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| Beatrice drinking Margarita's @ Wahaca |
This time we met at Liverpool Street Station. Beatrice was wearing a colourful dress with patterns from the african continent and a short denim jacket; a proper summer outfit in contrast to the winterish military parka and opaque tights she was wearing the previous week, when I last show her. She asked me to take her photo in front of the Love Sculpture, the London's reproduction of Robert Indiana's iconic pop art image and then outside Spitalfield's Market, on the busy road with the imposing facade of Hawksmoor's church on the background, one of these spots that reflect the beauty of old times London.
Thinking about her style, I would say that Beatrice manages to combine the latest trends in fashion with a personal touch. "I don't have a role model or a celebrity that I particularly follow at the moment." she replies when I ask her where she gets her inspiration from. "I get inspired by anyone that I see that looks good and is rocking her outfit. Whether its someone pictured on a magazine or just on the street doesn't really matter. I like to pick new trends and try them on, but I'll never wear something that doesn't look good on me just because its trendy. If I really like a trend, I'll find a way to twist it or combine it with other items so it looks good on me."
I notice a snake-shaped double ring that unites her index and middle finger. "This ring belongs to my mother and she was wearing it in the 70s. I used to play with it when I was a child and I rediscovered it in a recent trip back to my parents' home. Rings and necklaces are my favourite accessories; and loads of headbands that I buy but never wear! Generally, I find all fashion eras from victorian to the modern time are fascinating but the ones I would choose for me are 20s and 90s, I guess. I was a kid in the 90s, and back then we were not updated with fashion as kids nowadays. When I was growing up I was feeling a lot of peer pressure. We were all dressed the same at school. There was a time when i was influenced by the music, I was into indie rock, so I used to wear skinny jeans and flat shoes (although now it's normal, it wasn't that common in early 2000 when 70s fashion was mainstream). Now I have my style but I also like to dare a little sometimes so I may change it again. The one thing I keep and will keep forever is a little Chanel bag my dad got me one Xmas;I think I was 9.... I know, crazy? Wise man looking at the future! I didn't want to wear it back then but now I do and will always look after it!"
A man passes by while we talk and we comment on his outfit. I ask her opinion on men's fashion. "I like the classic style. He can obviously wear jeans or converse. But I like a casual or elegant style. I can't stand men wearing rings or deep V necks. I couldn't stand dating a man that has a top with a V neck deeper than mine, showing his chest. God forbid necklaces too!"
Before we stop for a drink at the White Hart pub I take some more pictures of Beatrice at the nearby area. Every time I photograph her, she looks back at my shots and requests new ones, with a specific background and angle, making any changes that will bring the picture closer to what she has in her mind. And this is another side of Beatrice I have just discovered and like; her being an enthusiastic perfectionist.
I add this last picture of Beatrice, from just a week ago, during the biggest day of summer, when I photographed her on the windy millennium bridge, looking cool despite the bad weather; a manifestation of how unpredictable the english weather can be. |
| Another day in stormy London |
