&A). For this shoot, Simon has drawn from Costiff's World Archive - a collection of jewellery and adornment which defines the term eclectic. As the name suggests, Costiff's collection reflects the aesthetic whims of the entire world: silvered brooches in the shapes of hands recall deities of the Indian subcontinent, Maori chains jostle with Masaai necklaces alongside strings of feathers, shells and beads ready to suspend from neck, lobe and lapel. Fabulously varied and even more fabulously exclusive - these pieces are rarely loaned out for photographic shoots. But of course the charming Simon Foxton is a rare talent indeed (luckily for us!). Judge the results for yourselves in the final VMAN 15 images - the unretouched originals of which are lurking in our project gallery.
Having received an edited selection of Nick's images from today's first look, we've just launched our Live Shoot Gallery. Featuring our first finalist D'Marco Jones wearing head-to-toe Louis Vuitton and a necklace procured from Michael Costiff's World Archive. One of two lucky finalists, D'Marco appears to be enjoying every moment of today's shoot with Nick, stylist Simon Foxton and the rest of the team at Park Royal Studios. Reckon he's worthy of that prestigious VMAN cover slot and contract with Ford Models?
By
SHOWstudio,
17:03 Mon 06 Jul 2009
Simon Foxton evidently agrees with our verdict on those spectacular Galliano trousers! For the second shot of our VMAN shoot he has chosen to put D'Marco in them, along with a (comparatively) simple spiral-sleeved chiffon shirt. Our hair stylist, Duffy, succinctly sums up this look as 'Mr Tumnus' - for those who didn't grow up on C.S. Lewis, that's the Narnian Faun with fluffy goat-legs from The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe We couldn't agree more (in the nicest possible way!)!
By
Alex Fury,
13:55 Mon 06 Jul 2009
Our stellar shoot team - consisting of hair stylist Duffy, make up artist Florrie on grooming and Marian Newman's wizardry on nails - have set to work to buff and preen D'Marco to a fine finish, giving us a chance to consider Simon Foxton's sartorial choices for the shoot.
After a minor monsoon this morning, the sun is now shining - but as with the rest of fashion, the fantastic Mr Foxton's thoughts have leapt forward to winter. Swathes of grey, black and blue wool, sturdy tweeds and hefty grosgrain-trimmed greatcoats populate the rails - an ostensible turn away from frippery and back to basics. Hard times seemingly call for hard clothes - and what could be harder than Miuccia Prada's bovver boots, studded with a good kilo of brass and stainless steel spikes? There's a leather v-neck (part Perfecto, part Medieval cuirass) courtesy of the same, alongside some seriously heavy-weight Dolce e Gabbana tailoring in worsteds and millimeter-thick melton. When it comes to attire more akin to Renaissance armour, the Italians really do do it better
But fear not, you can always rely on John Galliano to lighten the mood. Sensible tailoring? Workaday cuts? Investment pieces and hard-wearing separates? Not on your fashion life. Galliano's contribution to today's shoot are jodpur thighed, dropped-crotch tracksuit bottoms festooned with a couture house or so of les plumassiers' finest ostrich fronds. Add some hammerhead-toed patent evening pumps or thick-tongued gold-heeled cuban dancing pumps and that's Galliano's antidote to grim reality for Autumn/Winter. The interesting thing, of course, is to see just which pieces of this bounty will make it onto D'Marco's back and into the pages of VMAN 15 - our project will of course have the inside scoop, with live image uploads as soon as the action begins! Stay tuned...
By
Alex Fury,
12:00 Mon 06 Jul 2009
The live stream of our VMAN Model Search shoot is starting on schedule - but we have some changes to the advertised programming. While D'Marco is present and correct on the studio floor, his fellow finalist Daiv Ambrose was somewhat dramatically turned away at customs (great British beaurocracy at its very best). Scuppering our anticipated plans for a two-model split-stream, Nick will now shoot D'Marco solo in a selection of Simon Foxton's finest and we'll be loading the real-time editorial shots as they are created. Despite Daiv's unavoidable no-show (after a nine-hour drive to obtain a last-minute passport, and the same again to get the poor lad to the airport), the contest is by no means over - plans are distinctly afoot to shoot Daiv, in some kind of fashion, in his Houston hometown. More news soon, but for now click here enjoy all the action from the shoot.
By
Alex Fury,
10:56 Thu 02 Jul 2009
We can proudly announce that our VMAN Model Search finalists have been decided - but the race for the cover of VMAN15 isn't over just yet. Our two finalists, Daiv Ambrose and D'Marco Jones, are scheduled to fly over to London on Monday to be styled by Simon Foxton, shot by Nick Knight and clad in the high-fashion likes of Louis Vuitton, Prada, Alexander McQueen and Calvin Klein. We'll be broadcasting the shoot live on SHOWstudio, charting all the action as these two fledgling faces of fashion battle it out through the shoot, each vying for the prime cover spot of VMAN15. Simon Foxton's masterful styling will be immediately on display on both of the boys, as we upload Nick Knight's original and unretouched images live to the site, allowing a real-life real-time editorial to unfold before your very eyes.
