EDITORIAL DEBUT!

*Another long post guys so go pour a glass of wine! Enjoy x

Seeing your name in a magazine is something every one who aspires to work in Fashion dreams about. Flicking through the pages of my favorite magazines , always paying close attention to who styled the shoot , who did the photography , the make-up , the hair - its always the Editorial Credits I once looked at hoping one day that I would see my name credited in a respected fashion magazine. I will never forget the first time I saw my name credited in a magazine. I eagerly waited for the July Issue of Cosmopolitan UK to hit the stands. When I saw it beaming from the magazine vendor on the corner Argyll St & Great Marlborough Street , opposite my favorite department store Liberty's, I almost skipped along to it , picked it up placing Kim Kardashian's face on the counter (the cover girl for the issue) and handed my 4 pound 70 pence over to the elderly european man whom I buy gum and chocolate from on an almost daily basis. 'You look very happy today' , 'I'm in this magazine' I exclaimed with a smile. 'Really? Good for you buddy' , 'Thankyou' - and there It was! I walked a few steps across the corner and flipped through the pages till I landed on the 'Facebook Fashion' page. A style page myself and my fellow intern at the time compiled. A guide on how to wear the same item twice in different ways just like celebs so that you wouldn't be 'tagged on facebook in the same outfit twice'. I scanned my eye across and down to the right hand corner. There it was - compiled by Denis Todorovic. My name, Denis Todorovic in the pages of Cosmopolitan, the UK's highest selling glossy and a magazine I used to snatch off my girlfriends in high school to read. I squealed, did what can be described as 'hug' the magazine, smile again, look at my name again and skipped off into the day!

The moment fell surreal and at the same time so satisfying. 'Your hard work is paying off' - I thought to myself. All the interning , the working two jobs, its all worth it - moments like this make it worth every second. Since then I have started to build quite a collection of editorial credits from various shoots I've done with various magazines and each time I still pinch myself!

Being credited as an assistant is one thing, but to get your first Editorial as the Fashion Stylist/Director of the shoot - this is something I've been dreaming off from the day I decided I wanted to become a stylist. Fast forward 9 months and there I was being offered my first fully fledged editorial for a very well respected edgy fashion publication - FIASCO magazine. After re-reading the email 3 times and pinching myself another couple times I very happily accepted and before I knew it I was doing appointments pulling pieces from the likes of Felder Felder, Markus Lupfer, Camilla and Marc, Graeme Armour, Willow and Rupert Sanderson. The next thing I knew it was the day of the shoot and me and my gorgeous friend Holly, who was playing my assistant again today - were on our way to the location. The story was about two teenagers in love who decide to defy the odds and runaway together with nothing but love and some pretty cool clothes on their back. The story needed to be stronger than the clothing we didnt want the fashion too overpowering. It wasn't a 'Fashion Story' per se more a story that included fashion. The clothes needed to reflect their characters. Inspired by Chloe Sevigny, Kate Moss and the early 90s grunge period I was more ready than ever to style my first editorial!

Shooting can be a long day. I think sometimes people underestimate the work that goes into it. All the clothing that you have to call in, to the prep, the steaming, then there's trial and error and things that you thought would work may not , so then you rework looks until you get it just right. At times one shot can take up to an hour to shoot - however, when you're working in a team of amazing people the 'hardwork' element disappears and the creative energy in the room is like a drug that just keeps you buzzing from start to finish. Every look couldn't have worked out better, the photography was on point and each shot told the story perfectly! So after an amazing day of shooting I then highly anticipated the arrival of the magazine in print! 3 months later I was going through some old scrap books that I used to keep from the age of 13 , where I would cut out pictures from fashion magazines and document my fashion trends, shows and designers. Whilst doing this my mum walked through the door handing me a package 'Deni I think your magazines have arrive' - ordering it online the magazine landed on my door step and I was literally bursting with excitement to open it. As I flipped through the pages landing on my story I started smiling ear to ear. 'The Runaways' read the title, Fashion Stylist - Denis Todorovic. I couldn't believe my eyes - it was such a full circle moment, here I was flicking through my old scrapbooks and mountains of fashion magazines to know holding a fashion magazine with a fashion story I styled in my hands! Its a moment I'll never forget! I feel so lucky to have had the opportunity to make my dreams come true! No matter how big your dreams - never stop chasing them as they will come true! Check out some of the highlights from the final product xoxo Deni

LFW - the last day of another season!

