Tamara Cincik

Sonia Rykiel Show

I sincerely love a Sonia Rykiel show: the shoes are always wondrous, the colours, the left bank sense of fun with glamour: girls swaying in feathers in furry clogs, high five-ing down the runway, Love…

John Galliano show

Galliano was a visual feast, totally Tamara: he took us on a journey of trials, travels and traversed the Himalayas, the Hindu Kush: from the spice roads we went to the east of the sun, west of the moon…  He also showed us how great he is as a stylist, let alone as a designer, total inspiration.

John is the finale of his own show and sporting a fabulously chic sheepskin backpack is the most gloriously camp nomad I ever saw, ever - and ever shall I think!

The girls walked through sprays of silver glitter; John as the finale, came through seering white light, designer as devil or hero, he walked towards orange fire, posed, captured our imaginations and vanished.  Given his warm layers of sheepkin, wool and backpack at least one of us was dressed for the freezing weather which hit Paris this week!..

The chicest dessert I ever saw or tasted.

Imagine existing inside a Watteau painting with 7* service and culinary delights where sandalwood ice-cream coexists with thinly grated apple and ginger in the thinnest layer of pastry.  That was the dinner I enjoyed with my friend Konca at the Grand Vefour: http://www.grand-vefour.com/fr/restaurant.htm The considered absolutist chic quintessence of Parisian society was at it’s zenith.  There was more service, more grandeur and more is more decoration than anyone could ever indulge without slightly falling in love with it, however totally refined it is, there is such grace in it’s fabulosity, that even when I ordered off-menu a salad, the result was so utterly beautiful, artful and delicious, it was a moment of baroque heaven.  Built in 1760, the Grand Vefour is one of the world’s  first restaurants: Napoleon took Josephine, Colette ate there (which as I am reading ‘The Vagabond’, in  honour of Ellie) seemed wholly appropriate.  Visual artful 3D gourmand-luxe heaven.

The audience of lenses at Chanel

Glass gorgeousness

The work above the magic - yes that is an iceberg - welcome to the world of Chanel

Vanessa Paradis wears Coco red lipstick

Crystals and ice white bergs

Reflections in pools of icy water.

If and when the ice age cometh, we shall clearly be ok in our refuge of Chanel furs and fabulosity!..

Amanda Harlech dancing in the dj booth - like the London girl she clearly still is at heart.

To the tune of: 'I said captain, I said what?!'

The white album.

Sarah after Chanel, shows me her gorgeous new engagement ring from Richard, I am so so so happy for them both.

Photos I don’t have from this week, include the sheer clever joy that was the Victor and Rolf show, they really showed us how it’s done.  The Hussein show with his moving speech for Alexander, followed by Puritan caps and camel coloured capes with grey lining, worn with matching fedoras - a style I have been wearing this week myself.  The party at Maxims where my New Yorker friends lost themselves in the 80’s disco groove.  The Vogue Turkey party at the Crillon, where I caught up with dear friends from the Fatherland: albeit feeling rather underdressed, as I had put on all my warm clothes at once to go to Givenchy, as Paris is brrr-freezing.   I hope my shalwa joggers, Westwood boots, Marni jacket and Bora Aksu snood still managed to represent - I did love Catherine’s gold lame turban, Karen’s killer heels, Seda’s sassy red dress and Konca’s peach jacket.  The basement baseline Ricardo Tisci party: it was brilliant to see Charlotte Tilbury again, looking uber-hot beyond yummy-mummydom, showing us photos of her handsome baby son; where shoulder to shoulder glamour bumped with Olivier’s camera flash, low-key hiphop heroes.  Meeting Polina was lovely: we drank Japanese tea and paid homage to CC.

This is an inspiring season: the stark shapes with pared down strength: I am totally looking forward to my shoots this season.

http://vagabondiana.blogspot.com/

My friend Ellie is a writer for magazines as glorious as Lula and Elle.  She recently gave birth to Doris Donne and true Cockney, and like me (and Natasha) a Scorpio.  See below for her recent interview with me for her gorgeous blog, which allows her free-rein for any uncommissioned musings and is a glorious read.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 3, 2010

she’s tamtalizing

‘I find the fashion farce hard to take seriously.’

