Wednesday 28 August 2013

Style blog: Lois Albinson and Richard O'Gorman!

So I've been meaning to do this style post for quite some time but keep getting distracted by one thing or another. Street style posts are a staple in the majority of fashion blogs and this is my take on that idea.

After working in topshop for 2 years while at uni I had the opportunity to meet some people with really individualk and expressive senses of style. I have chosen to feature two friends who have completely different clothing styles and who are both very expressive in what they choose to wear. 

First is Richard O'Gorman;sales adviser at Topshop, fashion blogger, pattern enthusiast and economics graduate. Richard is living testament to the often overlooked fact that intelligence and an interest in fashion aren't paradoxical.
 As a print designer I love anything patterned and I really love Richard's ability to mix prints and completely carry it off. I would love to see him start a daily style blog documenting his outfits, but until that day he has a fashion blog which he occasionally uploads outfits on:



Who/what do you get style inspiration from? Any decades/art movements or 

designers in particular?

I take inspiration mostly from culty, low ground designers like Agi & Sam, KTZ but then naturally your style is shaped by things you inevitably see at Versace/ JW Anderson/Celine shows so there's that too.

Menswear Resort 14 collections left to right: Agi&Sam, KTZ, Versace, JW Anderson.


What is your favourite high street store and why?
My favourite high street store has got to be Topshop. As well as a great staff discount (!) they really put a lot of money into their product development and whilst there are some really bad things in there, they do take quite literal references from the high-end fashion market
Would you say you follow trends or do you just buy whatever catches your eye?
I think I nod towards trends without literally following them blindly; it's better to take reference to big style changes season by season but develop them into a way that reflects your own style
How would you describe your personal style?
My personal style is part Amish, part Versace/Cavalli love child, part Evacuee child, part Wizard, part Vintage kid. I try to repeat outfits as rarely as possible and always try to reinvent my style
What do you think of British fashion and street style?

British style is 50/50; you get some incredible designers coming up through the ranks of British Fashion like Mary Katrantzou & Rag & Bone but then we have to take ownership for Julien McDonald and John Galliano (p.s. Raf Simons is doing the best job at taking over Galliano's helm at Dior. The BEST) . Our street style is really dynamic though, it changes and evolves and some people are really inventive, which I love.



................


Second is Lois Albinson; Topshop sales adviser, textiles graduate and knitwear designer.  Lois' personal style has always fascinated me! By mixing carefully selected vintage pieces with catwalk inspired high street items, Lois' wardrobe is on trend and edgy without compromising her unique bohemian style. To see some of her amazing knitwear designs visit:




Who/what do you get style inspiration from? Any decades/art movements or designers in particular?

I get inspiration from everything! Blogs, magazines, art, old films, street style etc. I work in Topshop and I am constantly surrounded by current trends so I try to find a way of eclectically mixing everything together. I don't really have a particular style I follow I think it depends on my mood a lot of the time. Being a knitwear designer I am mainly inspired by textures, and I love the work of Craig Lawrence and McQueen. When it comes to art Anselm Kiefer will always be one of my favourites.

Craig lawrence, knitwear, lois albinson, mmu graduate, textiles graduate, knitwear graduate, topshop sales advisor, anselm kiefer painting, alexander mcqueen knitwear
Top row: Craig Lawrence knitwear, Bottom left to right: Anselm Kiefer and Alexander McQueen knitwear.
 What is your favourite high street store and why?
Trying not to be bias, I do think my favourite high street store is Topshop! They are the first off the high street to dilute trends from the catwalks. I think most of the time , depending of how they are styled, clothes from Topshop can definitely look quirky and individual. They are good value for money too! Other than that, I love a good but from American Apparel and urban outfitters.
Would you say you follow trends or do you just buy whatever catches your eye?
I don't think I follow trends...I think on some cases it's difficult because that's what's available in the shops. But I definitely just buy whatever I want whether it's on fashion or not. I like to mix everything together so in most cases I will wear something from Topshop and then add a few charity shop pieces in. I love to layer and the more clothes the better in my case. If I can't decide I don't think twice a out wearing two dresses at once!!
How would you describe your personal style?

