Lets be earth-friendly!

2 posts in one day! Hooray!

I got really excited when I saw that H&M now has a collection made from recycled and organic materials, so I went on their website to check it out!

I am a strong believer in creating a more sustainable earth, so whenever I get some money, here are a few items in the Garden collection that I am in dire want of.





The collection has a lot of colorful prints and solids, and the pieces have a playfulness about them that is very appealing. It's hard to imagine that these garments aren't made from your every-day fabrics! And yet they are still stylish and affordable, so find something that fits you at their website!

http://www.hm.com/us/#/gardencollection/

Loverly <3

Legos, a thing of the present.

A friend of mine sent me this neat video of a lego fashion show. It is definitely worth watching, even if just for the pure entertainment and creativity of the concept.

http://www.switched.com/2008/11/12/designer-creates-lego-fashion-show-no-seriously/

Check it out!
(ps- dunno how to embed videos yet. still internetz-challenged, haha)

*Today is a Benny Benassi and coffee day. A special thanks to my buddies at Starbucks and to Youtube for being fabulous.

There goes Tokyo!

This past week marked the beginning of the 10th Tokyo Fashion Week in Japan! (applause)
I've been skimming a few of the collections showcased so far, and I stumbled upon the Japanese designer Yuma Koshino.

While Koshino's brand is quoted to be "spiritual luxury", when I look at her pieces, I think it resembles more of a "deconstructed elegance". I've noticed that this season exhibits a lot of deconstructed, almost nomadic-looking collections that blend historic references and futuristic qualities.

Yuma Koshino




These are a few of my favorite looks, and I especially love the pink puff jacket paired with the assymetrical tiered skirt. It seems victorian and futuristic, with a vintage quality in the materials used to complete the look.
Koshino's use of rich neutrals combined with subtle pops of color keep me interested in her work, and eager to view future collections.

You can view more of her collection at http://tokyofashion.com/tokyo-fashion-week-2010-11-aw/

The Color Green

So the good camera might still be missing, but... I found a reasonable substitute. I figure I've procrastinated enough, and now would be an excellent opportunity for me to share the most incredible dress, purchased at Stefan's Vintage in Atlanta.



closeup!

I tried to capture some of the sparkle of the bodice.

As much as I would love to have been wearing this for these pictures, unfortunately the dress was badly altered and needs to be repaired.

But, if you notice, while the dress has a unique print, there are also tiny leaves and flowers individually placed on the bodice. They don't seem to be stitched, but attached by the little jewels, which appear to be pressed on with metal prongs, which give the garment a touch of glamour. It really is an incredible dress, and once I replace the zipper and lining, I hope to wear it!

Woe...

I have lost my camera. The good one, that is.

I mean, I'm sure it isn't lost forever, but I certainly can't find it.

Which is really disappointing. Because I wanted to take pictures of the AMAZING new things I bought for my birthday weekend.

That and I need an excuse to wear my new shoes. =]

Well. I managed to acquire a crappy image of my lovely 80's dress with my phone, but methinks I was definitely not camera-ready. So enjoy my lovely edit!

UWAH!

Ok, random thought to interrupt the vintage lovin'. I'm beginning to notice that I'm way too ADD to stay on one topic. So this blog will be quite random...

BUT I HAD A COOL IDEA.

It's hard to describe, but basically I've been thinking of designing something totally strange and based completely off of the concept of fantasy. I haven't decided more specifically what to be inspired by, but I'm leaning towards the mythical monsters created by H.P. Lovecraft, of which I have recently fallen in love with. I even broke down and bought myself a plushie of the fearsome Cthulhu, which small, green, and stuffed, isn't very scary at all.



There he is. =]
But anyways. I feel like being inspired by gigantic scaly tentacles-for-a-face monsters and other fantastical beings, I could come up with a very unusual collection. Has it been done before? I have my doubts. I will let you know how it turns out. It may have to wait, as right now I'm focusing on two other collections, one inspired by 90's rave, and the other leaning more towards 40's aviation.
(I love the hats!)
Perhaps I should post some sketches... Mayhaps I shall.

