Strawberry shortcake.

Hello! Sorry it's been so long since my last post, I don't really have any exciting excuses, just deadlines, reading, etc etc. Oh, student life!

Trousers! I know! This might be the first time I've ever worn trousers in a post on here? I mean, I can't be bothered to trawl through my archives but trouser sightings on here are pretty rare indeed.

It feels so weird wearing trousers considering I've basically only worn skirts for the past four, maybe more, years of my life, but they are so COMFORTABLE! Like, why didn't anyone tell me?!

I think this is another way that my style is becoming a lot more comfort orientated. Not in a very deliberate way, but I know that I just want things which are easier to wear, ie not skirts that need petticoats underneath, or polyester vintage things that are going to make me sweat all the time. So, I'm not sure which version of me this is (3.0? 4.1?), but I'm kind of enjoying being here.

I got them way back in November (I was shopping with my mum & had been saying how I wanted to buy something other than skirts, then they appeared & fit perfectly. Fate, I tell you.), and then in February (maybe?) I was reading one of my mum's Vogues at home and saw this spread all about gingham as a trend for next Spring/Summer. Now, I'm not saying I'm a trendsetter but, coincidence? I think not. It's just like that time I bought a pink coat in a charity shop for £1 and then next summer they were the ~thing~ to have. Maybe Anna Wintour should start following me round with a notebook, I don't know. Anyway, I've actually become completely obsessed with gingham and have bought two more items in lilac and mint. Classic me. Also love the Meadham Kirchhoff reppin' on the left [heart eyes emoji], my favourite look from that collection.

(I scanned this spread very badly from the runway edit bit of Vogue, then photoshopped it via Paint. You are welcome)

Matching the colour of your jewellery to your hair is pretty standard, right? I went to a Hole tribute gig last month (celebrating 20 years since Live Through This came out! It was amazing! Glitter everywhere! Boys in dresses and tiaras!) and someone has brought a whole bunch of sparkly kid's jewellery for people to take, so naturally I went for the hot pink holographic bracelet. 

Top - ebay, trousers - vintage, shoes - DMs/Amazon, socks - Topshop.

 Such a #fashblogger sorry but I find this really funny!

Blouse - vintage/DIY, cardigan - charity shop, belt - charity shop.

I am so in love with these trousers, they're just so versatile while still being pretty unusual. They seem to go so well with so many things in my wardrobe (fate!) and I can't decide which outfit is my favourite so I took a few extra pictures. So, yeah. Enjoy more of my face!! This one is pretty much my favourite combination of shirt and cardigan, only with these trousers instead of a skirt. When you find a formula, stick to it I guess.

Top & headscarf - both vintage, earrings - H&M, poor lighting - me.

This top is new as well, I bought it just before I came back to Sheffield from my favourite (and like, only decent) vintage shop in Newcastle for very cheap. It's quite oversized and floaty so it doesn't really photograph very well, but I'm kind of obsessed. I love the ridiculous clash of pink and red tones here. Still works though (not that I'd be bothered otherwise, obviously!).

I have lots of things I really want to post about (and lots of work to do avoid), so hopefully I will be back in this internet space soon.

intergalactic disco

Don't forget there is still time for you to enter my giveaway, where you could win a pretty little knitted collar handmade by yours truly!

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This post is going to be a little bit different! I decided I'd like to do a little runway review of two of my favourite collections from London Fashion Week; Mary Katrantzou and Meadham Kirchhoff! These two also happen to be my favourite designers, and I actually sat on the edge of my seat to watch their shows live on the Topshop website! I apologise to those of you who are bored to death of LFW round-ups, but I had so many things to say on this collection I just had to write something! I promise it will be brief and not too full of hyperbole and ~fashun speak.

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Mary Katrantzou

These dresses to me were the absolute highlight of the show! When I saw the first one come down the catwalk, I actually gasped because it was so pretty! The layers of beautiful, floaty chiffon are like something from a dream, and perfectly compliment the pretty fairytale colours and the ethereal prints (like the unicorn on the dress on the right, my favourite piece from the collection!). To me, these dresses seem like something a futuristic Marie Antoinette would wear!

The subtle, slightly neutral shades look absolutely stunning on these romantic, flowing swing dresses, and I love the splashes of richer colours such as jade, amber and flamingo pink.

