Here are some photographs I took while there, even though my battery was dying by the end of the week!
Just a little update on my summer project about Karl Blossfeldt, although this may be slightly off the subject because pansies are so pretty, I'm linking it through it still being based on the structure of plants...
I've worked with pansies in the past and love machine embroidering them so decided to do this after the bit of machine embroidery I did on a Karl Blossfeldt photograph (in a previous post).
I've also used pansies out of the flower press to show the structural beauty of the flowers without it being a stylistic drawing or photograph.
I just want to take a moment to appreciate the new book I have just bought - Paris sketchbook by Jason Brooks (RRP £17.99). http://www.amazon.co.uk/Paris-Sketchbook-Jason-Brooks/dp/1780671059/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1373710778&sr=8-1&keywords=Jason+brooks
The book is a compilation of drawings and collages he has done over a few trips to Paris and it is truly inspirational. Well, it is for me, but I already have a deep love for Paris after visiting a year ago. The book is split into collections of things; architecture, streets, cafes, fashion etc etc so flows impeccably.
I am only half way through so far (because I want to go and take advantage of the beautiful weather at the moment instead) but I can't wait to continue reading it. It is inspiring for a designer to see what different techniques he uses to draw. For example, he used a label and drew from that, using it as a sign.
Not quite literally the sea, I wish - a nice holiday snorkelling would be much appreciated right now!
I have much cherished memories as a child at the Sea Life Centre. Seemingly, they are rose-tinted memories as revisiting was somewhat a disappointment - especially for £19.20! (and that was with a voucher!) It was much shorter than I remembered, however the Otters were super cute!
Despite that, the sea life can be used as an inspiration for design work. Some of the fish, sharks, etc have wonderful patterns on them, made even more beautiful by the colour that some of them carry.
I tried to get some photographs but they move way too quickly! These are some of the decent ones I got...
At the end of June, I went to London, primarily for the New Designers exhibition which was fantastic, so much work, and yet all so different. Not two things were the same, one of the things that makes textile design so interesting.
It gave me an opportunity to gather ideas about my graduate show. (it may be two years away, but judging by how fast the first year went...) I collected lots of business cards and found the most effective ones were the ones that have an image of the most effective designs on.
I tried to take photographs but was stopped so sorry about that, however you can visit their site to see the work of the winners of awards: www.newdesigners.com
Me and my boyfriend stayed at the Royal Horseguards hotel which is definitely worth a visit, even if its just for the TV in the bathroom. This was the view from our hotel room, we were on the very top floor, in a turret on the corner.
We also visited the ice bar, slightly expensive (£16) considering its only for entry and a small cocktail. However, the cocktail comes in a glass made entirely out of ice. You are also given a poncho type coat to protect you from the cold (although not entirely attractive).
Below are some more photographs I took while there, from Westminster, Hyde Park (glorious in the sunshine - such a great atmosphere) and The Mall.
Well, I think I have found the illusive dress of my dreams. She's a Turkish designer - Inbal Dror, and there's only one company in the UK that sells them. I've no idea on the price (if you know then please comment and let me know) but I imagine they're expensive to say the least.
Now, the moment you've been waiting for, the pictures. You can't not love it.
And don't worry, not planning on getting married any day soon, I'm only 19!
I am soon to be going on a short holiday to the Forest Of Dean so photographs will follow, however probably dull, grey skies will ruin them, either that or snow which seems to be becoming a nuisance.
I'm looking forward to seeing Symonds Yat and a Sculpture trail in the woods. However more so looking forward to the hot tub in the cabin we're staying in!
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| Symonds Yat |
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| Forest of Dean Sculpture Trail |
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| Forest of Dean Sculpture Trail |
Apologies for not posting for a while, been a little busy with Bradford Textiles, getting home for Easter and the starting of my new project.
Speaking of which, below are the inspiration for my project that I will take forward into knitting.
The project is based on 'A Collection a Day' by Lisa Congdon. (The book is inconceivably hard to buy/borrow so here is the link to the blog - http://collectionaday2010.blogspot.co.uk/)
She photographed and drew a different collection of objects she had a day. For our project, we were told to keep it to one collection of objects and the first thing that sprung to mind was buttons. I've collected a fair amount of buttons for my age, so here are some photographs of my collection which I have also drawn from. (I may post some photographs of my drawings at a later date)
I always prefer the Couture fashion weeks, more up my street as being a textiles student, I'm interested in the detail and not the cut so much. RTW fashion weeks are great, but no where near as encapturing.
BUT
Enter Valentino.
Most definitely topped everyone in my opinion. I can't even put all the photos of the outfits I loved in my blog, it'd be a mile long so I'll link it and attempt to narrow it down. Apologies if I get carried away!
