Chester French - Black Girls

We just love indie-pop duo Chester French. With their eclectic and intriguing musical offerings, these boys have been Tantrum faves since we first heard an unmastered copy of 'She Loves Everybody' back in '07 and we've kept a close eye on this band ever since. The video for their most recent single, Black Girls, was shot by acclaimed fashion photographer, Francesco Carrozzini and to say we're obsessed with it would be a bit of an understatement! Check out the amazing video and equally amazing song below, and keep looking out for an exclusive Tantrum feature on Chester French that will be heading to this very blog really soon!

Converse x Britta Burger

Following all our Converse bags & accessories hype previously, we bring you news that they've collaborated with emerging UK-based creatives, who have customised their Converse bags to suit their styles and personalities (and you can, too! Converse bags are the perfect blank canvas!) First in our installment is Britta Burger - A London-dwelling photographer & journalist...

Britta Burger: http://brittaburger.com/ and http://cooler.mpora.com/

About: Britta Burger is a London based stylist, photographer and journalist from Austria. After her degree in literature and linguistics she completed an MA in fashion journalism (London College of Fashion). Britta is Acting Fashion Editor at Cooler magazine and London Fashion Editor of Flux magazine. She also freelances for a variety of UK and international magazines and quality newspapers. Her special area of interest is youth and subculture.

What band's style influenced you at school and why?Nirvana. It was all about grunge back then.

Describe your school style or your favourite accessory?Grungey - beige corduroy Levi's, grey lambswool sweaters, my grandad's old cardigans, mini kilts and over the knee socks, embroidered waistcoats, my favourite items were a black vintage tailcoat and a floorlength navy military double breasted coat with gold buttons - it was two sizes too big and I thought it looked amazing (we obviously didn't have to wear uniforms...)

How did you style up your school uniform?I went to school in Austria, we don't have uniforms there. But I remember being so impressed with them on my first trip to England as a teenager that I wore my own version of a British school uniform for at least a year...

The inspiration behind the bag:I worked on the bag whilst I was back home in Austria which was where I grew up.
I’m a big fan of the author John Updike and his 'rabbit' tetralogy, the duffle bag really reminded me of all-American High-School basketball heroes, the whole sporty collegiate style. It’s also about the way I grew up, the whistles remind me of my parents who were sports teachers and the poms poms, which I made with wool from my Granma’s house, are kind of like balls.
The canvas of the bag was just asking to be drawn on with the markers and I suppose it's also an abstract take on the classic stars and stripes, but I was inspired by the iconic pop art aspect of it, not the fact that it's a national flag. 

How amazing is Britta's kitsch all-American bag?! Stay tuned for the next installment of Converse's collaborations.
To be continued...

Kate Moss by Mario Testino

Reigning queen of the supermodel scene, Kate Moss is obviously no stranger to photographs. We've all seen the career-making Corinne Day snapshots, Calvin Klein adverts and Vogue covers that this beauty has graced, as well as the headline-grabbing paparazzi shots documenting her falls from grace.

But never before have we been allowed an insight into the days in the life of Kate. The product of two decades of friendship, 'Kate Moss by Mario Testino', offers a glimpse into intimate, behind-the-scenes imagery, showcasing the pioneer of heroin chic in a way we've never seen before.

Many of the 100+ photographs in this book are unreleased images from Testino's private archives, and the book also features a foreword by Mario Testino and an essay by his greatest muse, Kate Moss herself. A rare and unconventional glimpse into the rise of an undoubted fashion icon, 'Kate Moss by Mario Testino' deserves a place on the bookshelves and coffee tables of everyone who's at all interested in the worlds of fashion, art and culture.

Kate Moss by Mario Testino, £44.99 is published by Taschen and available here.

MICK ROCK : ROCK MUSIC

To celebrate the legendary Mick Rock’s recent book ‘Mick Rock Exposed: The Faces of Rock 'n' Roll’ the Idea Generation gallery, Shoreditch, welcomed him with open arms, exhibiting some of the renowned music photographer's best work.

Stepping into the tiny entrance to the gallery was like stepping out of the wardrobe in Narnia (cheesy, we know, but it's true!) The white washed walls and simplistic layout of the gallery was offset by the colourful, explosive collection of Rock's work, featuring an extensive mixture of rock 'n' roll royalty - from huge David Bowie wall hangings to images of Andy Warhol and Lou Reed chilling out on a sofa. 

“Andy Warhol once said to me, years ago, that I was to be in music, what he was to the visual arts. You can’t define it. But its all happening the way he said it would. The man’s amazing” Lou Reed - 1974

There also included a short film piece of Rock talking about his recent book, telling us about how he photographed the striking Debbie Harry in the 80's, urging her to almost impersonate Marilyn Monroe. 

'Mick Rock Exposed: The Faces of Rock 'n' Roll' is and inspiring and uplifting exhibition that really shouldn't be missed, and for all you hardcore Mick Rock fans out there, the gallery is also staging an evening with the legend himself on the 19th of January! It's perfect way to mark the end of the coolest exhibition you'll ever see! 

Mick Rock Exposed: The Faces of Rock 'n' Roll is available on Amazon for £12.49, or can be purchased at the gallery.

words: Amy Edgar

images via dazeddigital.com

Lula Spring 2010

This beautiful, dreamy editorial is featured in the Spring 2010 issue of Lula magazine.

The lighting is so soft and relaxed, and along with the styling and clothing, gives this editorial a pretty, nostalgic, otherwordly kind of feel, which fits in just perfectly with Lula.

Model: Dolores Day
Photographer: Sophie Delaporte
Stylist: Ondine Azoulay

Source: Fashion Gone Rogue