Song of the Rainbird

Good Morning lovelies,

One of the things I really love about being a blogger is unique designers I hadn't come across before sending me press releases and imagery of their collections. Imagine my joy at finding one such email earlier this week from Australian designer Kelly Love. I had not come across Kelly's work before and I am so pleased that she has shared it with me because I adore her AW11 collection - 'Song of the Rainbird'.It is a collection inspired by the 60's with references to the correlation between muses, fallen rock stars and beautiful birds in cages. I really love the print work, black and white mixed with navy contrasted against bright pops of yellow. I wanted to know more about the collection. So contacted Kelly back and asked her a few questions:What is your inspiration?
Inspiration can come from anywhere but my label is mainly inspired by femininity, 1940's and 1960's, textured fabrics, foreign films, Parisian actresses, folk music and antique furniture.How do you start designing a collection?
I start by writing - anything from a short story to a song. For my AW2011 collection 'Song of the Rainbird' I collaborated with the band Nova's Basement who wrote music to my lyrics. You can listen to the song here! Whatever I write is written as the girl who would wear my collection, almost like an imaginary muse. I then do a mood board, start sketching and pick colours and fabrics.What made you move to London?
The Industry is so much bigger in London than in Sydney so I knew there would be more opportunity. I also love to travel and there are so many places just a hop, skip and jump away? Plus it is such an inspirational city with so much to do and see.How long have you been designing?
I started designing at school and loved it. I've always known I wanted to do something creative. My label started in 2o08 when I launched my first collection "Beautiful Side of Everything" at the New Generation Show of Australian Fashion Week. My latest collection for SS12 'Pocket Full O'Posies' is my third collection in the UK and is inspired by bunches of posies, vintage lingerie and 1940's cocktail parties.I really like this collection and enjoyed speaking to Kelly! I hope you do too!
Best wishes,
Fashion Fantasist xx

P.S she also has a shop on her website!!!

All the Jewellery I Never Got

All The Jewellery I Never Got from GrandBoy on Vimeo.

Don't you just love it when you stumble on to wonderful fashion whilst browsing the Internet? Natalie Coleman's hand drawn quirky illustrations caught my eye recently. Her Spring Summer 2012 collection features hand drawn, water coloured jewels digitally printed and pleated. The collection is flirtatious, sexy and full of whimsy.Natalie Coleman is a fashion design MA graduate from Central St. Matins and has worked for threeASFOUR in New York, Ragna Frodadottir a textile designer in Iceland and Joanne Hynes, Ireland.'Inspired by the stories, the secrets and longings for individuality in all women and with a background in strong narratives and quirky romance, Natalie has recently established her own fashion business and label NATALIEBCOLEMAN.'I really like this collection and with the weather turning cold I am already thinking about next season when the sun will hopefully come back!

Enjoy,
Fashion Fantasist xx

Anna Stephenson

June and July are flying by so quickly I am unsure which way is up!! Being out of step with the fashion world I find myself at a disadvantage and am working hard to keep up with all the wonderful new talent that is being produced.

Like most bloggers I am an avid reader of other blogs and find them a magnificent way to keep up to date and also a massive source of inspiration. Not only the content of the blog but the dedication to it. So whilst on one of my jaunts on the internet I spotted the graduate fashion collection by Anna Stephenson on iliketweet.blogspot.Anna Stephenson has graduated from Edinburgh College of Art and Design and has produced a beautiful printed collection inspired by femininity, twins and the strength of duality. She has used various techniques in digital printing, screen printing and fabric manipulation and created a collection mainly focused on surface design, which she was awarded the I-ON Graduate Fashion Prize 2011.I really like this collection and look forward to what Anna puts her creative hand to next. Upon completing her BA she is attending Parsons The New school of Design in New York to do a MFA in Fashion Design and Society. I wish her the best of luck!!

Fashion Fantasist xx

Images are from Arts Thread.

204 Gloucester Rd

On Wednesday evening (15/06/11) after a mildly stressful day at the office Mr FF and I headed up Gloucester road for an 'evening with designers/artists at Charlie Boots'. Charlie is a Bristol based ethical fashion designer and now has a lovely unique shop on Gloucester road. She has a lovely mix of her own fashion and pieces from other artists. It had photography by Michael Reeves and Deborah Weinrab on the walls and the window display was by illustrator Kirk Stacey. Charlie informed me that she is interested in local artists using her window to display their work and create interesting and varied window displays. She is also keen to allow other ethical designers exhibit their work on her rails for limited periods to help raise awareness for other ethical fashion brands.

