A-Dore Me.

Garance Dore Illustrations

My first reaction was awe. My second was, "I need to do this."

Bottom line: Garance Dore is an illustrative genius.

It truly inspired me to create a finished drawing. Her illustrations are so clean and effortless, these girls embody current fashion without being overbearing or complicated.

These particular illustrations stood out to me. I like the nerdy/hippie folk-ness about them, and the touches of color make them eye-catching. The simplicity is incredibly impressive.

I did a few illustrations using a pencil and paintbrush, one of which I was happy with. I hope to continue using this new technique, and eventually, one day, I will post some of my work on here. I may have to borrow a scanner...

Fashion Clip

Discovered this cool fashion show for Thierry Mugler, a cosmetics and accessory line.



I enjoyed the "ethereal-ness" of the show. The demonic makeup and chiffon veils made a cool combination. I was intrigued enough to explore the official online Thierry Mugler site.
www.thierrymugler.com

The brand is represented by a unique star signature, which is featured on accessories and as perfume bottles. So now that I've broadened my fashion horizons, I thought I would share.

Too much coffee = Spaztastic fashion!

One word. Heatherette.

How I came to this conclusion is due to one factor. That factor is caffeine.
Why, you ask?
Because I just drank a medium iced coffee with cream and sugar. But the coffee people obviously didn't know what they were doing, because my coffee wasn't sweet, and the sugar was all settled at the bottom. Apparently New England-ers haven't caught on to the whole sugar-dissolves-in-hot-liquids, which means that you put the sugar in before the cream. DUH. But I digress.
Upon ingesting copious amounts of this caffeinated beverage, it got me to thinking about spontaneity, freedom, and spasticity. (That is a word, I looked it up! Nyehh) And what better label best represents these qualities?

Ladies and Gentlemen... Heatherette.

So yes. Drink so much coffee you want to puke. Paint your face with glitter and bedeck your body with Hello Kitty. Run around in a fluffy dress and combat boots. It's what Heatherette would do.

Winter is here!

And you know what that means. IT'S EFFIN' COLD. But there are perks to cold weather. For example, epic snowball fights, hot chocolate, and a warm fireplace. And then there are miserable things about cold weather, such as blizzards. Like the day-after-Christmas blizzard of 2010. The one I got stuck in while driving through New Jersey (which is the pits). But I'm going to use my winter experience as an excuse to share this cute illustration by Lauren Bishop. I discovered her years ago, and often find myself wandering to her website to check out new fabulous works of art.

(disclaimer: the snowstorm I got stuck in looked nothing like this. But we can pretend.)

I love checking out independent fashion illustrators. Seeing the different styles and techniques of the individual artist really inspires me. Lauren Bishop definitely exhibits a certain grace with a somewhat retro flair in her work that I am drawn to, and her use of colors, prints, and space is exquisite and consistent. Each drawing has such an intense personality. I especially like the elegant lady shown above, and she was the perfect image of the romantic winter. The coat print kinda reminds me of a winter storm, but it's contained within the silhouette, and therefore becomes elegant and beautiful. Perhaps I am merely overanalyzing... but Lauren Bishop is definitely worth checking out. You can view her website here: www.laurenbishopillustration.co.uk

PS- anytime you're feeling down, think about a box of kittens~

Letter to my Notebook

Dearest Notebook,

Your crisp pages have seduced me. Lined paper can be so ruggedly pure, so painfully innocent. May you never abandon me, for your tangible existence drives my heart to lusting. You are the best listener, the warmest comfort, and the most compromised entity I know. For you were once a thing so strong and immovable, and now you've been reduced to being malleable and thin, forced to bear the burden of knowledge and emotions. Notebook, though you may be brittle, you are under no circumstance unloved.


photo by photographer Nicolas Henri http://nicolashenri.ch/blog/

Innocent Seduction?

So! I still haven't decided on how to change my blog layout, etc.
But when I do figure it out, it will be EPIC. =]

Meanwhile, here is a nifty photograph by the famous fashion photographer James Hickey.



It reminds me of bubblegum and cotton candy.
I could go for some watermelon flavored Bubblicious right about now...

As Dr. Ahn would say...

DONE!

I have successfully completed the last final exam I will (hopefully) ever have to take. And now the hard part... transitioning from this Po-dunk town to the big apple... so excited!

I am definitely a city girl. Chaos is my life.

So if you're interested in seeing some amazing, chaotic, and colorful fashion photography, check out Iain Crawford. I found these photos of his featured on THECOOLIST.







They are truly beautiful, exploring unusual poses and media, including giant splashes of paint.
I feel like they represent a piece of my soul, in a way.

Give me chaos, give me color, give me NOISE.

Another day, another Dolce and Gabbana

So finals are coming up. This is the big one, since you know, I'm supposed to graduate and all. But seeing as I'm super-struggling with life right now, that might not happen. Hence the lack of posting the last couple days.

But hey! We must take pleasure in the small things, like this scandelous D&G advertisement. Well, to be honest, compared to many, this particular ad is quite tame. But I like the naked french lady surrounded by sexy romantic men.

Anyhoo.

Now, I have to focus on not surging a hole into my final project for my design class. Because thats a pretty major set back. Especially since it's due at 2pm.

Folly.

Oh, Karl.

I found this photo by Karl Lagerfeld and was swept away to a fantasy land where fashion is life, life is art, and art is expression.

I can't wait to leave this place...

Bubble Gum

Just kidding. =]

I stumbled across the 2010 Spring Collections for Bergdorf Goodman, and was truly inspired by the photographs. I wanted to share a few of my favorites here.

First, we have a few more dramatic photos. I really love how they took the organic elements of the garments themselves and paired them with natural surroundings that reflect the shapes and prints of the dresses.


Dress by Thakoon


Dress by Emilio Pucci

I also wanted to share these two handbag shots, because I love their quirky personality.


Bag by Bottega Veneta


Bag by Chanel

The little rabbit makes me really happy! Haha.

Well, I wish I could post every picture from the shoot, but alas... that would be overwhelming.

If you want to see more from the Spring 2010 Collections magazine, check out their website!
http://www.bergdorfgoodman.com/store/catalog/templates/Entry.jhtml?itemId=cat309103

Maybe you will be inspired.

Internships... GAHH!

So, I just applied to some more internships. I'm pretty sure I'm going to lose my mind very soon...

But good news! I received an email from one of the Marc Jacobs internships I applied to!
I'm hoping this means they reviewed my resume and portfolio!

In the meantime, I also applied to Cynthia Steffe, and upon browsing a few pieces of her line, I came across the 'Sam' ruffled dress, which I really like.



I really like the combination of the watercolor print and the unusual ruffles. It's definitely a strong spring piece. And perfect for pale people like me!

Well, thats all for today. I might indulge in a spontaneous photo shoot, in which I will post pictures ASAP!

Peace. Love. Inspiration.

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/

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.

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.