Resort 2015 trends post!

Once again this is an overdue post but I've been quite busy figuRing out what to do with my life, redoing my portfolio then editing the reworked portfolio. I've also been visiting some studios to try and find a place to set up so I can get some independent work done. I have actually managed to find a shared studio space in one of the Hackney Wick warehouse which I have paid the rent for and will be moving my arty stuff in to next weekend so I will post a few photos of it on here when I have some. I'm hoping that I'll feel a lot more motivated to do work in my spare time If I'm already paying for a place. 

On a more positive note I have passed 50,000 page views so I'm taking a cringey moment to thank all of you that read my sporadic blog posts for your support and your continued reading. It's really re-assuring to know that people are actually reading what I'm writing and makes it a bit more worthwhile.

Despite my new blog format, which I am still very keen on, this post is actually a trend post for the recent resort 2015 collections.


The seventies trend seemed to be quite big throughout the resort collections,  not just in the geometric and paisley printed garments, but also in the styling of the collections and the garments shapes. Longer length hippie styles, capri trousers, polo necks and oversized shirt colours were all popular and there was a strong 70's colour palette of earth mustards, rust oranges and turquoise/electric blue tones.

Red&Blue colour combinations seemed to be a strong trend across all of the Resort 2015 catwalks.

As we all know florals are a recurring trend for Spring and the Resort 2015 collections featured 3 different floral trends:

- Linear florals: Line based illustrative floral shapes, minimal colours.

- Painterly florals: Watercolour effect petals, loose lines, blurred effects, hand painted.

- Simple/flat florals: Pop art-esque, solid flat areas of colour, thick lines, moroccan tile florals.

The abstract trend from A/W 2014 is still present in the Resort 2015 collections but not as strong as in the previous collections.

One of my favourite trends seeping through the catwalk collections at the moment is the Moroccan tile trend.This trend feels extremely fresh and unexplored with its bright topaz and turquoise tones against rich reds and oranges, could this be the print that marks the festival season for next year?I hope so!
 First introduced in A/W 14 by the likes of Temperley, KTZ and Preen by Thornton Bregazzi, this trend has been championed through the Resort 2015 collections by Chanel, Thakoon and Tia Cibani. In my opinion Chanel's Moroccan tile collection will be the Resort 15's equivalent to Burberry's' recent painterly collection and Celine's abstract brush strokes. When prestigious fashion houses like Burberry or Chanel move away from their trademark design style the fashion industry pays attention and a trend is born. This is what I think will happen with the Moroccan tile trend.  

Another trend that seems to be coming through in the Resort 2015 is a more primitive trend. A move on from the abstract trend featuring prints inspired by tie dye, aboriginal art and loose mark-making.

As predicted at Premiere Vision, tropical prints were huge in the Resort 2015 collections. There seemed to be a lean towards painted watercolour tropical prints in softer muted colours.

As has come to be expected in recent years, animal prints were also popular. In recent collections we have seen a move towards giraffe and zebra prints and brightly coloured leopard prints. For the Resort 15 collections, designers seem to have regressed back into more earthy, natural animal prints, leopard and snakeskin being particularly popular.

Stripes and Spots were also very popular in the recent collections. Opening Ceremony and Tsumori Chisato were probably two of my favourites for this trend.

Another thing I have noticed while browsing through the Catwalk collections was a lack of conversational and novelty prints, which is why I have yet to create a conversational board. 

Well I hope you've enjoyed looking at my take on the Resort 2015 catwalk trends. I won't be posting anything for the next week as I am on holiday but I will try my best to make a post next weekend showing you my new studio and what I've been working on!

#fridayfeature Interview with Sera Ulger

Back in May I did a feature post on Sera Ulger and her collaboration with Malibu rum (http://textilecandy.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/sera-ulger-for-malibu.html). Since then I have been fortunate enough to interview her about her design process and how she has established herself as a print designer.

     After graduating what did you do? Did you go straight into freelancing or did you do some internships? If so, where..

