The Stephanie Rushton Portrait Shoot, Part Two

   Alternate angles of café culture and on-the-street photographic reportage

   I'll never sit for Norman Parkinson, but Stephanie's talent makes this as great an honour

 

  

  

The Jamie Archer Portrait Shoot, Part Two

   Featuring whimsy, nudity and an unfurled umbrella indoors

   I wonder if we'll ever be allowed across the museum's threshold again (it was Jamie's choice of venue, in any event)

 

  

  

  

  

Gems of Ghana

   Today, we celebrate our Independence Day - it's 53 years since we went from a colony to a former colony. To commemorate, I've stolen the most interesting fashion material I could discover from Time Out Accra in the name of edification. I got as far as one: Orleans Designs

   Hazel Aggrey-Orleans, who is in fact based in London, produces scarves of silk and dresses, tops and  trousers of vivid colouring and drape, proudly utilising the prints that form part of our native identity and heritage. Their product is playful, coquettish and perceptibly sure of itself; it takes a devil-may-care woman to adorn herself so brightly. Indeed, I look forward to meeting women who do patronise such a proudly homegrown label. The current S/S10 collection is quite the sort of thing that needs to be worn widely outside of Ghana itself; my parents' generation may find it does them proud

   Let's see who will be flying the flag for our artistic side next

The Jamie Archer Portrait Shoot, Part One

   Jamie is the online brand-building whiz who shot the Ian Bruce exhibition photographs that were featured here last autumn, as well as a close-up that we could both dine out on if my marketing skills were at their peak. Here, he asked me to bother the security guards and patrons at the permanent collections of the Victoria & Albert Museum. And I couldn't resist - one could list "Confusing, distracting and endangering stray passers-by" on my CV

   The more childish shots shall be featured in Part Two. Jamie's other space is here:

 

  

 

The Stephanie Rushton Portrait Shoot, Part One

   The short version: Stephanie meets Winston at a party, photographs him, is subsequently referred to me and a breezy early evening in Mayfair becomes photographic memories for all

Sartorial Profiling

   The fellows who run Fine and Dandy - shop and blog - recently submitted me to their semi-regular profiling of men who wear bow ties, hats and mankinis. Being guilty of all three means I have to own up to it somewhere, and they have followed The Mode Parade almost since the beginning, so it was a call worth heeding

   Being interviewed on other spaces is not a bad thing at all. Perhaps I should begin a series of my own

When I Was in London

   ... I was mostly clad in the gloves and the coat because I respect my body's temperature that much:

   It was good to be back. And now I've left again. And The Mode Parade is going to experience a few small adjustments for the time being, but it certainly isn't going away for now. Indeed, more to come

Barima in Print

   I'm in the current issue of The Chap and had forgotten about it. The link is in the sidebar. It transpires that my full name is too long for publication

If I Were in London...

   ... I'd be wearing something like this oldie photo, here:

   Actually, I'll return on Thursday morning, so this is utterly relevant. I hear it's a little nippy out and that I have to stay away from the yellow snow. Luckily, I have some pigskin gloves that I'll be taking out for a little spin