its been a while....

goodness, the last time i posted anything was nearly 3 years ago!!! alot has changed and happened, some good and some not so but i think its time to start updating again and finding new focuses in life! i'm going to post things that interest me each week, with new facts i learn and interesting things i discover...as well as the random things my pupils may come out with which will make all laugh! tehe ........................enjoy x

Check out my Slide Show!

Alternative Fashion Week - Show day

oh my goodness, what a day! it was manic! but i loved every minute of it though. we got there early on and they had already started choosing models! so we quickly got in line and chose ours. not to bad a mixture, mainly tall and slim though which is what we required. I then went to start dressing. the tent was so small, it was a complete nightmare. we had chosen outfit order the night before, it all went out the window, we ended up just giving outfits out to any of our models! and getting all there hair and make-up done on time was tight! my models outfit was the last to get done! we were first on as well!!!!

i was pleased with how the show went down, the models went on any order, but never mind! i got a lovely shot of my outfit, better than the ones i had back off my photographer when we did our studio shoot! but thats another story to be resolved....

toiling outfit 4

i've toiled out fit 4 now, just one more to do then i can finially start making the real ones! yeay! I've changed some areas of the design because so didn't work how i wanted them to! i've moved the frill sleeve on to the bib apron, it works much better, well supported now, as the jersey didnt seem to be strong enough! i've also got to make the scoop back thinner so it can be seen inbetwen the apron straps. a very good job well done i think.

toiling garment 2

toiling today for outfit 2. went well, but i'm getting so tired! BUT my caffine intake is at it's highest ever and i must admit that i'm loving all this pattern cutting and making, its so rewarding! i never want to finish uni, i'd gladly give up context, sorry janet, but designing and making i love to bits, i'm so in my element! after the shoot yesterday i'm just longing to get my outfits made up in their real fabric, especially because the metalics i got in paris are fabulous!! I'm toiling as i go along with pattern construction. I aim to get my patterns done next week so that i can make a good start before easter. iam planning to work through easter with one week off to do written work. i think i'll do it!

graduate fashion week postcard

my graduate fashion week postcard example, which will be displayed on the stand along with a photo of my self and contact details. i've gone for a symplistic look, i hope it works....

wednesday's photoshoot....

well today was crazy, but so so so so fantastic! i had my AFW garment photographed today at britania mill in the studio. it was fab! emily looked amazining in my outfit, she really worked it, the poses were spot on and the garment fited her perfectly (of course!!) lol! i just am so excited to have the pictures back for my portfolio. i've asigned gemma lomas to take care of my final collection shoot. she is to be my stylist and photoshoot organiser. Her professional photographer friend is going to do the shoot, i've suggested a studio shoot, with the models looking like dolls, very similar to how emily looked but with brighter coloured make-up to match the garments. I've attched some pics that i took after the shoot of emily, she is such a star, amazing model!

a new week...

monday:

managed to get a bit done today, i'm planning for this week to create as many of my remaining patterns as possible, toiling as i go along. i'll do my proper toils later i think, just before i make the real ones. I've also booked lynn the technition for a day before easter! yeay some help!!! Finding it a little bit hard to concentrate at uni tho, i keep chatting away, my new aim is to chat less and concentrate more!!! i'm working well, all being said, everything is on plan, just need to carry on with my sketchbook and half exsistant boards!!! not feeling to well still, but i'll soldior on!!!

tuesday:
i managed to get to hanley today to buy some cotton jersey. you would not believe how hard i've found it trying to buy t-shirting material, i went to paris, too thick, i went to derby market, none or too much lycra in it, finally i'e found some in stoke at Abahkan fabrics. not enough though, so i've altered some of my thoughts and brought matching cotton jerseys. i brought pale blue, lilac, pink and white. i'm not to sure about the pink, so i might just use the white for that.
I also conpleted my black outfit for Alternative Fashion Week. I've been dead naughty and embellished my dress with coloured thread to match my necklace! tehe! it looks fab though so they'll have to lump it! the majority of it is black! what more do they want.....!
just about to do my board now for Graduate Fashion Week stand. i'm getting really excited about all of this, it is all coming far tooo quick tho. I've also thought of a new business venture i would like to undertake when i finish uni, keeping it quiet for now tho, but when i launch it you'll know about it!

toiling - black outfit AFW

Well its been quite a week as far as my toiling goes! i've had an absolute mare with my structured section of the bow dress!!! I really didnt think it was ever going to work! i tryed everything, i tryed very think interfacing, still too floppy, i tryed boning fron the bodice down, too floppy, eventually i had a brain wave and tryed the boning the other way around, from the hips upwards and it works! alittle too much, but it will do!!! it now has that right angled ledge that i wanted to the skirt. My other skirt patterns should be pretty straight forward now as i've mastered that. The rest of the toiling went pretty much to plan, the tricky bit is lining the seams up, the pattern is correct, but stitching it is sometimes a completely different thing!

I also decided to put boning in the bow, i've gone boning crazy! it helps keep the structure of the bow, but it still looks quite soft.

I completed the toil yesterday, and had a fit session with emily, my chosen model and friend from uni. It fits perfectly, it just needs a tad bit more length to the skirt, i've added this to my pattern though so the real one will be fine. Just got to do some embellishment to my under t-shirt dress and source a pair of colourful tights! I hope i can get away with that, as everything is supposed to be BLACK for AFW. tough luck anyway! tehe!

some toiling inprocess pics to follow....

COPY RIGHT

accessories accessories

i've created my first charme necklace for my 'Bow Dress' out fit. It will be worn with my AFW black outfit, as it's in desperate need of some colour!! I love it so much that i wore it to uni yesterday, lots of the gals commented on it, which was nice. I may even try and start my own little mini business if people like them so much. Its exciting!

They really will set my outfits off, really show my main inspirations for the collection. I do love the little matryoshka dolls on there! the people in the locket are my nan and grandad on their wedding day. cute, i know! any comments are much appreciated...

COPY RIGHT

alternative fashion week

i'm so excited about alternative fashion week. The collection is going to consist of a single piece from everyone's collections, the outfit colour tying it all together. The is Black. The collection title is ' Black is the new Black'. Its no real extra work, we have all just made our toils in black for our first outfits. I'm excited to have my outfit show cased in London though, as we as a university have been denied a place at Graduate Fashion Week this year. it real stinks as our year are so industry focused that i think we would have done the university proud, maybe even won some awards! never mind! i just hope some job oppertunities come from this Fashion event. This is my illustration for my black outfit. Its a 1950's inspired cocktail dress. My collection is based on my family, my nan and grandad inparticular. I wanted a collection that was exciting, eye catching and an eclectic mix of ideas. My nan is english and my granda is russian, so i have drwn inspiration from them. Focusing on the 1950's, when they got married, i'm using the english house wife as main inspiration. I'm also using the matryoshka nesting dolls as my russian craft influence. Both simbolise the house wife. I'm taking a glamours approach to my ideas, mixing evening cocktail dress with long embellished floral t-shirts, mixing the fanticy and reallity of the house wife. I'm mixing coloured metalics with plain white jersey and floral cottons. My collection is aimed at the 18-25 market, and is a spring/summer collection. At the moment everything is going to plan, but i'm not going to jinx myself......