"I went on to intern with Topshop, specializing in print department for 3 months. I was designing prints for the Spring Summer collection, which they used and launched. I was also working freelance for New York- with Jcrew and Victoria Secret."

You've worked for brands such J.Crew and Topshop, how did you forge connections with such prestigious brands?

 "As much as it is important to have contacts in the industry, its really important you know how to put your self out there and make sure the industry knows of you and your specialist skills. I had a great reaction for my final year collection, which helped build awareness as a designer. It was essential to set up my website and have an online presence. "

Sera Ulger's graduate collection.

How did you begin working on the Malibu collection, what was your inspiration? Were there any other ideas you played around with?

"Malibu was one of the most exciting projects I've worked on! I designed the final Summer bottle, using this design I used the print in various ways, placing it on to dresses, bikinis, couture pieces. Making sure I created a story, a perfect MalibuRum X SULDN summer 14 story.The inspiration all started with the feel for Malibu as a brand and the beliefs. It was the perfect suited collaboration. I'm very colourful, bold and bright in the way I design, and Malibu’s feel screams exactly this. I started with looking at birds, and painting everything tropical."

Sera working on the Malibu collection.

What artists/designers inspire you most?

"I have designers who have inspired me from a young age and still do now, like Roberto Cavalli, Emilio Pucci and Versace to name a few. What’s really inspiring is being part of London’s movement, the music scene has a great influence on the industry and this is something that definitely plays a part in the way I designs."

Resort 2015 collections, left to right: Just Cavalli, Emilio Pucci, Versace.

When you're running dry with inspiration, where in London do you go to get inspired?

"I’m weirdly obsessed with painting and illustrating animals. I love starting a project with an animal painting- to get inspiration and be more inspired; the best place would be the aquarium/ zoo. Being out and about in London is inspiring in its self- the inspiration never really drys out. Especially being at the heart of Dalston."

 If you had to choose a quote that motivates you when you're having designers block what would it be?

"I’ve had a poster on my wall since 13 yrs old- 

   ‘The future belongs to those who can see it’ 

I still have it on my wall. I love it!"

What has been the most beneficial lesson you have learnt since graduating?

"Gaining industry experience is essential, working for different fashion labels I’ve learnt how individual fashion labels run as a business and the manufacturing side of textiles."

What projects are you working on at the moment?

"I'm launching the next season collection in Sep/ Aug- This collection is vibrant and pretty bold. Its really exciting putting together another collection and a launch party. I also work with a print company, where we will be going to New York to show at Indigo Textiles Fair."

Sera Ulger's studio space.

        What print trends will you be championing this Summer?

"I absolutely love the camo print- need to see more of it! The dog tooth is also in the wardrobe!Not print but- I have my fave white jelly shoes… cant get enough of them. Also rocking a white maxi dress- 90’s eat your heart out."

Finally, Any advice for budding print designers?

 "My advice would be to make sure you keep your portfolio updated, and don’t be afraid to make those initial connections your self-put your self out there, and know who you can see your style of work, works best with."

#throwbackthursday

For this weeks #throwbackthursday I'm going to delve into the history of the hemline. My #tuesdaytrends post was all about the return of the maxi, so, sticking to this theme, I'm going to take us through the rise and fall of the hemline.

Until the 20th century skirt hemlines scraped the ground. It wasn't until 1915, with the creation of the wartime "crinoline" dresses that hemlines started to rise. With the suffragette movement empowering women to become more independant, skirt lengths rose above the ankle for the first time in history reaching 15 inches above the floor in 1925. The androgynous look of the 1920s flappers with their short bobbed hair, loose drop waisted dresses and fitted hats took obvious inspirarion from mens clothing. Perhaps this was a reflection of young women narrowing the gap in equal rights between men and women, both in terms of politics(women got the vote in 1918) and past-times.

“The New Woman of the 1920s boldly asserted her right to dance, drink, smoke, and date—to work her own property, to live free of the strictures that governed her mother’s generation....She flouted Victorian-era conventions and scandalized her parents. In many ways, she controlled her own destiny.” 