I love the use of simple graphic prints in this collection. Mary is known for her beautiful, elaborate and almost couture-worthy surface designs, but I think simplifying them has allowed for more experimentation with shape & an exaggerated silhouette. (There were more exaggerated, almost robotic shapes int he whole collection, it just so happens that I have chosen the softer shapes!) Some of the print details include spoons, coathangers and 2HB yellow pencils! I also like the fact that she has explored print using one stand-out colour, and using softer textures such as the knitted dress above.

I loved the sumptuous grass green colour of these dresses, and the lovely flash of pool water blue on the dress on the left. As for the other one, I think it's just a-maze-ing! Hahaha, sorry, I couldn't resist a little pun there!

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Meadham Kirchoff

Words can't express my love for Edward Meadham and Ben Kirchhoff's collections, they really are something else! Pretty disco lights were livening up the catwalk (which I believe was the same one as the Mary Katrantzou show, and it couldn't have looked more different!) and the models looked like they were having so much fun dancing to the disco tunes (including a wonderfully bizarre remix of Mariah Carey's All I Want For Christmas is You!), swinging their fur stoles around and throwing glitter at the crowd! And who wouldn't be having fun wearing those clothes?

This collection has been described as clothing for an intergalactic disco, and Ben Kirchhoff said that their inspiration came from an exclusive club they wanted to go to, which doesn't actually exist. Personally, this collection reminds me so much of Helena Bonham Carter - especially the long dresses, fur stoles & coats! It's like something an incredibly glamourous bag lady would wear. The purple dress is almost like a nightie (more borrowing from their beloved slip wearing Courtney Love perhaps?), and the tinsel dress is like the Christmas decorations I always wanted to wear.

There are so many wearable pieces from this collection too, like these cute collared shirts and pleated mini skirts. I love that they are still keeping the pastel hues of their fantastical S/S collection, but also mixing it with darker, harsher black & gold tiger-esque stripes and eye-wateringly bright rainbow colours. They have also kept their heart shaped motifs from the previous collection, but given them an edge with a spaced out expression and bared teeth. (These motifs are also seen in a very 1990s, DIY iron on patch feel in some of their other pieces). The outfit on the right is probably my favourite from the collection, I can so see myself wearing that blouse and skirt combination!

The last few looks from the collection were very alien-like, and almost conceptual! The wigs and the full face make up was incredible, and I loved the Dr Seuss-esque tights! I also gasped and squealed when I saw this model wearing a bat necklace, as it reminded me so much of the one I made in October for the shop!

Meadham Kirchhoff's collections are always beautifully executed, and generally just so incredible! (I also wrote about how much I loved their Spring/Summer collection here)

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Hope you enjoyed this post, normal blogging will resume shortly!

run the water till it scalds

hey guys! sorry it's been about a week since my last post, i have been absolutely swept off my feet trying to finish my last textiles project! i was up until half 11 last night, and then set my alarm for quarter past five to do more work, absolute nightmare. i really liked my final pieces & i'm so proud of them, so when i get everything back from being marked i'll put some photos up here!

anyway, as part of my sketchbook work for that project i bought vogue (for only the second time in my life!) as i'd seen on a few blogs they had a feature on trends and i just knew i had to have the piece on pastels as that's what my colour palette was for this project! so so pretty, pastel colours are my favourite colours to wear, & i so wish i could afford to buy some of these pieces! just have to wait until it all filters down to the high street shops i guess.

another of the trends which took my fancy is gatsby glamour! (sorry about the blurry picture, only just noticed!) i love the whole 1920s look, gorgeous long fringed skirts & bare shoulders & draped necklines. i also love the short hair cuts & the pin curls, i would so love to be able to do that with my hair! black, cream & gold aren't really colours i wear that often but i may have to make an exception for one of these beaded beauties.

also, i personally can't wait to see the film (although apparently it doesn't even come out until december? boo!) as the book is one of my favourite novels ever.

now, i'm not usually an avid fan of florals - in fact, i can only think of one floral item in my wardrobe! - but this darling buds spread is so beautiful! i know, i know, "florals? for spring? groundbreaking" but they are so pretty, and not overly ditsy like they seem to be every other year. plus, i love pretty much everything that erdem do (especially their spring 2011 collection), so this trend is perfect.

the next project we are doing in textiles is digital print, and we have to create a design for a tshirt using one of the spring/summer 2012 trends as a starting point. it's a group project, and the trend our group has been given is vintage americana! i'm quite excited for this as I have lots of inspiration ideas; grease, diners, pin up girls, full skirts & poodle motifs, cadillacs, striped swimsuits, bubblegum colours & more. i adore the prada car prints, so lovely! we made some inspiration & colour boards today on photoshop which i will try to put up on here some time in the near future! i was really worried about using photoshop for this project because i have absolutely no skills at all in that department, but making the colour boards was actually really fun & so simple when i got my head around it.