I would say I own personal style is a real mix of things! I don't think I have many boundaries when it comes to trying new things! I think I like to combine new and old and I love to make my own clothes...so I guess you could say I like things that are different! I mix new with vintage so the newer pieces never look the same. I love to layer and I like the contrast of putting girly clothes with more grungy types...I like to have fun with things and I love to try out quirky new styles!
What do you think of British fashion and street style?
I love street style and I think without realising everyone takes inspiration from what other people wear. Living in Manchester is great because i think that there is such a mix of fashion and I love to see people's reflection of fashion! It's an expression of personality and I think it's so interesting to see how people convey that. I have great respect for British fashion and I think that past eras and past trends have made how we dress today! Britain has so much history, which I think has a huge impact in terms of fashion, and it's exciting to see these new trends constantly revisited throughout the years! British designers are innovators and I think they are always at the forefront of fashion!


Saturday 24 August 2013

Shop reports!

Shopping/current trend reports as promised...


abstract, geometric, shop reports, british high street, topshop pencil skirt, forever21 jumper, zara blouse, digital prints, sliced print

hamsa hand, all seeing eye, paisley

animal print, leopard print, neon, fluorescent

floral etching, sketchy florals, floral fabric, floral prints

heart repeat, hearts, spots, polka dots, black and white

tartan, winter florals, red tartan, christmas tartan

ikat, patchwork, fashion

topsohp moth dress, paper doll top, topshop graphic tee, butterfly top, dragonfly top, patterned butterfly,




Betafashion design competition:Dreaming in Colour!

Since stopping my freelance job for my new job I have been at a loss with what to do with my spare time, so I decided to enter a design into a competition on betafashion.com. 

This was the brief:

DREAMING IN COLOUR
Taking inspiration from trans-dimensional dreaming and futuristic utopias, the challenge for this project is to create prints for our S/S14 womenswear collection using freedom of colour and mind and lucid dreaming to create new universes that will transform the collection into a contemporary, innovative and beautiful work of art.

We are looking for a combination of placement and repeating prints to be applied to the collection which will consist of jersey and woven dresses and separates.

8 winners will be selected, each receiving £500 and seeing their designs go on to form part of the collection which will be sold in our online store as well as some of the world's largest fashion retailers. Where possible the names of the winning designers will be presented alongside the collection at point of sale, as well as to the fashion press.


Below are the images eta provided to use as inspiration for this project.They are extremely similar to the images used in WGSN's cosmic folk trend prediction for next year, photos of which I have also posted below.

dreaming in colour, betafashion, beta fashion project.

SS14, aw14, WGSN, trend board, summer trends, cosmic folk, ufo fashion, fashion trend, digital print
WGSN trend board

Not only would it be amazing for me to win £500 if my design gets chosen, it would also be a great opportunity for me to get my design work featured in thebetafashion collection. As I have been doing so much research on this topic in my spare time I am hoping that this will increase my chances of reaching the final 8!

crop circles, manish arora, fashion make up, catwalk make up, ufo, fashion trend, egyptian, zodiac, hieroglyphics, eye


Below is the design I submitted which combines shapes from crop circles with galaxy/nebula shape fills and all seeing eye details. If you like the design it would be great if you could follow this link and vote for me to win: 



Friday 23 August 2013

Shopping trip and wedding outfit!

As you all know, mainly because I can't stop speaking about it, I have recently changed jobs and am now Junior Print Designer at Stuart Peters. This in itself is quite amazing as it is pretty much my dream job, but things became even better today as I was given the task of doing some shop reports on current print trends(I will do a blog post on these tomorrow!)which meant I got to spend the entire day shopping in London!

