Out and about....secret garden

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I first met Sunita when I was taking pictures around the Chelsea Flower Show and The Kings Road.  She turned past me out of a shop she had just been in and had such great presence it only took a heart beat for me to turn after her. And what an interesting turn it turned out to be. Sunita who is originally from Malta is an accessories and jewelery designer. With the accessories, her obvious emphasis (from the images), is bags. After the shot Sunita kept in touch and invited me around to see more. How could a girl to resist, and of course I took my camera. Although the bag I first took her picture with was the wonderful over sized clutch her current collection is somewhat smaller. So after we took some more shots together I took the opportunity to ask her a few questions about the range and her influences.

Dvora: Why did you choose to be an accessories designer?
Sunita: I love handbags so it just felt like the natural thing to do, to start my own collection.

D: What were your influences for the two similar but quite different ranges in your collections?
S: I love bling, everywhere and on everything. So for the first part of this collection I have combined these two loves. For the second part and the cross over pieces I turned to my African and Indian influences. Having lived on both continents and been surrounded by wildlife in both I wanted to explore the textures and prints that come from there.

D: You use snakeskin in the second part of your collection, does this cause any ethical issues for you?
S: I do not use any endangered species in the making of my bags. The skins used are solely from water snakes or I use snake print on leather to allow for most peoples sentiments.

D: Is your work rescticted to what we see in your collection?
S: No, I enjoy making bespoke/custom made bags for like minded people who would like to have a one off bag that no one else is carrying. Or specially made to match a partictular outfit perhaps. Everything can be custom made. I do use red as my signature lining, however this also can be altered to suit your needs.

D: Who or what is the greatest inspiration for your work.
S: My Mum is my greatest motivational influence, she has inspired me to be successful and to give something back. Although she died of breast cancer, when people speak of her today she still inspires love when they say "what a great woman she was". Mum lived with breast cancer for 5 years and I give back by working alongside the charities that meant the most her and us as a family.

You can see more of Sunita's wonderful bags here.

What is the meaning of the title then I hear you all say after reading this post. Well, although Sunita lives right in the middle of London the garden we took the pictures in is on the roof of the building where she lives and it was like being transported to another place. You would never believe how busy or noisy it was at street level.

Out and about....Gun St

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Louise has just graduated in Illustration and is deciding what's next. We met just after she had been to see the D&AD student competition exhibition in Spitalfields. Spitalfields also happens to be her favourite place in the city. Her style influences are designers like Raf Simons, old TV shows, films and Romwe. Her surprise was that she used to rock climb. For our shots she is wearing a COS dress and shirt, Office shoes, Burberry watch and is carrying a Longchamp bag.

Out and about....a bit of fun

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As some of you will know I am friends with David from The Nyanzi Report.We have a running joke going about the different ways we shoot. So during the recent London Collections: Men we let everyone else in on the joke/discussion. David shoots jpeg and I shoot raw at all times. Above you can see how we let everyone know. From the discussions that ensued it seems that most people shoot jpeg. I however still love the richness that shooting raw allows me. If you take pictures how do you prefer to shoot?

Out and about....feathers and tattoos

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Polly is a Wedding Planner and is wearing a hat she has created herself. Could you design your own hat? I wouldn't even know where to start. Her dress is from Dig for Victory which she had made bespoke and is wearing Office shoes. A very feminine look with just a little hint of naughtiness with her tattoo.

Out and about....Royal Ascot

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I was at Ladies Day at Ascot yesterday with Vogue. Even though it rained occasionally, it was still warm enough to go most of the day without a coat. It was cardy on and off. I had to buy a hat that meant I could still take pictures without taking it on and off all the time. It was a great day and was wonderful to see everyone in all their finery. Isn't it fun to get dressed up now and again. By the end of the day I was beginning to feel I was at a huge wedding. To see my shots from the day click here - there are 30 of them so you get a good flavour of how it looked, to me anyway.

Out and about....the Kings Rd

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Sam is an image consultant and Tiara is a model. Sam has just moved to London from California and says his style influence is European style. His favourite place so far is Oxford Circus. Tiara describes her usual style as mixture of hard and soft, today she is in her agency all black directive. Her favourite place in the city is the Westminster area. Sam's surprise was that he is actually Nigerian and Tiara's is that she is very artistic and loves to paint and draw. Sam is wearing a hat from Urban Outfitters, G.Star jacket, Rich Trends t-shirt, Zara trousers and Prada shoes. Tiara's go to outfit comprised of a hat she bought in Paris, H&M top, and bag and Topshop skirt.

Out and about....GQ London Men's Collections

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All the shots I took of the guys around the London Men's Collections are now up on GQ.com. Follow the link to have a look. It was a brilliant weekend I loved it and the guys were great.

Out and about....Jimmy Q

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Today is the start of the 1st ever London Men's Fashion week. At last, joining the ranks of Florence, Milan and Paris, giving British Men's Fashion a proper voice and platform. I will be shooting for Vogue and GQ, so will be bringing you all my coverage there on Monday. 
Jimmy was the first person and the last I shot at GFW. Here we have a very different look from Tuesdays post. He will be walking for Mr Start on Saturday, so hope to shoot him again then. Today he is wearing a Bolongaro Trevor leather, Thomas Pink shirt, Horiyoshi III jeans, vintage belt and DM's.

