Every now and again, I get the opportunity where I can let a personal music inspiration reflect in my fashion shoot.  Not so long ago, I did a fashion shoot where I let the colourful and fearless style of American performer and entertainer, André 3000, influence me in the style and creative direction of a fashion shoot.

Courtesy of Fashioneyeformen.com

Courtesy of Straightfromthehea.com

Looking at the above images one can immediately see André’s love of English-inspired vintage, preppy clothing.  But what sets him apart from the various ambassadors of dandy style, is his unique and fearless mix of preppy tailoring with strong urban, sophisticated accents–

Courtesy of Whatwilliweartoday.wordpress.com

The below image summarises why I can’t wait to get my hands on this man and style him for any of his performances or public outings.  It would be a dream and an honour, I haven’t met him but from what I can see and hear in his performances, I believe that the humour and experimenting that we bring to the Styling Table, would make us a good team-

Courtesy of Dandyism.net

The above image shows brilliant usage of fabrics, colours and patterns and this is exactly what I wanted to portray when I did my below shoot titled, ‘It’s Nice To Be Preppy’.

I adore working with menswear tailored pieces like jackets, braces, bow ties, waistcoats, cravats et al, and I can’t wait till I work on a project that allows me to experiment and play with all of the above, like I did on the below fashion shoot.

The bulk of the pieces were pulled from a selection of high-end designers, high street stores and vintage shops.

How great would André look in the above ensemble, the mix of colour, print and fabric would suit him to a T.  I’m also positive that André would appreciate how I got the model’s trilby, tie, belt and socks to co-ordinate.

I had so much fun doing this shoot because layering contrasting pieces and building up various colours and prints is my forte, I thrive on it and the process allows me to reflect a part of my personal style.

I see so many upcoming male artists today who would benefit from such a treatment by me, if any of their agents happen to be reading this article, give me a call to set up a style consultation, my contact details are on www.bikijohn.com.