It's oh so quiet.... shhhhh shhhhh

Right it is time to blow the dust off this blog and banish the tumbleweeds and get with the programme! I have no good excuse for my lack of activity and can only apologise for being dull and say thank you to those followers who have not left out of sheer boredom!!!

I have a few dozen posts lined up but I should probably fill you in with what I have been up to...

As you know I finally managed to get a paid office job at the end of February. I shall not divulge the company name but I was there with an agency on a temporary bases. On 1st June I was offered a role within the company to work permanently and I started on 1st July! I am currently 2 months in to my 3 month probation period and I feel it is going well. I enjoy working with the people I work with and I think that is what counts... My hours are also pretty cool 9am - 4pm, which means I have actually had some time to draw :) I also am really enjoying office wear = smart/casual can be lots of fun and I am also becoming more experimental with my weekend style. I hope to incorporate some style snaps for you on this blog going forward.

(Yes this is a work shirt... Tucked in to a black pencil skirt it looks pretty cool!)

Mr Fashion Fantasist and I also have two new little members of our family in the shape of two very mischievous kittens who , I'm not going to lie, keep us on our toes. They are Bea and Rosie. Bea is the runt of the litter and is a tiny, black short hair and Rosie, her sister, is a black long hair. At this very moment I have both of them sitting on my knee batting at my fingers on the keys and the screen. Most of the time they can be adorable but they can be little terrors as Mr FF found at his peril when they chewed through his skype head set whilst he was mid conversation.... ooops!! But look at their little faces - you can't be mad for long! They also seem to have some sort of death wish throwing themselves up and down the stairs...
Stairs? Yes you read correctly! Mr FF and I have moved out of our one bed ground floor flat in to a two bedroom house! Yay! To be honest I am just as excited about the stairs as the kittens!! Hehe! It is still rented but it is a lovely Victorian mid terrace house with features, a garden and I have converted the second bedroom in to a bit of a studio space, which I plan to shut myself away in whenever I come home from work. However coming from a one bed flat in to a house one notices a severe lack of furniture so I have become a tad obsessed with interiors at the moment and I think my Tumblr blog will start to reflect this... I need to buy a scanner, mine went to scanner heaven, as I have a big box of image clippings I plan to share with you on that blog!

Front room
Bed room
Second bedroom/Studio!

Anyway that's the life update over... I am very much looking forward to writing a few posts I have lined up and sharing with you my Autumn favourites that are now in the shops. But for now, how are you? and what have I missed?

Speak Soon!!
Best wishes,
Fashion Fantasist xx

Yours Truly, x

Hello lovelies,

I would like to introduce you to Kerry Lockwood the blogger behind Yours Truly,x. I have been following Kerry's blogs for awhile and actually studied with her a few years ago, but her personal style has really captured my imagination. A fearless combination of vintage, high street, dyed red hair and a beautiful smile Miss Lockwood really knows how to have fun with fashion. So I thought I would dedicate a blog post to her and share with you her wonderful personal style.So Kerry, can you tell me a little about your personal style?
I suppose the easiest way to describe my style currently, would be a culmination of the 1940's - 60's infused with modern accents, and personal heirloom relics.My style is evolving and developing, and yet I think the basis has always pretty much been the same, even from my teen years. I love yesteryear, and will buy vintage garments for a great pattern, fantastic cut or if they evoke a personal memory. I then mix those pieces up with high street or charity shop finds, and jewellery that has sentimental value. I think this creates a very modern approach to style, as well as a much more individualistic wardrobe!Where do you find inspirations for your outfits?
It's such a cliche but inspiration can literally be found anywhere! One of my favourite handbags is a little wicker picnic basket that once held a children's tea set, I loved it so it became part of my wardrobe! I love mixing childhood relics into my outfits.I tend to use films as a great source of inspiration, whether old or modern they can have such a plethora of ideas within them!For example, I have some brogues that I hunted down after seeing a pair Naomi Watts wore in 'The Painted Veil', I have a Maria Von Trapp style dress from 'The Sound of Music' and a faux fur coat that could have been Margot's from 'The Royal Tenenbaums'I think it's really important to be open to inspiration from all directions, and with the Internet, it's literally easier than ever to be well informed!

