Street Art: London vs Glasgow

So… I know this is slightly different to what I normally post on the blog, but my wonderful best friend gave me this idea when I was visiting London a couple of weeks ago. I’ve always possessed a passion for street art and the mystery behind it. Every time I go to London to  visit my family and take a little break, I try to plan something a little different to do each time. It can be very easy to visit the sights every time, which is always nice, but I like to mix it up so I can tick things off. One of the things I’d been thinking of doing for a long time was a street art tour of London. I did some research to see which would be the best company to go with and decided on “Street Art London Tours” (http://streetartlondon.co.uk/tours/) who have been reviewed highly in the likes of The Guardian and Time Out. The experience was amazing and it taught me a lot, but it also got me thinking of my own city.

Even though Glasgow isn’t the most well known city for street art, the murals that are dotted around the city are still incredibly beautiful. Considering the amount of controversy that surrounds a lot of London’s street art – such as Bansky’s recent mural of the little girl from Les Miserables choking from tear gas outside the French Embassy (which makes a very valid point) – Glasgow’s art is thought provoking but provides more of a breath of fresh air. I’ve been a fan of the likes of Bansky, Stik, Invader for a while now and I was curious to see some of their work up close. It didn’t disappoint.

Our tour guide who took us around the streets of Shoreditch in London surprisingly enough was actually a street artist himself. He gave us a treat of showing us some of his own work as well as highlighting some important facts about art on the street. For example, he explained to us that there’s a difference between Graffiti and Street Art, which seems quite obvious when explained. Graffiti is when a person or a series of people decide to paint their names in a “tag” or “throw up” on a surface of some sort. The whole idea behind it is to mark their territory and gain recognition within the community of artists. “Tags” are smaller pieces of work which include only one colour and a single spray of paint, however “Throw Ups” are known for having bubble like letters and being much bigger, bolder and more colourful than tags. Street Art is more thought provoking. It forces you to try and understand what the artist is trying to say or represent without any pointers. It also captures your attention in a way which is more eye catching and interesting. Street Art has always been more appealing in my books.

As well as this tour I embarked on, I also did some scoping of street art around Brixton, Camden and Brick Lane to add to my collection of photographs. The following is a mix of the pieces of artwork I saw. I will try to name the artists where possible.

Love Is Key #LIK – Unknown – Brick Lane

fotozino – Otto Schade – Brick Lane

Untitled – Nilsrva – Brick Lane

Chicken Feet – Dan Witz – Shoreditch

Took a little bit of research for me to find this particular artist, but I’m glad I did. This artist is using his art to spread the word on the cruelty to animals in slaughterhouses, hence the chicken feet. A powerful yet understated piece of art.

Untitled – Camille Walala – Shoreditch

Untitled – Stik and Unknown – Shoreditch

Stik – Shoreditch

(Apparently his old studio)

Invader – Shoreditch

Stik – Shoreditch

A mix including Otto Schade and Stik – Shoreditch

Miniature Man and his Giraffe – Pablo Delgado – Shoreditch

This piece was very small on the side of the street, around a foot tall if not smaller. This artist is known for painting his subjects shadows on the ground too. One of my favourites from the tour.

Bowie Mural – Jimmy C – Brixton

Hanging Painters – Unknown – Camden

Amy Winehouse – Otto Schade – Camden

Rhino – Otto Schade – Camden

Parrot – Unknown – Camden

Sweet Toof & Unknown – Camden

John Lennon – Gnasher Murals  – Camden

Owls – Oliver Switch – Camden

Get Rich or Try Sharing – Mau Mau – Camden

This piece is in support of buskers campaigning against a new licensing regime in Camden.

And now, on to Glasgow.

Album Pathway – Jim Lambie – Barrowland Park, Glasgow

This pathway was originally installed for the Commonwealth games back in 2014. The piece portrays a fraction of the thousands of bands that played in the famous Barrowland Ballroom and the years in which they did so. The artist explained that the art is supposed to be portrayed like a vinyl record shelf, which connects itself to the ballroom and the famous “Barra’s Market” which is famous within the city. This piece was supposed to be removed after the games however the people of Glasgow campaigned for the council to keep it. It’s so beautiful to walk down.

