artycelia.com

Celia in the early 80's (Oh dear, I thought I looked so stylish!) I can remember having this picture taken. It is a photograph, not a snap. I had to pose, I was very tall (well, funnily enough, I still am) and very slim and noticeably young and fancied myself as super model material. I was a bit premature on that front as the real supermodels were still struggling to make names for themselves back then, in fact the term wouldn't be christened for a couple more years. I sent the photo to a modelling agency in Mayfair. I didn't hear anything from the agency so just carried on in my job as a clerical officer at the Greater London Council. Then one day I had a phone call at work, a personal phone call which was very frowned upon. It was a man calling from the agency in Mayfair asking me where I was. I was flustered and replied that I was at work. He went on in a dramatic fashion to say that the studio had been set up and the photographer was waiting for me. I didn't kno...

Oil on card by Celia Turner Vogue magazine was 'born' in 1916 during WW1 when shipping in the US magazine became impossible. There are obviously thousands of iconic, fabulous photos taken by a myriad of amazing photographers. A quick google search will provide lots of information about the models, photographers, and clothes but for me, a much-overlooked prize to be found among the glossy pages of Vogue are the articles themselves, always written in an artistic fashion, well-researched, relevant, and thoroughly absorbing. A stand-out article for me this year would be Goodbye To All That? by Cressida Connolly Cressida reflects on an enduring love affair with the Continent, and why Brexit. more than any other political question. is an emotional issue. Published in the June issue the article serves as a poignant reminder of days gone by, although Cressida could not have known this at the time of writing. The painting above is my tribute to one hundred years of Vogue....

British Vogue November 1925 You have been warned! "There are no ugly women, only lazy ones," declared Helena Rubinstein, one of the great pioneers of the cosmetic industry. Well, nothing requires more effort or precision than perfect red lips or fabulously manicured crimson talons. But then nothing has quite so great an effect on transforming the face and hands. Properly painted lips and nails, saturated with scarlet, speak volumes about the way you regard yourself in terms of the outside world. They are nothing less than a red flag for impeccable glamour. How maddening is it then when your absolute favourite lipstick is brutally discontinued? I am still mourning my Chanel Lune Rousse no:36. (92200 Neuilly)