Hope you love this collection as much as me!
I normally think with designer collections, who would ever wear that?! But in this case, someone buy me that knitted jumper with lace inserts. Please!
I have always loved photographing, drawing - in fact anything to do with flowers, I love it. So this digital floral collage by Ysabel Lemay was quite something.
Theres something quite mysterious about her art. The mix between detailed aspects and block shapes is intriguing Her art could probably be looked at for some time and still you would see something different every time.
Only a short blog post today, so here's some more photographs of her art:
I await this catwalk every season, Elie Saab is hands down my favourite clothes designer.
Once again, he has outdone himself with the Spring/Summer 2013 collection. I love his style. Every season it is similar but never gets old somehow. His looks are timeless and so chic.
Despite being beautiful dresses, they must be extremely impractical and hard to walk in - as shown by the copious amounts of tripping by the models. Although quite funny for us. Have a look, amuse yourself with their embarrassment and admire the beauty of the dress:
http://www.elleuk.com/catwalk/designer-a-z/elie-saab/couture-ss-2013/05
Here are some of my favourites out of the collection anyway...
The finale was beautiful also, the lights dimmed and the atmosphere built. Above is the dress that finished the show, and in style (with obviously, some more tripping of the model).
Also this is a celebratory blog post because I got my results for my first semester today and got 85% in my print module! (70% for a First for those who don't know). :)
Now go watch that video! :)
Over the Christmas holiday I organised a trip to London for my boyfriend (sweet I know - I am cute). Here are the photographs I took with my new camera which I had for Christmas - the Fujifilm Bridge Camera. Perfect for a student like me I must say, very near the quality of a DSLR, but with the zoom of a very good compact - (a zoom that would cost a lot if buying as an added on lens)
Forgive my ramblings about my camera, here are the photos! :)
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When browsing through a magazine (I can't remember which), I came across this brilliant idea which I thought was worth sharing.
For people who hate the torture that is wallpaper hanging, this is perfect!
It's effectively a roller like what you would use to paint a wall with a flat colour, but can have a design attached to it. You buy the roller separate at £10, which seems a good investment as it can obviously be re-used.
The attachments are £15 each, so for £25 you'll have a unique wall with a design that will look vintage and less manufactured.
The only draw-back in my eyes is maybe there isn't loads of choice in the patterns, however the patterns available are beautiful so who needs more?!
Here's the website - have a look:
This especially applied to one girl who is currently on the second year of the same degree as me - Textiles. Her work is something to aspire to. I had seen it up on the wall in the Textiles room anyway and had said to my friends that it was my favourite. Much to my surprise when I was at Banks Mill I saw it and questioned her involvement. We had a long chat about the course and other related things. It's good to know I've got connections in the year above me as this could prove invaluable in the near future.
So to not drone on, I'll keep this short and sweet. Amongst many people exhibiting and selling there, there was one that stood out for me. Although not in the textiles field, Heather Horsley and her illustrations really caught my eye.
I like her clean and bold lines, but they also involve detail. The bright colours bring the illustrations to life. Her website is definitely worth a look!
Here is my favourite illustration (which I'm still playing with buying). Got a feeling it'll clash with my horrendous curtains in my accommodation however.
On the way to get to the train station in Derby, I walk through an average park, but in the Autumn period, it really comes to life. Tones of orange, yellow and brown scattered everywhere.
Based upon this and the colours of Autumn, I decided to machine embroider a piece that reflects this. Machine embroidery is one of my main hobbies and I really enjoy doing it. My old machine used to get me very stressed but I have recently bought a new one which is a Bernina 1008 which will probably never fail me. They are the most durable sewing machine around (in my opinion!)
Anyway, here is what I ended up with:
(It's not very clear in the photo)
I've always found the idea of time capsules fascinating. The fact that someone has left something behind for anyone to find. The pure mystery behind them.
We embarked onto the Nottingham Contemporary Gallery, inspired by the Haitian Vodou (voodoo) exhibition, where beautiful ceremonial flags hung every where. They were hand sewn with thousands of sequins and beads. They developed over the years - being used purely for ceremonies and the raising of spirits in the earlier times, and later being more like masterpieces and to communicate the importance of the religion and historical events.
However, the main thing that inspired me is the fact that the outside of the recently built (2009) Nottingham Contemporary, had lace in-printed into front metalwork just above the entrance. The beauty and genius of it was extended by the fact that the lace is in fact a lace pattern found in a time capsule that was left in the Victorian times.
The German Market is something that just epitomises the spirit of Christmas. Especially on a night time, the Birmingham German Market comes to life. It was very busy when I went, however that only extended the sense of togetherness. So much that you could barely move.