I also bought myself a few little treats. My cousins wedding is in a week and until today I was still outiftless so, as can be imagined, I was beginning to panic slightly about what to wear. Fortunately I found a lovely long sleeved cream lace dress from Urban outfitters which is absolutely perfect for the occasion and I have also bought a deep red flower crown headband to wear.
Floral tea dress(£45.00)Topshop, Gold chain necklace(£5.99)H&M, Shoes top to bottom: Gladiator sandals(£39.99)New Look, Deep red suede heels(£56.00)Topshop, Brown heels(£27.99), Bags top to bottom: Red leather clutch(£10.98)http://www.ebay.co.uk/bhp/red-leather-clutch-bag, Vintage burgundy clutch(£!8.00)Beyond Retro, Tooled vintage leather clutch(£14.03) superqueenieretro on etsy.com.
Initially I was going to buy the dress shown above for the wedding but I tried it on today and it was more of a very pale peach colour than the cream I had expected, it was also quite ill fitting. I guess that just goes to show that you can never be quite sure whether a garment will look as good as it does online.

Anyway this is my new outfit...It's borderline bridesmaidy(for want of a better word) but I kinda like it, and the dress fits really nicely and skims over the bits I want to hide!

Lace dress(£55.00) Urban Outfitters, Flower Crown(£6.50) ebay, Shoes my own from Topshop 2 years ago, Bag(£7.50) Beyond Retro, ankle socks(£8.00) Urban Outfitters.

I also bought this beautiful top from Zara...



I can honestly say that the current collection of printed garments in Zara left me in awe. Zara can always be relied on to provide soft feminine florals and well thought out digital prints but the current collection combines edgy tartan with dark wintery florals in an ode to 90's grunge yet still manages to retain its feminine allure.

While looking round the shops I noticed that there is an abundance of quilted/embossed/textured garments in the current store collections. Quilted fabrics were in every store I went in to, some studded some printed and on a variety of different garments. River Island, in particular, had an extensive range of quilted and embossed garments. I've got a feeling textured tees will be a staple for this Autumn's wardrobe. Probably means I should go on another shopping trip to invest in one...right?

Tuesday 20 August 2013

Grunge look and man repelling lipstick!

"What I would wear today if I could..."


It's half way through my first week at my new job and I'm still enjoying it which is promising!I'm feeling quite grungy today and so this has affected my imaginary outfit choice. I spent last night debating whether or not to get my nose pierced, I still haven't reached a decision,but I'm pretty sure this has influenced today's outfit choice.

Tie dye socks, black rucksack, backpack, grunge boots, plaid dress, checked dress, gingham dress, topshop dress, blue dress, tunic, silver chain
Dress(£36.00)Topshop, Grunge boots(£11.90) clothing.net, Tie dye socks(£6.00),Silver chain(£18.31) Nastygal, Black rucksack(£60.00) Hoy Boutique on ASOS marketplace.

This outfit just looks so comfortable!The loose fitting plaid print tunic dress from Topshop is perfect for the hot, sticky weather we have been experiencing lately, maybe something to add to my list of things to buy when I get my paycheck?


I don't usually comment on beauty products but I have the perfect lipstick to go with this outfit. Revlon's super lustrous creme lipstick in the black cherry shade is just amazing. Although my friends frequently tell me it's the kind of lipstick that scares away men(apparently dark lipstick in general does this), it is fast becoming my favourite item in my make up bag and at only £7.49. 


In the image above it looks quite brown but when applied it has a purpley sheen to it which I just love, man repellent or not it's definitely a keeper!

Well that's all I have time for today but I will do another style post tomorrow! x


Monday 19 August 2013

Return of the lime...

"What I would wear today if I could..."


So yesterday was my first day at Stuart Peters and I can honestly say that I really enjoyed it and am looking forward to working there!

For my second day of work I have chosen an outfit from my imaginary wardrobe which has a fresh grey/yellow colour scheme.

Dress(£36.00) Topshop, Necklace(£30.00)Topshop, Shoes(£21.09) aliexpress.com, Bag(£38.00) Urban Outfitters.