Calvin Klein and other amazingness

So, before I get into the amazing vintage dresses I purchased, I must share the amazingggg Calvin Klein shoes I splurged on. (Ok, so my grandpa bought them, but hey, it was my birthday!)



I've been wanting a pair of strappy heels for a while now, I think I did pretty good! These are the black ones. Mine are actually a bronzey-purple, like the ones seen here, but the picture is tiny.



The color is so unique! I've already got black heels, it was time for something new!

So other than acquiring an excellent pair of designer shoes, I found these amazing vintage boots! Not quite Gogo boots, but still pretty excellent. I'm sure these were popular in the late 60's, early 70's. I love them, and I was super excited that I found boots in my size. They look almost exactly like these seen here.



Yay boots! The styles of boot may change from year to year, but boots will never be unfashionable. And these are a timeless pair. Success! =D

Vintage, baby!

I will never shop for clothes at a mall again.

As of now, I reside in a little, nothing-to-do-but-bad-things college town in southeastern Georgia. The shopping here leaves much to be desired.
So, for my birthday weekend, I visited Little Five Points in Atlanta for the first time!

I stand by my first statement. Little Five Points is the ultimate shopping experience. I think my favorite store by far was Stefan's.


(I didn't take this picture, but this is the sign out front) :)

While a lot of the other vintage stores had some really neat items, Stefan's had quality pieces from ALL eras, and all of them were in excellent condition.
I also highly reccommend The Clothing Warehouse for their ecclectic shoes and accessories, and Psycho Sisters had some very interesting costume wear. I even found a cute comfy Michael Stars dress tucked away in a random corner! Cute cute!

My next blog will certainly feature a few of the neat items I discovered for myself, including my own Yak Pak satchel, made from recycled billboard material, such as the one seen here.



I will definitely be shopping vintage from now on. =]

And now, back to our feature presentation!

I love ridiculous blog titles. hee =]

So! Back to the current topic.

I left off with an egyptian Dior couture collection, so now I'm looking at something a little more recent: Spring 2007.

This couture collection exhibits profound oriental influences, with kimono-like drapes and a strong presence of origami. I adore the techniques he used with the folding, for he manipulates the fabric in a way that imitates paper with elegance and beauty. Check out these lovely ladies. Giant folded lilies embrace their frail bodies, almost teasing the observer. It reminds me of the Japanese geisha, and their subtley seductive tendencies.


Galliano is quite playful in this collection. It displays a wide array of emotions, capturing many entities of asian culture. Here we have the delicate, quiet nature, and then there's a high sense of elegance and drama, captured here.



I especially love how in the eggshell dress, Galliano portrays the classic Dior silhouette, with a wasp-waist to accentuate the female curves. The green and yellow piece is one of my favorites, its so dramatic and reflects such pride. I also love how the coat is so awkwardly huge compared to the delicate gown beneath, it creates such an interesting look, and yet still completely asian in influence and design. I believe these two pieces have a more historical atmosphere to them, but several garments in this collection convey a playful, modern twist. The detail in the this gray origami dress is astounding.



I especially want everyone to notice the print detail on the white dress. The waves of her skirt are actually a famous woodblock print from the Japanese artist, Katsushika Hokusai, who did a series of works known as Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji. The wave print featured here is from his most famous print, The Great Wave off Kanagawa, seen here!



Also, I almost feel like this piece reflects the painting in its design, with a large, wave-like collar draped around the neck, and even the texture of the fabric. It's fluid, yet holds its shape. I feel like this collection secretly depicts every aspect of the japanese culture, good and bad, and a lot of research was aquired to design such detailed works of art. I only wish I could analyze every single one here, but that requires a lot of time and space. Perhaps I shall revisit this collection later on, it is quite magnificent.

please excuse this interruption...