Space Man – Recoat & Ali Wyllie – New Wynd / Trongate

This particular artist is a big fan of colour and is inspired by Glasgow city’s surrounding landscapes. His original inspirations include Pop, Japanese, comic book and graphic design culture.

People Make Glasgow – Unknown – Central Station

Please excuse the quality of this photograph, I took it a while ago when I was on the train in to Glasgow one day. This piece is only visible when you’re getting the train in to the station on the high level, but it sticks out beautifully. It’s so vibrant and colourful. The “People Make Glasgow” slogan came about for the commonwealth games and has stuck due to how fitting it is to the city.

Commonwealth Games / Badminton – Guido Van Helten – Wilson Street

The coming of the commonwealth games really brightened up the city for its new visitors. This mural is still standing strong since it was erected for the games.

Woodland – Sam Bates – Ingram Street

This mural is stunning yet absolutely massive. It takes you a good couple of views before you feel like you’ve seen every inch of this piece of art. It really catches your eye when you’re walking down Ingram Street.

Strathclyde University Wonderwall / Murals – Art Pistol with Rogue One & Ejek

Strathclyde university is covered in street art no matter where you walk, and the #strathwonderwall is particularly impressive. If you recognise most of the people on the wall then bravo! I found it quite difficult…

Hip Hop Marionettes – Rogue One – John Street near Strathclyde University

The artist of this amazing piece explained that he wanted to portray body-poppers / break dancers in puppet form. He took his inspiration from the Beastie Boys and Run DMC.

Glasgow’s Panda – Klingatron – Gordon Lane near the Lighthouse

This beautiful panda is quite iconic in the city centre. It is just off Buchanan street and on a lane filled with fancy bars / restaurants as well as the Macintosh Lighthouse gallery.

“Honey I Shrunk The Kids!” – Smug – Mitchell Street

This piece is impossible to miss when peering in from Argyle Street way. It’s an amazing concept too as it looks as if the girl is trying to pick up passers by – much like I’ve tried to capture in this photograph.

The World’s Most Economical Taxi – Rogue One – Mitchell Street

This is probably one of my favourite pieces of street art in Glasgow. It’s so beautifully done by the artist Rogue One. He also painted the brick wall to look more like a brick wall which I think is amazing. It reminds me of the Disney film Up crossed with Glaswegian humour.

Glasgow’s Tiger – Klingatron / Art Pistol – Clyde Side

This beautiful tiger is a spin off of its original predecessor which lies underneath. There was an original tiger in this location, however it needed a revamp. The artist of this took inspiration from the previous but modernised it in a way which is powerful and striking. You can clearly see this piece when passing over the river on a high level train in summer time, too.

Big Birds – Rogue One / Art Pistol – Howard Street / Dunlop Street

This mural is incredible as it spreads out over two streets. It’s extremely colourful and beautiful to look at it and it really captures your imagination.

Clutha Bar Memorial – Rogue One / Art Pistol / Ejek – Stockwell Street

The tragedy of the Clutha Bar accident really shook Glasgow as a whole. However, this mural which has been painted in memory of the lives who were lost is so beautiful and captures the character of Glasgow very well. It depicts a number of visitors of the bar, some more famous than others, and also reflects Glasgow’s history. If you haven’t seen this already I suggest you give it a visit.

Argyle Street Cafe – Smug – Argyle Street

This piece of art is easy to walk by due to the fact it’s on the very busy Style Mile of Argyle Street. The piece captures Glasgow’s humour with animals eating and drinking in a cafe like normal people. My particular favourite is the bear in the right hand corner.

So there you have it! A number of murals from both London and Glasgow. Having spent a lot of time in both cities, I’d say they have much different things to offer in terms of street art. London is much more serious in every sense, whereas Glasgow has an air to it that’s slightly tongue-n-cheek and more laid back. I mean, when you think about it, as much as the Duke of Wellington’s traffic cone hat was the result of a drunken hilarity, it itself could be considered as street art. Bet you’d never thought about it that way before.

