I recently had the pleasure of photographing the beautiful Pixie Lott in London at one of my favorite studios Sunbeam Studios. Sunbeam is a grade II listed Edwardian building in North Kensington (previously a car factory) and is the perfect place to shoot – with elegant features and lots of light. The shoot was for You Magazine (The Mail on Sunday’s supplement) and was for cover / inside interview about Pixie’s current collaboration with the theatre play Breakfast At Tiffany’s.
The cat in the photo links to her role as Holly Golightly andwe wanted the overall feel of the photos to have that retro vibe with a fresh twist. Stylist Jodie Nellist (who I regularly work on shoots for Hello! Fashion Monthly) styled Pixie in some gorgeous pieces, some reminiscent of 60s shapes and some structured pieces which immediately gave me the idea to do something a bit stronger with the posing, even though the overall feel of the shoot was feminine and colorful. I like to play up the idea of strong with feminine and you’ll notice that in a lot of my recent shoots my subjects are a little stronger than they have been in previous years.
Pixie was incredible to work with and didn’t need much direction at all. Having acting and performing experience meant she immediately know the role I wanted her to play in the images and the overall goal was for it to be fun. The hardest part was the cat – they always say don’t work with animals or children!!
Styling Credits
Styling – Jodie Nellist
Make Up – Lisa Valencia @ Carol Hayes Management
Hair – Larry King @ Streeters
Photo Assistant / Digi Tech – Chris Chudleigh and James Sharpe
Retouching – Monica Chamorro
BTS Photos – Megan Toriglia
A behind the scenes video of Pixie Lott at the latest photoshoot for #BreakfastAtTiffanys http://www.breakfastattiffanys.co.uk/
With inside info on make-up & styling for her upcoming role as Holly Golightly!
Filming at the songster's sassy Brigitte Bardot themed shoot for Celebs on Sunday, plus a quick chat with about her fave styles and her Brit Award hopes.
We get the 19-year-old singer’s motor running and she talks topping the charts and taking on Hollywood...
Skull ring, £12, and bird rings, £8, Freedom at Topshop
Last time we hooked up with Pixie Lott, she told us screen siren Brigitte Bardot was her style crush, so we promised that, when our paths crossed again, we would make her up as her idol. ‘I love the whole glamorous-without-being-too-polished thing,’ she mused at the time.
So, when we found an iconic image of the 50s glamourpuss on a Harley-Davidson, we knew Pixie was going to love it.
Bouncing into the studio wearing the brightest, Tango-orange coat (vintage Aquascutum, since you ask – her grandma’s) and flashing those trademark dimples, the 19-year-old singer-songwriter couldn’t wait to get on the £14,000 bike.
‘I’ve never ridden one for real,’ admits Pixie, clutching the Bardot picture reference, while wriggling into an identical pose. ‘I had to ride a horse for a photo shoot last week, which I hadn’t done since I was little . That was scary enough!’
Accidentally leaning on the horn, a loud ‘honk’ escapes from the bike, causing everyone in the room to jump and Pixie to break into giggles.
Things couldn’t be better for the teenager from Brentwood, Essex, who can already boast a handful of No 1 singles and a Top 10 album. But with three Brit award nominations hanging in the balance, she’s fit to burst.
‘When I was performing at the Brits launch show recently, the other artists seemed to know they’d been nominated and I didn’t, so I thought, “Oh well, maybe next year.” But as I was about to go on stage, they read the nominations and I heard my name and I went, “What?!” I couldn’t stop smiling.’
Pixie (real name Victoria Lott) will learn her fate at the ceremony on Monday 15 February, but it won’t be the first time she’s been to the prestigious event. Last year, even before she released a single, she went with her music label Mercury Records. But even that wasn’t the former Italia Conti student’s first experience of the bash.
‘They invite stage schools to fill the audience, so two years ago, when Amy Winehouse performed, I was there, screaming with my friends in the rehearsals,’ she recalls. ‘The bit on the floor is where the kids go and the bit above is where they have the tables, so we were all looking up going, “Wow...” I had no idea that the year after I’d be up there.’
Body, £36, bandeau (worn underneath), £12, and leggings, £25, American Apparel; crucifix necklaces, £6 each, New Look; rings, as before; sandals, £85, Dune
Little did she know that two years later she’d be chartering her own jet, complete with her image on the side to launch her album. ‘It was surreal seeing myself on the side of a plane,’ Pixie beams. ‘I even got to play air hostess. I wasn’t allowed to do the thing with the arms and the exits, but I made announcements like, “We are moving at 25,000 feet.” It was wicked.’