My mind is full of starter notes on things to look up when I have time. A brain full of boxes to come back to. A reading-list to last a lifetime. There are thousands of things in there from my boyfriend that I shall shuffle through in months to come, but another mind that constantly gets my own ticking is that of my friend, the fashion stylist Tamara Cincik.

This was going to be a short visual post; a few questions to Tamara on dressing Bat for Lashes lady-lark Natasha Khan for the Brit Awards, but I took a u-turn when Tamara, an eternal piece of passion cake, sent over a feast festooned with references. I love references, the short summaries of what gets people going. As I’ve said before, anyone with a passionality is interesting to uncover. So instead of cutting out anything ‘non-Natasha,’ I wanted more of Tamara’s take on anything. Her gypsies, 1960’s acid trips and Anne Boleyn. Some more boxes to tick soon. I’ll leave you to do the same.

Tamara’s take on …

… dressing Natasha for the Brits

I wanted it to feel and look like tarnished Hollywood. Natasha [left] had a book about the Hollywood designer Valentina [above] who would go to premieres in the 1940’s looking amazing; so utterly glamorous! I wanted Natasha to look like her own version of this: beyond any trends, dancing to her own rhythm and not at all looking like a generic pop star.

Natasha is very strong on accessories and knows what she likes: she wanted to have the gold sequin bow hat made, which I thought looked adorable and slightly off - which is always cool! And she loves Pamela Love’s jewellery, so we called that in and to be honest that was her choice, but I thought it was totally gorgeous and through pawing over Pamela’s jewellery it is clear she was right!

Jackie Tyson created the rainbow eyelash Natasha wore for the Brits and does her make-up for lots of red carpet events. However Natasha is amazing at make-up and lots of photos you see of her on TV or at festivals, she has created the looks herself.

… enhancing an existing stylish ‘flair’ rather than controlling it

It’s vital to work with Natasha in a collaborative dialogue. Image and style are intrinsic to her, as is how she feels - you can hear in her music that she works from an emotional, uncompromising place and she constantly works at this on all level. We send references back-and-forth and discuss ideas and images and then hone these into a total look design. I’ve recently worked on her tour outfits (she is currently in South America with Coldplay) and for this, I sent her a whole ream of designs and ideas and then we edited them and added her ideas in to create a bunch of looks for her to wear on stage.

… why even stylish stars needs stylists

Natasha has great ideas about how to dress and what to wear, she is very clear about how she likes to look and feel. For me, her style is more individual and quirkily iconic, rather than following fashion trends religiously and I celebrate that. Working with me as her stylist allows me to oversee that side of things for her more easily; she can trust my judgement and I always make sure she is involved and updated. I can access the labels, tailors or pr’s as of course I already know so many people through my other styling work, so in a way I can feed ideas and information through and then we can collaborate without her being bogged down with the admin-side.

…the importance of style in determining the success of a musician today

It’s vital: the world is so media-savvy that unless someone is the new Neil Diamond or Seasick Steve, I think it is kind of key.

… her life ambitions

I always thought I would grow up and become a gypsy, and travel about with my hair catching warmth in it’s curls and wearing broderie anglaise on tanned olive skin, barefoot. Then I did that. Or I thought I would live in Paris with a talented artist. Then I did that too. Then I decided it was time to grow up and become a serious careerist, so now I spend my day playing with clothes, and my summers growing vegetables at our allotment and my evenings reading Tudor history in the bath for hours, trying to work out why Henry V111 seems to have murdered everyone he loved. I find the fashion farce hard to take seriously and the regime of work and self-discipline hard to commit to after years of wriggling out of any form of control. [Tamara, above, on her 'festival of love'-themed wedding day. No wriggling out of that one.]

… her life guru

Ram Dass is a spiritual teacher from the States who harks back to the time of Ken Keseyand Timothy Leary. He was an academic who took acid in those early Ivy League tests in the 1960’s and the trip totally changed his life: he dropped out of his professorship and began working with the counter-culture leaders of the era. From this he went to India and renounced his material life and lived with his guru for many years, before coming back to the west to teach.

