London Fashion Week!

I was so bogged down with Coursework that I totally missed it, I think I might have been moving  more than some of the Designers were when trying to organise their chaotic show backstage it was awful, so i'm so sorry that this is so late! It's awful, however here are my favourites!

PPQ.

I love this! It's so clean,chic,sophisticated and glamorous! I wish I had been there to see this! I love their hats too, kind of a cross between batman and a kitten, what a dangerous cuteness they have! The shoes I wasn't a fan of at first, however the over the knee boots, sold it! I don't know why but I love the ruffles at the tops on them and would love a pair! now I just need thinner legs to be able to get into them! the dresses... BEAUTIFUL! there is no other way to describe them, I honestly love them, especially the grey one with the collar which is amazing as well as the sleeves on it!( the 4th dress in) I also love the crisp white shirt the girl with a black velvet looking pencil skirt is wearing before the girl in grey, that shirt is to die for! Anyone hate this collection? What are your favourite pieces? Oh and I loved the song!

Paul Costelloe.

I hate this one, it seems odd to put it on... but I hate it, and I can't work out why. The designs aren't too my taste but I just somehow don't see them as being wearable or anything, the patterns seem out dated I don't like the colour schemes either. Does anyone love this, if so why? I'm just curious to see if I'm missing something. However I do like their hair in a non-practical way!

Jena. Theo.

DANGEROUS! REBELLIOUS! SO ROCK N ROLL! I'm in love! The eyes are so striking, the fabric so free and flowing, the music so on point. I love it! I could never wear it, but it stands out!I also love the colour palette. The materials are so soft as well, giving it a totally contrasting feel if you were to touch! how conflicting, which just adds to the rebelliousness! Does anyone else get the same feeling from this as I do?

Inspiration

I guess vaguely like this, but in Yellow,
different check and different chains. But you get the Vague idea.

I finally have my inspiration for my dress for my interview! and now I'm raring to go! I found this gorgeous yellow lumberjack type material with grey sort of check in with it, and so I've based my dress on that material and built up around it! It's going to be sort of a punk rock lumberjack! with lots of antique silver chains with little crosses and stuff on, with a glamorous edge as well! I've still got to draw it but it's all up there in my head for definite! I've been driving my mum mad with the idea, and I'm going to start on the beginning pages today after lesson!

I've just got to sort out the dress, and then I'm going to start on the shirt! I'm really quite excited for it! But I'll do a mock drawing of it today and post that so you can all give me a little bit of feed back on it! But as I keep saying, I'm really excited about it! Which is quite good as the other one I think would of been really difficult to actually do but this one does look a little easier to actually put in to practice. I'm also really looking forward to styling it as well! My friend, loves styling too, so I think between us we can get some amazing shots of it! 

I'm also almost done on my night course, last week next monday, and I'm getting really excited! I'm just doing a simple grey a-line skirt, but I think I've enough material to do it again, so I might make another once the course is finished and I might add some little jewels and stuff on to it and make it a little bit more glam! I'm really glad I took up the night course since I really do enjoy it, and I'm looking forward to enrolling in the next one! I've also seen some of the finished articles at the college for the Fashion Design course, and I'm actually not minding so much if I have to go and do a foundation year there or something, since the work they produced their is Uni quality or just below I think and the pictures etc. do look really good. 

Braided Shirt Reconstruction!

Had a good day, managed to do some work, started again as a bad day but it's gotten really good!

I braided a t-shirt which I've been meaning to do for a while since I saw this video on ThreadBanger.

So I created my own shirt, I don't think I did the cuts big enough which I think is why my braid has pulled my shirt in on itself a little, but I'm going to try again once I've tie-dyed a shirt white and a red color. I'm trying to harass my mum into doing that with me, but we're waiting on the weather really. But at least I managed to design a little bit without destroying the shirt, and I think it would look 

 really nice with a chain ran through as well, or
 something along those lines, and a really
 pretty jewel at the bottom where it finishes

offf.