Who are your style icons?
So many! Frida Kahlo, Iris Apfel, Catherine Baba, Audrey Hepburn, Little Edie Beale, Dita Von Teese (her street style!) Bette Davis, Jessica De Lotz, Lucille Ball, Rita Hayworth, Anna Karina, Grace Kelly, Ava Gardner (my Grandfather danced with her once!). I also quite like some modern icons like Kirsten Dunst, Alexa Chung, Leith Clark, Tennesse Thomas, Drew Barrymore, Iekeliene Stange, Helena Bonham Carter. I also find innumerable bloggers very inspiring, as their style is untouched by wealthy companies peddling their designs!What does 'style' mean to you and what is important about fashion?
Style is something very organic and individual to you. It isn't contrived or orchestrated, though it does take some effort! It is you at your most creative, and coincidentally your most comfortable. It's about evolving, being honest and experimental (sometimes getting it wrong!) but most of all about having fun.

A lot of people comment about how much I smile on my blog, but the truth is, when a lot of those photos are being taken, I'm having a really wonderful time! Clothes should be intrinsic in that.

It bothers me when people say 'Oh I could never dress like you, I couldn't pull it off' because I dress in a way that I think is an extension of my personality and in a way, it defines me. Therefore, flattered as I am, I openly encourage people to develop their own style that is unique to them, and compatible to their own personalities.What is your favourite piece of clothing (at the moment? Mine changes every time I find another hidden treasure...)
Oh I know what you mean! But then I suppose each new garment is the latest part of your style evolution? I am currently obsessing over a black scallop 1950's dress (recently featured on my blog) that I simply adore. I'm also going a bit crazy for my sundresses right now. It's nice to wear vibrant colours after such a long Winter!Where do you like to shop?
I shop a lot on eBay, as it's so convenient. I have a saved searches list as long as my arm! I also pick up a lot of things in Brighton & London as I visit both quite regularly. In London I love Brick Lane, Portobello, Angel Islington, Soho and Covent Garden. I could quite easily blow a whole months wage on a day out in London! Brighton, where my boyfriend lives is also great. Relatively recently they gained a large Beyond Retro store (where my black scallop dress was found!) and there are also tons of boutiques, stalls and markets to explore.

I also wish I could shop abroad more! I'd love to explore Stockholm, and the style haunts I found in Paris and Berlin are the stuff dreams are made of!I also love your tumblr - wonderful interior snap shots and general lifestyle - where do you like to find these images and do you have any favourite interiors? (Places/homes of someone/or designers?)
I love interior design, it's another element of style which is so personable. It's funny you should mention a favourite interior, as I'm quite obsessed with an artist couple, Annie Morris & Idris Khan. Their home is simply phenomenally designer, with breath-taking attention to detail and enviable vintage finds!

My tumblr is kind of like a creative diary for me, it references when I developed interest in new ideas and shows my creative train of thought I suppose!Aside from fashion what else interests you?
Well, films as I mentioned are a great passion of mine, as are books. I always try to find time to read, and make sure it's something worth reading! I'm currently ploughing my way through Nobakov's 'Lolita'. It's disturbing and brilliant in equal measure. Maya Angelou is one of my favourite authors.

I like nature and being outside, blues, jazz and easy listening music, collecting things, talking to people and learning something new, travel, illustration, art, designing…

I also really love history, particularly British history. Certain periods of time just fascinate me, which is a bit of a guilty confession truth be told! The Antiques Roadshow is one of my favourite programs!I know you did a fashion textiles degree and I am curious if you are doing any projects at the moment?
I'm currently trying to set up my own business. It's currently a battle of time and finances, but I have heaps of ideas I'm eager to make into a reality. The business will be based around home textiles, gifts, paper accessories and baby accessories. Through the design process, it has become obvious that my company will be one that is very quintessentially British, print-orientated, and a little bit whimsical and romantic I suppose! But would you really expect anything else…!I hope you have enjoyed meeting Kerry please stop by her blogs they really are lovely I find heaps of inspiration just tucked away. I adore British-ness and I think Kerry has hit the nail on the head and I look forward to whatever she does next! Find her blogs here and here. She also has a Lookbook account which you can browse.

Best wishes,
Fashion Fantasist xx

Spring Clean

Hello, Sorry for my lack of posting lately but I have been thinking that my blog needs a bit of a revamp. With Spring Springing I am going to be giving Fashion Fantasist a bit of a Spring clean. In light of that I would like to have a new banner heading as at the moment I think I am on default and a little bit of colour wouldn't hurt!

So I am calling all illustrators to submit ideas for my banner heading by the 1st March... My favorite will be chosen and used with full credits to the illustrator with any website or blog info that they might have. Anyone interested please submit via email (on right hand side of page).

Thank you I look forward to seeing the entries!

Best Wishes Fashion Fantasist xx

P.S Don't Hyacinths just smell lovely?

Happy New Year

And Happy Birthday to my blog! It has been a year since I started blogging as Fashion Fantasist and what a year it has been. I was not expecting this blog to turn out the way it has done. It started as a way to make a digital profile for myself and my designs but has turned in to a lot more.