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just a few more things to tell you/talk about!

1. i had my hair cut on saturday, & i've asked for some lilac hair dye to be ordered so hopefully this time next week i will have newly coloured hair! provided i don't chicken out of making the appointment, of course. i've decided that i need to get on with it, and now is the time. i'll be 20 next year(!), so i need to  make the most of my ~crazy teenage yrs.

2. i can't believe i have reached 100 followers! that is so cool and amazing and lovely, i never even imagined that 10 people would find what i say interesting, never mind ten times that! thank you thank you thank you all so much, i will do a giveaway some time soon to properly show my appreciation for all of you wonderful lot! i will have to have a think though as i'm not sure what i could give away, maybe pick something from my shop? i'll figure something out!

3. one of my favourite bands los campesinos! are touring in march & i'm going to see them with some of my college friends! so excited, i love this band & they are apparently really good live. plus, i might be able to pick their new album up for cheaper than in the shops, as for now i've just been listening on spotify.

4. just realised that this post and my last post have both been about fashiony things! this is quite unusual, no planning on my part, that's just the way it turned out! i guess i'm just getting more interested and more aware of this stuff now that i have to do so much fashion research for my course. better get used to it guys!

a wolf in lamb's clothing

okay, so if you follow me on twitter you may have seen some of my incoherent ramblings about being unable to write my essay/dissertation for college! we had to pick a textiles/fashion designer and write an analysis/overview of their work. at least, that's what i did. to be honest, it wasn't massively clear what we were supposed to do!

anyway, i spent quite a lot of time on it & i'm actually really pleased with and proud of what i wrote. i've never really ~analysed a fashion collection before, and this is one that i absolutely adore & it really speaks to me. i thought i'd post it here for you guys to read - that is, if you're interested! i may have been a bit heavy handed with the similes in some places, but it was pretty late when i finished writing it.

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Designer Profile of Meadham Kirchhoff and Analysis of their Spring/Summer 2012 Collection

Edward Meadham and Ben Kirchhoff are a design duo from London who launched their eponymous womenswear label Meadham Kirchhoff in 2003, a year after they both graduated from Central St Martin’s. With their exceptional instinct for performance, there is no other place for this fashion label to be than London with their inherently quirky style and unmistakeably British gift for humour and satire. London fashion is famous worldwide for its eclectic, individual street style and the unpredictability of its independent designers, such as Meadham Kirchhoff. In their short history, they have become infamous for the eccentricity, political undertones and social commentary displayed in their collections.

            Both Meadham and Kirchhoff are avid supporters of the Feminist Movement, and an exploration of the trappings of femininity can often be seen in their designs. They also take a lot of inspiration from the Riot Grrrls of the 1990s; especially Courtney Love, whose 1994 Reading Festival dress Edward Meadham faithfully remade in a multitude of pastel hues for the can-can dancers who opened their Spring/Summer 2012 catwalk show. Their collections have garnered a reputation for being “angry” and they are notorious for deliberately pushing against the fashion mainstream and ignoring trends. Meadham Kirchhoff decorate and adorn the walls of their creative workspace with hundreds of images, which they look at in between seasons to contemplate the aesthetic and meaning behind their next collection. These images, according to Edward Meadham, “include representations of every classic beauty: sex symbol, goddess, Hollywood goddess, showgirl, little girl, Shirley Temple, Marilyn [Monroe], Jayne Mansfield, old paintings and portraits from Ingres, Marie Antoinette, dolls, the Virgin Mary.” This wide range of inspirational imagery and referencing demonstrates the designers’ sheer love of collecting and all things “happy and light and funny and gross and pretty”, and also shows their exact path from here to the finalised collection. This eclectic mix also showcases an obsession with representations of supposed idealised beauty.