He became one of the first westerners to go to India and try to reason with his life in a non-materialistic way, so his message is totally approachable and yet intelligent, marrying these worlds, yet there is something very Californian-meets-Woody Allen about his delivery, which I enjoy. Totally mesmerised by The Merry Pranksters as a teenager, I did all I could to recreate that life: going to India at 19, falling in love with a San Franciscan biker who taught Tibetan monks English while his mother read tarot back in Berkeley, and later being a huge part of the squat rave scene here and in Goa. Although there is the potential for his work to sound like the naffest kind of psychobabble, he is so intelligent that somehow brilliantly in the ease, there is genius.

… her inspiration

Stylist Karen Binns has this way of engaging with the world and her work which I find utterly captivating: she was a part of 1980’s New York and there is this, combined with 1920’s black cultural glamour-meet- classic Hollywood fantasia and I love it. Through her work you see how fashion is an escape and a message.

… her style icon

I was obsessed with time travel as a child and for some reason Anne Boleyn was my consistent starting point for dreamtime travels: I would oscillate between her, Elizabeth 1 and Mary Queen of Scots as a child at the French court - all very Tudor-specific! Anne was clearly highly intelligent; she grew up in the Burgundian court where women were expected to be well-educated and witty. She brought this finesse back with her from France and through her, England changed religion, changing it’s course forever from medieval to early modern. Anne was stylish in that I love her French hood and ‘b’ chain ensemble. I’ve recently read two books on her and it’s fascinating how each author has their own perspective about what is true and thereby we can see what is true is always subjective.

Princess Tamara [above] with her own prince in their own ‘Pink Tower.’

POSTED BY VAGABONDIANA AT 8:55 AM 2 COMMENTS

LABELS: BAT FOR LASHES, NATASHA KHAN, TAMARA CINCIK

Karen in a taxi with Hector Castro en route to a Giles show one LFW

Karen Binns has been a close friend for nearly a decade: I wore sequins and deco to her wedding, she was the only person crying at mine (and i thought i was the hopeless romantic!)…

Whenever I might need feedback on an idea I am working on, Karen’s advice always pushes me further: she seems to talk in big, inspiring visual metaphors, they are colorful, filled with hope and potential.  I have never had a bad night out with Karen, she is so much more fun than me: from Paris parties, to London clubs, via tea on Brick Lane, or hot chocolate at Angelina’s (our Paris Fashion Week office), we can talk for hours about Jack Cardiff or Edith Head, I always come away from meeting Karen feeling great - and that is a real and rare talent.

Her work in the music industry is well-known: over a decade working with Tori Amos, she put Estelle in silver and makes her shine, while Mr Hudson is hot now thanks to her and various pairs of slim fit slinky trousers.  Meanwhile she is creative consultant for Bernard Chandran, who’s international view of glamour i always enjoy at LFW and has launched her own magazine What? which gives a forum for the new and a place to see Karen’s world on paper.

Feeling glam to me is having matching socks on, a cab booked in your name, cocktails in the nice glasses, an amazing view, all the mates there and the music playing exactly what
you want to listen to.
It’s definitely an armour and mantra to my life.

i dont even know what my real hair colour is anymore as been dying it for so long. Ive even dyed my roots at the moment as it looked better so I have no real idea of what its
like underneath.

i like stomping around in platforms… it makes it more fun to go out when you have stilts on.

I use ical for work stuff but I also like mt handwriting so use a diary where I write more personal activities and have a notebook of one continous ‘to-do-list’.

I have dance music in my soul. I like music made with computers.

Jean Paul Gaultier, Maison Martin Margiela, Moschino but I cant imagine that happening and i could never be bothered to elbow my way to the front or bottom of it.  LOVE ebay,
HATE sample sales.

I’ve always been a child of my time and thought whatever was going on then was the best thing ever. But really I want to live in the future. Im really excited about the future.
Theres certain things that really annoy me about now, that will all be invented and
solved in the future.