I do love both cities for different reasons, if I’m being honest. My mum is from Glasgow and my dad is from London, so I have a connection to each. However, I think in this sense, I’m very proud of my home town’s artistic achievements. I am aware that the length of this blog post is crazily long but I hope you enjoyed it! I had so much fun doing this and I feel like I’ve learned a lot in terms of the street art culture in both Glasgow and London.

Until next time,

Glasgow’s Golightly xo

 

 

Winter Beauties

Wow! What a hectic few weeks it’s been. Please accept my sincerest apologies at the lateness of this new post, I promise I’ve been working hard for you all!

The past couple of times when I’ve went out to take some photos the weather has been really horrible – Storm Imogen, Storm Henry? Go away evil storms! I do find it quite amusing that they name them like they’re people, though. Anyway, it’s been quite difficult trying to get people to stop for me and I don’t blame them for wanting to get home to their warm houses. There’s also the few people who just don’t want their photo taken even though they look amazing, which is always kinda disappointing. However! I did manage to take some photos of these stylish Glaswegians yesterday when it was a little brighter. I hope you enjoy admiring them as much as I did.

This is the lovely Lewis Watson. His style really caught my eye, I love a big scarf! He was the first person to stop for me yesterday and after several rejections he was a breath of fresh air! Such a genuinely lovely person. Personally, I think he combines the perfect amount of smart with casual in this look. His items are from the following:

Coat – Topman

Scarf – H&M

Jeans – River Island

Shoes – Kurt Geiger

This cute little biker chick’s name is Clare McKinnon. I spotted her when she was walking past me and was kicking myself for not stopping her, then noticed her standing to one side and slyly ran and asked her, haha! She was so lovely. I love how she’s wearing all black, it never goes out of style and she’s pairing it in an extremely edgy way. All of this lovely ladies items are from River Island as she works there and the discount is pretty good. I don’t blame her… 90% of my closet are New Look items, haha!

This stunning lady’s name is Jessica Cummin. I absolutely adore what she’s wearing! A big coat like this is a must for this awful weather we’ve been experiencing. The camel colour and style of the coat is so classic. Her beautiful scarf was printed with a global paisley pattern and her cute hat and earrings just brought the whole look together.

I forgot to ask which item was from where but according to her notes they’re a mix of vintage, Underground and Namaste clothing.

This is the very handsome Rory Green. This look is a great combination of greys, black and white with a little splash of tartan (nice little Scottish touch!). This look is very typical British gritty street style, a nice mix of casual and edge. His items were from the following retailers:

Trousers – Zara

T-Shirt – ASOS

Cardigan – H&M

Shoes – Adidas Stan Smith

Scarf – Edinburgh Woollen Mill

This lovely lady and her two friends collectively stopped for me which was so nice and refreshing! They were also all fashion students, which explains the exquisite style of them all. This little beauty’s name is Beth and she’s completely rocking the simplistic 70’s trend which is circulating now. The suede coat really compliments her complexion and dark brown hair. Something about this look also seems to remind me of French fashion, think it may be the stripes! Her items are from the following:

Coat – Forever 21

Trousers – New Look

Top – New Look

Bag – Topshop

This is the lovely Carly. Her look is very classic which I love. I also love the polka dot jeans! They’re a lovely touch to this entire look. Matching black accessories along with a denim / white palette seem to compliment each other beautifully. Her items are from the following.

Coat – Forever 21

Bag – H&M

Jeans – Sainsburys

Shirt – New Look

Boots – Office

This is the very beautiful Rebekah. She was so kind and lovely when I approached her and her friends. I love how fitting this kind of look is for street style, it’s very edgy but has a hint of femininity / playfulness with the red lipstick and the “Oh, Hi There!” jumper. Also, knee high boots are so in right now and I love how this beauty is owning them. Her on trend items are from the following retailers:

Coat – Topshop

Jumper – Urban Outfitters

Jeans – Topshop

Boots – Forever 21

Backpack – Urban Outfitters

This handsome guy is actually a very good friend of mine who I bumped into whilst stopping people. This is the lovely Grant Montgomery, or “Monty” if you will, haha! I figured I’d take this opportunity because I loved what he was wearing. With a very classic colour palette of navy and grey, everything he’s wearing compliments and blends with each other very well. His items are from the following retailers:

Coat – Topman

Shoes – Vans

Jeans – Dr Denim

Jumper – John Lewis Vintage

This blog post seems to have much more content than the last one I posted, therefore I hope it makes up for the lack of one last week. Thank you so much to all my little trend setters who stopped for me and were very kind and patient in the cold, you all make my day! Oh how I love this city.

