Friday 21 October 2011

THE WARDROBE FILES: Liverpool fashion week.

Hello to all you late night readers, or good morning to all of you that are reading this saturday morning! With being out till quite late I've not been able to post anything before hand so I just thought I'd show you all quickly what I wore this evening. Of course a more in depth post on the event is being planned as I type but just to add a little something extra I just thought I'd give you a insight into tonight's wardrobe choices.


 I'm still getting used to my Tripod and finding a place to shoot. I never know quite what to do so I've been trying out various angles! I'm so glad I'm able to slighty edit the colours as I currently can find my underskirt nowhere and only have a short black dress underneath...A flash and a sheer dress can be a total nightmare.
The dress itself was an oxfam buy last month, It has a little white tie that I hope you can all see. I threw my classic Lennon vest top underneath to aid to the liverpool feel. My check shirt was a slight afterthought, Jess Corcoran always needs some colour.

I'll be posting again tomorrow,

Wednesday 19 October 2011

ADVERTISING: What did you say?

Now something I’ve never particularly expanded on before is the concept of design beyond the realms of fashion. Yes indeed, I’ve touched on the art form that a classic Prada dress could be, but I’ve never physically explained to you all my love for lettering. This infatuation I possess with big, bold letters is one I think that stems into my addiction with printed T-shirts, although any colour will do there’s nothing more powerful than a stark black statement emblazoned across an otherwise freshly white canvas.

Now let’s transfer this into advertising. When flicking though a glossy magazine or a Sunday paper supplement, my eyes are drawn to the simple headings over swirly calligraphy instantly. The way the brand states there name is crucially important. With Chanel boldly yet somehow simply printed across a screen back dropped with Freja Beha Erichsen it demands a sort of attention and arrogance that only a company like Chanel could.




 Take for example also both Marc Jacob’s current and previous ads. Although smaller in size the name, the impact is still heavily there. This season we see prints of Helena Bonham Carter but we’ve also seen Dakota Fanning and Victoria Beckham feature. Regardless of the type of woman we’d expect to fulfil the perfect brand image, by the simple statement of the capital black letters we are totally and utterly assured that they are what Marc Jacobs deems to be his type of girl above and beyond our recognitions of her.


This is what I love, the simple play of graphics and imagery that comes into play to help transfer a product from the designers show or studio into a full fledge product we need. What ever way your sold an item, do not my friends underestimate the power of words, or even just the type of word. Sometimes, advertising speaks for itself.

Tuesday 18 October 2011

TO THE FUTURE.


Dear future, I'm excited to get to know you.
I've heard some of the things your going to bring but I'm so excited for the many other events I will not know of until they happen.
I'm blessed to have such a future like you,
and I'm grateful for the people that you bring to me.

 

RELIGION: One thing remains.

Think of that song that seems to sum up everything your going through at a particular time or one that hits you and leaves you stunned at its power. I found a song that caught me and refused to let go. I'd heard it first at a youth event that had taken place in my church. The worship had been amazing and I'd never felt as free and connected to God in my own church before, other events maybe, and things like Bakewell of course, but never in Roby before that night had I felt so overjoyed and connected into the worship.

One night on a major youtube trawl did I once again stumble upon it. The words of the verses, the chorus, the bridge. Every single part of the song totally overwhelmed me, like I'd finally realised that I wasn't choosing when I was living for God, he was instead choosing me. The thing that got through to me the most was the amazing love he has for every single one of us. He is always there, and he wants to do everything to show us that and to try make us understand how much he cares. Ask me this time last year if I was a christian? my response would truthfully be no. I was struggling through a lot and I had felt like God had completely abandoned me. I know can look back and realise that I know I was honestly completely surrounded my God's love through the blessings he had surrounded me with. Without all the suffering I've been through in the past year I know I would not be who I am now nor would I have such absolute faith and passion for God.

I might not have seen God's presence in a straightforward sense, but I see that he never let me fall. I had to be away from him personally, to be able to come back and have a deeper relationship. He surrounded me with his love through others, I was kept going through the amazing Christians that surrounded me. No matter what, the where four people in particular that sustained me and where there when no one else was.

I may have thought that God was nowhere to be seen when in fact he was absolutely everywhere. To thank them by name dropping:  Rebecca, Martin, Megan & Ben allowed God to use them and shine through them in order to get to me. I was never alone, Never without God. I'm blessed to have had these people help me and the many others that have been there for me too.


        "Your love never fails, it never gives up. It never runs out on me."