For their S/S 2012 collection, Meadham Kirchhoff have taken all of these different facets of girlhood, taken in what it means to be feminine and spat it all back out again in a gorgeous pastel scream of rebellion. This collection is fit to bursting with rich textures, eye-popping colour combinations and a decadence last seen in Marie Antoinette’s Versailles palace home. The pair has stated that this collection was “about taking all the things that little girls are taught are beautiful and pretty from an early age – and destroying and celebrating them at the same time.” From just glancing at the whole collection, you can see this in force; the beautiful bubble-gum pastel hues which are the epitome of sugary girlishness contrast with the harsher, darker colours of the occasional navy tie or pillar-box red pinafore, which perhaps reference unsettling male schoolgirl fantasies, or evoke the iconic costume worn by Britney Spears – another victim of the trappings of femininity. Further coquettishness appears with the peekaboo cut-outs in a pink button down cardigan which reveal a crystal-encrusted bra. It certainly seems that Meadham Kirchhoff are trying to playfully poke fun at the constant objectification of women in the media – and indeed the world of fashion – by adding a pair of fluffy powder puff breasts to an intricate 18^th century brocade sack back coat. These coats as well as some of the sumptuously embroidered dresses in the collection have an exaggerated hourglass structure; a design feature which shines a light on constant scrutiny of the female form while simultaneously celebrating womanliness. Other stand out pieces were crystal encrusted hot pants, large skirted marabou coats and exquisitely embroidered cardigans; all adding a touch of pantomime drama to this “oddly moving” show all about poignant childhood memories and the loss of innocence. The shoes (designed by Nicholas Kirkwood with marabou pompoms and crystal bows added by Meadham Kirchhoff) are another example of the design team’s great sense of humour. They are ludicrous and hilarious and reminiscent of illustrations in Dr Seuss books, but edgy and fresh at the same time. All of this works together to create something that is kitsch and nostalgic without being tacky. Everything from this collection could have come out of a child’s dressing up box or from a theatre’s dressing room, but it could also fit perfectly in your wardrobe. These clothes are for a real girl, one “not defined by feminine frippery, though she may occasionally indulge in it.”

Made by any other designer, this collection would seem overly kitsch or flippant, but Meadham Kirchhoff have always been serious about what they do. The painstaking attention to detail comes from a real dedication to their craft and an exceptional technical ability. One dress in the collection is made solely from strips of ballerina embroidery with Broderie Anglaise lace ribbons stitched between the bands. This was inspired by “those old Spanish postcards where the flamenco dancers have real fabric skirts”, and this is plain to see as each ballerina’s sequinned tutu lifts up, and they each have individual pearl necklaces and crystal bead tiaras. This couture-worthy level of detailing is extraordinary; especially as such tiny additions like this would be almost invisible on the catwalk. The extremely labour intensive technique of zardosi embroidery has also been used several times in this collection on the wonderfully named “Madonna” jackets. It is the process of creating a pattern by stitching tiny coils of metal to a piece of fabric, and is traditionally used “in ceremonial Catholic dress and ornamentation”, which harks back to the religious influences and iconography seen on the pair’s studio walls. More of their meticulous attention to detail is seen in the cutesy animal and doll motifs which are hand-embroidered, appliquéd and, in some cases, even have 3D leather-appliquéd eyelashes as an added touch. A lot of work has also gone into their bubble-gum coloured marabou frock coats, each weighing a huge amount with a hem of 26 metres and taking hours to stitch just one band of feathers to one hem. Edward Meadham wanted these skirts to feel “endless”, and their sheer density and luxuriousness ensures that they certainly seem that way. Meadham Kirchhoff also have an incredible capacity to think outside the box, choosing to use an “iridescent tinsel yarn” originally designed to be used for fishing as a trim for some of their turquoise ballerina embroidery. The wealth and understanding of traditional and contemporary textiles techniques shown by the designers is very impressive, especially given the way they are able to weave it together with their fresh and individual designs.

Meadham Kirchhoff’s Spring/Summer 2012 collection is simply beautiful. Combining a wealth of inspiration with an old-fashioned aptitude for textiles techniques, this collection is truly a work or art for the modern age of fashion and textiles. By drawing on the many representations of women and girls throughout history and their own beliefs, Meadham Kirchhoff have created a collection which celebrates all that is good about being female and being a feminist and what this means to us in the 21^st Century. It is sugary sweet without being saccharine and girly without being overly cutesy. It is femininity with a theatrical, rebellious edge. If you cut Meadham Kirchhoff through the middle, they would read “eccentricity” like a candy coloured stick of Brighton rock.