my new favourite...

I just love a huge scultpural piece of clothing, doesn't everyone? I guess not...but never the less I am quite obsessed to put it mildly. This is exactly what I want my collection be like, ok, well not exactly but Samantha Cole is a genius designer. The line work, the structure, the use of unusual yet delectable materials makes my mouth water. She creates unreal shapes and silhouettes on the body and does it in a semi-wearable way.

LOVE LOVE LOVE.


Cole is a designer who tackles issues in society and the world as a whole, she designs with inspiration from the social and economic climate, the idea of coming out and starting a new, taking direct reference from post-modern archictecture. Post-modernism, being a subject I am looking at as part of my research this year.
All in all, Samantha Cole really captures the essence of sculpture, detailing, strength, power, courage and determination all in her garments.

All images sourced from: http://www.samanthacolelondon.co.uk/

oh, abbey.

Abbey Lee Kershaw, what a stunner. She is absolutely gorgeous, and one of my many muses, what I would give to have her model my clothes. Ahhh what it is to dream...
This girl is the epitomy of beauty...she looks like she comes from a fantasy, a different realm. Her essence is everything I want my collection and in the future my label to be. I want it to be daring, impractical and imaginative. I want it to take people away, to this place that allows them to dream...


"Be daring, be different, be impractical, be anything that will assert integrity of purpose and imaginative vision against the play-it-safers, the creatures of the commonplace, the slaves of the ordinary." - Cecil Beaton

Image Source:
http://cyanatrendland.com

Image source: http://we-just-exist.blogspot.com/2009/05/44-just-oasis.html

darling winter...

Winter is upon us, and each year I say it is my least favourite time of year but today as I am snuggled up in the most un-glamorous trackies, surrounded by my designs with a hot cup of coffee in hand, I am happy and in love with this winter day.
xxx.

"Let us love winter, for it is the spring of genius."
- Pietro Aretino

Image: greenweddingshoes.com/.../

Ricci are you serious?

Yet again I was looking through some old magazines (in this case old isn't so old) and I cam across some spectacularly fun yet scary shoes designed by Oliver Theyskens for Nina Ricci (his last collection with the label) for Fall 2009. I am one of those typical girls who loves shoes to death but unlike many I don't love wearing them as much as I love them for their beauty and their aesthetic. I have always dreamed that one day when I am rich (wishful thinking) I will buy copious amounts of shoes just because I can and I will display them in my house so I can admire them day after day. Of course I couldn't get away with not wearing some of them. These beautiful, yet insane shoes by Theyskens are a pair I would definitely love to display in my home, I'm not sure how I would go walking in them, in fact I take my hat off to the models who walked the collection for him, it must have been rough, no doubt a few beads of sweat were shed.

Image Source: http://www.polyvore.com/nina_ricci_platform_shoe/thing?id=6446367

The incredibly HIGH HIGH HIGH platform shoe can not necessarily be classified as a heel. It doesn't have a heel and the ones that do, well the heel never touches the ground. I just find these shoes absolutely fascinating, they are a work of art, and I would love to be able to put my foot in one just to see how it works and what it feels like. This is what I love about fashion, the fact that it can be so insane sometimes that its fantastic. As I am researching fashion and fantasy it has occurred to me that I love the weird and the wonderful in fashion, I love the random little details that designers add to give the look a quirky touch and I LOVE LOVE LOVE that designers, especially Oliver Theyskens, are designing shoes that are pushing the boundaries and questioning what a shoe actually is!

Images Sourced from:

http://www.style.com/fashionshows/complete/F2009RTW-NRICCI
http://www.style.com/fashionshows/detail/F2009RTW-NRICCI?page=2

MANIAMANIA

It has definately been a while since this little lady (myself) has written a post, the sad truth is that I have been far too busy to even breathe but thank goodness I have some spare time to relax with my cup of strong coffee and delightfully sift through some of my favourite things.

At the moment I am getting ridiculously obsessed with industrial metal. All things metal. Embellishments, beads, jewellery, if it is metal then I want in on it!! I was reading my last edition of Oyster magazine, as I do with every magazine, I skim once, read a second time a little more thoroughly and then go back about 700 more times and actually devour the whole magazine, while I was reading for the 700th time I came across MANIAMANIA. This jewellery label, consisting of stylist Tamila Purvis and art director Melanie Kamsler, is clearly fantastic, according to me anyway, they create jewellery with inspiration from all different eras in time.