LFW comes and goes like a flash of lightning. A week of shows , the daily routine of rushing from show to show getting little time to stop for food in between, followed by the after parties and events that proceed the day of shows - it can all be quite hectic. Amongst all the mayhem however you can't help but be excited that for a week you get to enjoy your greatest passion in a flurry of creative expression and most shows you attend in some way will inspire you , if its not coming from the catwalk it can come from the people attending the show , their style , or it may be the music , the lighting , the set etc... its a constant source of inspiration. To be a part of this , I feel truly lucky! My last day was relatively quiet in comparison to mosts, and today I chose to keep on the Neon theme wearing a great acid lime knit sweater from American Apparel layered under a vintage black cardigan with neon coloured print - breaking it up with my favorite vintage metallic silver Chanel bag, a super special item - it was its first LFW season out & about!

First show was that of Jasper Garvida's , a young asian designer based in London , known for embellishment and a bit of glam factor. Attending with my LFW buddy and best friend Laura , she absolutely took my breath away in her gorgeous embellished black Jasper Garvida Dress!

The show began and was a combination of futuristic inspired fabrics and silhouettes, included lots of embellishment , think disco ball like mirror applique, gold studs, silver aluminum foil like leathers and a black and white mod print. One part 2020 robots and One part 1970 Pool Goddess some of the pieces had a very throwback to vintage glamour type feel to them and wouldn't look out of place with a pair of hoop earrings and cocktail in hand by the water while others looked like they could be seen on the set of a Jessie J music video...here's a snapshot!

My final show/presentation of the week was by an up and coming designer by the name of Fedro Gaudenzi. I didn't really know much about him, had never even seen any of his clothes however one of my best friends who works in PR was invited to his show and asked me to go along and be her +1 as she had heard promising things about him. The presentation was taking place in a Penthouse in Mayfair - not bad for an up and comer - and when sat in the small intimate setting neither one of us really knew what we were getting ourselves into - however then the clothing started coming out , modeled on girls who seemed to sway and act rather than strut and pose. It was avant garde at its best , edgy, unique, just the right amount of risque and some might say 'weird' , but the beauty and the craftsman ship in every single dress that came out was incredible. It was one of those moments where you felt 'ok this could be the start of something

incredible. This young boy could be a rising star' and by the end of the presentation I remembered why I love fashion , because it gives us the opportunity to hope and dream , to pour all of our passions into a project and see the end result - living on a body. Its like that quote from The Devil Wears Prada , 'Fashion is the greatest form of art because we live in it' - and it really is that simple! Ending the week on this note reminded me why LFW has always been somewhat magical to me , I look forward to many more xoxo Deni

LFW - Neon, Mermaids and the day I met ADR

*Hey Readers, once again apologies for the gap between blogs but one has been very very busy! However buckle up and get ready for some reading...enjoy!

As Day 3 swung around I felt the need to inject some colour and a bit of fun into my LFW wardrobe. Last season I got the biggest kick out of wearing my vintage neon pink neoprene trousers (which a week later ended up appearing in Jil Sander form on their runway during
MFW -fashion psychic perhaps?) this season however it was a printed oversized shirt in an array of neon colours that caught my eye while parousing the racks of Beyond Retro. Paired down with some white J Brands (THE best jeans in the world) and my neon converse I added a lolly green suede envelope bag from American Apparel and stacked a pink watch against my blue watch! To add to the effect I decided to channel my inner-becks an add Blue Polish! Voila!

