Tag Archives: Biba

Brighton Journalist Works: Weeks 4 and 5

07 Sunday Oct 2012

Posted by in Brighton Journalist Works, Reflections

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Is it just me or are the weeks going faster and faster? These past two weeks have been a blur of events and article writing.

Reporting

Last Tuesday we went to the ‘Biba and Beyond: Barbara Hulanicki’ exhibition at Brighton Museum and Art Gallery and I wrote a review of it for my portfolio. My impression was that Biba was like the Abercrombie and Fitch of its day – the clothes were aimed at the young slender frame, and the stores were dimly lit with loud, thumping music. Only difference was that Biba didn’t cost an arm and a leg!

On Thursday we took a trip to the Magistrates’ Court! It was so bizarre being in the same room as potential criminals. It did seem to drag on a bit though – the magistrates liked to leave the room at lot to have a private chat and have a cup of coffee. We came back and wrote up the story – another one for the portfolio!

Shorthand

Teeline is getting very tricky indeed! We know how to join up most of the letters, including ‘f’ which is horrific, and we’re now learning shorthand prefixes and suffixes.

So many f words!

There’s so many little outlines to remember, and some are quite similar. I feel like my brain is becoming saturated with information. We’ve also been doing some unseen dictation and speed building to get us used to the exam format. If it wasn’t for Roxanne’s enthusiasm and Marie’s hilarious passages in the textbook, I don’t know how I would get through! Here’s a classic example from Marie involving youths causing havoc:

‘Vandalism in the town’

Events

As I’m thinking of doing my PA feature about drugs and alcohol in Brighton and whether the recovery services are working, I’ve been going to a lot of drug and alcohol related events. Last week I went to a talk from a doctor about the effects of alcohol, with an account from someone who had recovered from alcohol addiction.

Another night I went to a Brighton Chamber of Commence debate about whether the night time economy is affecting the Brighton Brand. Beforehand I spoke to some of the panelists and people from various companies in Brighton. The debate itself was very lively and I got a lot of insight into people’s opinions on alcohol as well as hen and stag parties in Brighton.

Last weekend I went along to the UK Recovery Walk which I reported on and got my first article on The Argus online! The atmosphere was amazing as I walked from Hove Lawns to Preston Park with thousands of people who had recovered from drug and alcohol addiction. I spoke to MP Caroline Lucas, the organisers, people from recovery services, and many people who had recovered. A truly inspirational day.

Okay, so this has nothing to do with my PA feature, but on the same day as the recovery walk I hopped on a train to London to see Michael McIntyre at the O2! I don’t think I’ve cried so much from laughter. He was absolutely hilarious, and as camp and posh as ever. So I decided to write another review to go in my portfolio – 4 articles in one week!

Guest Speakers

On Monday we met the famous blogger, Fleet Street Fox. She told us about her journey to Fleet Street and the painful truth about being a journalist. After thoroughly terrifying us she mentioned the benefits of journalism – you get front row seats to some of the best events, you know about things before anyone else, and you have the best stories to tell in the pub!

On Thursday we had another visit from Jon Jenkins. This time he told us how to source and write features as well as sell them on a freelance basis. Apparently freelancers can make between £5,000 and £30,000 a year part-time! He got us to do a bit of travel writing, as it’s the easiest to sell, so I wrote about Dubai and he said my intro was very good! We then wrote hypothetical interview questions for Jools Holland to write a celebrity feature (the second easiest kind to sell). He really inspired me to give freelancing a go.

So overall an extremely busy two weeks. Now I’ve got a few articles under my belt I really need to start thinking about my feature and PA feature. Oh and revising Media Law and PA…

Biba and Beyond: Barbara Hulanicki

28 Friday Sep 2012

Posted by in Brighton Journalist Works, Fashion, Lifestyle

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When I received a Biba purse for my birthday, I knew nothing about the brand and was confused as to why something sounding like ‘Bieber’ was so classy.

I recently visited the ‘Biba and Beyond’ exhibition at Brighton Museum where I was immersed in the world of the highly successful woman behind the brand.

Barbara Hulanicki’s iconic Biba store and label was a symbol of swinging 60s high street fashion, known for being stylish yet inexpensive. Half a century on and the brand is still thriving after its relaunch by House of Fraiser in 2009.

With walls adorned with original sketches, photos, and quotes from Barbara and those close to her, the exhibition took me on a vibrant and inspirational journey through her exciting career.

Polish-born Barbara Hulanicki spent her early life in Brighton and studied fashion illustration at Brighton Art College in the 50s.

At just 18 years old, Barbara won a prestigious fashion design competition in the Evening Standard, allowing her to see her design made up by a top couturier.

This pivotal achievement propelled her into her position as a fashion illustrator in London contributing to The Times and Vogue.

Together Hulanicki and her husband Stephan Fitz-Simon set up Biba’s postal boutique which had its first triumph in 1964 when they advertised a pink gingham dress in the Daily Mirror and received 17,000 orders.

Within 10 years they transformed the label from a tiny boutique to a seven-storey department store. I was instantly reminded of the Abercrombie & Fitch store when learning about ‘Big Biba’.

The clothes were simple, aimed at the young and suited slender frames, whilst the the stores had dark interiors and loud, thumping music. The only difference was that you didn’t need to shift too many pennies to purchase Biba!

Hulanicki recently returned to fashion design by creating capsule collections for Topshop, with the likes of Fearne Cotton and Alexa Chung sporting her unique designs.

Hulanicki’s career came full circle when she signed with George at Asda to produce affordable fashion once again.

The exhibition also explores Barbara’s current interior design business, designing hotels in Jamaica and the Bahamas, as well as art nouveau style wallpaper for Habitat and Graham & Brown.

It was a truly interactive exhibition with Biba outfits to try on, Biba dolls to dress up and you could even have a go at sketching your own Biba designs.

If you’re a fashion lover this exhibition is a must-see. Biba and Beyond: Barbara Hulanicki is on at the Brighton Museum and Art Gallery until April 14 2013.