In Oyster they say that they are interested in "magic and mysticism but with a contemporary edge"
For me I think the most inspiring thing about this jewellery is the creative vision that is behind it and also the idea of this hard and striking metal against the skin or a soft flowing fabric. The jewellery is exquisite and my hat goes off to their fine use of metal work.

So, I think it is time that you yourself grabbed a coffee or a sweet cup of tea and just indulged in some of the finer things in life, take a look at MANIA MANIA, it may just brighten your day. xxx.

All Images from: http://www.themaniamania.com/home.php

Michael Jackson Fan.

I have been a HUGE fan of Michael Jackson and his work for quite a while now (yes I even have the Michael doll) and was extremely devastated when he passed. I saw his documentary 'This Is It' when it was in Cinemas last year and was in awe, what a fantastic performer and artist and what a shame he didn't get to share his talents with his fans and the world one last time.

Since then I have recieved a copy of the dvd and watched it a little more closely (as the first time I was just in awe) and really realised what a true artist he was and I also realised that he had a fabulous group of very talented people working around him. Now, I know not all people are fans of Michael and his work so I am not about to start preaching about him and how he should be loved by all, but someone I am going to preach about and tell you that you should love, or atleast check out his work is costume designer Zaldy Goco who was specifically chosen to work with Michael for the 'This Is It' tour. I love a good collaboration just like the next person but wow, when two of the worlds most creative souls get together, the end result has to be spectacular, right?

What Zaldy produced for Michael Jackson's tour was nothing short of amazing, his brief was to push the boundaries, do things that had never been done before. The idea was to develop an approach for creating costumes that would take the audience back to iconic images from Jackson’s past, while also making the costumes relevant for fashion of the present day. Zaldy re-invented Michael's look, taking his usual iconic costumes and adding new innovations and new technologies to them. One costume in particular, for Billie Jean was outstanding, lights were fixed within the stripe down the leg of the pants, up his arm and even in his shoes. Operated either by movement, the beat of the music or remote control, the light would sparkle at the bottom of Michael's feet and lead all the way up to the tip of his finger. For all those who know the iconic Billie Jean film clip then you would automatically make the connection to when Michael is walking along the pavement and each square lights up as he touches it. Truly amazing work.


Zaldy Goco is really one to watch, his work for Michael Jackson was amazing, the embellishments and crystals and high-tech technology that went into these outfits is actually unbelievable. You really have to see it to believe it and as a designer, wow, it is nothing short of amazing to watch someone so passionate and so innovative work.

Image Source: http://www.businessoffashion.com/2010/01/bof-exclusive-zaldy-goco-talks-about-designing-for-michael-jackson-and-lady-gaga-part-ii.html

www.zaldynyc.com

live life on the wild side.

I thought, because I can't get enough of WILDFOX Couture, that you can't either. (insert cheeky little chuckle) But in all seriousness, Emily Faulstich and Kimberley Gordon of Wildfox create the perfect vintage fashion scenario. I want to jump right into these photographs and be apart of this world.

Much love. MUCH MUCH MUCH love for this label.


Fashion is meant to be fun and experimental, who ever takes it too seriously needs to rethink what life it all about. From my last post, talking about branding and creating a brand identity or a muse for your customers to familiarise themselves with, you can really see the brand that the girls from Wildfox are trying to create, continuing on from the images from their Summer 2010 Collection, these images are of earlier collections - Spring 2010 and Fall 2009 BUT you can still see the similarities in all the images....it is really great branding and just down right fantastic images.

Image Source: http://www.wildfoxcouture.com/

wildfox. wild indeed.

I want to introduce you to an LA American Vintage-inspired women’s knitwear brand - WILDFOX COUTURE. The brand is fun, cute and has a lot of energy, it is inspiring and a little naughty but we all have to indulge in something a little naughty every now and again.


"Combining great style and unsurpassed quality, Wildfox has quickly gained a following amongst celebrities, trendsetters and top retailers worldwide." (Wildfox)


I know this post is a little different to what I have been posting of late BUT it still fits with my research and ofcourse my love for all things fashion and design which is really what this blog is about. Branding of a fashion label or any kind of label for that matter is an extremely important part of becoming successful in the desired industry. Successful branding of a label enables the label to familiarise themselves with their customers and create in a sense, a friendship or relationship. Wildfox Couture are an excellant example (in my opinion) of successful branding.