Until next time,

Glasgow’s Golightly xo

Street Style in the Snow

Oh what a wonderful way to start this blog of mine! There are fewer things which make me happier than the falling of snow, especially when it comes to taking photographs. Having it snow during the first experience of photographing the beautiful people of Glasgow was so fitting for me, despite my little fingers and toes feeling like they were about to fall off.

Despite it being freezing weather, the few people I stopped and asked to photograph were so lovely and supportive.  That’s the thing about Glasgow, everyone here is so genuine, friendly and kind. I’m so proud to have been born in a city that goes out its way to help people along the way. When visiting bigger cities like London and New York, I was quite shocked at the level of rude people who would bump into you and not apologise, whereas Glasgow has such a kind heart to offer.

I only managed to photograph a handful of people, but they were completely worth braving the snow for. Most people, myself included, will sometimes opt for what’s most comfortable and warm when the weather turns very wintery, but there are still the odd few who seem to look amazing no matter what they wear. I hope you find this lot as stunning as I did!

I do believe this beautiful lady’s name is Lana, however the snow seems to have smeared a lot of the notes I took, haha! Either way, she was the first kind person to stop for me in the snow, and I love her look! A bold print is always great to team with a muted, understated colour such as black or grey. I am a particular fan of leopard print as it tends to pop in and out of trends fairly often and can act as a staple piece in your closet.

Of the few people I remembered to ask (trying to do everything in the snow with only two hands can be difficult!), this lovely lady let me know where her items were from.

Coat – Topshop

Jeans – H&M

Boots – Vagabond

This is the beautiful and incredibly photogenic Katie Smith. I love the colour palette of this look, it’s so simple and elegant. I also love that she’s managed to match her entire outfit with her umbrella, (not sure if that was deliberate or not!) Either way, she looks fantastic and the cold weather doesn’t seem to bother her at all, haha!

I stupidly forgot to ask this little trend setter where each of her items were from and I’m kicking myself for it now! However, the printed shirt dress does look like something you would find in the likes of River Island due to its bold yet chic print. As for the coat, I’m guessing maybe Zara or Topshop due to its cut and beautiful colour. The knee high boots are amazing too, giving the look an edgy little kick. I’m sure you’d be able to find a replica of those beauties in the likes of Office or Schuh.

This is the wonderful Derek Galloway. Managed to sneak my way into taking his photograph by offering to help take the selfie he was trying to take with him and his friend. I absolutely love his style and was so interested when he told me that the majority of his items were actually Australian brands. When I’m not wearing my contact lenses it’s important that I wear my glasses, therefore I notice  when other people have some amazing eyewear on, as you can see he clearly did! A list of his items are as follows:

Coat – Rodd & Gunn

Trousers – Uniqlo

Bag – Ralph Lauren

Glasses – Oliver Peoples

Out of all the people I managed to photograph on the day, this lovely lady was definitely one of my favourites. I don’t even think I need to say much, as you can see she looks incredible! This is the stunning Gillian Kelly. I literally found myself running after her in the snow and trying not to slip in the process, haha! I love her vintage 1950’s look. This is the kinda thing I love to see as she has her own style and completely owns it. A lot of people are very simple in the way they dress in order to follow the trends that are being dictated to them, but it’s the fearless who stand out and look incredible. I particularly love it when someone pays homage to a particular era, which Gillian is doing so beautifully.

Coat – Collectif

Bag – Collectif

Head Scarf – Vintage

Boots – UGG

The Collectif brand which Gillian purchased a few of her items from are known for having styles which emulate the 1940/50’s period.