The lights are one of the main aspects of the German Market. They contrast between the dark, starry night sky and the Christmas lights and the lights of the many stalls was beautiful, especially from a distance.
Even though they originally started as a fully German Market, the popularity has increased, resulting in the some stalls not being German based. However the products they sell also emphasise the warmth of Christmas. For example, the candle holders below. They are beautiful when lit up and I think are instantly recognisable that they are from the German Market (but maybe that's because I go every year without fail). Definitely worth a visit however if you've never been before!
This got me looking at her work and I found it was absolutely beautiful. She embroiders a lot of flowers which is something I love to do in my spare time (when my sewing machine wants to work). It inspired me to try something as simplistic but beautiful like she does. Of which I will upload onto here when I finally get my new sewing machine which is a fantastic Bernina 1008 model. Can't wait to try it out for the first time!
Here are a few examples of Helen's work. With any luck, I'll win one at the event.
This is something I've been meaning to blog about for a while. The first time I walked up the Ashbourne Road when I first moved here, the first thing I noticed was the quirky details on and around the pavement.
In particular, the heads around the tree interested me. I do not know the story behind them, however I think they add something magical to the road. People walk past them like they don't even exist but I think they are truly inspired as most places just have tarmac pavements. I like how a lot of the cobbles have been kept and restored. Despite being hard to walk on, they are very charming.
After visiting the V&A, as fashion and textile students, we wanted to shop, shop, shop! Oxford Street was like a dream to us. Visiting the Mulberry shop was amazing as it's my favourite bag brand. The staff were very pleasant and helpful and it makes me wonder why every shop isn't as polite as that.
However, Harrods was a dream. Pure designer heaven. The Christmas decorations were decadent throughout and everything extortionately priced as you would expect.
My favourite part had to be the designer evening wear. Seeing Elie Saab dresses (Elie Saab website) in the flesh was amazing. They are so beautifully embellished. Much like the Marchesa and Jenny Packham dresses. I can only dream that one day I will own or design a dress as beautiful as those.
Elie Saab Couture dress from the Autumn/Winter Collection 2012
Last but most definitely not least, the Harrods window displays were truly fanatical and beautiful. Disney princess' is the epitome of dreamy. They're perfectly sculpted, perfectly dressed, just perfect. So what better way to display the beautiful evening dresses? The only way Harrods knows; magical. Even if you're not keen on Disney (which I am not) I can appreciate the pure beauty of the displays and more importantly the dresses especially designed for the occasion.
My favourite had to be Sleeping Beauty, again with one of my favourite designers, Elie Saab. The dress was a beautiful pale pink with embroidered flowers and sequins. All of the dresses were those kind of dresses that would make you feel a million pounds (and probably cost about that too!)
The trip was mostly aimed towards the V&A and the ongoing exhibition, 'Hollywood Costume' which is a definite must if you haven't visited. Anyone can enjoy this exhibition, especially if you're into your films. Pictures weren't allowed in there but this article shows a few snaps. My personal favourite was the Spiderman costume because you could really see the detail in all the lines. I also liked how they mounted it on the wall to truly represent the character.
What was most intriguing was the fact that every costume gives a true representation. For example, it showed the actual body measurements of the actors. I didn't realise how small James Bond was in real life as in films, he can be made to look taller due to camera angles, but there's no escaping the truth of the costumes.
For a part of this module, we had to take a trip to either Nottingham or Birmingham. Birmingham is familiar ground for me so it would make finding the shops we had to research easy so me and my friends ventured there in search for high end shops.
The top floor of Selfridges looks magical at Christmas time, but that's partly due to the beautiful clothes, bags and shoes. My favourite part of Selfridges is the bags, I saw a gorgeous Celine bag which I will be including in my shop report. The sheer quality was amazing and I loved the quirky shape. It looks like a modern take on a tradtional handbag. The suede sides and the calfskin leather made it easy to see why it was over £2000.
Our first trip was to Sheffield, which turned out to be a very nice city with beautiful architecture. I didn't expect the lovely old buildings which I love, combined with some inspiring, modern buildings such as the Winter Gardens.
The Winter Gardens was a shock as I have never seen something quite like it, something similar to a green house, but interestingly combined with an art gallery. There were some fascinating sculptures using cutlery which seemed to be sourced from hospitals. They were bent and soldered into position and some formed animals including a giraffe.
The trip was mainly to Graves Gallery which was holding an exhibition on Andy Warhol, mainly to do with the portraits he painted. Although not my favourite work of his (my favourite obviously being the Campbell's soup and Brillo pads), the portraits were intriguing.
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