stylewithrachie: the Star, the Subject, the Stylist.

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Rachel and I sat side by side on the tube as it hurtled down the Central line. After a day of running around London, snapping photos, watching runway shows and perusing the food and drink options at the Vogue cafe, we finally had a chance to actually talk. 

Day-to-day, Rachel’s job as a dinner lady at a local primary school is intertwined with drawing, styling and creating for her two social media accounts: @stylewithrachie and @rachies.quirkiness. The pages are outlets for her two passions, art and styling. When asked what combined the two, Rachel simply said; 

“I have no money, and I like clothes - so I just draw people in clothes.”

The art account came first. A quick scroll shows the evolution of Rachel’s art style. Abstract patterns of eyes in neon colours evolve into collages featuring quotes from her and her friends' ‘quote book’. 

(‘Single lice, reveal yourself’, inspired by the nation's favourite Saturday night TV programme of the 2010s, Take Me Out, is my personal favourite.) 

Then, as a fashion and textiles student, Rachel took her prints into the physical realm and created a multi-functional bandana and tube-top. 

As Rachel evolved, so did her work; figures started appearing in her colourful, mirrored prints. This is where fashion comes into play. Rachel referenced the work of her favourite fashion people in her artwork. Prints paid homage to the work of Clo Studios, Lily West and Offkut Studio, to name a few. 

She then showed appreciation of her favourite celebrities through surrealistic portraits before settling into the quirky cartoon style she is currently exploring. Despite the change in style that any good artist experiences, one thing about Rachel's work has always stayed the same. She uses it as a tool to shine a light on others, to highlight things and people she loves and to spread positivity. 

This spread of images portrays Rachel exactly as she wanted to be. Styled entirely by herself, from clothing pulled from her own wardrobe, her personal style exploded in front of the budget £50 camera we used to shoot them. 

“I like really bright clothing, layering and balanced proportion. I really like watching people mix them.” 

As we ran through the streets of London, Rachel was no longer the one watching; she was the star, the subject and the stylist. She embraced the hybrid model-stylist role with enthusiasm and ease. Making quick wardrobe decisions based on location, changing in toilets and even sitting on the floor of the tube for the sake of getting the shot. 

(I can thankfully confirm that Rachel is completely fine and did not contract a deadly disease from the tube floor.)