MOST WANTED WEDNESDAY #17

Did any of you see or remember that episode of The Simpsons where Marge found a pretty little pink and black Chanel skirt suit? She had to alter it herself many times in the episode, spawning multiple outfits from it but then in the end it got eaten up by the sewing machine she was using. Well I have always loved that little Chanel suit and admiring the many different outfits that were created from that one suit.

Well obviously I know it's not real as I am talking about a cartoon here! But earlier today I was looking through my Inspirations folder and look what I found. This week's Most Wanted Wednesday is this adorable jacket (source unknown).

It's not exact to the one in The Simpsons but I would love to have it, it's funny how one outfit from an episode I haven't seen since I was a kid stuck in my mind all these years. I've said that my interest in fashion only occurred at the start of my teens but this and many other things that keep popping to mind reveal an interest in fashion/clothing from an early age.

This jacket is of course very easily DIYable, all you would need to do is find a baby pink blazer/jacket or white and then dye it pink.. then add on black trim to key areas such as the lapels, hem, front opening and cuffs and change the buttons to something much more chic and Chanel-esque!

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COUTURE CREATIVE BLOCK

I've come to a halt in my project, I think I've got something like writers block.. it just seems like I can't think of any ideas or ways to progress with my work.

I've come to the point in my journal where I am looking at the Elie Saab Couture Spring 2011 collection, which I decided to look at because of all the beautiful and delicate flower applique that the dresses were literally covered in. I really liked his approach, subtle but stunning. I went out this weekend to buy fabric so I could do samples and play with making my own flower appliques, but looking at my journal today I just felt at a total loss.

Maybe it's because I haven't done any work since Friday, or that I'm tired and incapable on concentrating or maybe it's because I'm away from College and my creative atmosphere.. I'm too distracted when I'm at home and unable to really concentrate. I'm planning on going to Plantasia in Swansea this week, it's like a giant greenhouse full of exotic plants (and animals so I've been told!) I will gather more research there and hopefully get my mind ticking with ideas again.

Do you guys ever feel like this? Ever get a creative block? I feel a little bit better now that I've written down how I feel on here, I guess this blog is as much of a diary as it is a platform to show off my work. Anyway here are some pictures of the before mentioned Elie Saab collection I'm currently work on, enjoy.

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INSPIRATION: FUNKY SHIRT COLLARS

Hey everyone, this is a new regular posting feature I have decided to include on this blog. I have a folder on my laptop with 100s and 100s of photos that inspire me, things that I want to make and just general pictures of awesomeness! So I've decided to share that with you and maybe even inspire you.

So this first one are these funky shirt collars, these are great and so easy to DIY, I have quite a few old charity shop shirts lying around that I have no use for.. think I might start chopping them up and making some awesome and unusual accessories!

As with most pictures in my folder I have totally forgotten where I found these, so if these are yours or you know where they come from please feel free to leave a comment below!

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MOST WANTED WEDNESDAY #16

Just to let you know, as I am writing this post I am sitting outside enjoying the last of the sunshine for the day.. which was my inspiration for this weeks Most Wanted Wednesday!

So as you probably can guess by now I am obsessed with sunglasses, for me they are the most perfect accessory that can make any outfit and at the same time protects your eyes from harmful rays.. fashionable and healthy? Can I say perfect! just one more time.

So as you may remember in my BOY YOU'RE AN ALIEN post I commented on the Vogue sunglasses that Katy Perry wore in the video for her single E.T.? Well they have finally become available for everyone to buy! They are model number VO267S, an almost translucent white acetate in a very of the moment cat-eye style. I think they are gorgeous and are on my summer wish list and at only £59.40 they're quite affordable and accessible unlike most designer sunglasses.

They are available for purchase HERE at London-Eyewear.co.uk.

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THE CROWN OF FLOWERS

As I mentioned in my previous post as part of this project I am experimenting with different things not only to help my get a better grade but help with coming up with ideas for my final piece.

This is one of the first pieces of experimentation that I have done, a floral headpiece. This was actually quite a simple thing to make, I found these great artificial flowers at a this random shop in Gorseinon, they're huge and I just had to buy them! They came on really long stems which I cut off and I simply just used my hot glue gun to glue them onto a headband.

The end result is stunning, especially when it's on a person, very dramatic! I just love the color scheme too, pinks and purples are just so summery, anyway just a quick post about this. Not much I can say, well.. I'll let the pictures do the talking for me! As always comments on here or on Twitter are greatly appreciated, I love hearing from you guys!

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FORM. APPLIQUE. PRINT.

Hey guys, I have been so busy lately in college! I'm working my way through my research, still got a lot to do and work with thought. I've finished looking at my Singleton Park research and I've created these fashion illustrations from the pictures of the flowers I took. I really like them and really happy with how they turned out. 

I had a 'Group Critique' last week also, it wasn't too bad. Everybody seemed to like my work in general, I got a lot of 'ooh, thats pretty', so thats great! Had some great suggestions also with what else I could research and experiment with, all of which I'll be getting done during the two weeks I get off for Easter. As much as I would love to lay about, I've got a huge amount of work to do!