In this outfit I have brought back some of my favourite pieces from other style posts such as the amazing Urban Outfitters fringe bag(which I will own at some point!!!) and the Jeffrey Campbell rip-offs which I am also determined to purchase!I have combined these, along with a chunky silver necklace, with an abstract painterly grey/lime dress from Topshop. A great length and perfectly on trend with the AW13 scribble/painterly theme, this dress is great to take you from summer through to Autumn/Winter!

I have decided to start making my blog posts a little more regular so:
- Monday-Friday you can expect daily style post from me with the occasional trend/shop report. 
- Friday-Saturday I will aim to do either a street style post or an article on something in the Textiles/Fashion world that has peaked my interest.

If anybody has any suggestions on issues they think might make an interesting article then please feel free to message me/comment and I'll look in to doing some research:) 


Ciao for now x

Sunday 18 August 2013

First day!

"What I would wear today if I could..."


So today is the first day of my new job as Print designer at Stuart Peters.....very nervous/excited!Obviously this means I need a good first day outfit- comfortable without compromising on aesthetics...


Nastygal, Miss Selfridge skirt, quilted skirt, topshop boots, petrol boots, oil effect boots, fringed bag, urban outfitters bag, topshop cami top, topshop top, black coat, black anorak
Anorak(£37.93)Nastygal, Quilted skirt(£25.00)Miss Selfridge, Boots(£92.00)Topshop, Orange cami top(£18.00)Topshop, Fringed bag(£38.00) Urban Outfitters, Necklace(£27.47) Nastygal.

I'm sure I've mentioned on a previous style post how much I love the holographic oil slick effect on shoes/jewellery and this post is evidence of that. These petrol/oil effect chunky wedge boots from Topshop are amazing, so grungy but so comfortable and easy to walk in but they don't come cheap. At £92.00 it's not exactly an impulse buy, more the kind of purchase you have to think about and see how much wear you will get from them. I would love to own these as they're great for summer with the cutout sides but perfect for Autumn/Winter as they have a sturdy chunky heel and grip underneath. 
Anyway enough about the shoes......for my first day I want to look quite professional so I've avoided using any garish prints in this look, instead I have opted for texture. With a beautiful diamond quilted skirt from Miss Selfridge and a fringed bag from Urban Outfitters(which I intend to buy when I get my first paycheck- there may be tears if it's out of stock!) this outfit is professional yet still playful. Although I do want to look professional I am not a fan of wearing all black so I have teamed this outfit with a bold orange cami from Topshop, on trend with the v-neck, this adds a pop of colour to the outfit!

Well, I should probably leave now or my imaginary wardrobe will make me late for my first day... x

Hackney Wicked festival!


Today my friend and I decided to take a trip to Hackney Wicked art festival. We were quite late going so we only caught the end of the festival but it was amazing to see the open studios and the huge variety of work people are creating! 


Me in front of the wall I became obsessed with!


We also had chance to create some tie-dye garments, I chose socks, mainly because I've wanted some tie-dye socks for quite a while but have been reluctant to pay £6 for them. They have to be left in a sealed bag for 24hrs so that the dye can set but I'm quite excited to see how they turn out! Even if they come out looking awful it was still heaps of fun making them!





Saturday 17 August 2013

Homegrown fabric and invisibility cloaks science fiction or the future of fashion?

Recently I was watching a documentary about advances in nanotechnology and the development of new materials capable of being as thin as paper, as lightweight as a cotton shirt but as strong as chainmail. As I don’t know that much about scientific/technological developments I decided to look into this and as with all research one thing led to another and I quickly became fascinated with  the advances made in nanotechnology and how it might have positive/negative implications on the future of fashion.

It is no secret that we are living in a digital age. Gone are the days of OS maps, typewriters and video cassettes, the current generation has grown up with sat nav/google map apps, ipads and blu-ray dvds. As more and more scientific/technological developments are made our dependency on them has increased. Until recently these developments have been limited to electronic devices but they are now seeping into the textiles industry too.


Digital technology for textiles is becoming increasingly important. This year marks the first International Conference for Digital Technologies for the Textile industries at the University of Manchester(5th-6th September 2013). Countries attending this conference include: Russia, China, USA, UK, Canada, France, Belgium, India and Germany, this shows just how great the interest is in digital textile development!