No, no resolutions are great. I make them, I break them but there are lots of new moons and months to start all over again.

Dolly smouldering at my hen'na night last August

She’ll hate me for it when she’s 50 (but then, when she’s 50 she might well be pushing my feather and sequin covered wheelchair!..), but to me Anna is Dolly.  She came to work for me several years ago, dressed in love heart printed jeans with mules and a headscarf (chic I thought to unpack boxes); she was nicknamed Dolly by day 2.

Through countless jobs, in a variety of madcap situations, we second-guessed each other, joined at the hip.  I always knew by the amount of notes made, how stressed she really was.  Now Nicola Formichetti’s assistant, Dolly was my bridesmaid this Summer, and for a day lived out her dressing up box fantasy of being a fairy for a day and a night.

I am sure her psychedelic dreams and fairy-filled daze will be the landscape of her own work.  I hope so.

t q1
We both love a dash of glamour and a mix-it-up cocktail of the
unexpected.  What does feeling glamorous mean to you and is it an
armour?

I was thinking just this morning that i will never be glamorous.
When i dress i don’t dress to be or particularly feel glamorous, i
just feel like myself….i dont think that glamorous is really me
however much i would aspire to it - i think its more of a mix it
up cocktail of the unexpected.

Its not an armour, its just what makes me feel happy.

tq4

I would make everyone be nice to each other and stop wanting to hurt  or harm each other. Also I would fast forward time to show people what
will happen if they don’t start looking after their planet very soon!

I  do have a song lyric tattooed on me though - from Lykke Li ‘little
bit’
I just like anything that makes me feel happy! Usually upbeat, electro
poppy stuff!

I would love to be wearing Pierre Cardin, Viktor and Rolf, McQueen,  Gaultier

Swinging 60’s baby

Work harder at everything. be nice to everyone. eat less carbs

To read Dolly’s own blog, please go to: http://annatrevelyan.blogspot.com

New year, new resolutions: daily exercising, writing more, meditating and being more a-a-aware - I know, I know, here she goes again on her Tamarama missions…  BUT, a spot of q & a’s from women I admire, doesn’t feel too hard to handle and I hope that their pearls and quirky uniqueness will feel refreshingly like harbingers of hope for a zingy new decade.

Mandi Lennard is one of the most notoriously hard working women in the fashion industry: those 4am emails sent selling the scoop on a new designer, pinged over from her Blackberry, are not mere urban legend.  We’ve known each other for more years than I can remember, Browns for both of us is a bit of a family tree.  Her press days are always the most carefully thoughtful, with amazing presents, always a concept and complemented with the best goodie bags ever!

Mandi answered my q&a in typically super-quick time; here is the first in my series of q&a blogs for the new year, hope you like them!!!

Mandi in a gorgeous Roksanda Ilincic creation.

Mandi and Roksanda have worked together since Roksanda started her house.  I love and aim to 24/7 live in the romance and glamour of Roksanda’s world, nothing bad could happen to you there, festooned with blowsy roses in slinky satin, this is a place where women are film star icons with tapered waists and contrasting ribbon tips and you always get your man -   I was absolutely, tingily-thrilled, when Mandi spoke with Roksanda to help me source my dream rose festooned pale pink wedding dress this Summer from her S/S 09 collection.

t q1
I feel you’ve done so much to promote British Fashion, I remember your
saying your dream was to find the next galliano, do you feel you have
( I feel you have) and if so how many hours per day has it taken you
to get there?!

I don’t remember saying that!  I’ve never really had an agenda, just to surround myself with stuff that’s cool, crazee and inspiring - it’s always
been a vanity project!