I've started looking at Fashion Designers now who have used the Botany/Floral theme within a certain collection or their work. I've started with Christian Dior's Couture Fall 2010 collection, one of my first inspirations! That collection focused on the form of the flower, next I'll look at Elie Saab Couture Spring 2011 which used flower applique and then I'll look at a designer who uses floral prints. I really wanted to look at form, applique and print.. I would love to do them all for my final but I must choose one! 

This fortnight I have a few project that I am doing as experimentation, so as soon as I do them of course I will be posting them on here! Really exited about some of them! 

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BURLESQUE

I had one of the best nights out on Saturday, I went to see my very first Burlesque show at the Milkwood Jam bar in Swansea.

It was amazing, not only the performances but the audience, the bar and the general feel of the whole night! I have never seen a Burlesque show before or really watched a performance, but after Saturday I want to go to any and every show there is from now on. The ladies were mesmerizing, the way they moved their bodies and the way they totally owned that stage.

I absolutely loved the costumes too, and how could I not love all of those nipple tassels! Anyway, here are some videos of my favorite performances, they're not the greatest quality.. I had to use my Blackberry, didn't take my camera because I didn't know we could take pictures. These are possibly NSFW so wait till you get home to watch!

'The Pink Panther'

'The Witch Doctor'

'The Dragon'

'Victor/Victoria'

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MOST WANTED WEDNESDAY #15

Hey guys, hope you're all having a good week so far! I had originally planned a post on my visit to a Burlesque show yesterday, but I am having trouble uploading my videos which are pretty vital, sorry guys, I will try and get that posted sometime this week!

So from that post I had planned to lead onto this weeks Most Wanted Wednesday, and since the show I have been thinking more about Burlesque and its stunning costumes (which don't exactly stay on for long!). The costumes I saw on Saturday were gorgeous, so I decided to look a little further and found this...

OMG ISN'T STUNNING! I had totally forgotten that the Queen of Burlesque, Dita Von Teese, had walked the Jean Paul Gaultier Haute Couture show last year, in the most amazing corseted bejeweled costume I've seen. It's skeletal design mixed with the fine tailoring and boning of the corset just gives the most beautiful silhouette and impact. Just look at her waist!

I could never make something anything like this, I mean hopefully one day, but it looks doubtful. I could design it, but lack the skills to actually make it. But then again, isn't that what highly skilled seamstresses and tailors are for?

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MOST WANTED WEDNESDAY #14

Short but sweet Most Wanted Wednesday this week, I'm working on something.. maybe these gorgeous Chanel cuffs will give you a clue?

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THE JOURNEY INTO FLORALS

Hey guys, I did say that I would you keep you updated on my latest project 'La Fleur Eternelle' and here it is (a little late I do admit). This is just a little break down of last weeks work.

As my project is based on flowers and botanics my first port of call for my research was fine artists and photographers. As one of my lectures had mentioned Claude Monet's floral painting I started there.. they are very pretty, but there was no wway I could ever paint like that! But I carried on and did some textile samples where I painted Monet's flowers onto fabirc. It did not turn out well, but it's experimentation!

The second fine artist I looked at was Georgia O'Keeffe, her paintings were quite different for the 1930s but they are really bold and colourful, which was what attracted me to her work initially. I painted one of her tropical flowers in watercolour and it turned out really well in my opinion! I'm not very confident with painting flowers or working with watercolour but I'm glad to say this was a success.

Lastly this week I have been looking at the stunning work of photographer Marina Papaspirou, her work literally screamed out at me from my laptop screen. The colors and her use of photoshopping together her pictures to create really interesting shapes and patterns are so inspiring to me! So as an experiment I used her photos together with a great lineart of a dress I found online, I created a triptic of fashion illustrations as experimentation and to help my mind come up with ideas for my own final piece. These are the ones below, I really love them and would love to hear any feedback off you!

To see more of Marina's amazing work please visit her website here www.FloraCollection.co.uk.

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BOY YOU'RE AN ALIEN

OMG.. how can I even explain my amazement at this?

The music video for Katy Perry's new song E.T. featuring rapper Kanye West was released this Thursday and already I'm in love with it. The song itself is great, one of the best off her 'Teenage Dream' album, it's futuristic sound and content just makes me hit that replay button over and over.

But when the video was released my jaw dropped and has stayed there since Thursday! A team of highly talented make-up artist transformed Katy into a beautiful alien with various looks/guises. The sharpness and intricate patterns on her face are just exquisite, Katy recently revealed that it took 5/6 hours to transform her and I can see why.

 

One of my favorite looks is when her face is painted a gorgeous mix of white, pink and blue with very a delicate pattern on her forehead and bright blue cat eye contacts.. but one of the most amazing parts of this look is the hair. She has these white braids that just seem to defy gravity, I wanna know how they did it!! Would love to have that hairstyle for a fashion event or photo shoot.. would get so much attention! I'm going to find out how they did it, I just have to.

This video has totally re-sparked my interest in futuristic/spacey/avant garde alien fashion, last summer I designed a little 6 piece collection inspired by space travel.. this is really inspiring me at the moment. When I get a chance I might sketch down a few ideas, might do some illustrations. Right, thats enough of my rambling about this.. check out the epic music video for E.T. below. Would love to hear your comments on this too!

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