One of the most important developments of modern technology is the discovery of Graphene by two Russian scientists currently working at the University of Manchester(Andre Geim and Konstantin Novaselov). Almost 1 million times thinner than a human hair, it is both the thinnest and strongest material in the world. Graphene consists of carbon atoms arranged in a hexagonal sheet pattern as shown above, similar in appearance to chicken wire but on an atomic scale. According to the New York Times, 

“a sheet of it stretched over a coffee cup could support the weight of  a truck bearing down on a pencil point.”(globalresearch.ca) 

Graphene is more electrically conductive than copper and at only one atom thick is also transparent. Scientists at the University of Texas, have used Graphene's electrically conductive properties to create an invisibility cloak to rival that used by Harry Potter. By heating up the Graphene atoms with electrical stimulation, the material becomes invisible.

 Although Graphene is an amazing discovery its usage is limited as China currently owns 70% of the worlds graphite supply and graphite is the main component in creating Graphene. The implications of China controlling the worlds graphite is that it can limit the ability for other countries to experiment and develop this new material. 


Hyperstealth's Quantum Stealth material in action.

Digital textile technology hit the news recently with the Hyperstealth Biotechnology Corps’ 'Quantum stealth' invisible camouflage material which bends light waves around the wearer so that they appear to be invisible. Backed by the US military this incredible material completely blurs the lines between science fiction and reality. 

Although Mr Cramer, CEO of Hyperstealth, has been unable to disclose how the technology works/how it is made(could it be Graphene?), he has provided some speculation on how it might be used in the military to create invisible stealth aircraft and submarines which are unable to be picked up by enemy radar. The implications of this technology if a war were to break out(fairly likely in our current political climate) are huge. The US, however, isn't the only country developing invisible technology- Israel is also said to be arming it's military with invisible missiles and we can safely guess that both Russia and China have some form of invisible technology up their sleeves(they're just far more discreet about it than the US!). I'm not a very political person but even I can speculate that this sounds all too similar to an arms race...and anyone who has studied World War history will know that one of the main triggers of WWI was an arms race between Britain and Germany...could we be seeing a repeat of History but on a more global scale?

 The majority of digital textile developments focus on how they might be used in a military context, but nanotechnology is also being developed so that it can be used in everyday fashion. The presence of digital technology in fashion seemed to begin with Hussein Chalayan’s transformation collection in 2007, where we saw his collection of garments change in front of our eyes, leaving one of the models completely naked on the stage as her clothing retracted into a large hat. This catwalk was groundbreaking for fashion as Chalayan demonstrated that digital technology could be used without having to compromise on the appearance of the garments.


On a more functional level, the usage of nanotechnology in textiles is also having positive implications in the medical world. NanoHorizons creation of SmartSilver has worked it’s way into hospital bedding. Silver has natural antimicrobial properties and SmartSilver embraces these properties and doesn’t wash out/wear off the fabric. SmartSilver is also perfect for reducing odour in clothing as it resists the bacteria which creates odour, because of this SmarSilver is perfect for usage in sportswear as well as everyday clothing.


From odour reducing/bacteria killing fabric to material with a view to combating malaria. Cornell University’s Textile nanotechnology laboratory in NYC has been working on anti-malaria wearable mosquito nets capable of storing and releasing insecticides to target mosquitos. With around 1.2 million people a year dying from Malaria, this could combat tone of the worlds deadliest diseases.



Scientists at the University of Bolton’s Institute for Materials Research and Innovation(IMRI) have been working with GK opto-electronics Co. Ltd. in China to develop photovoltaic-piezoelectric material. For those of us who are not scientific researchers, this could lead to the development of materials/clothing that can absorb the wearers movement and turn kinetic energy into electricity, so that clothing could power electronic devices. The scientists are also carrying out research to develop this material so that it can absorb energy from the weather(predominantly solar and wind energy). This development is quite fascinating and especially useful for anyone who owns an i-phone which has a ridiculously short battery life, imagine how useful it would be if you could go for a jog and simultaneously charge your ipod/smart phone.

