Styling Forge Lifestyle winter catalogue

Unabashedly, waking up at 7am on a glacial November day in Sheffield is a scarcity. But when the earliest lecture I have is 10am, this is totally tolerable as life in a student bubble.

But November 23 was an exception for the seldom opportunity of styling Forge Press’s winter fashion shoot - a ‘secret party’ in the gothic 100-year-old red-bricked Firth Court.

Clockwise from left, Katie: dress, £15, Freshmans, coat, charity shop, James: jacket, £25, Freshmans, Becki: dress, £24, Cow, Vicky: dress, Freshmans, £15, Rhys: shirt, £8, Cow, Dawn: blouse, £12 and culottes, £18, both cow, tights ASOS, Sam: check shirt, £15, Cow, Ina: dress, £15, jacket £30, both Freshmans

The previous day, Forge Lifestyle editors and I exhausted hours in Cow rifling through racks of vintage garments-the dapper and the dowdy- as the delegated theme ‘Skins meets Great Gatsby’ resonated with me.

We left with swollen carrier bags stuffed to capacity of second-hand articles on loan, thanks to the splendidly generous guys at Cow and Freshmans.

From left, Ina: lace leotard, £8, Cow, Dawn: lace leotard, £8 and skirt, £14, both cow, Vicky: fur coat, Freshmans £25, Bekki: dress, £24, Cow

Navy animal print, beaded flapper and backless floral dresses, with red baseball striped, cream laced and pussy-bow blouses, ripped jean shorts, camel culottes and fur coats-a fraction of my favourites for the girls. 

Forge’s make up artists donned a fruitful use of sequins, gems and deep shaded eyes and lips, coinciding with the eclectic tones of our plentiful vintage garbs for a contemporary edge. 

From left, Sam: aran jumper, £20, sleeveless jacket, £1o, both Freshmans, James: check shirt, £10, Freshmans, Rhys: jumper, Cow, £17, charity shop, chinos, American Apparel

And for the guys: camel trousers and shirts, Adidas nylon and military jackets, African elephant and Harley Davidson tees, rich blue jumpers and obligatory plaid and denim shirts- fashioned with the helpful eye of co-stylist Elliot. 

There were rainbow steamers, ice-cream conned bubble blowers, party poppers, balloons and confetti- reminiscent of bygone prepubescent parties, where the closest to drunk that party-goers could get would be on sugary caterpillar cake from M&S. 

 

Dawn: (as before)

Picture: Ed Miller
   James: Military jacket, Freshmans, £18, Vicky: Dress, Freshmans, £15

Accessorised with a bear hat, Mini Mouse ears and an Indian head dress- the latter worn with impeccable flair by Mr Samuel Moir, the 10am ‘party’ came to life through the hands of photographer Ed Miller.

An aberrant Tuesday morning, laudable of my thus far earliest uni wake-up call that I would repeat in a camera flash- a 100 times over, maybe even getting up earlier….maybe.

Picture: Ed Miller     
From left, Bekki: dress, £24, Cow, Vicky: leather shorts, £18, Freshmans, Sam: denim shirt, £14, Cow, Dawn: lace leotard, £8, skirt, £14, both Cow, Rhys: t-shirt, £16, Cow, Katie: top, £14, denim cut-off shorts, £12, both Cow, James: check shirt, £10, Freshmans, Ina: lace leotard, £8 Cow

 Head to: www.forgetoday.com/page2064/Winter-Fashion-Shoot for more from the shoot.