Fashion Fantasist: Amour Fou

(Photography by Jamie Corbin)

Translation Crazy Love and the epitome of fantasy! I can't tell you how much I enjoyed Charlie Critchley Crozier's collection at Bristol Rockstyle (19/8/10) A wonderful fairytale with princes and princesses in hues of white. So of course I am dedicating a post to it! Word of warning this may be an image heavy post but they are beautiful so I hope you forgive me!

I had a rather informal chat with imaginative designer Charlie (the wonders of facebook) after the show and discovered her inspiration for the collection, her love of drawing and fantasy...

(Photography by Jon Craig)

Yes it is over!!!!!! I do feel very blue today (20/8/10) though and I really don't know what to do with myself right now. This is the worst post show depression I have ever had. I spent so long locked in a room in my fantasy bubble stitching away the creations that came into my mind that now its over and the bubble has burst I really miss it. I am however replacing that bubble with a new fantastical theme for my next show.

(Photography by Jon Craig)

Well where do I start?

(Photography by Jamie Corbin)

Amy (Miss Bristol) asked me if I would like to show a collection for her new show and as soon as she said it was for the Variety Club I instantly wanted a fairytale for adults. I have always been in my own fantasy land and I wanted to create something that can be turned into a fashion story on the stage. A mixture of fashion, acting, music and dance.

(Photography by Jamie Corbin)

I wanted something that had a splash of everything I love most, ballet, romance, romeo and Juliet, Jane Austen, Shakespeare, 60's world peace and free love (that was the idea behind the twins with a Shakespearean ruff thrown in) and every single fantasy movie I had ever seen.

(Photography by Jamie Corbin)

Whilst I stitched I imagined all my models wearing my designs inside a snow globe walking around in a dreamlike state and I told Amy what I was looking for and she helped piece my ideas together and make my dream a reality. I have a lot of Amy and Erin (the ballerina) in the designs I made for the night, they really are two wonderful magical sisters and should be an inspiration to anyone.

(Photography by Jamie Corbin)

I started by sketching all my designs on paper which took a while as I love drawing as much as creating and try and turn each design into artwork and then I looked at fabric and tried to get a feel for costs and style and the making process took about 3 months as I have orders and I have a part time job too.

(Photography by Jon Craig)

I am having my website built and its getting there slowly but surely so I will be advertising and selling one off designs through that. I have had a rush of orders come in and a few wedding dress orders. I have just got the centre spread for Eye Magazine so will be doing a shoot for that. I will hopefully be having a launch party at the end of the year and I am designing something totally new for that!!

(Photography by Jamie Corbin)

A launch party - I hope that is a guest list I can make my way on to... I really enjoy the story behind the designs as well as the designs themselves. I think Fantasy and Fashion walk hand in hand and this fairytale take on it is really pleasing! I will be paying close attention to Charlie and Amour Fou and what she does next!!