3rd Floor Preview Film

3rd Floor Publication, to be released June 2010.

Filmed and edited by Tom Moon.

Upcoming Shoot

Our Fashion Editor and Photographer have been working non stop recently planning various shoots.

Here's a sneaky peek into Frankie's planning for upcoming shoot 'Lost'.

Look out for some behind scenes shots soon...

Mood boards by Frankie Roberts

Barbara Hulanicki, Chau Har Lee & Ben Westwood

On Firday I ventured into the depths and bredths of London for a jam-packed day full of interviews...first on the agenda was the one and only Barbara Hulanicki. It was an amazing experience meeting such an icon, and was so refreshing to meet someone that is so easy-going, fun to chat with and just an all round top lady! Her laughter was infectious as we chatted for over an hour at her friend's London home, and felt sad that it had to end! She has to be one of the nicest and most genuine people I have ever met and am throughly looking forward to seeing what she will come up with next... having designed fashion, founded Biba with her late husband Fitz, turned a hand to interior decorating, collaberated with Italian handbag brand Coccinelle... I wonder what will be on the cards next!?

Pics: Barbara Hulanicki being photographed for 3rd Floor, Me and Barbara, The mirror that hung in Biba (Barbara has given many of the old pieces from the store to her friend, who was her first assistant)

After leaving Barbara, we made our way to visit the breakthrough footwear designer Chau Har Lee at her studio near Shoreditch. She was once again, so lovely and helpful and you could tell she has such passion for what she does... which is great to see in someone who is obviously very intellectual as well, given that she trained herself to use complex computer programs to create 3D models of her collection of mixed material footwear.

Finally, we made it to Ben Westwood's place... unfortunately we got so lost around Battersea that we were quite a bit late, and not being from London doesnt help either! After profuse apologies when we arrived, we chatted away for over an hour about how he likes to escape to the countryside - the unpredictable landscape, it offers something completely different from the 'shithole' he calls London (and i'm sure many would agree!), though despite the bad points of the big smoke he does have an incredible view from his 12th floor flat... spanning almost all of the London skyline. We identified Big Ben, Crystal Palace, the London Eye, and many other key points. We also touched on subjects like the misconception everyone has had about him launching a clothing line, and how everyone expects him to just design fashion because his mother, Vivienne does. Soon it was time to go, and he offered both myself and Pippa to take one of his homemade 'porn badges' as a souvenir... deciding to choose the least raunchy I could see, I opted for a cheeky Bettie Page number, whereas Pippa got given two with a models legs spread in knee high pvc boots and leopard panties. All in all, quite an interesting and eventful day! Also learning that I would be adding the legendary Phillip Treacy and Jackie Dixon to my list of interviews for next week, came as rather a fantastic surprise when I got home... now to draft up more questions for next week and transcribe these 3 interviews!

Be sure to watch out for them in Issue 3 of 3rd Floor - launch date June 2010.

By Jo Hayhoe

Quote from Barbara Hulanicki

Regarding our interview with Barbara Hulanicki,

“The girls were absolutely fabulous, and good luck with your magazine. I absolutely enjoyed it. Super”

- Barbara Hulanicki

Interview with Nina Chakrabarti

Meeting the illustrator, Nina Chakrabarti was a really refreshing experience. Her attitude to work could be perceived as old fashioned as she aspires to cater to herself first and foremost and does not concern herself with marketing schemes or how her work is perceived. In an interview conducted in her studio in south London, the artist discussed her move from Calcutta to London, her time spent at Central St. Martins and the Royal College of Art and her plans for the future.

“I remember Boy George getting to number 1 and thinking ‘Wow! he’s from out of space!”

Read the full interview in the third edition of 3rd Floor, available in May 2010.

By Lizzie Crees

Childhood Nostalgia Shoot

Despite the rain we managed to do one of potential the editorials for 3rd Floor, the theme was Childhood Nostalgia.
We had such a great team and despite jumping into the cars every time the rain came down we hopefully got some good strong images.

Photographer: Pippa Gower
Stylist: Francesca Roberts
MUA: Fenella St John
Model: Amberley @ Models 1
Assistant: Kimberley Langstone

3rd Floor will be available from May/June 2010

By Francesca Roberts

Childhood Nostalgia Shoot Planning

Some examples of Pippa Gower's (Photographer) planning for Childhood Nostalgia shoot, including inspiration, location ideas and sketches.

Help Support Mark Heyes Haiti Campaign

In late January, a catastrophic earthquake devastated Haiti. Nearly a month later, they are still struggling to re-build their lives.
To help support such a destructive disaster, GMTV’s fashion presenter, Mark Heyes, is carrying out a campaign entitled ‘Recycled Fashion for Haiti’ which aims to get the British public to recycle their unused clothes for charity.
Celebrities are also getting involved in the campaign, such as Sienna Miller (Gucci bag), Jonny Wilkinson (boots) Scarlet Johansson (Prada bag), Vivienne Westwood, Paloma Faith, Estelle, Leighton Meester, Fearne Cotton and lots more, all of which are donating items to be auctioned online at eBay.com with all proceeds going to the DEC Haiti charity.

Mark is also hoping that women across the country will auction unwanted fashion items and donate to the Recycle Fashion appeal. According to recent survey 57% of women admitted they bought items of clothing they have never worn which would amount to around £2 billion wasted at the January sales this year alone.

The auction is to run from:

Friday 26th of March 7pm - Sunday 25th April 7pm

To find more information please visit: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/event.php?eid=304117005237&ref=ts

Interview with Jason DeCaires Taylor

Today I had been eagerly awaiting my interview with internationally acclaimed underwater sculptor ‘extraordinaire’ Jason DeCaires Taylor. Originally from the UK, Jason now resides in Mexico where he works on and displays his many sculptural projects.

Many questions flash through my mind as I prepare for the interview, does he think of his underwater world as a form of escapism? How on earth does he make casts of real-life people? …and how do they feel about being immortalised in underwater artwork?

So, what can you look forward to…

“I was actually a graffiti artist when I was young, I used to do a lot of trains and walls…”

“Some people are amazed by my underwater sculptures, it confuses them… some people have even asked if it’s a lost empire.”

“All the pieces I have created recently have been made using life casts of real people, we’ve had local fishermen, schoolchildren and even a nun. I love communicating how peoples characteristics have evolved according to where they live.”

“The weightlessness of the underwater experience makes you feel removed from the ‘normal’ world, a sort of escapism.”

Check out Jason's work in Mexico at http://www.underwatersculpture.com/

Look out for the full interview in Issue 3 of 3^rd Floor, on sale June 2010. 

Interview by Jo Hayhoe.

Printers

I had the first meeting with the printers , the other day. It went well, but was as expected, quite broad.
As a team we are far from deciding a finalised design plan of the publication, as we understand the importance of the overall look. Due to reaching a new readership this year, and developing our content, it is essential to portray this through its appearance.
We want to make the publication hard back this year, to emphasis its ‘book like,’ ever lasting content. We have also been considering the idea of having paper pages within the middle of the publication, among the usual matt pages. This will give texture to the pages and hopefully give 3rd Floor the individuality it deserves.
This is an area of which we need a lot more planning, but we feel we are on the right tracks, and at least we are all in agreement.