The Style Files
Where lifestyle, history and fashion fuse…
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Online channel with broadcast and live spinoffs
– in development
To be developed in partnership with an innovative cultural organisation or commercial brand, helping them connect to a discerning fashion-forward audience.
Our resident style commentators the Broken Hearts take us on a magical mystery tour of fashion themes old and new.
The Broken Hearts are as well known for their striking visual style as for the music they spin on dancefloors across the world. Here their eclectic look, their fashion and theatre expertise as well as their passion for history comes to life through a series of presenter-led webisodes.
“Turntable Goddesses Amber and Nisha are guaranteed to pull out a plethora of delights from both the DJ crate and the dressing-up box”
– Time Out
Style File strands
Fashion Fledglings
London fashion has an unsurpassed reputation on the international style stage, and names like Vivienne Westwood and Alexander McQueen are known the world over. But where will we find the next John Galliano or Gareth Pugh?
Fashion Fledglings celebrates the edgy aesthetic and strong streetstyle culture that London fashion is known for, and showcases the next generation of designers competing on the international stage. Focusing on a different young designer each webisode, we discuss influences, as well as their current collection and what constitutes a future design classic. Complete with in-depth looks behind the scenes of the designer’s studio and shows, as well as the cultural references that play a significant part of the research of any designer.
Bustles, Breeches and Bloomers
Ever wondered why early 60s ‘Mad Men’ styling is all over the catwalks this season? Or why pannier hips, the mini-crini and corsets are all making a comeback?
From Prada to Marc Jacobs and from Westwood to Gaultier, history is at the core of today’s leading fashion collections. We track the resurgence of past styles in contemporary trends and even revive historical dress details. A different trend is tackled each webisode, highlighting fashion’s current love affairs and taking viewers back in time to where it began. Leading fashion historians and curators are interviewed to get their take on the resurgence, alongside experts from Angels costumier and the designers behind the trends.
The Smell of the Greasepaint
How is one of the stars of La Soiree recreating the act of a female fakir from the 1950s? Do flea circuses still draw in crowds, even in today’s world of ‘Avatar’ or Reality TV? And how did one woman create a living, breathing ghost train in the heart of East London, which now stands permanently on Blackpool’s sea front?
From Take That and Britney, to La Soiree and Jodie Harsh’s club nights, there’s no mistaking the current circus revival in popular culture that links together the worlds of variety, cabaret and performance art. With Britain’s traditions of Music Hall and variety, this series not only embraces the ghost of theatre past, but also points toward the world of theatre future. From tap dancing to ladders of knives, a different performer is featured each webisode, demonstrating their craft and discussing their influences from the rich world of variety history.
The Last of the Artisans
How little is left of some of our fine stylistic traditions and who are the people keeping them alive?
The Last of the Artisans takes an in-depth look at some of the disappearing crafts which have been so central to the fashion of by-gone eras. Webisodes focus on The Shoe Maker, The Milliner, The Barber, The Wig Maker, The Corsetiere and The Lace Maker. We seek out and talk to existing practitioners and proponents, while drawing on historic archives and experts. Along the way they encounter a surprising array of past styles and ways in which they have been assimilated into the culture of today.
Slaves to Fashion
A journey into the weird and wonderful world of fashion, a place where image is everything!
Slaves to Fashion explores some of the more extreme acts carried out in the name of fashion. From hair to heels, costume to corsets, it takes us through a fascinating feast of bizarre beauty rituals, many parts of which have become an accepted way of life. We look at the history and the evolution of these practices, drawing on archive material and making social comment along the way.
Unsung Cultural Heroes
We know about the big brands, but who are the lesser known figures that have made their work possible?
Unsung Cultural Heroes investigates some of shadowy figures of design and fashion who are seen as pivotal within their profession but have somehow fallen beneath the radar of public perception. The list is long, but includes such diverse figures as 60s pop style visionary Tommy Roberts, legendary rock ‘n’ roll cobbler Terry de Havilland, and the electronic music pioneer Delia Derbyshire.
Take a look at Amber’s Theatre of Fashion blog to keep up to date with some of the recent things we’ve been thinking about.