Look at their latest campaign for their Summer 2010 Collection, it creates a little bit of humour which we all love, it is a little bit fantasy and it is also associating the customer with certain lifestyles which is what the brand has been doing through all of their campaigns since 2008. They present an LA type, kind of glamourous American lifestyle where cool clothes and BFF's (Best Friends Forever) are key to living the ultimate life. I love the way they have mixed things up a bit with this latest campaign, it is different yet not too different, it still calls out to those usual Wildfox customers. The idea of creating different personas for each styled outfit is kind of cute, in my opinion...you may think otherwise but I believe that it is a humorous stab at the celebrity of today, the extreme blonde wigs, the poses and the makeup all depict a certain lifestyle and it is all done in a fun way.
I love this campaign, its fun, cute and the clothes are fantastic, so wearable and street, I just can't get enough of them...it even makes me want to jump on a plane straight to LA so I can indugle in this lifestyle, if only for a day....


So...enjoy the pictures I have posted and be sure to go to the Wildfox website to check out all of their other collections and maybe even purchase a shirt or two.
I'm 100% certain you will fall in love with EVERYTHING about this brand just like I have.

Image Source: Wildfoxcouture.com
http://www.wildfoxcouture.com/

Live from New York.

Every now and again I find an editorial that really inspires me (and as a budding designer I am constantly scouring magazines as they are my bibles) and once I find it I can't let it go for a very long time which is why I seem to have a huge handful (or 15 handfuls) of fashion editorials that I just love. For me the fashion editorial is all about evoking a feeling, a mood and displaying creativity aswell as beautiful fashion.

As I have previously mentioned, I am currently a little bit obsessed with the world of fantasy, distortion and sculptural bodies. So, in accordance with this I thought this editorial was quite relevant, not only is it in black and white with perfect shades of grey (my favourite form of colour or lack there of) but the way the models and backdrops have been positioned into the frame is absolutely amazing. They are like sculptures adapting to the world that they are living it, the distorted clothing matched with the out of the ordinary poses creates a beautiful setting and photographs that I could look at for hours. The models are interacting with the camera, therefore the audience as well as their surroundings, instead of being a static figure in a huge picture they are actually part of the picture, capturing the life around them and becoming part of the world around them.

I actually just cannot get enough of this editorial but I will stop talking so you cn devour it as much as I have. ‘LIVE FROM NEW YORK’ shoot with Freja Beha and Sasha Pivovarova photographed by Mario Sorrenti and styled by Jane How for V Magazine - Fall 2009.

Image Source: http://papermode.cyanatrendland.com/live-from-new-york-by-mario-sorrenti-for-v-magazine-fall-2009/

I spy with my little eye.

I was lucky enough today to have a lecture with Kate Vandermeer, founder of Style hunter and Ispy Style. This is the second time I have attended one of Kate's talks as I was present when she spoke at Fashion Palette in Sydney last year. Her presence is amazing, she is such an inspiring person and is really easy to listen to and keeps things interesting. It was such a good experience to listen to how she came to be in the fashion industry and the many roles that she has taken on throughout her career. She shared some of her secrets about the industry which was a real treat and she is a really down to earth kind of girl. A fantastic mentor and role model for aspiring fashionistas! Take a look at Kate's blog - katevandermeer.blogspot.com/

Zaha Hadid.

I was introduced to an amazing artist/architect the other day and once I saw her work I wondered why I had never come across it before, it is so inspiring, futuristic and bold, everything I love in an artwork. The artist I am talking about is Zaha Hadid, once I was told about her I immediately started researching and collected some books from the library which are truly amazing.

Her work has been described in 'Digital Hadid - Landscapes in Motion' by Patrik Schumacher, as being arhitectural avant-garde. How extraordinary this sounds. Her work is architectural, dynamic. futuristic and very conceptual. The drawings have an air of distortion about them, they are drawings of the possible and the impossible, the real and the fantasy and the use of geometric figures and sporadic line makes for a very good concept to work with, especially when considering the drape technique and building structured, sculptural forms on the body.

When I look at the artworks I see futuristic, computer inspired drawings but once I look closer and I take in everything about the picture I can see further into it. The drawings appear mysterious, they have a feeling of fantasy and distortion about them, a certain unknown quality that may make us uncomfortable but these drawings are just waiting to be explored, they are waiting to be discovered and disected and pulled apart to reveal the beauty in the line work and the quality of the well thought out angles and the idea of perception. I feel that once I keep looking at these pictures I find myself wondering where they go once the frame stops, I find myself wanting them to continue out across the page which is where my own design practice comes into play. I am going to use the futuristic images from Zaha Hadid and adapt them to structure shapes and moulds within my collection, I am in a sense going to push the drawings off the page and onto my garments.


