Zandra Rhodes 74'

Then it happened, Zandra Rhodes saw the picture Barry Lategan and I had produced with Sue Purdy, she loved it and asked Vogue if she could use it for one her posters to launch her 1975 collection, Vogue said no as they owned the rights to the image. Zandra approached Barry and myself and asked us to reproduce the image, we said that we wanted to create something stronger so after a number of meetings we all decided on the image.

At last I was able to have some input, I produced drawings and designs of the make-up. Sue Purdy was to be the model and John Frieda was to do the hair, the shoot was magical, there was such a sense of the team, Susie stood there in blue jeans while the top half of her was dressed in printed chiffon, the fabric covered one eye while the other was painted in black and silver, the wind machine was blowing and we each held a piece of fishing line that was tied to the chiffon and on the mark we jiggled. The tension in the air was exhilarating and we all held our breath as each frame was shot, I looked at Zandra, she had a permanent smile on her face, I loved her and her cloths and I couldn't believe a designer was there with us watching and working as hard as everyone else.

Zandra drove me home to my apartment, where I lived with 10 other people, she wanted to come in to see my other designs for make-up, I was embarrassed, I lived like a hippy but it didn't seem to worry her, she was focused on the designs and was obviously as impressed by the creative alignment as I was. I didn't know it yet but this was the beginning of 10 year relationship.

The working relationship with Barry grew, I worked with him on everything, adds for Max Factor and other cosmetic companies, perfume advertising,  spreads with original Erte' cloths and after most jobs we would stay back and produce images for ourselves, we tested and experimented night after night. But Barry was a rather strange fellow, as our relationship grew he found it harder and harder to relinquish control, he had to be the boss and often rejected a great idea because it wasn't his.

He was also very strange about time, if I was only 5 minutes late, he wouldn't talk to me for at least two hours and if I was early I couldn't go into his Flood St., studio, so after synchronising my watch with his secretary I would wait outside until the given hour and knock on the door 1 minute before I was due to start work, I began to understand why the English were called eccentric, Barry was South African but had adopted the ways of the north with great ease.

I started to work with Norman Parkinson, he had a wonderful reputation and seemed so sweet when we met at Vogue but on a shoot with 30 of England's new debutantes he turned into a monster, he treated the girls so well but to his assistant, the hairdresser and myself we were no more than his slaves. He screamed, he yelled and his eyes revealed such a dark soul, after only working with him a couple of times I told my agent not to take any more bookings with him.

Within a few months the word had spread, I was the new hot make-up artist in town, I had covers of Vogue hitting the stands. Norma Morrisary the Australian fashion editor of 19 magazine started to use me, my work was appearing everywhere and within the industry people were becoming quickly aware of a new talent and everyone wanted to work with me.

I was riding high and at the same time I couldn't quite believe it was happening, I had entered a new phase in my life and even though it had taken more than 10 years hard work it felt like it happened over night. My efforts had paid off, my hard work and really my belief in myself and ability had brought me to this success.

Like always as we enter a new stage in our lives the people we knew seem to slip away, it seemed only a few were happy or could cope with another's success. I even felt guilty that I had started making money and a few informed me very quickly that I had sold out to commercialism. still I quickly adjusted, it was sad but I was to busy to worry and there were to many new people in my life to miss them.

The European market started to become aware of this new make-up artist in London and I started getting bookings from Germany and Paris. The German jobs were wonderful, the Deutch Mark was very high and everyone was paid in cash. The jobs weren't that wonderful, mostly commercial but the people were very nice and it was good to get out of London.

Paris was a different story, the work there was mostly Editorial, my first booking came from photographer Sarah Moon, a job for French Elle. She was wonderful, a small and delicate English woman that had lived in Paris for years, I had admired her work for a long time and was thrilled to have the opportunity to work with her.

We got along very well and Sarah taught me much about how certain colours react to different film. She mostly used Recording Film and a popular brand called Gaff, these made the skin very pale and were sensitive to blue rather than in normal film that was sensitive to red. She pushed the ASA on the Black and White  Film to achieve a very grain like quality and the Gaff colour film already had this effect. I couldn't use any reds in the make-up and had to stick to blues, browns and greys, otherwise the colour would disappear, she also taught me about colour filters and how they have a similar effect.

Her warmth and gentleness made it such a delight to work with her and to be in the romantic city of Paris was a dream come true.