Stephen Jones

I am working on a fashion illustration for a client and have been looking at lots of hat pictures for research, and just had to post these Stephen Jones' hats. I know everyone knows about him, but looking through his website there are so many striking beautiful pieces I had to do a post. The above hat is called Pericolo.

Very witty. This 'Limo' hat is so Marlene Dietrich.

I could just imagine Audrey Hepburn in this 'Shalimar' piece.

The Dharma - it wouldn't suit me, but I love it!

And finally the 'Seagull'. See more of his hats here

Anzu on tv!

We are very happy that Anzu candles were featured on the Wedding show on Sky tv last week. Thank you for everyone that helped me with my first tv appearance!

Traveling in time

I love this Japanese website that ages photos. Above is the anzu office circa 1910, and me lighting an anzu candle circa 1932?

To age your own photos, simply click here, choose the file/photograph you'd like to age and then click on the blue button. It's all in Japanese but actually simple to use.

Black lace

I think this season's Valentino lace dresses are absolutely stunning.


I love lace and it has appeared in quite a few Anzu paintings.


This is the bestselling Anzu lace dress card, which we released a few months ago.


Dresses from Marchesa's Spring/Summer 2010 collection,


and I just had to finish on this iconic image from photographer Jeanloup Sieff.

Blue

It has been so hot in the office today (we really need an air conditioner). I'm sure we can't be the only ones in a hot office on this baking day so I thought I would post some refreshing blues to cool us all down.

Above is my Mughal patchwork painting, featured in our Patchwork range of cards.

Yoshigo on Flickr, via English Muse

Even though I love blue, for some reason I hardly ever paint in it unless I'm feeling a little fedup ( literally a case of the blues!). It's strange because blue is my favourite colour. I love the ever changing blues of the sea,

the vivid lilac blues of a bluebell field (I went to a small village school and this was pretty much the view from our classroom during May),

the soft grey of a Wedgwood blue as on this Anzu dressing table card,

the deep intense blues of Iznik tiles,

the clear blues of a Canaletto sky,

the Ming porcelain blues of a Cavalli dress,

the incredible underwater blues of a David Doubilet photograph (my favourite)

or a more pale turquoise blue as on the neckline of this Anzu turquoise dress painting.

Thank you!

Thank you to everyone that came to Pulse and especially for all your orders and all the absolutely lovely compliments we received on the candles. After working for months on them it means a lot! These are the pictures my Mum took on her iphone of the show.

Here comes the sun?

Sisley asked me to illustrate their sunscreen products for the Summer, giving the illustration a touch of 1950s St. Tropez and here is the end result!

I was also lucky enough to be given some freebies to try and I can safely say that they are amazing. They smelt good and I actually managed to get a tiny bit brown on their factor 15 - normally I would have to drop to at least a factor 8 if I wanted to change colour at all. So if you're going on holiday be sure to pack some Sisley!

A & M Hire

Another day and yet more searching for props. This place is Europe's largest prop house and with literally miles of antiques and props, I can hardly believe it is in London. It is truly an amazing place. Above are some parchment books - they look rather Harry Potterish don't they?

We were looking for slightly smaller props, but just to give you an idea of the scale of the place.

Mayfair 262... 

This table is 189 ft long - Jasmine is sitting at the end of it, but you can't even make her out. Pass the salt please.

You can find anything in there from confessional boxes to 1980s computers to complete pub interiors, which is no doubt why it is the choice of such major films and tv productions. AM have loaned to the James Bond films, Braveheart, Poirot, The Bill and countless others.

Some rather scary things lurk in there, including Mummies and a lot of skeletons in medieval four poster beds.

However, in addition there are many more refined choices such as grand pianos and 18th century French screens. This shop is for trade only, but if you get a chance to visit I would highly recommend it see www.amhire.com for more information.

Wellicious homepage

Just thought I'd post a recent commission I did - a new painting for the Wellicious homepage. Check out their great products on www.wellicious.com

More Pret-a-Portea in NY

The Pret-a-Portea is now over, but it was so exciting to see what a success it was and how much it has grown since the Berkeley first called me in six years ago. With a full page editorial in the New York Post, a feature on Fox news (see the link below) and with tons of magazine features, it attracted lots of attention.

Above is another illustration I did for the project, of the Bergdorf Goodman china and portea cakes.

The Berkeley and Bergdorf took inspiration from these dresses and accessories, and below is a small selection of how they were translated into cakes by the talented chefs. 

Click on the link below to watch this clip on Fox News, which captures the sheer fun of this event.

Video: Pret-a-Portea on Fox News

My illustration was in all the lifts of Bergdorf Goodman and I loved the way the menu ended up looking (below).

My friend Claire also managed to pop by and enjoy the tea, and kindly sent me this snapshot below. Don't worry if you missed it yourself though, the Berkeley in London serves Pret-a-Portea daily from 1pm to 6pm!

The anzu office on a Friday

I'm working hard,

Ryma is working hard,

but I'm not too sure about this one.

Jackie Kennedy

I read so many blogs, that try as I might I can't recall which blog I saw this photo on. Anyway, I love it. It's so Jackie - the headscarf, the low pumps and the obligatory sunglasses.

The above illustration is inspired by Jackie O's accessories, her pillbox hats, Kenneth Jay Lane faux pearls, and classic shift top. It is a popular card in the anzu So... range.

Lotuses and lily pads

I love images of lotuses and lily pads, and it must be because of the cold, cold winter that these tropical images are really appealing to me at the moment. Above is a photograph I recently took of two illustrations of mine with real rose petals and fake lotuses that I bought a long time ago in Thailand.

A photo shoot from Korean Vogue.

At the temple of Angkor wat lotus gatherers collect flowers each day at dawn. In the far east, lotuses have a religious significance as divine figures were thought to be born from them, and people even go lotus viewing carrying lotus shaped lanterns.

These giant lily pads are the largest in the world and are found in the Amazon basin. They can carry the weight of rabbit sized animals.

Bespoke shoes

If you're a regular reader, you'll know I love shoes - even men's ones, as you can see from the illustration above currently used on our Tattoo shoes card. So it was really fun to get a behind the scenes tour of John Lobb - thank you Nick! John Lobb is an exclusive bootmaker, based near St. James's Palace that produces bespoke footwear for clients. Founded in 1849, it is now owned by Hermes, and has produced shoes for everyone from King Edward VII to Frank Sinatra.

Each person that comes in has a last (essentially a wooden replica of their foot) created, onto which the shoe is fitted. The basement has avenues of shelves filled with lasts of their current clients.

The shop itself is a lovely mix of workroom and showroom.

I absolutely love the wrapping paper on this pile of shoe boxes.

A photo of a workstation in the basement. I have so may photos from the trip that I will be doing another blog on this, showing a couple of famous lasts - I can't resist it!