INSPIRATION: a notebook page.

in very scouse terms, if your not onto my love of magazines and general cutting and sticking like a three year old, you kind of need to acclimatise yourself and understand it. I just thought I'd let you all delve into a little part of my creative space. One day I will deliver a room post because I am so fascinated by other peoples use of there space and also a "what's in my bag?" post (again, utterly fascinating) but its very rare to find anything worth taking a photograph of because everything is so damm messy, and on the odd chance its clean my camera charger is nowhere to be found.

Here's a page from one of my current notebooks, that I agressively attack with celotape around Febuary. I think the inspiration came from what then was the initial trend indications of fetish fashion combined with old school glamour. As always your getting a viewing of my chipped nail varnish. Enjoy.

FASHION & STYLE: The winter coat.

For the second or third year in a row (I honestly can't remember) I've been excluded from having to trail around every possible shop in the vain hope of somehow trying to find a partially reasonable excuse for a coat. I did last years winter months varying between two jewel tone numbers, a  purple cape ish design complete with a sort of very nontechnical "tie thing" that I never attempted fasten into a bow. And, a long vintage mint beauty stolen directly from the wardrobe of my nan. With both of these I was delivered a pretty safe cover up for the icy conditions of Britain (except when it rained, like wool school blazers, my green one absolutely stunk.)




I know I was blessed to find two coats I liked equally and could swap depending on occasion. These days its not about the lack of choice, but the sheer volume of possibilities: fabric, shape, texture. These features among many others come into play when solving our coat identity crisis and its hard to know which one to go for. Black of course is classic, but arguably somewhat boring unless paired with clever wardrobe choices that bring an element of something more. How safe is print though? Can you risk a faux animal print number above a certain age? And with a lack of real curves, it is really advisable to buy one that drowns you and removes all hints of a possible waist?

Questions, questions. My rules are pretty much as follows... If your going for practical, keep it classic, choose colours that compliment your skin tone and hair and fit in with the rest of your wardrobe. But if your picking a fabulously quirky number with no real coat substance only pizazz, make sure there's room to layer warmer pieces such as cable knits and deliciously thick scarves. Shape is a crucial factor so do have your body in mind when trying on and be prepared to accessorise, I'm saying on no circumstances are you allowed to do something like Gok and hack it to pieces but depending on your frame it may be worth adding a belt.

A final word though: have fun with your choices. Do not let the coat either overpower you or under sell you. It is there to keep you warm and act as the ultimate outfit clincher, SOMETIMES. But remember. Don't let your coat do all the talking.

Tuesday 4 October 2011

FASHION & STYLE: Oh My Mulberry

I’ve told myself far to many times to unsubscribe from the regular Mulberry emails that inform me of new products and items, but I just can’t bring myself to . It’s a well known theory that I spend most of my time gazing longingly at clothing and accessories I can only dream of buying. An obviously mathematically equation is that, the higher the price of the item, the more my wardrobe seems to need it. It’s ever the case on a Mulberry email day.

See, its okay if I get straight to my blackberry, I’ve the willpower to ceremoniously refuse to look. Though when my guards down and I’m sat unsuspectingly with my laptop, who knows my possible reaction to all the wonder and glory that waits. I just can’t help myself, accidentally clicking not only on the actual email but then the link to the brands online label itself, and then I’m caught. Hook. Line. and sinker.

As always in my girly tendencies I’m swayed to a dress. Now, alone on the ad campaign was somewhat bearable, deep breaths and a quick away glance when my eyes hit its smooth glossiness during a session of devouring a magazine. Simply flick the page and pretend that I haven’t even noticed It all. When someone says “Mulberry” you must whisper, “think the lily bag, don’t even think of the dress”. But oh my, its risky business when you find yourself directly admiring its true loveliness for the first time.

Take in the perfect shape and the smooth silk material. Its quality even so visible from a computer screen, the colour, like a bright crackling firework exploding to brighten up our lives that before this, we just couldn’t see true colour. Pared with subtle embellishments, a glorious peter pan collar above the 3 simple buttons; the dress makes perfect wear. Day time, Night time, anytime.

A simple versatility of this level is only achieved by a brand like Mulberry. Yes, you’re all going to hear about the “Alexa” again. It became the bag to have, yet placed on it was nothing over the top, its was simple, and because of that, it was beautiful. I feel we see that echoed in the creation of this dress, it can be a statement. Or it cannot. But regardless of the way you want to wear it, it’s something incredibly special. I wish so much for it to be mine, a hopeless wish it indeed may be, but one that hold substance. With an item like this it becomes not fashion, but style, and art. And owning a valuable piece of art like this, is well, priceless.
and don't even get me started on the shoes
                                                                                Dress - Mulberry, £1,400