I also went and did some painting for my portfolio for my work of a tulip, to reflect Dior's dresses that were based on Tulips. Since I think they were really well designed. Some times when designers base the items on nature they can either have really yucky colors or can loose the shape and style of the actual plant and not really have much of a connection to it's original form, but these managed to look beautiful and keep the shape. So I'm doing a design copy of that dress and some life drawing etc. and then I want to attempt my own dress that will be inspired from nature hopefully. A daffodil maybe or something like that. Flowers seem a nice one to do because they often have nice shapes or maybe a shell, one of those curved ones. They would be interesting to design from or some shape 

along those lines. Something with lots of color

though like Dior's has, perhaps with a little bit more of a punk rock edge, a few chains and studs? I've also been trying to get an idea together for my Interviews but nothing so far.

xoxo!

An Interview with... Alexandra from Makemeadress

Today, from the wonderful world of Handmade and Vintage! I've interviewed for your pleasure Alexandra from the online Etsy store Makemeadress. She was wonderful to interview so thank you for letting me!

Makemeadress Shop!

How long have you handmade things?
Since I was a little girl playing with my mum’s fabric box and my grandmother’s huge array of clothes, shoes and just about anything else you could wear.

Black Lace Cocktail Dress - $210.00

Did your grandmother and mother ever encourage you as such or was it more self-driven the need to create?
I wasn't actively encouraged to create but was actively taken to dance classes nearly every day. My grandmother was a dance hostess in the 50's and thought I should be taught properly. I was more interested in the costumes and was eventually told I would be better off designing the costumes than dancing in them! My mother is very creative and is a wonderful support.

Where do you work from? Office space, the lounge, outside?
I'm lucky enough to have a studio where I live.

Do your surroundings reflect how you design?
Not so much, I'm sure if I lived in the city my designs could be a little different but out here in the country I'm able to run away with my imagination. 

Do you sell in the countryside, or go into London etc. for ideas occasionally?
We always take holidays in cities which are great for ideas and to be around a buzz. Our nearest city Bristol is only a short drive away and is an amazing hub of creativity. 

Little Black Organic Cotton Dress - $190.00

How do you get you’re inspiration for new products? I am constantly watching old movies, pouring through books on the golden age of design and have an unhealthy addiction to vintage clothing and fabrics. I find inspiration in just about everything and live and breathe dresses all day long.

Is there anything special you do when stuck for an idea or on an item? i.e. walk?
I usually get to a point with each dress where need to step away and not look at it for a few hours. When you have been staring at the same dress for sometimes twelve hours a day, you need to get some perspective. 
I take trips out, we'll go to exhibitions, and there is an excellent fashion museum only an hour away. I watch a lot of films and visit flea markets and vintage shops as much as I can. I love people watching and seeing how people style themselves which is always inspiring.

How did you get into hand making stuff?
I started with textiles at school and went on to study fashion design at university.

Were you brilliant first off, or did it take a few attempts? It’s taken 27years to be good at what I do; making dresses is a very long and endless process of learning. Every dress is different and there is always a new way to cut a dress. I hope to be brilliant when I'm 90!

Black Lace Peter Pan Dress Collar -$35.00

What led you to creating your own business?
Since graduating I had the option to move to London to work or stay living in the countryside; I chose to stay and as there aren’t many fashion jobs in the countryside I decided to set up my own business.

Do you think it’s been worth it?
Yes! Its hard work but I love every day that I get to work on new commissions and am happiest creating dresses all day long.

Is there anything you would change?
Being more confident to make contacts and network - but I'm working on this.

Do you get many difficult customers, and if so how do you manage not to yell at them?
There is no such thing as a difficult customer just a great challenge!
Of course there have been times but they generally just need some reassurance and everything is fine.

Is there any particular reason you started your online shop, apart from you love it?
Selling on-line has been the best way to reach lots of customers interested in the same vintage look as me. My perfect customers are rarely found walking down the dirt track to our house in the middle of nowhere.

Blue Red Cosmic Print rockabilly Dress Sample -$80.00

If you didn't make dresses what else would you of done?
I would have been a terrible dancer, singer or a very mediocre actress maybe?! I nearly went into fine art but was still sculpting dresses. I like the idea of teaching one day. 

What are the things that you most enjoy about owning your own business? 
I get to work with wonderful customers on their ideas and get to work on dresses every day.

What is your next step for your business or is selling online it?
I'm working on a new collection of bridal gowns which will launch early next year and I will be working with local boutiques selling one of a kind dresses.

Thank you for reading the interview, and be sure to pop along and have a look at what other items they have, there are also the most wonderful clutch bags as well! 

xoxo