'Digital Hadid: Landscapes in Motion' - Patrik Schumacher. 2004 Birkhauser - Publishers for Architecture, Switzerland.
Picture Source: www.zaha-hadid.com/

my ambitions.

I was given some fantastic advice today -
'Nothing can hurt you unless you give it the power to do so, so ignore people who belittle your ambitions and be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind'.

This little piece of advice or encouragement, no matter how small gave me the passion and the determination to do great things. People may not always support you and that is fine, but if you know in your heart that you can achieve something then nothing can stop you, no matter how long it takes you or how hard the journey might be, you can get there in the end.

I feel that sometimes in design, especially fashion, there is so much negativity and people are always being put down so you have to have a strong head on your shoulders, you have to do what makes you happy and do not ever listen to the people who aren't going to help you become the best you can be. Critisism is one thing, nastiness is another.
So...as I ponder on my piece of advice I want you all to realise that you are truly great in your own special way. I know that I can create something great out of fashion because it is what I want. And I have a fabulous group of people around to support me.

I believe what makes me a good designer and a professional person is the fact that I've been through a lot of things, bad, good, tough, extremely hard...but I have come out the other end with experiences and the knowledge that no matter how tough things get, I can do it, I can come out the other side.
This post may be a bit deep, and possibly irrelevant but I just felt I needed to let it out. I want to encourage people to go for their dreams because I certainly have.

a world full of Burton.

I have to admit, I am a tiny bit obsessed with Tim Burton and his work, and have been for quite a long time now. He is such a vision on the creative industry and his talents really do spread to a lot of areas. Not only was I inspired by his 2010 3D adaption of Alice in Wonderland but while doing my research I also came across an editorial he styled for Harper's Bazaar (photographed by Tim Walker) which I was also inspired by for its use of fantasy and desire. The way Burton takes high couture fashion to a new level is amazing, bringing it into a horror/halloween setting and adapting it to some of his earlier works like Edward Scissor Hands (1990) and The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993).


To me these images are not disturbing at all, they are brilliant. I love them, I love the adaption to movies and horror and thriller, it is quite humorous yet artistic and brilliant at the same time. I thought it was too good of an editorial not to share with you, everything about it is magnificent, it is fashion and art and film all wrapped up into one inspiring little package. I'd love these images framed and put on my bedroom wall so I could look at them everyday...I told you I was obsessed.

But really, Tim Burton is a fantastic creative soul that I love to draw inspiration from, I want to bring to life my designs the way Burton brings to life his characters and the stories in his films. I guess you could call him a mentor in my work. So, enjoy...I hope that you find this as delicious and inspiring as I do.

Image Source: http://www.harpersbazaar.com/fashion/fashion-articles/tim-burton-halloween-fashion-1009

TRON inspired.

Looking for inspiration is sometimes a bit of a battle, you know what you want but you can never find it. I was lucky in the case of my latest piece of inspiration for my 2010 Women's wear collection. I was told about the new 3D movie 'TRON Legacy' which is to hit theatres in 2011, although that is a fair way away, I still have the trailer and movie stills to draw my inspiration from. There is so much in this movie that fits to my concept and my design ideas. The idea of the machine inspired body, a futuristic fantasy form taking over the world of fashion. Half human, half robot! The movie is all about a boy who has been pulled into a strange world of fierce programs and gladiatorial games. Along with his father, he embarks on a life-and-death journey across a visually-stunning cyber universe that has become far more advanced and exceedingly dangerous.

I am so inspired by the idea of another universe, a new space to project our fantasies onto to or indeed live out our most imaginative desires and fantasies. I want to bring to life this unbelievable world of fashion and the machine, the evolution of the human form into this being that is to be fantasised about yet it can also be acted out. We all have fantasies and desires and I want to play out these fantasies in the form of fashion and sculptural form on the body, I want to create a world 2000 years from now where human is machine, where the human form is half human and half robot, where our bodies can be manipulated, distorted and enhanced in any way we like.



Check out the 'TRON Legacy' official Trailor at www.disney.go.com/tron/
Image Source - http://www.traileraddict.com/content/walt-disney-pictures/tronlegacy-3.jpg