Behind the Scenes : Evans S/S 2011 Photoshoot....

WARNING :   Extreme long post ahead. But the pictures will make up for it. Read on.

On Tuesday, I attended the Evans S/S 2011 photoshoot, to interview the amazing Marquita Pring, the fabulous make-up artist Kim Brown, and the divine hairstylist Chi Wong.

The photoshoot took place at the "Park Royal Studios" and Evans was in Studio 6. I was the first one to arrive. I was meant to be there at 9 am, but I got there an hour early for two reasons :

Reason 1 : I had to take the train & the underground (my worst nightmare), I have a serious phobia of trains and undergrounds, I find it claustrophobic, and there's to much hustle & bustle for me. I'm more of a car/bus kinda girl, but that was out of the question. If I took a mini cab, it would've been £50 (which was too expensive!!), and the bus would've taken forever. So I bit the bullet, and got on with it!

Reason 2 : I'm notorious for being late. Ask any of my friends and they'll tell you I take a lifetime to get somewhere. This was so important to me, that I planned my routine for Tuesday with military precision, and in fact I got there early, so I guess I can be on time if I put my mind to it!

Once I arrived, I walked into a spacious entrance, and there was the secretary sitting at the entrance desk, and I told her I'm here for the Evans photoshoot, she smiled and told me where to go and to sign in. I was extremely nervous, and flustered, so I quickly signed in, and went on the hunt for Studio 6. As I have no sense of direction, it was typical of me to get lost (just perfect). The more I searched, the more flustered I became, so I scurried off to the bathroom. A lady came in, and said "Good morning!" to me, so I gave a nervous smile and said "Good morning". After talking for a few minutes, she told me she was here on a shoot for Burberry, unfortunately I didn't catch her name, but she told me I could go chill out in the canteen upstairs.

The canteen was fabulous, very minimal, and spacious. No one was up there, besides the chefs, so I awkwardly got some coffee, and sat on my own for some time. After about 20 minutes of waiting, a young woman comes up to me and knew my name, and she introduced herself, as Gemma. She is so lovely, and we started chatting, and it was her first time on a photoshoot as well, so we both we're feeling the pressure. We were then joined, by the fabulous Sophia, she was the one who invited me along, and it was a pleasure to meet her.

We all started talking, then by chance I looked up, and I saw Marquita walking up the stairs! I couldn't believe I was in the same room with her, I managed to remain calm, but inside I was all over the place. We then went to Studio 6, where I was introduced to Kato and Olga, both whom were very nice. We then proceeded upstairs to where hair & beauty was taking place.

We got there,  just in the nick of time because, Marquita was getting her make-up done. Sophia, introduced Gemma and I, to Kim and Marquita. We were welcomed with warm smiles and small chit chat. While Sophia and Gemma were setting up their digital equipment, I started taking pictures of the clothes, shoes, and accessories for S/S 2011, which were fabulous!

Belts

Gemma & the black lace shirt we both adored!

Leather Studded Biker Jacket, love at first sight!

Can't wait for this to become available!

Me by the accessories!

Love Evans shoes!!

After taking some pictures, and wandering around, Marquita then had her hair done. So I took the opportunity to start talking to Kim. Kim is an amazing make-up artist, she created the iconic look for Preen S/S 2005 during London's Fashion Week. She's worked with celebrities such as U2, Wyclef, Cindy Crawford, Natalie Imbruglia, and Frieda Pinto.

Kim and I

She's been featured in Vogue (US & UK), Harper's Bazaar, Elle, and Glamour. She is so down-to-earth and really easy to talk too. We started talking about her career, and how she got started, who's she's worked with, which was very fascinating to me.

She took me through all of her make-up, her favorite products, and her top tips. We talked about a lot of things, and before I knew it, we were in front of Sophia's video camera doing an interview.

Kim's Make-up :

After Marquita got her hair finished, she was off to change, into the first of numerous outfit changes. Her first outfit, was a pretty tribal top with hareem trousers, and some black wedges, she looked gorgeous! I then met Jo, who was so kind, and introduced me to Rachael, who was awesome. Rachael, told us to have a drink, have something to eat, and relax. So we went downstairs to watch Marquita in action, and she is a natural. She was so fluid, after each click of the camera she was in a different pose, she looked like she was dancing, it was amazing to see her work it!  While I was downstairs, I also met Kitty who was the creative director, she was so welcoming and wanted to make sure that I was enjoying myself. I also met, Nottie who has to be the most fanciest dog ever! He was perfectly groomed, and pranced around, he was so adorable!

Nottie

Kitty & Nottie

We then managed to interview Chi, he was so busy and was hard to keep up with, but we got him in the end. He's amazing, and he has such a talent! Marquita, naturally has beautiful hair, but after Chi was done with her hair, it was flawless. He was very laid-back, and was a natural in front of the camera. He started hairdressing in the renowned 'Alan Edwards Salon' at the age of 17, he then moved to London, and he's been successful ever since then. He's worked with Lady Gaga, Florence and the Machine, Lily Allen, and Courtney Love. He's been featured in Vogue (Teen, Russia, and Nippon), Harper's Bazaar, and V Magazine.

By the time we finished interviewing Chi, it was quarter past 11, and we were pretty much  done. The only thing left to do was interview Marquita, get more video footage, and take more pictures. Sophia and Gemma had to leave around 12 pm, they had to get back to their office, it was really lovely to meet them. I was then left on my own, so I just continued to socialise with the team. I talked to Marquita in between her outfit changes, and when she wasn't in front of the camera.

I took this picture, photographers eat your heart out lmao ;P

Lunch time rolled around, and a yummy feast awaited us, there was salmon, beef, bread rolls, salad, and a vegetable noodles, everything was delicious. Marquita and I sat together, and we talked about nearly everything, it felt like we've known each other for a life-time.

Marquita and I

She has to be one of the most humblest person I've ever met. She is truly beautiful inside and out, she has this really warm aura about her.  Turns out, we have a lot in common, and I'm truly lucky to have met her. During lunch, I also got to speak to Izzie, who was one of the stylists, and she was really cool. I also spoke to the photographer David, who is from New York, he was really chilled out, and energetic.

After lunch Jo, explained the inspiration behind the S/S 2011 line, she showed me the mood boards, and the other projects that Evans are working on. She then handed me over to Laura, who was the stylist, and she took me through the wardrobe, and key pieces for S/S 2011. I was then able to interview Marquita, while she was changing into the other outfits, and my work was done. I was going to wait til 5pm to see Rick do the retouching, but my ride came early, so I ended up leaving around 2 pm. Although I didn't stay long, it sure felt like it!

Anyone who is in the fashion industry, has my utmost respect, because it takes a lot of hard work, effort, and energy to do a photoshoot or put together a fashion show etc. So I salute and admire you!

It was such a phenomenal experience, I've never been to a photoshoot before, so it was nerve racking and exciting at the same time. I can now cross, "Go to a photoshoot" and "Meet Marquita Pring" off of my goal list! The whole team were really down-to-earth and relaxed, the atmosphere was really inviting, there was a lot of smiles and laughter throughout the day, it truly exceeded my expectations. This experience, has made me even more passionate about fashion, and I know that I could will be successful in the fashion industry. I would do it all over again, and hopefully I will get another opportunity.

Please note that no picutres will be used without seeking my permission.