I met my little ray of sunshine Miss. Laura Whitmore at the Vauxhaull Fashion Scout Venue (Freemasons Hall - Covent Garden) for the first show of the day, the luxe 'Izmaylova'. Clacking her heels down the pavement she squealed 'Aah your outfit makes me smile'. Meeting our friend the lovely Jewellery Princess Amber Atherton (check out her fabulous jewellery online store www.myflashtrash.com) at the door she too smiled at the ensemble 'I have to take a picture of this so when I'm feeling sad it makes me smile' - happy to make my girls smile this is just what fashion should feel like - FUN! On we went in taking our seats to board the 'Izmaylova Express' the runway was to look like a train station, its guests ready to hop onto a fashion-train ride of silk, sequins, feathers and the sort of luxury usually seen on the catwalks of Milan & Paris. Beautiful cuts & embellishment there were definitely some HOT red carpet frocks on show!

After our flurry of feathers we made our way over to catch the presentation of one of our favorite shoe brands Charlotte Olympia (designed by Charlotte Dellal). Inspired by the beach, mermaids and sea shells we were welcomed by gorgeous models lounging on sunbeds on the faux-beach in gorgeous C'Olympia heels! It was especially fun as I got Laura in two pairs of Charlotte's shoes over the course of LFW so we were ready to see what next season had in store!

I especially loved the palm tree print with wrought iron heels - a true work of fine fashion art!

About 20minutes into the presentation I noticed a certain someone walk through the door. This certain someone was none other than one of my GREATEST fashion Hero's the incredible Editor of Vogue Japan Anna Dello Russo. I had seen ADR a few times last season when she graced the front rows of Julien Macdonald and Kinder Aggugini however this was my first ADR spotting of the season! Dressed in demure-yet-chic white tuxedo with a citrus Bottega Venetta clutch in hand she breezed her way through the room without fuss and though she commanded every ones attention - a legend was in the room after all - you could feel just how down to earth she was by her presence. It was at this moment that I knew I had to introduce myself to this Fashion Great! Tapping her on the shoulder 'Anna, hi my name is Denis and I just have to say that you are one of my hero's, you're so inspiring' , 'Ah, thankyou' she said , 'What do you do?' , 'I'm a Stylist and Blogger' , 'Ah Si very good' she replied. Being in her presence just made me feel even more inspired to follow my fashion dream and one day achieve the greatness that ADR has.

Happy as a boy on Christmas morning we left the presentation and I parted ways with Whit to make my last show - one of my favorites of the season - Mark Fast! Best known for his body con dresses that when seen on the hanger look like kidswear but once on body form hugs every curve in all the right places , it was time to see what this genius had up his sleeve this season!

He didn't dissapoint with another collection inspired by the sea he sent out Mark Fast Mermaids in bright corals, citrus yellows, neon pink paired down with gold, ivory and a finale of black in his signature knit body hugging creations! This was a collection that bought sexy back! After a day of neon, under-the-sea inspirations and the highlight of my LFW (meeting Anna Dello Rosso) it was nice to see that my Neon ensemble was not only appreciated by my friends but my peers in the industry also - as I found myself appearing in the next days LFW Daily Street Style pages!

With the caption 'Brightest by Far' featuring in The Daily is always the biggest compliment to your LFW wardrobe! xoxo Deni

The Fashion Circus continues...

As Fashion Week continued, day one was a whirlwind and day two proved to be a little less hectic. Only one evening show to attend and a fabulous event afterwards meant today was definitely the day to chill out and have a little fun. As I made my way to the Issa show I was super excited about my outfit. Earlier in the week the lovely team at Bryan Morel PR loaned me a fabulous shirt from John Rocha. Unfortunately I couldn't make it to the John Rocha show so

decided to rep the shirt that night. In this season's hottest print *snakeskin obviously* the silk shirt in a black/grey degrade colour came straight off the menswear runway which I loved even more! I layered it with my suede blazer to combine textures and left feeling very fabulous...

Picking up Miss.Whitmore en-route , Laura was rocking a seriously deadly look! We were invited to the All Saints LFW party and when earlier in the week I selected something for Laura to wear this leather corset-inspired dress immediately jumped out at me! Seeing it on her, matched with a John Rocha fur shrug was perfection she was sporting sex factor on a whole new level!