The shop was great and there was not only clothing and bags but jewellery, furniture, clocks made from vinyl and beautiful pottery. If you get the chance to pop up Gloucester road (a must do anyway as there are some wonderful vintagey shops) please do stop by Charlie Boots. She is also running workshops where you can learn to sew dresses, skirts, bags, cushions, underwear, purses or textile art with experienced and skilled tutors. To find out more about this service go to the 'news' section of her website.

Enjoy

Fashion Fantasist xx

Introducing the New Generation

Last Saturday was UWE fashion and fashion textiles graduate's show. I can still remember the stress and excitement from mine so I was very much looking forward to this years ideas and designs. After a lovely day at the Cottage Inn by the River I headed to Bristol's RWA, which is an art gallery. A really light airy space and very intimate - I knew I would be able to get a close look at the garments as they came down the catwalk.

I wasn't disappointed!

The first collection that graced the stage was Sarah Cassidy's. A brightly coloured knitted collection inspired by an anatomical heart locket. Acid green, bright blues, black and white stripes all teamed with Vivienne Westwood shoes made for a very exciting start to the show.

Here are a few of my favourites...

Edward Lord's dramatic grey sculpted collection was very impressive with a luxurious fur trimmed coat and long draped dresses.

Lucy Brookes' printed menswear created from abstract pin up girls.

Jenna Lauren Dawson's collection featured wonderful, drawn bird embroidery and print patterns.

Elaine Youh's collection featured complicated fabric manipulation in a colour pallet of red, black and white.

Tolga Ozturk's menswear collection inspired by gorillas was very striking in blacks and orange. One model even had some eyes draped over his shoulders.

Nicola Chisall's impressive plastic carnival inspired collection closed the show in a blur of bright colours and complicated construction.

I really enjoyed the show well done to all the graduates and good luck for what they might do next! I will do a separate blog post for the 2D work. Please check out my review of the show for Guide2Bristol.

Best wishes,

Fashion Fantasist xx

P.S thank you Steve Norton for the photographs!

'Tweet Tweet Tweet'

Once again David Longshaw has captured my imagination with his descriptive stories and beautiful prints. This collection for Autumn Winter 11/12 is an exciting mix of narrative, photographic and illustrative prints, and collaboration. So obviously I needed to find out more about it and contacted David to explain the inspiration behind the collection and the collaborations involved.What is the inspiration behind your collection?
Here's the story-A/W 2011/12 Inspiration.

Seriously Rose, I can’t bloody believe it here, they’ve stuck me in the middle of sodding nowhere with these religious nuts who expect me to go to church with them and sit shitting cross stitching by the fire ‘of an eve.’ What do they think it is, the bloody 15thCentury?’ They don’t drink and they don’t f****ing swear. There’s no one my age I’ve met other than one or two who are destined to die virgins unless one of them changes sex and their parents force them in to an arranged marriage to procreate more dull, weird looking bastards! ‘Don’t even get me started on the sodding birds! It’s supposed to be quiet in the countryside, but every morning at 5am all I get is bloody tweet, tweet, tweet; they even tap on the window- I thought it was someone at the front door at first. It’s a nightmare when you’ve got a hangover. I managed to smuggle in some booze but I’m running low.'

Tora, a wayward girl, gets sent to live with her tea-total, religious, cross stitching, aunt and uncle in the middle of nowhere, to try get her on the straight and narrow. She takes a soft toy named Frank with her, which has a pet shoe and a love of whisky.

Who have you collaborated with and how was it that you came to work with them?
This season for the first time I've teamed up with footwear designer Heather Blake. And for the 3rd season with Kirsty Ward on jewellery and the milliner Katherine Lee on a special show piece.

Heather was in the year above me at the RCA (She won the accessories prize at ITS#5), she exhibited at Somerset House during LFW, in my first season there and the LFW newspaper borrowed Heathers shoes to shoot with my garments on the blogger Katie of 'what Katie wore next'- They looked great together- so Heather suggested a collaboration.

With Katherine Lee we've worked together since my MA, were friends from home. She's a milliner now but when she first started collaborating with me she had been designing fabrics in Italy for the big fashion houses.

With Kirsty we first met at Alberta Ferretti, in Italy where we were designing. We've worked together since I started my own label.

Have any of your characters helped you with this collection?

