Made With Love

Have you heard of Elizabeth Lau? A 'Made with Love' London Boutique label with a colourful, quirky and fun design aesthetic.

I have completely fallen in love with her Autumn/Winter 201o/11 collection 'The good, the bad and the kawaii'. The brand has a real identity for the fashion aware, quirky and confident individual.

Aurelia & DelphineDidcott & RowenaFay

For this Autumn/Winter collection they were inspired by the eclectic Elizabeth Lau girls that they have met and also the brand's signature style of contrasts - sweet with a sassy edge, cute with the right amount of chic - perfection.

LottieMaurice

Lovehearts are featured throughout the collection, tempered by subtle menswear details. The knitwear and coats are definite must haves and will be perfect for the cold snap we are currently experiencing.

NellieRoscoe

Tilly

"This season I had so much fun shooting with super talented photographer Jackie Dixon. I am sure you will agree she has captured the je ne sais quoi of the Elizabeth Lau style. I hope this

collection makes you smile as much as I."Viola & Dotty

And it really does make me smile! I am also sharing with you a little preview of their Spring Summer 2011 collection video. I can't wait! All these dresses are just perfect for summer!

You can also find Elizabeth Lau on Twitter - A real delight to chat to.

Best Wishes
Fashion Fantasist xx

10% OFF Ethical Fashion

The Unique Bristol Fashion Brand Charlie Boots is offering 10% off to all readers of this blog!!!!The label “Charlie Boots” is the brainchild of Charlie Boots, Bristol based designer who creates original , stylish womenswear and bags from ethically sourced materials which are then fabricated to a very high standard by a small team of talented seamstresses.

The ethics of the fashion industry have been thrust under the spotlight in recent years as exposes uncovered the true cost of high street fashion in relation to the environment and the human cost of the workforce needed to produce the high volume/low quality garments it demands.Charlie Boots’s vision is clear: “I want to show the fashion world that you do not have to compromise when it comes to style and quality when the ethical history of your clothes is important to you. I believe that people will love my ethical clothing for it’s innovative designs and for the care and attention to detail with which they are made. The fact that they are produced from ethically sourced materials and made by people being paid properly for their expertise is simply the way modern fashion should be. As consumers, we shouldn't expect anything less.”

Charlie Boots offers its customers an exciting range of day and evening wear that utilises fair trade, sustainable , organic, reclaimed and vintage fabrics such as 1930’s ‘feedsacks’ and kimonos from the 50’s onwards. Each design is limited to only ten items and due to the rarity of many of the fabrics, some are complete one-offs.

The Charlie Boots website also sells organic knitwear from Lowie and Eka and handmade jewellery.

Charlie Boots is currently offering 10% off (until the 25th of December) to readers of this blog. To claim your unique Voucher code please email hello@charlieboots.com and give the name of the blog you are reading. A text or email will then be sent with the discount code!

This cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer.

I have blogged about Charlie Boots before - I think it is a wonderful company with great values - so get shopping!!!! You may find some Christmas presents too!

Happy Shopping!!
Fashion Fantasist xx

Cinderella

I know this is only an advert for hair straighteners... But I think it's wonderful! It's the time of year when the Christmas Pantos start - men dressed as women, "oh no he didn't" and "he's behind youuu"s at every theatre and town hall.

I love the costumes in this advert so many different, weird and wonderful things to look at. I think my favorite bit is when it turns midnight and Cinderella's dress falls apart like tissue paper - just magical.

And of course you cannot leave out the two ugly sisters...

Enjoy
Fashion Fantasist xx

Iris Van Herpen

I just wanted to share with you the beautiful craftsmanship of Iris Van Herpen's work. As a designer I really like a fantastical element to a garment and what is more fantastical than a garment that looks like water is splashing over it. Iris Van Herpen's Spring Summer 2011 collection is so interesting.

(These images were found on the Blow Presents Blog)

Her previous collection Autumn Winter 2010 is also stunning - strips of fabric and those iconic shoes that seem to have been featured in most magazines.

(Thank you Blow PR for the Photographs)

Speak Soon
Fashion Fantasist xx

Oh FCUK!!!.... and Fantastical Pirates

Hello All!!!

I am Soooooo Sorry about the quiet nature of my blog recently.... But I have some news... Some of you who follow me on Twitter may already know but I have got an unpaid internship with French Connection Womenswear design!!!!