A similar piezo-electric material has been used by designer Diana Eng, who used LED’s, microphones and conductive silver thread to create piezo-electric dresses which convert sound into light. The patterns on the dresses light up in response to sound waves/the beat of the music. The current prototype is unable to be washed, but if this idea is developed further our nightclubs may soon be filled with light up clothing that flashes to the beat of the music.

Diana Eng is not the only designer to experiment with using light in fashion, Cute circuit are a London based design label launched in 2004 who use LED technology in their designs. The LED dresses are controlled by an iphone app and have been worn by celebrities like Katy Perry and Nicole Scherzinger.

Cute Circuit dresses.

Ying Gao is another designer who has used advanced digital technology in fashion but in a very unique way. Gao has created a collection of dresses which use complex sensory technology which responds to people’s gaze. Each dress weighs around ½ pound and is made from the world’s lightest fabric, super organza, photoluminscent thread and eye tracking electronic devices, these dresses are programmed to light up and move when looked at creating beautiful and ethereal garments reminscient of jellyfish and deep sea creatures.





Advanced digital technology has not only been used in the creation of fashion forward garments, but also on the presentation of new catwalk collections. In 2011 Burberry used digital technology to present their collection in Beijing. Their catwalk consisted of holographic models dressed in the new collection colliding with each other and disappearing into smoke on the runway(see video below).




Although these technological developments are extremely useful, particularly for military purposes, what happens if there is a global break down in technology/electricity, unlikely I know, but these things have to be taken into consideration! 


Suzanne Lee, Senior research at Central St. Martin’s school of fashion and textiles, has been collaborating with biologists and scientific researchers at her studio in London to develop a way of growing clothing from bacteria. Using a bathtub filled with a combination of green tea, yeast and a sugar solution, she creates her own fabric by letting the ingredients ferment. This fermenting process spins cellulose fibres which stick together and form a skin on top of the liquid. The material can then be dried on a mould, creating a seamless, stitch free garments.



Natural dyes from blueberries/beetroots etc can then be used to dye the fabric to make it more aesthetically appealing et voila- biodegradable home grown clothing which can be disposed of without having any negative implications on the environment. These creations are currently in the prototype stage but the scope for development in this area is huge.


With the world becoming increasingly digital, it won’t be long before fashion is also completely digitized  In this article I have tried to show some of the many digital textile developments which are currently being explored. Who knows, in the future we may all be wearing invisible clothing, dresses that change their print dependent on our mood or, if the digital world breaks down we may all be sporting Suzanne Lee’s homegrown bio-leather. Either way the future of fashion looks extremely interesting!



Tuesday 13 August 2013

It's all about the ankle detail!

"What I would wear today if I could..."


Zara digital print trousers, digital print, ankle detail, chunky sandals, topshop shoes, london style blog
Digital print trousers(£39.99)Zara, Black Tee(£19.62)Nastygal, Chunky sandals (£45.00) Topshop, Necklace(£19.41)statementbaubles.com.

After my ridiculously lazy day yesterday and lovely lie in this morning (needed after staying out all night trying to catch a glimpse of the Perseid meteor shower), I am feeling quite fresh-faced today. What could reflect my fresh mood better than a summery cherry blossom scene on a pair of trousers! The designers at Zara have got the feminine printed trouser perfected and their new collection completely lives up to this expectation. I love the fresh colours used in these digitally printed trousers and think they are absolutely perfect to wear on a sunny day in the north!I've teamed these trousers with very simple accessories and a plain black tee, the trousers have such a statement print that I wouldn't want to detract from this by over-complicating the outfit.


Trend: Ankle details!

Today's style post is all about the ankle detail trouser which Zara have interpreted beautifully in their digitally printed trousers(featured above). 

Left to right: Costume National, Jean Paul Gaultier, Mantu, Lela Rose, Givenchy, Jonathan Simkhai, Jean Paul Gaultier, Clover Canyon, Josie Natori.