Out and about...Graduate Fashion Week part 3

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Matt Bosbridge has just graduated in promotions. He was going to an interview about promoting his own designs which, is why he told me, he was suited and booted. He has obviously decided to used his newly gained degree wisely. For his interview he has chosen to wear an ASOS suit, Ben Sherman shirt, vintage DM's and briefcase. His surprise for us is that he loves chick flicks.

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Raj Soond has just graduated in fashion design and is going to work as a freelance stylist and designer. When I asked what his surprise was he said he dresses for a big city but lives in a small town. He is wearing Vivienne Westwood glasses, shirt and shoes, Dior jacket and Topman trousers.

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Miles Dumphy has just graduated from Birmingham specialising in menswear design. He was very excited about showing his work and was looking out for one of his models while I was shooting. Next up he is hoping for a place at the RCA to do an MA. His surprise for us was that he loves music and loves to smile. Miles is wearing a Nike jacket, Kooples shirt, NBA basketball shirt, his own design trousers, Okiai shoes and is carrying a Jan Sport bag.

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Mr Porter - Luke like Miles is a menswear designer who would also like to go on to do an MA. I wish them both success. He is wearing a suit he bought in a charity shop on Berwick Street. He cut off the trousers and added the shiny detail on the collar.. His T is from H&M and shoes are Topman. Now, I wouldn't ordinarily say OK to white socks on a guy (unless he was playing sport) but I think I have found an exception with this look.

Our and about...Graduate Fashion Week part 2

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Rachel Smith has just graduated from Northumbria in Communications/PR/Events and Graphics. Her surprise was that she has played badminton for her county. Emma is wearing a vintage scarf on her head, American Apparel shirt with a bra top designed by her step mum, H&M skirt, vintage belt and Topshop shoes customised with western boot straps.

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Mengxi Shi has diamonds in her eyes - quite literally her lenses are called diamonds. She is a fashion designer just graduated from Ravensbourne and her next step is to start her own brand. Mengxi's cardy is Elanel, top and trousers she had custom made in China. Her shoes are from China too and her bag is Prada.

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Jessica Rancano Piper and Anna Rose Collison have just graduated from Kingston. Jessica designs womenswear and Anna Rose menswear. They said I had caught them having a moment. Looks like they were having fun. Jessica is wearing a Zara dress, Mulberry scarf, Jaeger Boutique belt American Apparel socks and Nike trainers, Anna Rose is wearing a Topshop top and Uniqulo shorts.

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Njy Udenze's amazing shoes are from Miss L Fire.

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Iasha Masood is at the end of her 1st year of studying Fashion Design and Textiles in Huddersfield. Her style influence is Harajuku and her surprise was that she plays video games a lot. Sounds like she is pretty good at them too. Iasha is wearing a split colour wig, custom made coat, Primark shoes and a ring from Matalan. Bag is borrowed from Mum.

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Emma Savill is a Stylist and Costume Designer. I could have done with her nice warm American Apparel bobble hat yesterday. Her surprise for us is that she has 2 Pugs. Emma is wearing body jewellery, leggings and socks from Topshop, Zara jacket and bag, Hennes jumper, COS dress and Underground shoes.

Out and about....Graduate Fashion Week Rainy Monday

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 It rained all day today. I am sick and tired of being cold and wet. Still went to Graduate Fashion Week though. Tomorrow will be drier so I will be easier to shoot, so I hope to bring you more tomorrow.
Jimmy Q is a model with Select. He is originally from LA but has been living in the UK for a year now and is loving it here. His surprise for us is that he is a professional skateboarder and a tattoo artist. He is wearing a Wacko Maria suit from Japan, vintage shirt and shoes, a pocket watch which belongs to his girlfriends father. His pocket square is a tea towel, now there is improvisation for you. Finally his tie is from Hugo Boss and hat is a Whiteleys.

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Katerina Smutok is also a model, guess that is how my eye were seeing today. She was in a rush so I dont have as much info on her. Originally from Russia, the wonderful coat/cape she is wearing is one of her mothers designs Smutok Attiler. Her brolly is Vivienne Westwood, bag Longchamp and scarf Jim Thompson.

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I have also shot some regular Street Chic for June for Vogue which you can see here.

Out and about....Lifestyle Hunters

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Linda and Niels of Lifestyle Hunters are great and really stand out in the crowd. The way they co-ordinate is wonderful. I first shot them here and always enjoy bumping into them. There is a lovely anticipation each day to see what their vision for the day is going to be. Today as you can see Linda has matched her tights with Niels coat and dress with his bowtie. Subtle and beautifully done.
Linda is wearing a Denis Deiem dress and Gucci shoes and is carrying a Chanel bag. Niels is wearing a custom made Blue Blood jean suit, a coat of his own design and Santoni shoes.

Out and about....Jubilee street view day 2

So, after not seeing any of the River Pageant here is our reward on my second day out...THE QUEEN

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They say if you've got a head....

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OK after 3 say....

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Flying the flag

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Feel like you are being watched?

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It was a journey - mine was on foot. Here was my route. It says it should take 1 hour 54 mins. Mine took 4....

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others came by bike....

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...and looks like the corgis drove.

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