Jean Paul Gaultier - Barbican

Hi all,

I had the opportunity to go and see the amazing Jean Paul Gaultier exhibition at the Barbican in London. To my surprise photography was permitted, which was great, as there was so much to photograph.
The exhibition was huge, spread over two floors, with various room like areas brimming with his creations. It was an incredible privilege being able to look so closely at so many of his designs. I was overwhelmed by the mass of detail that many of his pieces had.
JPG is known well for his corsetry details, (seen in his fragrance bottles) and there were many examples of how he has brought the corset forward from previous centuries. The denim corset was particularly interesting, with a rib like look in distressed bleached denim, which is actually silk. Another one that caught my eye was one constructed from many ribbons, the ribbons then making up the entire dress.

There are so many that I would mention, but instead have a look at a few of the highlights...

The denim silk corset with printed top and leggings. 

Gaultier transforms the wearer into a bird of paradise. Feathers of great vibrancy flow over the shoulder and down the arms. I would feel like I could fly if I wore this!

I can't even process how long it must take to get into this laced up creation. A while, is my guess. 

Got a few old ties hanging around? Sew them together and make a dress or skirt! JPG did!!!

This incredible leapord dress does not have a real skin draped over it, but instead the entirety of the animal is created by hundreds and thousands of bead!!! Amazing!!!

The mask like face emerging from the dress bodice like a three dimensional sculpture has so much character.

xox Niamh xox

Creative White Shirt

Hi all,

As one of the first projects on my course, we had to take the basic pattern cutting skills that we developed, and exploit them in a creative white shirt.

I chose to base mine on containment, and the ideas of Victorian life. I created a shirt that buttons up the back with a row of pearl buttons, it has a wide high neck and exaggerated sleeves. There are external panels that wrap over the sleeves, limiting the arm movements of the wearer.

The lower part of the shirt I developed a pleated feature, which I lined in a satin lining to emphasize. 

I definitely wasn't thinking 'wearable' when I designed this, but I wanted to explore elements that could then be extracted and adapted into something slightly less dramatic.

It's a little crazy, and I probably won't be wandering down the high street wearing it any time soon, but I had so much fun making it, and I am really pleased with the outcome.

xox Niamh xox

Vintage Photos

Hi all,

Whilst in Paris I picked up some old vintage photographs. These are a combination of postcards, and promotional images that photographers of the time would have used to demonstrate what they could do and bring in new clients.
I was particularly intrigued with the photographs that introduced colour. These hand painted photographs are amazing examples of the development that photography was taking, and early steps towards colour photographs. The heightened vibrancy of the colours used is such a contrast to the black and white or sepia colours of most photographs from before this, that they can appear quite garish, but I think that they are amazingly beautiful.

Have a look for yourself...

xox Niamh xox

Paris Flea Market

Hi all,

A little while ago I took a little trip to Paris with uni. It was an intense few days packed full of research, sights and lots of shopping. The main purpose of the trip was to go to Premiere Vision, the fabric expo, which was huge and overwhelming. There were so many beautiful fabrics, trims and laces in such a huge exhibition space.

On the final day of our trip we headed to one of the Flea Markets, nearing the edge of the city. It was a pretty amazing place, a feast for the senses, with stall selling incredibly well preserved vintage pieces from the 18th century onwards, and a host of other interesting stalls with weird and wonderful bits and pieces. Oh, and there was lots of lace! 

Take a look...

xox Niamh xox

Milly Skirt

Hi all,

The past three weeks have flown by in a blur. I completed the first half of my first module at University, in flat pattern cutting. Our main project was to re-create a skirt from Milly by Michelle Smith A/W 2012-13. We didn't have any instructions on how to do it, just the basic pattern manipulation skills that we learnt.  We had to try to create an accurate representation of the run way image, in calico and black contrast fabric.
I won't bore you with details of how I did it, but it involved a good few pattern drafts, half toiles, full toiles and lots of yoke samples. I am quite pleased with how the skirt turned out, but I am most pleased with the progress I have made with my pattern cutting.

This is the runway image of the skirt.

Here is my interpretation of the skirt, including side seam pockets (which were really satisfying to have made!)