Several Resort 14 collections featured detailing around the ankle(shown above). Some, like Josie Natori, are very subtle bringing attention to the bottom of the trouser using a dip dye technique, whereas others, Jean Paul Gaultier for example, bring obvious attention to the bottom of the trouser by focussing all the detailing in one area. I actually really like this micro- trend and hope it takes off in the SS14 collections as it's an interesting way of placing prints on trousers and could easily be diluted to become a high street trend!

Monday 12 August 2013

Photographic print skirts

 While recently doing my imaginary online shopping for my style posts I noticed that there are a lot of photographic printed skirts on the high street, particularly on pencil skirts. These conversational prints range from French chateaus(boohoo) and enhanced florals(River Island) to astronauts(shopjeen) and fairgrounds(Topshop). Below are some of my top picks from the high street/online retailers...

Top row left to right:Topshop branches skirt(£28.00), Topshop fairground skirt(£28.00), Topshop traffic monochrome skirt(£28.00), River Island floral skirt(£25.00), Boohoo French chateau skirt(£15.00).
Bottom row left to right: Mary Katrantzou(£702.00), Clover canyon(£118), Ted Baker(£109.00), Shopjeen.co.uk(£21.97) Missguided  palm print skirt(£8.99)and Nastygal(£88.29).


Fabitoria


Fabitoria is the digital fashion label of Taiwanese duo Fabiana and Victoria. Founded in 2012, this fledgling fashion brand already has successful stores on Etsy and ASOS marketplace. Fabitoria takes inspiration from culture, landscapes, design and the natural world and combines these aspects with digitally enhanced photography to create surreal wearable works of art. The high resolution photographs in this collection of vividly coloured skirts enable the wearer to be transported to another place/time period/culture. In my opinion that's the beauty of fashion, through creativity we can turn fantasy into reality, how much more exciting would the world be if we abandoned minimalism and embraced digital prints such as these!

Fabitoria's SS13 range of mid-length skirts.


My favourite items in Fabitoria's SS13 collection are the garments which have prints built up from a variety of photographic images layered on top of each with different coloured filters applied to them. This is something I want to take into consideration when working on my collaboration.


Fabitoria, ASOS, ASOS marketplace,mini-skirts, digital prints, photographic prints, photograph skirt
Fabitoria's SS13 range of mini-skirts.














Lazy day style post!

"What I would wear today if I could..(be bothered to get dressed)"


Top(£32.00) ASOS collection, Disco pants(£22.99) Daisy street,Shoes(£24.72) Aliexpress, Bag(£36.00) Topshop.

Being in the midst of the festival season, kimonos are extremely popular right now and I love the kimono sleeve on this top from ASOS collection. The basket weave print on the top is great and is reminiscient of some of the details in Mary Katrantzou's SS13 collection. It also reminds me of a Dior advertisement I recently saw in Elle magazine(shown below).

Left: details from Mary Katrantzou SS13 collection, Right: Dior jewellery advertisement seen in Elle magazine.


We all have those days where we don't really see the point in getting out of our pyjamas; the weather's overcast, I have the week off work and I've come back up North for the week. Today I intend to lounge around, watch Channel 4 documentaries and maybe work on some designs for my collaboration with Faith Mason(http://faithmason.co.uk/). This is the side of fashion no-one broadcasts on style blogs, the 'totally-drained-of-clothing-creativity-days'. Above I have shown what I would wear today a) if I could afford to and b) if I could summon enough energy to get dressed, below I have shown a lovely selection of Pyjama's/ nightwear for the days, like today, when you just wanna lounge around.


Left to right: Topshop popcorn pj's(£26.00), Topshop sweet print joggers(£25.00), Tesco superhero pj's(£11.00), Topshop nightshirt(£18.00), Asda cookie monster nightshirt(£10.00), River Island Mickey mouse joggers(£25.00).



Friday 9 August 2013

Style post!

"What I would wear today if I could..."



Today is my last day at Nova , which is why I haven't had much time to blog for the last few days. This is going to be a ridiculously short post but here is my style post for the day...

