Welcome to T-Shirt and Tails

T-Shirt and Tails is dedicated to the world of fashion, beauty
and ultimately style. If you are interested in knowing what is new, exciting or
simply grabbing my attention then look no further


Friday, 13 November 2009

Interview with Rhea Le Riche

Rhea Le Riche is a recent graduate of the London College of Fashion with a BA in Specialist Make Up Design. She is a highly talented make up artist and her designs really stand out from the crowd (see below); I for one am a huge fan of her work. Check out her blog at http://rhealeriche.blogspot.com/. Want to know what Rhea's inspirations are or what are her desert island products then look no further: 1. Tell us a bit about yourself and your background? Being a recent design student I share a passion for all things creative, specifically contemporary Avant-garde fashion make up, and most notably the work of Stephane Marais and Charlotte Tilbury. Fashion and illustration continue to have a powerful influence on my creative thinking, with Alexander McQueen, Vivienne Westwood and John Galliano taking centre stage. I also take strong direction from classic film and photography, alongside more modern cinematic artists such as Chris Cunningham and Floria Sigismondi. I think a love of horror films got me started on make up years ago, the old Dracula and Frankenstein films are winners. Predictably I'm a massive fan of Tim Burton’s work and his wonderfully gothic team. Being quite hands on, I've always loved making things, I used to get balsa wood for Christmas when I was younger, it was brilliant, I also had a chest of draws for my underwear, which was stuffed full with materials, card and boxes, bottles and pots. 2. What made you decide to study Specialist Make-Up Design? After I'd completed a two year course in media make up I was quite well prepared to take it further, it was defiantly what I wanted to do but I needed more direction, so I chose fashion and editorial at LCF. At the time it was the only course like it so I had to apply. For my interview I took every single sketchbook, project and object, all different sizes, my dad had to literally carry me into the room. 3. What are you working on at the moment? I'm currently doing as many events, shows, shoots and projects as I can, anything that looks tasty. Not so I'm a jack-of-all-trades but to stay broad and not miss any potential opportunities. I've recently worked on a event, with a brilliant team for The Tasting Sessions, which was a live interactive performance evening showcasing the history of gin. Bit of old London with a splash of Sweeny Todd - right up my alley. And I'm off to the Gambia in December for a weeks shooting with Top Model of Colour, so that’s super exciting. 4. What are your biggest style inspirations? For make up - Stephane Marais's work and Pat Mcgrath for Dior, I like to look towards different cultures and also theatrical performers/artists, I love the circus! For dress - I love dressing up and being transformed into someone else for a few hours. I'm a big fan of feathers, sequins and headdresses and an even bigger fan of organic cotton. I enjoy playing with scale and proportions, love old leather and oversized heavy knits. I do actually really appreciate strong tailoring and smart wide leg trousers, McQueen all the way! 5. What make-up trends do you predict will be big in the fashion world? Nails are definitely taking a stand, they are becoming as important as lip colour. Also more make up brands are introducing pro products into their collections, so I think experimenting and creating looks at home is really going to be a big thing. Maximum impact for minimal expense, get crafty and resourceful. 6. What's your signature style? In make up, I tend to create owlly shaped eyes and pay a lot of attention to the base, I think the skin is really important, it can let the whole make up down. Also, I always like to give a clean and shaped brow - people often underestimate the importance of this, a good brow can dramatically change the whole face. Colour and texture obviously play a massive part in my work, I can't resist a greasy, inky lid or a super sparkly disco ball eye. In dress, I like to wear loose fitting clothes with layers and large collars. I feel more confident in darker colours but I do wear a lot of colour, I'm in love with yellow. I really like Mango, especially when I'm abroad, Zara and All Saints along with a lot of vintage boutiques and charity shops! I’m normally always in heels too. 7. Who's wardrobe who you love to raid? I'd love to raid a theatre prop room! But I guess anyone with great costumes like Bjork, I also love the 1920's so Clara Bow's Wardrobe, add some 1950's pin ups and a splash of Marlon Brando. 8. You're on a desert island and can only take three products, what would they be and why? That’s super hard...... erm..... can I have three make up products, three skincare products and three body products? Right only three - Stila convertible colour in Petunia, I wear it every single day, I love it! It keeps my face looking fresh and my cheeks dewy. EVE LOM Kiss Mix, it's a really moisturising lip treatment that contains a natural sunscreen and has a gorgeous milky glossy finish. NARS Monoi de Tahiti Body Glow, it's beautiful, it's a smoothing oil with a rich chocolate shimmer to it and it smells wonderful. I'd slip in a fourth in my headscarf, maybe a Black Satin by Chanel.... x