Hope you are all well,

xox Niamh xox

Sammy-Jo Stephenson Bath Spa

Hi all,

I decided to share some really beautiful fashion pieces that I saw this past week. The Bath Spa Masters Fashion and Textiles course has been exhibiting the final collections and I fell in love with Sammy-Jo Stephenson's collection. The information given at the exhibition gives a very good explanation of her work:  "She is a textiles and surface designer specialising in fashion fabrics for Womenswear. Her unique printing aesthetic comes from her passion for the hand-made. Each print design is developed from her meticulous illustrations involving a culmination of techniques, textures and mixed media. Her main theme is rooted in her love of the natural world and the unapologetically vibrant colour palette of botany and wildlife. Sammy-Jo's recent collections focus on mark making and brush stokes, building layers of imagery, which are then refined and developed through digital collage. The resulting collections are an exploration of digital print, screen prints with dye-techniques and hand embroidery"

 

I really like the delicate nature of the fabrics she has used, and how they drape, which contrasts some of the stronger paint marks in the prints of the fabric.

xox Niamh xox

Mans Shirt Project

Hi all,

Sorry its been a little while. I have made the move to uni, but unfortunately we have had a fair amount of things to deal with. One of which is no internet, which should be set up on the 1st October!!! But I will continue...
As an introductory project/summer project to my uni course we had to take a mans shirt and adapt it to create a new garment that would be suitable for Spring Summer 2014. This basically meant that you could do whatever you wanted to it (as the S/S14 shows had not yet happened) I started with the GORGEOUS linen shirt that I picked up from a charity shop near my home. It was so huge I thought that it would give me ample fabric to play around with.

After a while of looking for inspiration and a few fabric tests, I decided that I wanted to create ruffles on the top that slightly changed the silhouette and were a different colour (which would make them stand out) I tie dyed them and dip dyed using dylon olive green, which kept the natural feel of the colour that the linen was. I circle cut the fabric to create the frills, and as that required a large amount of fabric the top quickly shrunk to a crop top!

The cream bias binding gives the edge a bit of a pop. I used the old front of the top to create the back of the new top, retaining the button fastenings and also the pockets. (Because everyone needs pockets by their shoulder blades!)

Thats what I made from the mans shirt.

Shopping charity shops can be really fun and changing things you buy makes them so much more unique and exciting. 

xox Niamh xox 

Sibling Knitwear at ICA

Hi all,

As a part of the ICA Off-Site exhibition at the Old Selfridges Hotel looking at 'A journey Through London subculture 1980’s to now' Sibling showed several pieces of knitwear. 

A collaboration between Joe Bates, Sid Bryan and Cozette McCreedy, Knitwear label Sibling launched in 2008. The premier collection included bright subversions of classic knitwear styles, including the sparkling knits and leopard graphics now synonymous with the label.

Here Sibling present a selection of Iconic Knits, most notably their world touring unofficial mascot ‘Knit Monster’ and the Laura Lees hand embroidered ‘Hell Flower’ look.

My favourite pieces were the huge glove and hat that appeared to be knitted from giant wool or tops. And the massive pom pom people were a little hard to miss!

 This is the 'Knit Monster' Fairisle meets monster, complete with skulls and frankenstein. 

xox Niamh xox

Free People London

Hi all,

This weekend I went to London for a concert, and made one of my top priorities to go to Selfridges and have a look at the Free People pop up shop. I was soo excited when I heard about Free People touching down in the UK, and even more excited when I discovered that the time they were here was being extended to 11th August which meant that I could go!!!

Of course I had to try on a few things.... and ended up buying almost everything I tried on (oh dear! for my wallet that is) I love everything that I got, and I am already planning new outfits with the pieces.

The first thing I got is probably my favourite thing that I got. Its the Fitted With Daisies Dress. I adore the colour, and the shape is really flattering. It fits in at the waist with the 'mesh' of daisy's which shows a little skin. The lace fabric gives a really nice texture over the whole dress. I love it!!!

The thermal is the We The Free Diamond Dozen Thermal. Two tone, with light blue and burgundy and textured. Its really cosy but lightweight. I am planning on wearing it over dresses, leggings and jeans.

I got another lace bralette, this one is in the colour Pumpkin. I absolutely love these for layering. They are really comfortable, and give an interesting texture to an outfit when layered under tops that have a low back or neckline.

These two tops are the Toosaloosa crochet vest. I got both colours! Cream and Brick. They fit really well, and the fit-flare shape is very flattering. I love the lace detail in the front.

I really hope that Free People does come to the UK

(but I will be broke!)

xox Niamh xox 

Tie Dye Scarf

Hi all,

I have done another little experiment with tie dye. After the last scarf I dyed turned out so well I decided to dye another scarf that I wasn't wearing much. It was a solid bright green colour, and I wanted to give it more dimension. This scarf had 3 dying sessions, the first when I used a spray bottle to spray the dye onto the ends of the scarf in order to achieve a colour gradient (hombre) effect. I then used the same dye but diluted down to mottle the overall scarf. I then took a break from dying the scarf but I wanted to give it a bit more decoration, so the final dye bath I used was a navy blue dye, and I tied the scarf to create stripes of colour, and also circles nearer the ends.
This is how it turned out.