I have to admit, despite how freezing it was, I feel the snow was a beautiful touch to these original photographs. It gave them a little bit of atmosphere and the natural lighting of the snow seemed to make the photos brighter. I am of course still learning when it comes to photography, and don’t in any way consider myself a professional, however I’m very proud of the images I managed to capture.

I feel the first few people I managed to photograph gave a snapshot of the potential of this city in terms of fashion. Glaswegians have always had their own style and I want to give them a voice of some sort. Getting used to stopping people on the street was a little difficult, but the kindness I received was overwhelming. To those who I photographed, I hope you like these pictures as much as I do! You’re all wonderful.

I’m going to do my best to keep this street style blog as a weekly occurrence. I want to get as much practice as I can in terms of photography and picking out trends I notice on the street that have as much power as fashion magazines do. If any of you do see me standing in the cold one day, don’t be afraid to come and say hello and get your photo taken! The more the merrier.

Hoping to see you all soon,

Glasgow’s Golightly xo

Let the streets speak…

First of all let me say that everything I plan on writing in this blog will be completely my own views and inspirations. My goal for this space of mine is to capture the essence of Glasgow, through its people, its style and its beautiful architecture. Glasgow has been my home my whole life, and having seen how it has flourished and fought so bravely in the past few years has made me aware of the potential that the city has. There are very few places I have visited where I have felt a spirit which is even slightly similar to this one. I have a great love for the different cities of the world, however I feel there is something so special and loveable about the city with a lion’s heart. It has certainly captured mine.

I have always been challenged creatively within myself to do something that reflects not only what I love but to also capture what I feel is relevant. If what I’m writing about or doing doesn’t capture other people’s interest and make them feel like they want to be involved, then what’s the point? I’m very passionate about a lot of things, however photography and fashion are two very great loves of mine. I have hidden behind my camera at social gatherings since the age of 8, and slowly it became expected of me to document important memories. I took it upon myself to make sure time wasn’t lost and I have learned a lot from being an observer. You begin to realise that no one is ever the same person they’re showing you and ultimately most of them are hiding behind a mask of some sort. However, these masks aren’t always a bad thing.

The idea of fitting in and being accepted for who we are is very much relied upon material things such as what we own, how we look and lastly, how we dress. Over the years we have witnessed a transition from very obvious stereotypes such as Mods, Rockers, Hippies to the more modern day equivalents such as Punks, Goths and Neds (or Chavs, depending on where you’re from). These stereotypes were very strong in their day, and during this time you really were either one or the other, there wasn’t much of an in between. Even the people who weren’t daring in how they dressed would still wear something which slightly resembled the category they would rather be associated with, in order to avoid being labelled as the other.

For a long time, there has yet to be a movement which is new and innovative like these were. Which is sad in a way from some people’s point of view, however I think it’s wonderful. Modern society is beginning to break free of the barriers of stereotyping by simply expressing who they are. A lot of people will take reference to a certain era, or several different ones, but generally these days with regards to the fashion industry, anything goes. The fashion industry is becoming larger and trends are becoming shorter. This is due to the fact that most people are more educated with what they want with help from social networks and the large presence of online fashion blogs. The mini trends which are emerging, whether it be from Haute Couture or the street, are all very much as relevant as each other.

Therefore, due to this, I have decided to create this blog to document what I feel is current within fashion these days. However, I will not simply dictate this to you, I am going to show you and involve you. I plan on taking photographs purely of street style, and choose members of the beautiful people of Glasgow to feature within it. I want to capture this city’s style and highlight the trends which are coming from the people and not the fashion industry. I want to enhance the people’s power when it comes to fashion and show that we are not being dictated to, it’s us who are doing the dictating. I feel that Glasgow is perfect for this type of blog as the city is full of so many colourful characters who express themselves through their style and aren’t afraid to be bold. One of my biggest inspirations behind this blog is my idol Bill Cunningham, who is also a street style photographer, and he sums it up in a single quote…

“The best fashion show is definitely on the street. Always has, and always will be.”

I look forward to meeting you all and working with you.

Glasgow’s Golightly xo