Alex Brownsell - she’s brilliant - she could do it blindfolded - she cuts and she’s a hardcore blowdryer too - she does quite a few of us at once - we’re
neighbours and it’s always fun

I’ve always liked a platform, never dainty so kitten heels aren’t really for me - if it’s a flat, it’s usually trainers

I guess a bit of eye contact, humility and common sense never did anyone any harm…

I love old skool stuff - at the moment though i can’t get enough of Kid Cudi and if I listen to something random on youtube it’s usually Nas - i always
find lyrics inspiring, and i love taking them out of context - it’s fresh
comment…

Not into sales

South Bronx mid-80s

Try to make more time for my friends

restraint

To read Mandi’s blog, please go to: http://blogs.colette.fr/mandi/

KTZ SHOW: SUBTERRANEAN GLITTERBALLS, STOMPING KIDS AND STONKING LOOKS!..BY TAMARA CINCIK

marjan and sacha walk the walk

Dear Shaded Viewers,

Marjan and Sacha are old dear friends of mine, hours spent discussing silhouettes and windows in their soho shop kokon to zai. I worked with Marjan, styling his beautiful own label and have supported them through shoots and loved wearing his clothes for many years.

KTZ was their reaction to the underground colorful music scene: it hit the nu rave scene a few years back running, with overgrown joggers in mad techno prints, sexy skintight lycra dresses with neon embellishments and cyberzorg boots.

Marjan’s own label meanwhile, has always been slightly whimsical, romantic and in touch with a base note of dark macedonian gypsy earthy glamour, which I adore.

The KTZ show last night felt like a marriage of the two: skintight black catsuits, with copper body hugging beads and cut out knees, walked out ahead of Zoe dressed in a purple holographic huge puffa, with mini printed jogger shorts. Every detail was well considered and thought through: from the embossed socks, the over the knee square toed lace up sex boots, to the giant bauble necklaces. Then there were huge over capelets made from silver beads, knee length hooded woollen shawls in tightknit grey.
This was a collection of pieces which unify the london aesthetic: Bodymap body con-style with their own unique well designed flavour of fun, design and desirability.

Well done

Dean dj’ed the night to it’s pumping conclusion as as I sat back to enjoy the scene, I admit I did feel a little like a mother in a Jane Austen novel, seated at the ball, watching the next generation feel the groove…

Later,

Tamara
POSTED BY DIANE PERNET AT 01:23 PM | PERMALINK

FAIRYLAND, BUTTERFLIES & PINK SWEETS AT TAMARA & JEREMY’S SUFFOLK WEDDING OF THE YEAR!!! TEXT: TAMARA CINCIK.

one sunny day in suffolk (29th August 2009), i married my true love Jeremy in front of beloved friends and family.

i didn’t wear white, i wore a gorgeous creation by Roksanda, we were married twice: a civil, then buddhist blessing, we had butterflies and bunting everywhere, girls wore wings to be an honorary bridesmaid and the sun shone down on our love and collective smiles.
on our way from the civil wedding to the buddhist blessing under the tree festooned with evil eyes and handmade origami birds.

i wore a gorgeous dress by Roksanda Ilinicic, with a veil by hat maestro Stephen Jones and shoes by my mentor Christian Lacroix; Jeremy wore a suit and shirt by Kilgour, with a tie and handkerchief by Lanvin - work!!!!  Kenna did my hair, while the beauty Sarah Reygate worked make up magic on my face.

Saying our vows under the protection of the evil eye and dove tree.

Martin Aylward from the buddhist retreat centre Moulin des Chaves in France came to lead the blessing.

Marital smiles!

My two gorgeous bridesmaids Zoe and Anna wearing their fabulous Abilu hair pieces, designed (under my art direction!) perfectly for my beauties, Anna Trevelyan (of Dazed and Confused glory) wearing Bora Aksu, posies by Wild at Heart.

Alexia Somerville, Cynthia Lawrence-John and Karen Binns.

Entering the Tudor barn for the civil ceremony with my Babacim, being smiled at my the lovely Merryn Leslie.

Cheers and smiles for singer-songwriter Sukie Smith, who caught the bouquet.

mini fairyland fashionistas

admiring my beautiful ring - my great grandma’s customised by the gorgeous Vicki at Erickson Beamon.

The fete where we played in pink (hairdresser Kenna, Anna Trevelyan and I with singers Lauren Wilce and Sukie Smith) under perfect Constable cloud formation sunshine.

