Vogue by Mark Vessey  one of an edition of 25

being a child of the 80′s im drawn to pop art, the bright brash buy me colours and lights were the things that shaped my vision. Vogue magazine was the pinnacle of my dreams, the fashion ultimate.  They say never meet your heroes and so ive never sought to work for Vogue, but like all good fans i have created my own homage. Mark Vessey is becoming knowing as a contemporary pop artist a modern Warhol, looking at the iconography of his time. Together we went bigger and better turning his original print into an installation in my office. This is his photo of me and his work.

Gimpel Fils

i look at these and i would like one on my wall. i also see inspiration for a photoshoot. the grey face paint would be an interesting conversation from any angle.

I recently met two young girls in Kenya, one wanted to be a model. You would think that wouldn’t be out of the ordinary working with young models all the time, but they were 11 and 13, much younger than girls im used to being around.  The young girls asked me why i was in Kenya, i was there on a fitness holiday before i started filming for Britain and Ireland’s Next Top Model, i said to them i wanted to lose weight. I saw their eyes widen a little and look me up and down, ” you’re skinny you don’t need to lose weight” and i  said “oh i do” and showed then my cushion pad tummy which i’ve had all my life, a sign of a woman some say though to me it also makes me ‘fat’.  The bewildered looks didnt abate, and one turned away and pulled up her top to look at her tummy. This had a profound affect on me. Right then i realised how impressionable young girls are and what resposibility someone like me has to not get carried away with the dangerous allure of thiness. I’ve recently joined Models 1,   if i had known at 13 that in my thirties and what in model terms is counted as a ‘curvy girl’, this would have made such a difference to an unhappy teenager who painfully struggled to find her place and identity and body image being surrounded by misleading icons in celebrities and magazine fantasies.   The point is you dont have to be thin to be deemed beautiful, as Models 1 have just pointed out to me, and If I can be someone to peddal that shtick then i must bear the weight of that responsibility.

Trousers, body and jacket all Wolford A/W 2010.

Handbag Lara Bohinc

Inspiration 60′s, Barbarella, Veruschka.

This outfit has caused quite a stir: Some people get it some dont. “j_muleba on twitter btw you look hawwwt at Gatwick in that outfit” VS “looks like an anorexic friesian” comment, there is a moment when you are getting criticised that makes you want to go, ugh i’m just gonna play safe,  stick to some sort of prescribed trend. But that’s not what i’m here for, i experiment with the way i dress so as to see what works, yes sometimes some people dont like the results, but you cant please everyone all the time, the result would be anodyne and homogenised, at least in the process of experimentation new ideas are born. They usually just  take a while to catch on.

Jacket from Roland Mouret, Glasses as always from Retrosuperfuture

Unlike many male designers i feel the masculinity Roland Mouret brings to his garments are like the secrets of why Saville Row has such an under current of power, these clothes know how to arm you to look sharp. He doesnt over sexualise women nor morph into something alien or ugly, they are pieces which craft the body, they both hide and reveal to be oh so flattering. A while back it was rumoured that ‘someone’ from Roland Mouret was working on the Victoria Beckham label. Whilst being really impressed with the VB pieces as they are beautifully constrcted and in really great fabrics, i still dont think i could buy into a ‘designer’ piece with a label that said Victoria Beckham on it and almost put me off Roland Mouret. But not quite.

Hat by Inga Ruby

Spex by Retro Super Future – Ciccio Black

Their website says  Extra Large, Extra Strong, Extra Thick. The Super Ciccio is not for the faint of heart (Sounds also like my perfect boyfriend)

This outfit isn’t as simple to describe as the last ones as it was less off the peg and more DIY

Sometimes when  a bit of outfit inspiration is needed i  go to  Style.com and refresh my memory on the catwalk looks before they are in all the mags, i try to build looks around pieces i own already. For this one i was looking at Dolce Gabanna S/S Catwalk show. I channelled (or possibly Chanel’ed) Black and white, lace/fishnet, floral

Jean Paul Gaultier lace dress, black and white chenille bow head band procured at Liberty at different times. White flower ring from a shop on Rue De Rivoli in Paris. One Westwood Pearl earring from Bang Bang, one CC earring from Chanel. Bright pink bra Stylists own ha ha, white nails.

Lanvin S/S 10 available from Harvey Nichols

Preen Line dress available from Net-A-Porter