As we took our seats in the first & second rows (Laura - first, me - second - obviously) at the Issa show , the electric energy was pulsing through the room. It was the last show of the evening and everyone at the tent of Somerset House was excited for the night ahead. Joining us was Made in Chelsea star & jewellery business owner Amber Atherton. Her and Laura had met earlier in the week and it was an absolute pleasure meeting her. Soon enough the show was under way and what a show it was! Carnival in Rio was the inspiration behind the collection which featured fruit prints, sequins and fringing in an array of pop colours and citrus brights! As Caroline Issa came out to take her bow a head-dress adorned carnival girl followed with her and it had every single person in the tent cheering and dancing in their seat ready to party! For a moment it made me stop and smile and reminded me why I love fashion, when clothing has the power to transport you to a different country, a feeling, a mood, it's a truly special moment!

In such good spirits Laura, Amber and I hopped into a black cab and swiftly made our way over to Marylebone One to attend All Saint's London Fashion Week 'Not For Sale' event. As we entered this gorgeous venue the fashion crowd was a buzz and a mix of fashionista's including celebrity stylist/Britain's Next Top Model judge Grace Woodward (who just quietly is a bit of a

diva and loves to make an entrance) Fashion Blogger/model/muse Bip Ling, Reality Star Lydia Rose Bright from The Only Way Is Essex fame and a bit of fashion-rock royalty Jamie Hince aka Mr.Kate Moss. The Cocktails were flowing, the music was pumping and being there with Laura was the perfect way to end Day 2 of London Fashion Week , because fashion aside what would life be without friends? Stay tuned for the final installation of my LFW diary xoxo Deni

LFW comes to bid me farewell...(for now)...DAY ONE!

*This may be quite a long post. Just giving y'all a heads up! Perhaps go make a cup of tea before reading...

I remember the first time I saw a fashion show on the telly as a kid. Laugh as you will but it was while watching a tragic little american soap known as 'The Bold & The Beautiful'. My grandma was and 23 year later still is, obsessed with the program, so I would very often watch it together with her. The show revolves around the fashion houses of Spectra & Forrester Creations. I remember an episode featuring a Forrester Creations Fashion Show - there they were, models one after the other coming out looking more glamorous than the one that walked before, lights flashing, music pounding and I a 6 year old boy - felt an electric pulse surge through my body whatever this world was , I wanted to be apart of it. I wanted to be a part of one of these 'Fashion Shows' - and so through american daytime television my dreams of attending a fashion show were well and truly born! Fast forward 17 years and sitting front row at

the Maria Grachvogel show, during London Fashion Week, as a respected up-and-coming Fashion/Celebrity Stylist with my client/best friend MTV Presenter Laura Whitmore and I couldn't help but think 'How did this happen?'. I arrived to London just over 2 years ago with one big suitcase and an even bigger dream and once again it was coming true. This September marked my 4th season of LFW so as I got into my cab on Day 1 in my metallic panelled Aqua trousers & Dior shirt , studded Kaviar Guache cuff firmly on my wrist - I was ready for the week ahead!

Day 1 proved very hectic. One day, 6 shows to attend and 3 events in the evening! As the season before I was styling Laura for the shows/events she attended. So for Day 1 we had 3 looks. Including a Pyrus dress & ankle boot combo. A lace & leather top and skirt combo set off with some serious Charlotte Olympia heels & for evening a sexy All Saints dress cinched in with a Felder Felder belt & a pair of sexy shoes once again by the incredible Charlotte Olympia!

After a very busy day *thankgod I had my LFW survival kit of Jaffa Cakes & Diet Coke on hand to keep me soldiering through the day* and after some very great shows it was off to pick up my darling Laura for the nights events! A quick costume change for me into a Topshop shirt and a sick Ralph Lauren Rugby skull & cross bone bow tie and it was ready to party! First stop was a party held for the launch of Britney Spears new single. Miss Spears however stayed for a mere 15 minutes allowing me no time to have a brush with the pop diva I've grown up with!