The new characters from my A/W story have obviously helped, but also Selnec &Harriet, her rabbit (who I write with for Fashion156) are both decorating the scarf collaboration with Dominique Mosley (The S/S ones have already sold out in Rome and Hong Kong).

I hope you enjoy this collection as much as I do!! I am already saving my pennies for that beautiful shirt! As always I eagerly await the next season and hopefully another wonderful story accompanied by truly beautiful and creative clothes.Look out for articles by David and his friends on Fashion156 and his website.

Speak soon! Have a lovely style post coming up and some seasonal trends from Cabot Circus.
Fashion Fantasist xx

Pull Yourself Together

This is something I plan to do in regards to this blog because I have been negligent and I am sorry!!!

But on a brighter note I would like to talk more about Pippa Stewart who's collections were featured in the Fairwear Fashion Show in March. I was able to catch up with Pippa and find out about the inspirations behind her collection 'Pull Yourself Together' and 'Operculum' created with Ashleigh McPherson and her views on fairtrade. 'My inspiration for 'Pull Yourself Together' was a number of things, first of all, over the summer of 2010 I was obsessed with the film 'An Education' by Lone Schervig. I particularly loved a scene in which the main character took a trip to Paris, the dress she was wearing was so sophisticated and feminine. I also have a passion for Vintage clothing and fabric, which i tend to collect from local charity shops whenever I have time to spare. So when i came across the floral fabric (featured within the collection), that teamed with a visit to David Austen Roses LTD in Brighton-inspired a 1950'sesque look for the 'Pull Yourself Together' collection. The collection I did with Ashleigh was the 'Operculum Collection' in which a group of six designers teamed together and focused on various areas of the collection. Operculum was inspired by garments from the era of World War 1 and the Women's Land Army, then mixed with a contemporary feel. The idea of the collection was to be based on classic designs, sustainable and interchangeable, with detachable collars and buttons. Each garment was to be treasured by its wearer in the way garments would have been in World War 1. As a group we disagreed with the issues of commercial highstreet shops generating 'disposable' clothing that is worn a few times and then thrown away.For Operculum we used 100% cottons and silk habotai all Fairtrade and we aimed to use wools found from local Alpaca farms in the West Country. The actual patterns for the garments hardly created any wastage and if there was any to spare after, the off-cuts were turned into gaiters and collars. All the embroidery throughout the collection is 100% sustainable by Gunold, who use renewable resources to create their range of embroidery threads.

I feel Fairtrade is very important because it generates better working conditions and fair terms for local farmers who produce cotton and other materials for the Fashion Industry. It also creates sustainability within local communities and that's why its important to be sustainable within fashion. With all the fabrics, patterns, trims and clothes found sat and unused in charity shops, why should we use even more energy and resources creating something new when we haven't even utilized the mass of resources we already have.'

I think these collections are both lovely and I really admire Pippa's thoughts on Fairtrade. I will definitely be keeping an eye open for what Pippa and Ashleigh do next!

Pippa has two blogs one for Pull Yourself Together and the other for Operculum.

I promise to have more frequent posts and I have a couple lined up soon!!

Best wishes,
Fashion Fantasist xx

Spined

I am gutted that I am not in Paris as I am missing the launch party for Georgia Hardinge's online shop - I can wait to have a browse as I have fallen once more for her latest collection.Her Autumn Winter 11 collection titled 'Spined' combines architectural style with empowerment and sculptured contours. The prints and fabric manipulation struck me as very animalistic like an insect or fish. But the inspiration comes from the unorthodox and macabre photography of Joel Peter Witkin, combining the morbid concepts of death - destruction, mutation and disfiguration with those of the anatomy. Which I find truly fascinating and from such a disturbing inspiration she has produced some really beautiful pieces.The collection starts off with blacks but then whites and greys are introduced through the strange vein like print. This then changes into whites and nudes with the garments that structured with triangle shaped pleats and slashes. I love those trousers with the fabric manipulation that goes all the way up the legs.I like how the print has been used to create curvaceous shapes along side structured tailored folds, these flatter and accentuate the female form. The strong tailored shapes are teamed with softer and more wearable everyday pieces - I would love a printed maxi dress, dress or top!!!! Materials add to the variation with classic wools, leathers and jersey are brought together with exciting new-technology Neoprene fabrics.All in all I really enjoy this collection and see something new every time I look at the prints - which is something I like very much! I look forward to browsing her online shop which should be fully up and running tomorrow (Sunday 6th March) Please check it out Here!


Enjoy
Fashion Fantasist xx