Since reaching the dizzy heights of fame, Pixie has got involved with a variety of projects ranging from the bizarre (judging a yodelling competition) to the fabulous (collaborating on a fashion range for Lipsy). But being invited to mentor contestants on the Dutch version of X Factor has been one of her favourites.
‘It’s weird because I’d seen my idols Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey mentoring contestants on the UK show, and when I did it I thought, “What do I know, what can I teach anyone?” But it was fun.’
Being held in the same esteem as her idols was flattering but Pixie, who penned a song for Alexandra Burke, maintains her real ‘pinch-me-I’ve-made-it’ moment came last year when a friend texted her to say her songs had been played on Coronation Street and Eastenders on the same night. ‘I always thought that would be really cool before it happened,’ she sighs.
And as her star continues to rise, it’s little wonder the bright lights of Hollywood are beckoning. Pixie’s already planning a move across the pond. ‘I’ll be spending a lot of time over there but you aren’t going to lose me,’ she promises. ‘LA would be a great place to live because I’ve got friends who I’ve known since I started going there when I was 15.’
That’s when she was first signed by legendary music producer L.A Reid after answering an advert in The Stage newspaper. And now she’s conquered the charts, it’s no surprise a change of career is on the cards. In fact, Pixie’s already got her first film role. The movie, Fred, is about a YouTube star of the same name and Pixie plays his girlfriend Judy.
‘I’ve always thought about doing acting, but I didn’t expect it to happen so soon,’ she muses. ‘The audition came up last year, so I went along without thinking anything of it and the next thing I knew, they wanted me to be in it so we had to rearrange my schedule. It was a bit crazy but we made it work. Now I’ve done it, I want to do some more – so watch this space!’ We will – it looks like we have the next Bardot in the making.
Lace body, £22, Dorothy Perkins; waistcoat, £40, Beyond Retro; shorts, £10 fashionunion.co.uk; necklaces and rings, as before; boots, £80, Aldo
GETTING EMOTIONAL You’d think being a regular at starry events means Pixie would be unfazed when meeting her heroes. Not so. An encounter with Mariah Carey left her speechless. ‘I got so overwhelmed, I welled up!’ Being prone to opening the floodgates isn’t something the Cry Me Out singer is willing to apologise for and she admits to another leakage on The Alan Titchmarch Show, while performing Nothing Compares. Pixie says, ‘It’s about a family friend who died, so obviously it’s going to be sad. Sometimes it feels good to cry, although I’ve never done it on stage. Singing is like therapy – it’s a release.’
WE PLAY CUPID... Pixie confided she’s going to be single this Valentine’s Day so we wanted to find out who her perfect date would be...
Who’s your weird crush? He’s a bit geeky, but Michael Cera (of Juno and Superbad fame) is really cute. He seems to be a really kind, caring guy. Do you like chat-up lines? I think they are funny. I like the one when they come up to you and grab your top and say, ‘This feels like girlfriend material’.Chat-up lines make me laugh! What gives a man the phwoar factor? I like tall people. If they are tall it makes them better-looking. What’s your date deal breaker? It puts me off if a boy is big-headed. Would you ever hook up with an older man? It depends how old they are. If it was Ashton Kutcher, I’d make an exception. We reckon you’d be a perfect match for Robert Pattinson... I’d never say no to Robert Pattinson.
For behind-the-scenes video of our shoot with Pixie, see below.
Video by Dan Lloyd.
Pixie’s single Gravity is out 22 February. To vote for Pixie or any other Brit nominees, go to brits.co.uk/voting
Fashion: Charlotte Adsett, assisted by Carly Stevens and Gemma Loke. Photography: Oliver Palinkas. Hair: Sascha Breuer at DW Management using Wella Flex and Braun styling tools. Make-up: Aimee Adams at Soho Management using Givenchy make-up eye lashes by Sue Marsh. Harley-Davidson® Dark Custom™ Cross Bones™ kindly supplied by Harley-Davidson UK & Irelandharley-davidson.co.uk/darkcustom
Toy manufacturer Simba Smoby Toys Ltd has unveiled Pixie Lott as the new face of Steffi Love. The fashion dolls are aimed at girls aged 5-10, with 20 million units being sold in the past few years. Pixie was chosen by Simba Smoby Toys because she 'ticked all the boxes and above all had the right wholesome look.' Click here to watch a behind-the-scenes commercial.