Border Crossing to Panama

Here I am in Panama! Apologies for the late post, I've frequently got frustrated with the speed of the internet and vowed to do it another day, and today is overcast so the perfect opportunity to spend my afternoon on the internet: blogging, emailing, and catching up with the news and hot gossip in the fashion world. Central America has been great so far, I arrived in Panama yesterday after one of the strangest border crossings I've ever had. I had to cross an old bridge which had several floorboards missing and gaps wide enough for you and your hiking rucksack to fall into, definitely no health and safety check there! I am now in Bocas del Toro which is a series of islands in the Caribbean Sea and is beautiful, there are so many islands to explore all with secluded tropical beaches. There is a great atmosphere here and I can imagine staying here for a number of days. After five weeks I am now seriously bored with all my clothes and would love to have an entire wardrobe change. I thought travelling light would be the sensible idea however I have to say I am missing heels, stacks of jewelery, and a proper rotation of clothes, maybe next time... I hope that when I reach Panama City there will be some good shopping as several items need replacing and updating. Other than that I am loving being in denim cut offs and a vest every day particularly when I get the English weather reports from friends and family. Haha

Tuesday, 27 October 2009

Freshly Squeezed Orange Juice

Currently loving: Freshly squeezed orange juice every morning, Guatemala - incredible country, so friendly, such beautiful places and great crafts that I need to stock up on, freedom to go where and when I please, the sun, 'The Woman in White' - I've just finished it, you've got to read it, and denim cut-offs. Currently missing: hot showers, English newspapers, high heels - I've been having so many dreams about them, X-Factor (I'm ashamed to say), my magazine subscriptions, and cous-cous!!!

Thursday, 22 October 2009

Coffee Break

Sorry for the delay in updates it has been a busy week of bus journeys, late nights and jungle treks. I am currently in Antiqua, Guatemala which is beautiful and surrounded by four volcanoes - of which I shall be climbing one this afternoon! At the moment I am sampling a delicious Guatemalan coffee and enjoying reading 'The Woman in White' which I can't put down. This is the life...

Saturday, 17 October 2009

Island Life

My first stop in Central America was the beautiful tropical island of Caye Caulker, Belize, in the Caribbean Sea. This is such a fantastic place to relax and I have spent many an hour in mswimming, lounging in the sun and snorkeling, and not to mention eating the delicious cuisine of grilled lobster. Yum! Next stop is Guatemala...

Thursday, 8 October 2009

Hola Central America

Tomorrow is the big day when I will be flying out to Central America for two months of travelling, and I cannot wait! Technically I shall be spending a night in Houston, Texas, for 24 hours before flying on to Belize the following day, not quite sure what to expect but am rather excited that it's the home of Beyonce Knowles - can't stop singing 'Cause if you liked it then you should have put a ring on it...' I have just finished packing my hiking rucksack, which is almost as big as me, and am wondering how I'm going to carry it on my own. I've gone uber-minimal on the clothing front with the pretence that I need to travel light however I'm secretly doing it so I can buy more out there. My blogs from now on will be more sporadic and hopefully a little more tropical in theme, I shall try to get lots of photographs of my travels and of course of any fashion finds. Adios...

Tuesday, 6 October 2009

If You Were Born in the 80s...

I'm currently having a love affair with our favourite 80s colour scheme NEON! However please don't fear this only stretches to nail colour not a 1980s Whitney Houston ensemble. I picked up this fluorescent pink nail varnish from New Look on a whim for £2.50 and I highly recommend it; it applies easily and is still chip resistant after four days.

Monday, 5 October 2009

T-Shirt and Tails Loves: Julian Casablancas

I've always been a big fan, and admirer, of the The Strokes' Julian Casablancas (I'm a little bit upset about the wife though Jules) and I just LOVE his new solo single '11th Dimension' which is released on 2 Nov. It's my favourite song of the moment and it's now stuck on repeat for the fifth time. Check it out here. I can't wait for the album 'Phrazes for the Young' at the end of October.

Sunday, 4 October 2009

Don't Sweat It

I have fallen in love with this sequined rabbit jumper from French Connection (£45), which by the looks of the website is selling out fast! It's often very difficult to find stylish casual jumpers for lazy days but this fits the bill perfectly.

Friday, 2 October 2009

The Price of Fashion

On my way home from Italy I stocked up on Italian Fashion Magazines including Elle and Vanity Fair. What struck me was that not only were the magazines, most notably Elle, twice the size but also a fraction of the price. Italian Elle was a bargain at €3.00 for a whopping 754 pages, compared with 370 pages in the UK version, and Vanity Fair was an unbelievable €1.80 which is unheard of in the UK. Why is it that these magazines can be sold for this price on the continent and not in the UK? Here are some photos comparing this month's UK Elle, with cover-model Lily Allen, and Italian Elle for size.