Following that was the Esprit Store event on bustling Regent Street with the amazing Emeli Sande as the entertainment , we were truly spoiled with her amazing voice, her performance of her hit single 'Heaven' gave me goosebumps to an extreme! After that we hopped into a cab and

headed over to The Mayfair Hotel for the party that always kicks off the LFW season - the PPQ after party where after several cocktails and a spot of dancing I bid farewell to my little ray of sunshine (Miss Whitmore) and made my way home into the hours of the early morning...

...after all Day 2, 3 & 4 were approaching us the next morning xoxo Deni

MUSIC VIDEO STYLING...A DREAM COME TRUE!

From a very young age I have been obsessed with music videos. As a child I would wake up at 9am every Saturday morning to watch 'Video Hits' and eagerly await the Top 40 videos that week , video taping my favorite videos. I always dreamed that one day I could be part of a music video. (I've also always had the fantasy of producing/directing a music video, its on my list of things to do) As I got older and started to understand the role of a stylist I remember thinking 'God I'd love to style a music video' , so when by recommendation of a friend , I was called by a production company to do just that - style my first music video - I jumped at the chance and after receiving the confirmation email I danced around my bedroom in my underwear! *its the little things*

The video was for debut artist Noah Stewart, a classically trained singer signed to Universal records. Flying in from New York, the black and white music video was being shot in London and the inspiration was Old Hollywood Glamour, a style I've always loved. Think men in dapper suits and women in sexy , gorgeous gowns. Luxurious fabrics , amazing jewellery and beautiful hair. After meeting with the production team , the Director made it very clear that I had total creative control , all he requested was an amazing floor length black dress for the leading lady! Easy right? Well after 3 days of trailing vintage stores and most fashion PR agencies in London , this task was becoming near impossible. At the 11th hour (literally 10pm the night before the shoot) my best friend Laura presented me with a gorgeous one of a kind dress that fit the brief - and then some! As I went to bed that night , cases packed for tomorrow's shoot , I had butterflies in my stomach and woke up the following morning (at 5am) like a kid at Christmas. As my car came to collect me we drove through the dark London morning and I felt overwhelmed for the day ahead. The location for the shoot was the stunning Bentley Hotel in Knightsbridge, Chelsea.

Arriving on set were my two gorgeous friends who were there to assist me for the day. Holly, who I used to intern with at Vogue and her friend Libby who interns at Tank magazine. As the

three of us looked at each other we started to chuckle. All three of us were wearing black and white ensembles with seriously statement making shoes - great minds think alike no?

We started to get the models and extra's into hair and make-up when our first drama presented itself. Upon viewing the gorgeous floor length black dress the production team decided it needed to have a longer trail and after being told to "Make it happen..." I started to think 'What can I do to give this dress a longer trail' - before the thought it even came into my head my two assistants were on the phone calling fabric stores in Chelsea to buy some fabric , it was at that moment I realised how crucial it is to work in a great team! In the end we ended up pinning 2 other black dresses to the hem of the existing dress to give the illusion of a trail 'we can smooth it out in post production' said the crew , and with that it was Lights , Camera & Action! First scene ready to go!

The next 17 hours *yes thats right , the shoot was almost 20 hours in total* went passed in a flurry of costume, scene & location changes and it wasn't till about half way through when I found myself standing with the crew while the director called 'Action' that I started to get emotional (on the inside - one musn't cry on set hehe) at the reality of what my life was turning into to! My dreams were coming true and I just don't know how it came to be this way - too lucky for words! As we wrapped up the shoot , packed up the cases and said goodbye to cast and crew , I got into a cab at just after midnight and drove home into the London night with a tear in my eye. As I looked across the city, all lit up, I just felt an overwhelming feeling of happiness. I couldn't wait to get on set of another music video and was itching to see the final result of this one!