Helmut Lang Medallion print leggings($195)http://www.mytheresa.com/en-de/print-leggings-207939.html, Geometric printed leggings(£25.00) River Island, T-shirt(£20.00) Dirtylondon.co.uk, Shoes(£9.62) Clothing.net, Necklace(£22.50) Topshop.


I am in love with these Helmut Lang leggings, the Ernst Haeckel print(If you haven't seen his botanical illustrations it's definitely worth a google!) on them is just amazing, obviously at around £170 per pair I have absolutely no chance of ever affording them but this is the beauty of having an imaginary wardrobe. Even I have to be realistic, however, so these River Island leggings are a great alternative and at only £25.00 they are definitely more in my price range. 

I have featured Dirty London's printed tee's before but I thought I would use another one in this style post as I have just bought this 'concrete jungle' printed t-shirt for my little brothers birthday and, as it's a unisex top, I wanted to see how I could style it up.


Wednesday 7 August 2013

Hype printed t-shirts!

"What I would wear today if I could.."


I absolutely love printed t-shirts, they're so versatile and great for taking you from the working day to after work drinks. Imagine my joy when I came across the 'Hype' store while browsing around Shoreditch last weekend!The 'Hype' brand first caught my attention through their concession in Topshop, and, until finding their store at Boxpark, I had not realised how much variety their brand offers! 'Hype', founded in 2011, specialises in detailed printed t-shirts that are an amazing colourful alternative to the popular photographic printed tee. 





I love a good motivational quote and their website doesn't disappoint with the following slogan on their "About" page: 

 "Believe. Only the strong survive." 

This is so true in life, and so relevant to a career in the fashion industry.

My appreciation for this brand has just increased...again...because of this I have decided to do two style posts today, each featuring a different 'Hype' tee as I was incapable of choosing just one!



Disco Pants(£20.00)Boohoo, Geometric print tee(£24.99) Hype, Holographic unicorn clutch(£21.03) Aliexpress, Necklace(£56.78) Nutcasefashion on Etsy.com, Shoes(£45.00)Very.co.uk.

I came home yesterday to a lovely package from boohoo with my new disco pants in!I absolutely can't get enough of these things and I'm determined to get at least 5 pairs in assorted colours. Boohoo do an amazing selection and at only £20.00 they manage to be affordable without having to compromise the quality! I actually prefer the satin boohoo disco pants to the original american apparel ones as they're elasticated and I don't feel like my behind is threatening an appearance via the seams. I also love the midnight blue shade of my new pair as they're great for summer but will carry me through to autumn as well.

I thought I would include my new favourite pants in both of today's style posts to show how they can be styled in two completely different ways!

I love that, despite being a unisex tee, this outfit looks really feminine with the pinks/purples. I wanted a holographic effect bag to go with this outfit and found this unicorn bag on aliexpress while i was googling, I know it won't be to everyone's taste but I think it's amazing and adds some childish charm to the outfit. I've pulled all the colours together in this style post with a statement necklace from Nutcase fashion's current SS13 collection.


Disco pants(£20.00)Boohoo, Animal/chain print tee(£24.00) Hype, Embossed leather bag(£18.00)FlossiesVintageAttic on Etsy.com, Flatform shoes(£11.12) http://www.clothing.net/, Eagle necklace(£12.50)Topshop.

My second outfit for today is a little tougher!With another amazing printed tee from Hype, this outfit is bang on trend with a unique combination of geometric shapes, animal print and botanical florals. I've paired this with some leopard print flatforms from a new website I came across- clothing.net. Never in my life could I have imagined finding such good quality on trend footwear for such a low price. 

 Along with my other fashion related obsessions(flatforms, statement necklaces and pencil skirts) I adore hand crafted leather bags and find it difficult to come back from a trip abroad without buying one to add to my collection. I have decided to accessorize this leopard tee/disco pant combo with an embossed hand made vintage leather bag from Etsy. I am still fascinated by how much of a treasure chest Etsy is, I can always find something on there that finished off an outfit perfectly.