― Joshua Zeitz, 'Flapper: A Madcap Story of Sex, Style, Celebrity, and the Women Who Made America Modern.'



An interesting theory regarding hemlines was presented in 1926 by economist George 

Taylor, this has come to be known as the Hemline index. According to Taylor, "The higher the index the shorter the skirts and the better the economy." Taylors theory suggested

that womens hemlines rise in relation to the stock prices. In a good economy, skirts are 

shorter (examples include the miniskirts of the 1960s and 1990s) and in a bad economy 

hemlines are lowered, 1929's wall st crash being a prime example of this). according to an 

article in the dailymail (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2187272/1929-

depression-Skirts-long-past-recession-indication-bad-times.html), hemlines have recently

reached the same maxi lengths as in the great depression of 1929. Should we be 

expecting another economic recession!?

The most complete recent study of hemlines and the economy was carried out by two researchers(Franses and Baardwijk)  at the Econometric Institute Erasmus School of Economics. They examined monthly data on hemlines from 1921 to 2009 and, although they couldn’t find any evidence that hemlines predict dips in the economy, they did find that the financial atmosphere and the stability of the stock market can predict hemlines with a three-year to four-year delay.In other words around 3/4 years after a financial dip, skirt lengths drop.

Taking all of this into account, although I love the new take on the maxi trend, I am slightly apprehensive about what the implications of this are in relation to the economy. Is George Taylor's hemline index still applicable to contemporary fashion?Should we be expecting another recession, or are we simply reacting to the most recent economic dip 3/4 years too late? I guess it all hangs in the balance, if hemlines rise we can let our hopes of financial stability rise with them. 

#TUESDAYTREND- Longline outerwear

January marked the return of fashion week with the A/W 14 collections- waist bands were loose and hemlines were dropped! The A/W 14 collections demonstrated an obvious movement towards longer lengths; full length duster coats, longline blazers and floor length kimonos.

After looking at the recent Resort/Cruise 2015 collections(which I will be blogging about in next weeks #tuesdaytrends) it is apparent that this trend is set to continue. Not that we should be surprised by this! Last year saw the recent re-emergence of 90s inspired fashion reach it's peak; grunge styling; cami dresses; doc Martin boots, heeled trainers and even scrunchies worked their way back into our wardrobes. As the maxi cardigan was such a huge part of 90s fashion we should have anticipated it's return!

Bloggers across the globe are also investing in this trend whether that be by purchasing floor length festival kimonos, ankle scraping summer trench coats or lightweight duster jackets, a sure sign that this is a "must buy" garment for the summer.

1.http://mindthemustard.tumblr.com/ 2.http://ihateblonde.com/ 3.http://phosphenes.de/ 4.http://instagram.com/abxchainloop 5.http://lusttforlife.com/ 6.http://www.ordinarypeople.ca/ 7.http://www.sugarandspiceofficial.com/ 8.http://www.sugarandspiceofficial.com/ 9. http://ftbh.blogspot.com/10. http://blog.oliviaemily.com/ 11. http://www.amyvalentine.co.uk/ 12 .http://www.themarcystop.com/

With runway designers and bloggers both championing this trend it is unsurprising that the current high street clothing ranges are packed with floor length outerwear options. I have pulled together a few of my favourites below!

1. Nastygal, 2. River Island, 3. ASOS, 4. Very, 5. Urban Outfitters, 6. ASOS, 7. Monki, 8. Tophop, 9. Band of Gypsies at Topshop, 10. Topshop, 11. New Look, 12. H&M,13. Boohoo, 14. Oh my love at Topshop, 15. Boohoo, 16. Topshop.

Floor length printed kimonos are a favourite of mine, although they can only be worn when there is dry ground/pavement(no one likes a kimono with a tide-mark) which prevents them from being an everyday option in the UK. Floating along in a printed kimono never fails to make me feel artistically bohemian and inspires me to actually get some sketching done, so this will be how I work the maxi trend into my wardrobe!In fact, I have already managed to get my hands on a beautifully patterned sheer kimono from TK Maxx (see below)on a trip back home for the bargain price of £12.00! One of the many reasons I enjoy returning home is because the sales seem to be stocked with items I love that other people in my small town shy away from, if it's too garish for other people I will love it!

