London Street Style..."Romance was Born"

Okay, so I am schlepping around with the Nikon on Tuesday, thinking about heading home, when suddenly I spotted THE SHARK PANTS. If you read The Sartorialist (and of course you do!) then you will know about THE SHARK PANTS. The Sart photographed them when he was in Australia earlier this year for RAFW, and I remember thinking at the time how brilliantly quirky they were and how well they would sell in London.

So, as you can imagine, I lobbed across the road faster than you can say "Flash as a Shark with a Gold Tooth", and said "Hey, I saw some pants like that on The Sartorialist earlier this year, I love them, where did you get them?"

And he goes "That was ME!!! I just flew in from Australia at 6am this morning!!!"

What a spin-out! I guess I shouldn't be at all surprised given the people I keep bumping into (you might recall my post from last week) but, damn, it really was kinda weird! It is a small world after all :)

Anyway, Sydney-sider Jason is mates with Aussies Anna and Luke, the designers behind the Romance was Born label, and he bought with him a few more of their fabulous pieces so you might see him pop up again on the blog. Anna and Luke got glowing reviews in the press for their SS 2009 collection, and the model Myf Shepherd wore pieces from their "doilies and pearls, oysters and shells" collection on the July cover of Australian Vogue. I don't think the label is available in the UK/Europe at the moment but a little birdy tells me that Luke was over here recently meeting with buyers..... so watch this space :)

London Street Style...Long-Jump

I absolutely adore her long-sleeved jumpsuit- it is playful yet grown-up all at once.

It is also trans-seasonal: perfect for now, and add tights for Autumn/Winter.

She is a designer for Topshop....and the jumpsuit is from Topshop, of course! Mr Green would be proud :)

London Street Style...Blushing

This is Sam who was down from Nottingham with her friend to celebrate his 18th birthday. Her very sweet blush top and shoes caught my eye....closely followed by her Herve Leger inspired black skirt.
Sam has just finished school and intends to study PR and marketing/communications at uni.

London Street Style...Anchors Aweigh!

Ahoy thar, me hearties!

It's the nautical trend on a t-shirt! Lydia's is from All Saints.

If you are after a less obvious take on all things nautical, check out the teeny little anchor pendant she has around her neck.

London Street Style...The Icelandic Brunette

The last couple of weeks I have had two of my A-listers* from Australia staying with me so I haven't had the chance to get out on the street to take photos (bad) but it has forced me to learn more about the history of London (nothing worse than not knowing anything about the city in which you live when visitors arrive except the easiest way to get to Liberty and Browns!) and to spend time doing "touristy activities" (good). In the past two weeks I've been to the Tate Britain (twice), the Tate Modern (once), Westminster Abbey (once), St Paul's Cathedral (once), The Dorchester for High Tea (once), The Horse Guards Parade (once), a London Walk around the Inns of Court (highly recommended), National Gallery (once) and the Photographers Gallery (once).

On Saturday, however, I took the Nikon out for a spin and took my first "street style" photos in 2 weeks- and it felt fab! I've really missed not prowling the streets for stylish peeps but, more than that, I've missed the conversations, the laughs, the interactions I have with the people I photograph. Despite still getting the nervous jitters when approaching people, I really adore meeting people, finding out about what they do, talking about what they are wearing and, of course, taking their photo....I guess that is why I rarely take "candid" street photographs: the interaction with people is part of the pleasure for me.

And of course, London being London, I get to meet people from all over the world: on Saturday I shot a guy from Germany, a girl from Norway, a girl from London and this girl from Iceland. Fabulous!

*You know, those super-amazing girlfriends that will stick with you like a limpet through anything life throws at you :)

Edit: A slightly different, more vintagey processing of the same photo:

London Street Style...The Norwegian Blonde

Arnhild:

From Norway

Playsuit:

From Urban Outfitters

Sunglasses:

From Beyond Retro

London Street Style...The Brit Blonde

What I loved about this politics student, apart from her blonde bombshell looks, of course, was that she didn't look like every other P.Y.T out shopping on a Saturday afternoon. Something about those serious heels (most people, me included, adopt the weekend uniform of trainers or flats), the folksy embroidered dress, the white tights and that perfectly tousled mane made me want to photograph her as soon as I spotted her.