Thursday 14 November 2013

Xiao Li - The bigger the better!

Xiao Li is an upcoming designer that graduated from the Royal Collage of Art. 

Her graduate range consists of marshmallow, soft, summer, colours contrasting with the big winter knits creating a bold stand-out collection. 

"Traditional knitwear is more soft and shapeless," Li told Dezeen. "I wanted to find out a new way to present knitwear and was influenced by Modern architecture and 60s Balenciaga."

Well it certainly creates interesting silhouette... what do you think???







Tuesday 17 September 2013

Celine Autumn 2013 Collection



Celine Autumn 2013 has a cosy and comfortable feeling to them created by the soft wool and wrap around styled garments that you just want to snuggle in. Yet, the collection still has a sophistication to them that is created by the cleaver styling, textures and prints. I particularly like the styling of the grey wool coat and dress that styled with the never ending leather boots....mesmerising!

 

A similar coat and dress using the wrap around attached idea appeared in the Rihannah for River Island collection last year. Did Celine used a high street brand for inspiration for her designer brand?


Celine appear to used the one pound shop laundry bags for print inspiration too... 


Elle Collection by BreaSouders

Like the capes/coats similar styles are being sold Zara NOW!
 
             £109                                                                                 £79.99

Saturday 31 August 2013

Sacai Autumn/Winter 2013

Sacai A/W 2013 collection contain the most inspiring and original designs I seen in years. Sacai Chitose Abe fused outerwear with evening wear to create usual one of a kind garments:


Monday 12 August 2013

My Internship from Hell!

I interned for 2 weeks with a print designer and it was…how should I put it, an “experience”, let’s just say! I was originally meant to stay for a whole month but these are the many reasons why I could not last any minute longer…

Firstly in the placed I worked the person in charged didn’t like music as she think it bad for creativity so as a result everyone could hear every single piece of gossip and bitchyness being said in the studio making it an extremely horribly working environment.

If you’re not a fan of animals (like me!) you would of hated how there was three dogs and one bird that stayed in the studio during working hours. There was one dog that was particularly scary as it was literarily as big as a lion! AND WORST the dogs were allowed to walk around freely as you tried to work. On my second week one of the dogs went crazy when he saw a dog being walked outside and decided to chase after it and managed to bit of the other dog ear!

Finding out the love story of the boss and her boyfriend was the most interesting yet maddest part of my internship.
·       She meet her boyfriend in france when he was homeless
·       They had a one night stand
·       Resulting in a child
·       She brings him back to England to raise the kid together
·       6ish years later still together, he works for her (my internship starts)
·       He goes to Brazil to sell different prints to clothes company
·       He meets another women in Brazil
·       He then tells all the Brazilin clients to send the money to his back account
·       He comes back to England sell his girlfriend car and run of to Brazil with the other women and the money the company made in Brazil
·       Resulting in the bosses heart break and her decision to quit and let her employees run her company for her.

And this ALL happened in ONLY 2 WEEKS! Crazy no? 



Monday 24 June 2013

GFW - My Personal Favourite


Rebecca Howarth - Manchester School of Art 
Rebecca Howarth collection was my personal favourite this year. I loved her use of volume and layers bringing some what of a more subtle collection to life. Her collection was mainly inspired by antiques and vintage clothing.






Carmina Blank - ESMOD Berlin
The collection had two opposing inspirations:
1) Manufactured perfect geometrical shapes - creating the structure of the garments
2) Natural - nude colours and wooden prints 
The contrast between both these inspiration points is what makes this collection so visually exciting and the reason why it's on my favourite list.


Anna Yates-Housley - Kingston 
Anna Yates-Housley collection was inspired by the dark side of anxiety disorder, Claustrophobia. Her aim was to create a powerful statement that showed the seriousness of this illness and how it can captivate ones body. This created a bold collection that one would not forget!



Lara Waghorn - Rochester 
Lara Waghorn was inspired by a trip aboard to Marrakesh. Translating her what she saw and experienced there in to mesmerising ethical prints.
 


GFW GOLDEN AWARD WINNER:  Lauren Smith - Edinburgh Collage of Art
Even though Lauren Smith was not my personal favourite I feel I have to mention her as she was the overall winner of GFW. Her inspiration was one of the most original ones; the physical object and it relationship to a sketchbook. Therefore paper clips, scribbles and book binding are enlarge and placed on garments to look out of proportion. 



 

Saturday 15 June 2013

The Perfect Collaboration


Designer Georige Harding meets River Island 


Georgie Harding graduating from Parsons Paris School of Art and Design in 2008. Hardinge was awarded ‘the Golden Thimble’ for best designer for her graduate collection. Samsung then went on to choose her to create a one-off collection for their commercial that was aired worldwide. 

Her proflio rose due to celebrity fans include Florence and the Machine, Beyonce, Alicia Keys, Nelly Furtado, Lady Gaga, Erin O’Conner, Daisy Lowe, and Jessie J.

And now designing with River Island you can see why she so popular with the celebs.


What so bang on with this collection is that the clothes are totally wearable and not overly designed or overly priced like some of Topshop and H&M most famous collaborations. 

Topshop + Richard Nicoll - £75 - £350
Topshop + Mary Katrantzou - £50 - £350


H&M + Versace - £19.99 - £199.99

H&M + Maison Martin Margiela - £29.99 - £199.99


Don't get me wrong I love some of these pieces but when would you actually wear them...keeping in mind the average person who buy high street brands don't go to red carpets events? Also most teenagers or students who are Topshop and H&M majority market can't afford them anyway just making us more depressed as we are so close to having an designer brand but yet still so fare. 

So after that long rant here's Geogia Hardinge collection in limited stores NOW from only £30 - £80 that is totally wearable and lush!

          Shirt £40, Skirt £40                                                       Dress £60, Clutch £60

          Dress £80                                                                       Shirt £40, Maxi Skirt £60