I don't think any of the opportunities I have experienced this year would have happened without this blog. It has helped me meet new people, I have been invited to fashion shows and events, I have written for other blogs and online publications and of course it helped (with Twitter) towards getting an internship with French Connection.

Writing this blog has expanded my fashion horizons. If I have found a designer or piece of work I have found interesting or inspirational I have tried to make contact with the designer, which has been a very rewarding experience discovering other peoples inspirations and aspirations.

A highlight of this year for me was to go to London Fashion Week!! I only went the one day and saw one show but it was amazing. As you all know I didn't shut up about it for posts and posts. Thank you to Kirsty Ward and David Longshaw who gave me that opportunity it was amazing to meet you both and I wish you the best of luck in 2011. At LFW I also met the team behind the hugely successful Young British Designers who I had the pleasure of writing a guest blog post for. Wonderful people who I think are doing exciting things for young British designers.

One of the best and most challenging experience this year has got to be my final university collection. It was difficult to get in to the swing of things but through it I discovered a real interest in photographic and Trompe l'Oeil print techniques. I am currently trying to create some garments that I can market and sell... But look out 2011 for that. I also experienced a real passion for meeting new people whilst helping with the PR for our University fashion show. I created a twitter account and managed to get the most coverage our university shows have had. It was also very flattering to have my work featured in an online publication.

Going to shows to cover them as a journalist/blogger was something I was not expecting but it has been a real delight to do this for both Culture Candy and Guide2Bristol. Hopefully this will be something I will continue to do in 2011.

Working for French Connection as an intern was such an eyeopening experience. I learnt so much and met a lot of very friendly people. It started out as just photocopying and sticking together artworks but as I got to know people better I started to contribute more. This may seem like a small thing but in the 2011 a/w range there are bead combinations that I helped create and that is so exciting. I brushed up on my Photoshop skills and actually feel more confident on Illustrator. All in all it was fantastic - hard work but well worth it!!! (Thank you to Rachel again for the gig!)

All in All it has been a whirl wind of a year. 2010 has been hard work but I think 2011 will be even harder. I am going to be continuing to look for work, start creating more designs, keep working hard on this blog and keep talking to and meeting wonderful people. Of course like every new year my resolution will be to stop chewing my nails! Hehe!

Sorry I haven't done any images in this post I wasn't sure what to choose!!! But here are some gorgeous shoes I have my eye on...Finsk Boots....... Well I can dream - that is why I am a Fashion Fantasist! (They are also really lovely in black!)

I hope you all had great years and thank you for reading my blog, following and supporting it. Wishing you the best 2011!!!
Fashion Fantasist xxx

Dark Inspiration

Now I do not normally do this - post up picture after picture of pages from a magazine spread but to be honest I can't help it.Whilst doing some research for my own project I came across this photoshoot on Front Row View's site. They are from Italian Vogue September 2010 Issue. Photography is by Paolo Poversi, the model Kristen McMenamy and styled by Edward Enninful.I am captivated by the dark decadence and opulent garments in a Gothic Georgian fantasy. It is not often that I will want to pour over a photoshoot again and again and draw and draw but in this case I don't think I can stop myself. I have been taught not to use photoshoots as inspiration for design but it is not the garments themselves that are inspiring it is the overall theme and effect the photograph has on the observer.I think I will probably extend my own final major project collection into an Autumn Winter 2011 collection but much darker with a bleak element. Ooo I love to feel excited by a new project.I hope you have enjoyed this shoot as much as I have.

Best Wishes
Fashion Fantasist xx

One Hundred

This is my 100th post!!! Gosh!!! I am going to be very selfish and have a blog post dedicated to myself... It was suggested to me that I do 100 posts that have changed me but I still have some posts that I am very excited about yet to go up so I think once my blog has turned one I will celebrate its loveliness!

For now I will share with you some general portfolio pages that I have pulled out... I apologise this will be a very image heavy post... Recently I have got very excited and inspired and have started to design again so hopefully when I have some money I will be able to make some new things to show you. But for the time being please feel free to browse and also you can head over to my website.Apologies again for the amount of scrolling down you may of had to do for this post but I hope some of the images have interested you. These projects are a mixture from my university BA and HND work. Since London Fashion Week I have felt really inspired and have picked up my pencil again and have started designing - I will hopefully start to make some samples soon too. I was inspired in particular by Kirsty Ward's womenswear collection and Georgia Hardinge's use of 3D and 2D... I will leave it there but will hopefully have something to show you in the near future.

Best Wishes
Fashion Fantasist xx