It was very unexpected and spur of the moment! I heard about the opportunity from a lovely girl on twitter Rachel Menashy. I applied for the job on Thursday 21/10/10 and heard back on the Monday (25/10/10) that if I was interested they would like me to start the DAY AFTER at 9:30!! Obviously I was panicked - but headed off to London and stayed in a hotel for the evening.

I then stayed in my sisters friends parents flat.

But the flat is based near Harrods!! And I have to say I really love their pirate and peter pan themed windows, which I get to walk past every day on the way to and from the tube, including a chocolate pirate ship - yummy!
The pirate ship is - Captain Hook's Chocolate Ship and you can see it in the window of Harrods on Hans Crescent. It is hand made with rich Belgian Chocolate by Harrods expert pastry chef. It measures 90x95cms!!!!

Customers can place their bid on the ship either in the food hall at the food orders desk and at Christmas World!! All proceeds of the sale will go to Great Ormond Street Children's Charity - So get bidding on this amazing Christmas gift!

If you want to find out more about Harrods or do some shopping head to their website. They are also on a range of social networks - Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare.

Apologies again for the lack of posting!!!!!!!!

Fashion Fantasist xx

Tramp In Disguise

At Vauxhall Fashion Scout I met the talented Sini Moilanen from Tramp In Disguise. I was immediately drawn in by this printed dress. Beautiful colours and almost like a kaleidoscope. The inspiration was the volcanoes - every aspect from the explosion, the dust cloud and the craters. The collection was a mix of printed silks and embellished knits.

I emailed Sini after VFS and asked her a few questions. She responded but I waited to write the post to go with the professional photographs she had taken recently. Worth the wait they look amazing. My favorites are the dress and the jumpsuit above - but they photograph really well!What is the starting point for your collection?
The new S/S011 Volcano collection is based on the fiery beauty of volcanic eruptions occurring all around our globe. An old tale tells that eruptions were caused by Pele, the beautiful but tempestuous Goddess of Volcanoes, during her frequent moments of anger. She could cause earthquakes by stamping her feet and volcanic eruptions by digging the ground with her magic stick. The Volcano collection is designed for the urban goddess of today, to show the fire and the magic she embodies.What is your studio space like?
At the moment I am working from home and I have got sewing help elsewhere. I am looking to share a studio with another designer in Brixton. Hopefully we will get that early next year.What is your favorite piece?
I have several favourite pieces, It is hard to say which is my favourite, because I have a few. I love the knitwear pieces and I like the prints, my favourite print piece probably is smoke trousers.

What can we look out for in the next collection?
The next collection is still a secret, but you can expect more printed garments and experimental knitwear. Well I have to say I am intrigued to see what comes next. But I do really like the print in this collection.

Enjoy
Fashion Fantasist xx

Sara Bro-Jorgensen

Now you know me I am partial to a bit of trompe l'oeil and that is what initially drew me in to Sara Bro-Jorgensen's collection. A floaty black garment with a graphic image of a trench coat cinched at the waist.The collection is a mixture of black and white inspired by photography. Print and knit create layering and the silhouette is sleek, streamlined and modern. Soft layers of opaque and sheer fabric creates depth in a monotone colour palette - for example a sheer black and an opaque black will create different hues of the same colour.I really wanted to find out more so I contacted Sara so that she could explain her inspiration and aesthetic.What was your inspiration behind your collection?
The collection was inspired by a series of black and white photographs I took with an old plastic camera. It is about contrasts and photographic imagery as well as light and dreamy layers. Furthermore it's about developing and combining knitting techniques that goes from hand knit to graphic jacquard patterns.I've always been influenced by photography but lately it has mostly been about working a photograph into a garment and create a trompe-l'oeil effect to simplify reality but also to create more abstract graphic patterns inspired by photographs.How do you start designing a collection?
I always collect images that I find interesting and inspiring and usually I pick out a few that has a certain atmosphere to base the collection on and through collages, drawing and draping I transform them into a collection.What is your design aesthetic?
My aesthetic is very technique based and about combining many different techniques and fabrics but at the same time simple. It's dark has been described as goth but I think my love for working with good quality materials gives the garments a sense of luxuryAny ideas about your next collection?
It's going to be a about lots of layers and heavy knit, beads and graphic patterns(Black and White photography by Peter Ravnsborg - Model: Lina Bjørnø. Other photographs are from the RCA show found on Sara's website)

I look forward to her next collection. I think using photography in this way is so interesting.

Best Wishes
Fashion Fantasist xx