A mere 3 weeks later , I received a call from the production company booking me to style another video '...we know its really last minute but we were so impressed with your work on the Noah video we'd love you to style our next project' and before I knew it 4 days later I found myself at the BBC Television studios in West London at 6.30am with another suitcase of clothes for the day's shoot. It was for a rock trio called the 'Band of Skulls' , now most people will know that I love pretty much all music and have a very varied taste however safe to say my passion

sticks around the Hip/Hop & Pop genres, so I was not cool enough to know who the band were or quite how much of a following they have! The story for this video was unique , and unlike anything I've ever worked on as it involved professional martial arts sequences choreographed & 'performed' as such by some very talented kung-fu fighters. The styling inspiration came from the 70s and with that in mind the shoot begun! Going from doing a classical song to a rock song with a very catchy hook, the vibe on set was completely different & you could just feel the electric energy pulsing through the room! It was the type of feeling where as filming continued all members of crew would just keep looking at each other as we knew this was going to be something so amazing , and something that'd we'd all be so very proud to put our names on!

When I found myself watching both videos back a few weeks later , I squealed , smiled and cried simultaneously! Seeing the hard work and long hours put into every aspect of the video and then seeing the final product , is one of the proudest moments you can have as a stylist. Both videos will truly be an experience I wont ever forget and will always be very proud of! Hopefully one day I'll be styling videos for some of the hip hop & pop icons I admire so much! For now check these two vids out by following the links below! xoxo Deni

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvLlgegB1Gc&ob=av2e

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4XUwKewzdNs

Assisting my HERO...

It's not every day you get the chance to work with someone you look up to, someone you call 'your hero' - so when you get that chance on more than one occasion its necessary to pinch yourself and go 'fuck I'm lucky' - pardon the french. When I moved to London two years ago I discovered the amazing Natalie Hartley, then Fashion Editor at The Sunday Times Style now Senior Fashion Editor at InStyle Magazine. I've gone into detail about my 'fashion-crush' & admiration for Natalie on my blog before, I loved her column in STYLE & obsess over her own personal style and will state again that she is pretty much the coolest girl in the world - fact!After interning at InStyle , I would email every 6 weeks or so updating her on what I'd be doing with work , my internship at Vogue etc... trying to send a message out into the universe that I'd love to assist her again. So when she emailed me asking if I could do just that , I jumped at the chance. Over the past couple months I have been lucky enough to assist Natalie on a shoot for Japanese Vogue (one of my favorite publications) , 3 New Look campaign shoots and a jewelery look-book. Each and every time I work with her I am constantly in awe at how incredibly talented , hard working and grounded a person she is. All to often people lose themselves in this industry. They forget where they come from and the hard work it took them to get to where they are - Natalie is not one of those people. Meeting someone you look up to immensely and finding out that they are that down to earth & grounded is incredible. When I was asked to assist on the Japanese Vogue story I couldn't believe my luck. To me, there's nothing better than a fashion story by Natalie Hartley, seeing her fashion stories in InStyle each month is something I look forward to at the start of every month, when I see it on the stands I can't wait to purchase & soak in her pages (i'm a sad fashion geek I know but i'm cool with that)There's something about the way she tells a story through fashion that is so inspiring. The Vogue shoot itself was incredible , watching her at her best was all I could ask for and more - taking in someones creative energy like that - well you can't quite match it! I'm still not sure how over the past 2 years I've been so lucky with the opportunities I've been given and I didn't quite comprehend how lucky I was to be on that Japanese Vogue shoot until I was on the tube home , which is when I wrote the below into my blackberry notepad, and with this i'll end this post
xoxo Deni

Its days like today that truly remind me why i've always dreamed of working in fashion. Its days like today I realise how incredibly lucky I am to keep getting these opportunities. Natalie Hartley is someone I admire so much & to not only get to work with her but feed off of her energy , her creativity and her experience is beyond amazing. Hearing her story and how hard she worked to get to where she is today, further inspires me to keep persevering my dream to one day become a fashion director. Not many people can say that they've worked with their hero - I feel nothing but blessed! Thankyou universe...