TK Maxx kimono-£12.00

So there is today's #tuesdaytrend - longline outerwear!Tomorrow I'll post an update of my wardrobe wishlist from Pinterest so you can all see what I'm loving at the moment!

#makeaneffortmonday

Today was my #makeandeffortmonday at work. So, as the sun has been shining lately, I decidedto get into the summer spirit with a pastel outfit. The pink pleated ASOS midi skirt is a recent purchase of mine and I am just in love with it!Its perfect for dressing up/down and is a beautiful shade of bubblegum pink, unusual for me as I very rarely wear pink. I teemed this with an eggshell coloured v-neck cami top and my favourite chunky heeled white sandals. Due to the good weather I have taken to wearing a long sleeved midi cardigan instead of a coat. The one I have bought recently is actually from TK Maxx and was only £12.00-such a bargain. The one below is a similar shape and from new look at only £18.00, so still fairly well priced!

Midi cardigan £17.99 (New Look), Eagle necklace £3,50 (Miss Selfridge sale),Shoes £40.00(River Island), Cami top £18.00(Topshop), Midi skirt £35.00 (ASOS).

Sunday review

I'm quite enjoying doing a Sunday review post(as you can tell because is the only part of my new format I have actually stuck to so far!). Its a great way of reminding me whats happened in my week and, although this sounds cliche, I feel like it's making me appreciate the positive aspects of my life a bit more!In London it's extremely easy to get caught up in the rat race and because life seems so fast in this busy, bustling city we forget to step back and take a few seconds to appreciate the simplicity of life and the moments that bring us joy. 

This week my life seems to have had a huge injection of joy. For the first part of the week I was back home in Lancaster(up north) enjoying the comforts of being around my family and topping up on love, cuddles and proper meals. Spending days sketching in the sunshine, ambling across the beach and visiting the quaint village church in Heysham, by Tuesday evening I was feeling calm and carefree. Until I attempted to get the train home which was running 90 minutes late and meant that I didn't get to my new home in Dalston until 2 am...cue the fleeing of my carefree feelings....

Wednesday morning marked my return to the rat race. It would be wrong to say I was dreading going back to work, but I wasn't particularly enamored by the idea either. I guess that's the general feeling after a few days off. Despite this, Wednesday was a pretty good day as I had been invited to the Launch party for the new NokiaLumia360 where some of my work was being exhibited in a popup store. So at 7pm my friend and I stumbled our way to Brick lane's Truman Brewery, drank ample amounts of red wine, ate sumptuous grilled cheese sandwiches(all free!!!) and pottered around the exhibits. It was so rewarding to see my work being exhibited for the first time, especially after it had been such a struggle to get the printed tote bags to the gallery on time #couriercomplications.  

Aside from the Launch party my week has been relatively chilled out. A particular highlight of this week was Thursday- I managed to rush away from work on time(for once!) and get to Hampstead heath ponds in time for a post work swim. It was the hottest day of the year so far and such an idyllic evening, so my friend and I indulged ourselves with a prosecco infused picnic.

On Friday night my new housemate and I ventured into Dalston for a few drinks to celebrate the weekends' return. I  had the chance to wear my b-e-a-uuuuutiful new floor length kimono that was an absolute steal at £12.00 from TK Maxx. Saturday was pretty much a write off due to the aforementioned drinks, but I did make the impulsive decision to get a tattoo on Saturday evening. I've been thinking about getting another tattoo for quite some time now and ,due to my constant complaints about perpetual singleness, I figured getting 'faith' tattooed on my ring finger was appropriate. It can act as a reminder that I'll meet someone someday and will hopefully prompt me into patience.

So that's my week: beach ambles at home, portrait sketching, launch party/exhibition, Hampstead heath swimming and prosecco picnic, Friday fun and a new tattoo. Not bad!