Pretty pastel fairy cakes and floral fabulosity.

The London Gypsy orchestra play traditional Turkish ‘halay’ music, accompanied by the chef on vocals from my cousin’s restaurant in Whitechapel Maedah (this is when things got geniusly random!), belly dancer Catherine Mobley dances with my father, while James Jeanette of shop ‘Jeanette’s’ dances the halay (handkerchief) dance, led by my father.  Anna channels her inner Super Fairyness, Nova Dando and Margot Bowman get down to the grooves of debuting super dj, Deejay Cheez aka Claudia Solti, with groupie Zoe Kennedy, over from Oz to shine her headphones.

take a chance on love and who knows what magic might await you in wonderland!

Tamara Cincik.

Jeremy cheers on James' success

So proud of my boy: James and I

Dr. Noki (JJ) with whom all is never to be revealed!..

Jessica Ogden: a ever a beauty and a loyal friend - a jeanette fanette/wife!

Caron's pink and lacy beauty shot inside Jeanette's.

Jeanette’s:
Entrance at Club Row
64-66 Redchurch Street
London E2 7DP

When James left Aberdeen, dreaming of David Bowie, frock coats, glittery heels and rainbows, I doubt that he ever thought his yellow brick road would lead him far away into a cockney Oz of homespun couture, friendly avant-garde art and collaborations with the best designers in London.

From Judy Blame’s safety pin bejewelled necklace glories, to archive Joe Casely-Hayford (another lovely man, I styled him once for an advertising shoot and he was adorable), to custom-designed pieces from the leading names in style: such as Richard Nicholl, Louise Gray and Noki, walking into Jeanette’s is like stepping into a warmly avant-garde wonderland, where neon coloured lights, shine tints of happiness over clothes you know you will cherish.  ’Style’ columnist Jessie Brinton fell in love with a recessionista-busting rainbow dress of many colours: perfect for being fearlessly sunny in these grey times.

James has been a dear friend of mine for years: I met him through JJ (Dr. Noki) his fellow Aberdonian, revelling in their love of glam camp, wigs and  fierce frocks, I have often admired how so much colour, charm and grace came from somewhere as grey, macho and cold as Aberdeen!..

Jeanette’s brings together so many of James’ passions: from his glory days as Boombox’s door girl Jeanette, where he donned the most avant-garde creations by Giles or Gareth Pugh, to his work as a performer - how I loved the George Michael sketch the boys did at the Pop! party a few years ago - his blond shock of hair glowed in the pinkish twilight.  He is also one of the most stylish men I know, his own styling work is darkly fabulous: I think like me he loves an archly glamorous noirish woman.  Perhaps more importantly, he is charming, truly kind, when I lost the compere for my Afghanaid benefit the night before, James happily switched his schedule to dash down to Brighton and host the event.  Such rare mercurial charm warms people, they gravitate towards his caring demeanour.  He showed me the collections inside, I feel certain this enterprise, despite the recession, will do well, it has the right tone of glamour, accessibility and wow factor; while outside, fuelled by Rum and Reggae  an impro-glam street party mc-ed by Caron had us swaying and drinking (me on Vitamin water!) to his success

James opens Jeanette's

.

Seen at: http://www.handbag.com/fashion/daisy-lowe-brit-awards-2008-pictures/gallery

“Daisy Lowe

Ms Lowe modelled in the Vivienne Westwood Red Label show at London Fashion Week; here, she wears a gold Vivienne Westwood gown. ”

Daisy is adorable: quick-witted, pretty and cool, while reassuringly North London and normal.  She has modeled for me on various shoots and the Aslanturk show; as she was going to the Brits and a bit nervous about what to wear, I said we’d help her and called in some dresses for her: things which were sexy, yet a bit quirky.  She chose this one by Vivienne Westwood: which I thought was a nice twist, as she’d just modeled for the Red Label show here and looked really hot, with maroon lips and Dick Turpin boots.  I just saw that she was, like Natasha/Bat for Lashes, also considered best dressed at the Brits, which is a nice compliment to both my girls, and I guess to me, the stylist?  Gosh!..