Ok. So this isn't exactly the continuation of the previous blog that I had planned... but I have been overcome by a devious little illness known as the common cold. It's quite nasty...
But! I had to take a moment to record my success in applying for the Disney Costume Design Internship!

::applause::

I feel quite qualified for the internship, so hopefully I will at least be able to get an interview... (crosses fingers)

Now, don't get me wrong. While fashion holds a special place in my heart, I can't deny that costumes were my first love.
The first one I ever made was a genie costume when I was 11. It was green. =D
And probably my favorite costume that I've ever made was the cactus costume I wore for Western Day in high school. Good times...
(and that costume was green too... haha)

So! Enough rambling today. I'm counting down the minutes until I can down some Nyquil and get over this crap.

That tinkling sensation...

This is a post for favorites. You know, the collections that you can look at over and over again, and each time your heart bubble swells a little bit bigger?

John Galliano. I am in love with you.

Christian Dior being one of my favorite brands and all, I often find myself browsing the collections on style.com. (The latest couture collection is Fabulous in every way possible, in case you were wondering. ^_^) But I'm not talking about the new collection today, I'm revisiting a few of my favorites, collections that possess such ingenuity in design and construction, I just want to drool all over the runway.

Par exemple: Christian Dior by John Galliano, Spring 2004 Couture collection.



You have hereby visited the ancient tombs of Egypt, in all their glory, wonder, and horror. In other words... OMG MUMMIES!
These elegant gowns appear to be draped with strips of fabric that seem to engulf the wearer with a delicate silhouette. I especially love the techniques Galliano used for the white chiffon gown. Absolutely beautiful.
Also featured were impeccable depictions of the ancient egyptian dieties, beautifully constructed out of very interesting materials. Check out this golden gown, seemingly pieced together with metal triangles.



While this dress is probably really awkward to walk in, the model wears it flawlessly.

So we've traveled in time a bit, but any designer can appreciate the construction and overall beauty of this collection. I would say more, but I'm pretty sure the amazingness of these garments are enough for one post. But believe me, there will be more fabulosity coming soon!

much love <3

"A drawing a day keeps the doctor away"

The biggest thing to get me into fashion design is drawing. I've been "drawing" as long as I can remember, even if my creations were nothing more than drool and ink scribbles on paper. Drawing is a huge part of my life, and I'll be damned if I don't do something with it as a career.

I've recently learned of the famous fashion illustrator, Sophie Toulouse. I've browsed some of her artwork, and it's nothing short of amazing.

This is probably one of my favorites so far.



Just the contours of the body and the high contrasting values give this illustration an incredibly delicate aura. It's showing you an emotion, not telling you how to feel.
I also love how she portrays wing-like appendages without being cliche, because we all know that wings are wayy overdone.

So, I had better step up my game as far as fashion illustrations go.
I'm feeling inspired.

Oh, where to begin.

A moment of chill time sitting in the office, and what am I doing? Stressing over the impossibility of the things I want to accomplish. How can a poor, awkward, white girl from Georgia, whose worn more hand-me-downs than designer clothes, become a dominant fashion icon with my eccentric point of view?
I want to design, I want to illustrate, I want that red carpet moment when they ask "who are you wearing?" and my name escapes their lips. I want to design costumes, be a part of the broadway culture, hang out with all the weird theater kids and win awards for my ingenius vision.

Well, here's my opportunity.
It's my last semester of college, and if I don't fail all my classes, its on to my internship this summer! I'm hoping for a few different places. It would be amazing to do a costume design internship with Disney, but I'm sure its incredibly competitive. To work for Burberry would be a dream come true. I could travel to London. =]
London, Los Angeles, New York, even Orlando.
Next is Milan, Paris, Tokyo.
(I had a dream last night that I went to Tokyo. I forgot to bring any clothes, so I had to buy all new ones! It was kind of amazing.)
So here will be my fashion blog, hopefully it will help me keep up with my internship applications. Or I could just use it to rant about my troubles.

So get ready world! You're about to get kicked in the face!