Interview with a Top Model!

Rising Star

A calendar recording the last month of Milly Simmonds life reads, ‘Trip to NYC; castings, United Bamboo show, Nicole Miller a/w 11 show, Threeasfour show, Thom Brown catwalk show. Then its back to London for LFW, start with Maria Grachvogel show, DAKS a/w 11, Sass and Bide, Mulberry show, Burberry Porsum a/w 11. Flying out to Paris next for the Lagerfeld for Hogan launch, then walking for the Celine show. Finally back to London for a measly three days break followed by a few castings, a shoot for Vogue then off travelling again for a shoot in Brazil.

Sound like a mouthful? Well young model Milly Simmonds is certainly living the life! Her career which has literally taken off in the past year is the envy of many aspiring models. She has been compared to London’s very own supermodel Lily Donaldson and lives a proper model life, residing in a scruffy flat in Shoreditch with her model boyfriend and surrounded by their equally ‘hip’ friends. I caught up with her in a stolen hour during her busy schedule.

How did you begin modelling?

I was scouted at the Clothes Show Live in Birmingham when I was 16. I signed to Select model management shortly after, but did not get much work so was in talks with Storm but they got angry when I dyed my hair without permission. Ooops! I’m now with Union Models and they are great.

How did your career take off so suddenly?

Well last year I was doing catwalk shows unpaid just to get myself recognised and begin to make a name for myself. Then in the past year I got booked to do a few shoots at Elle, a couple for Vogue and editorials for The Independent Magazine and Tatler and then this season I suddenly began getting bookings for lots of shows. It’s been great being able to travel to such exciting places and being paid for it!

What do your friends and family think of the industry your now part of?

They are really supportive, my mum came with me to New York, my sisters an artist and lives in New York so she has a similarly unpredictable career and my boyfriends also a model so we support each other a lot as well even though we’re apart a lot of the time. My friends are pretty excited about it, plus when I first moved to London I lived with a few other up and coming models who were also 17/18 at the time so we could help each other out.

Finally what has been your highlight this season?

It is between the Burberry Porsum show which was amazing, the hype backstage which was great and I love the clothes, or seeing Karl Lagerfeld at the Hogan Launch which was pretty surreal!

Summer Musings

I finish in approximately 2 weeks. Not for Easter. No. For the WHOLE Summer! I am already planning my summer wardrobe (england - I'm hoping for a hot one) and use the stunning Oliviao from 'I've got a lust for life' as a style inspiration and you'll be getting digging out your short shorts and mini dresses out too! Here are a couple of her looks I'm lusting over at the moment:

Also on the wish list:

• Purple/lilac lipstick
• 
• Dip dyed hair, brown to honey blonde

• Stonewashed ripped jeans

That is all... for the moment x

Yasmin...

My latest fashion 'muse' and girl crush is Yasmin Shahmir, known as DJ Yasmin. She was born in Glasgow but currently lives in London and works as a DJ, she has collaborated with artists such as Pharrell, Will.I.Am, N.E.R.D, Tinie Tempah, Devlin, Chase & Status just to name a few... I love her effortless 'cool' style, her signiture cat like eye makeup and her bangs. She is still so young yet so ambitious and so glamourous... One to watch!

Grunge Shoot

For my styling project our task was to set up a shoot, fully styled, planned and photographed ourselves. I researched into different subcultures and decided on 'Grunge', a fashion which started in the mid 80's early 90's mainly from the alternative Rock music that emerged in Seattle. Kurt Cobain and Nirvana started this style of looking very unkempt with long messy hair, dark colours, lots of layers, mix up of accessories and ripped thrift shop clothing. I looked at Grunge in fashion now and found Johnny Depp is the main example of it for mens fashion. So I set up this shoot with my brother styled from a mix of his, mine, my dads and charity shop clothing. I shot it outside the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge as I wanted to provide a contrast to the dingy clothes with the bright and beautiful architecture. As it is a museum I also wanted to portray a change in times. Looking at the modern version of 'Grunge'.

Street Style in Birmingham

New beginnings!

I've just come to the end of my first week at London College of Fashion! Its completely tiring but also completely awesome! My styling lecturer is called Giles and he styles Lady Gaga and Beyonce. He also helps on the sets of their video's and with their costumes from their music videos!!! I've also moved in on my own for the first time. I really like it but also miss my family and boyfriend a lot... The people are all really nice and have such individual styles, its really an eclectic mix of people.
Last Wednesday I managed to meet up with some old friends in London and went to Fashion Night Out. Although it started off with an hour and a half queuing outside of Liberty's, it improved immensely when we met and talked to Manolo Blahnik!!!!! He was signing mainly his new book but also items from his new collaboration with Liberty (including shoes, notebooks, fabrics, scarves etc.) He signed a beautiful hankerchief (all I could afford from the collection!) he had designed and even told me he liked my style and said he thought I would do well! Get that for claim to fame! Probably the biggest compliment I've ever had from someone I admire so much!
Then if the night couldn't get any better, Alexandra Schulman (editor of Vogue) walked in, literally right next to me and Georgia and Manolo apologised to the two of us as he briefly walked over to be photographed by the Vogue photographers alongside Schulman and Yasmin Le Bon.
So, all in all, a pretty exciting week. I will not be posting anything as dramatic as this anytime soon I'm sure!

These pictures are from the latest photoshoot I did for this amazing designer called Jesse Noy. She's moving to London and then on to Australia to finally launch her own brand so these were for her lookbook. In 2005 she won the Graduate designer of the Year, seen here (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/fashion/3341298/Fashion-graduate-strikes-gold.html)

she's pretty awesome! The photographer is the beautiful Iris who currently studies photography in London. She does some pretty cool stuff and amazing pictures. Here's her blog: http://nonflowers.blogspot.com/ and her flik-r http://www.flickr.com/photos/iriserlingsdottir/.

So this isn't all of them, it was a long shoot! But these are my favourites. On her blog check out her pictures of Lizzie as well, a friend of mine who I introduced to them and they did some gorgeous pictures of her!

Listening to Sixpence none the richer x

Z-z-zanita!

Excitement! Zanita collaborated with Toi et Moi (http://toietmoi.com.au/site/) for their Summer collection Look Book. That can only mean, amazing styling, clothes and photographs! These were my three favourite looks but there are more at http://zanitazanita.blogspot.com/ - take a look!

Sorry for serious lack of posting. Here's one picture from a recent shoot I did for this A-mazing designer called Jesse Noy who won the Graduate Designer of the year in 2002. Her stuff is wicked! More to come.. x

Summer's HERE

Fashiongonerogue.com

Finished all my exams and enjoying the beginning of Summer. Loving these hippie/boho/carefree images.

Love x