I have a few more tie dye projects ahead, I want to try different techniques to get different effects.

xox Niamh xox

Sperry Top-Sider Canvas Bahama Boat Shoe

Hi all,

Another America purchase here. I had been eyeing up the Sperrys website, as I have wanted to buy a pair of boat shoes for a while. When in Pentagon City Mall I was able to go into a Sperry shop. There were so many lovely shoes in there I could have bought them all, but I settled on this pair, the Bahama boat shoe, in an off white canvas. They are so comfortable, and I haven't even fully broken them in yet. My only issue is the colour. I have already got a few marks on them, but I need to spray some fabric protector on them and that should sort that issue out. I also got some of the socks that they sell which are specifically to be worn in the boat shoes. They aren't visible, but have a grippy thing on the inside which keeps them from slipping off your foot. They are so much better than going barefoot as they will keep the shoes cleaner and fresher for longer!

If you are interested in seeing these or more Sperry's Topsider shoes follow the...

Link 

xox Niamh xox

Final Show Fashion Illustrations

Hi all,

As promised, here are the close up images of the fashion illustrations that I produced to go along with the fashion piece I produced. These illustrations were the way I chose to communicate the collection I designed. I used gold ink to tie the actual design material in with the illustration. The collection is of six garments that are all of a similar aesthetic, which emphasize and restrain different areas of the body.

xox Niamh xox

Free People Haul

Hi all,

Free People has to be one of my favourite shops ever. There clothes are so unique, with really great quality fabrics (lots of natural fibres) and details. It was my main shopping place when we were in Washington (even though its technically in Virginia) I was so excited about going there are there are no shops in England. Urban Outfitters occasionally sells their clothes, and you can buy things online, but that doesn't give you the real experience.

I was really spoilt with attention when I was there, it was like having a personal shopper with me. It was really quiet, so I had the full attention of the shop assistants. I ended up spending what felt like 3 hours in there, trying on outfit after outfit (tempted by all of them) I eventually whittled it down to a few pieces that I knew I would be able to wear in the not so amazing English weather, almost year round.

Here is what I got:           (p.s I will put links where I can!)

Boxy Pieced Lace Pullover
I love this oversized lightweight jumper. The lace panels on the sides are so pretty, and the colour is different to anything else I own (its also available in white and black) The lace tops I also got go really well under this, along with a pair of high waisted shorts or a high waisted skirt. 

This shirt was perfect for the hot weather we experienced in Washington. Its a lightweight cotton shirt with hombre colour from fuchsia to cream. I am not a pink person, but I really loved this skirt. Its longer at the back than the front, and the sleeves can be let down or rolled up (as shown here)

Pieced Lace Tunic
This nude colour slip is so pretty, there is lace and frills in the skirt that are really floaty and pretty (not fantastic if the wind picks up!) It comes in a variety of colours, but I got this one. I have nothing like it, and it will go with lots of other colours. 

This red dress is probably the most dressy thing I got. It also came in cream, but I thought that the red was very eye catching. The black embroidery is really pretty and highlights the interesting shoulder detail and back cross over. Its fitted at the waist and is a little looser in the skirt. I am looking forward to wearing this for a dinner out, or dressing it down for day wear.

Printed Bed of Blossoms Slip
This slip is really comfy to wear. The fabric is a jersey t-shirt like fabric. I really like the blues and greys in the print, and I found that the jumper I got really goes well with it. The skirt has little panels of lace in, which is really pretty and delicate. There is a small lace strip above the waist.

Scallop Edge Crop and Galloon Lace Racerback
Free People is all about layering to create interesting outfits with unique textures, and one of the ways they do this is using base layers like these. The Scallop Edge Crop (which is the white, yellow and pink) is a crop top that could be worn under a garment or with a high waisted garment, giving a different look to the outfit. They are so comfortable and soft, I have a feeling that I will be wearing them with everything I own. The Cream and black Galloon lace racerback bralettes would be worn under a top or dress, such as the black one under the red dress I got. They again give a different look, and are similarly really comfy to wear. They have lots of different colours of both tops and these can be used in so many different outfits. Love them!

I plan to do some outfit of the day posts showing how I style theses pieces. I love the free people styling, and I am going to try to put my own spin on it.

I found out that there is a pop up Free People shop in Selfridges London right now June 17th - July 28th, So any Free People lovers in the UK should make there way over there! (I will definitely try to)

Stay tuned!

xox Niamh xox