Animal Collage at Cavalli

Roberto Cavalli is one of my favourite designers, as i find he adapts so quickly to trend and seasons as well as being a major trend setter.
I've already expressed my love for animal prints and Cavalli has used them as his main trend for A/W2011. Instead of sticking to leopard like many other designers, Cavalli is using a variety of prints per garment, creating really amazing patterns and colours in his pieces. He has also then included fur pieces, the use of fur and then animal prints creates a really interesting textule look.

I'am thinking that I may be able to use blow up patterns taken from flowers as prints for fabrics or background for illustration boards !

Fish scales and Hair at Prada

Wednesday saw the start of Milan fashion week ... and the Prada show.
I've been following all the designers throughout the fashion weeks, however Prada really got my attention with the amazing textures.

As well as the usual amazing Italian tailoring, Prada seem to take a slight influence from the Cubism art movement with a Mondrian influence appearing, with also a slight hint of traditional British check. However the chic black and white with neutral tone colours or flashes of bright blue have a modern twist.

Prada also used plush furs and hairs giving a really wintry feel in charcoal colours and warm caramels for coats and stoles.

My favourite pieces were the garments that looked as though they were made of fish scales. Using translucent coloured sequins, that shimmered and moved beautifully almost like fluid when the models walked up and down the runway.
I think this show shows how attractive the use of textures can be.

Window Shopping

So whilst out and about in Manchester on my lunch break, I got a few more photographs of current shop window displays.

staring with ZARA.
ZARA are known for their simplistic window displays,they usually use a black or white backdrop and exciting lighting , meaning that all the attention is on the clothes.
They also usually theme their display ideas on one of the seasons current trends.
Their current display I would say is probably inspired by the 70's trend. and mannequins have big hair and dark shades. The clothing is also very casual and laid back. Colour wise they have stuck to the white/neutral colour trend, this makes the window appear really clean and bright, attracting passers by attention.

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Next I looked at the Louis Vuiton concession window at Selfridges.


The Vuiton window is highly glossy pillarbox red, to match its patent handbags on display, this works really well as it give the £D effect of the red handbags coming out of the wall. By then adding the odd patent black and purple bag, its depicts colour and makes the display bolder to the viewers eye. The arc shape that the bags are currently in also creates the illusion of a door, which almost welcomes you in.

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And of course Harvey Nichols, it certainly helps when you work at the shop with the best windows in Manchester.
Continuing with the retro feel of their tinsel fest Christmas window, Harvey Nichols seem to also be working with the 70's theme by dressing their models in very laid back outfits and creating silhouettes which are iconic to the decade. the backdrop is very simplistic with black walls and diagonal and circular lighting . This is how you can see high street shops, copying higher end stores, as the Harvey Nichols window was done first week of January and then ZARA have created the same effect but slightly watered down just 1 month later.
Harvey Nichols are famous for their elaborate windows, my favourite one so far was Christmas 2009 which featured a huge crystal chandelier with mannequins and champagne bottle entangled inside it.

Mac Window

I managed to get a much clearer image of the Wonder Woman window at Selfridges this morning on my way to work. You can really see how big and bold it is now. And the small details of lipsticks and blushers flying round also in a comic strip style, which were not noticeable before. I may use my lunch break to get photographs of other shop windows round Manchester as they are all really strong at the moment with the new season fashions filtering through the shops.

WONDER WOMAN

As my new college brief is about how fashion can be communicated and promoted, I have decided to look into shop windows.
Working in Manchester I have a good selection to choose from, especially having the big designer shops such as House of Fraser, Selfridge's and of course Harvey Nichols.


2 weeks ago when walking past Selfridge's I was distracted by the vibrant colours of a huge peacock feather which looked as though it was gliding down the window. This was the new campaign window for Mac Make-up's Peacocky range. I instantly thought "I must get a picture" however as it was getting dark I put it of until the morning. Obviously the morning turned to a week and when I went to take the picture this weekend the window has changed.

However I am equally as impressed by the newest Mac window, Wonder Woman. A large image of the super female heroine now towers above customers as they pass the store, almost making the shop look like a comic strip.


This time I managed to get a picture, I really think this window promotes they new Mac stock really well as Wonder Woman is so icon and especially with current sexism issues in the news, its quite ironic to see a powerful woman being portrayed so boldly. Also having a window like this definitely makes you want to know what its promoting, as soon as I got home I went online to find the entire range of Mac/WonderWoman products !!!
I've got my eye on some new Lippy !

Miaoow !

I seem to have had a slight trending topic on the animal print recently, and today I took my interest a little further ... with Leopard print nail foils. These are like adhesive stickers that you hair-dryer melt to your nail and I am super pleased with the result !


I am planning to team my puurrrr-fect nails with my new cream shift dress and leopard print heels tomorrow night !

New Brief !!

Started off with a new brief this week, this time based on illustration and the ways in which Fashion is communicated.

To start with I have decided to create a time-line of fashion communication, starting at 1892 and the first copy of Vogue in the USA, ... so far I am up to 1971, but I do a proper post on my time-line when I've finish the next 40 years !

For this project we have to create 2 promotion boards for our collection to each of the 4 market levels FAD, High Street, R-T-W and Couture. To gather ideas for these boards I have started to research fashion illustrators both past and present.

I have started by re-visiting Laura Laine, who I blogged about last year. Yet this time I'm trying to re-create her work, which she obtains with charcoal pencil and the miracles of photo-shop.

I started by trying to copy one of her original drawings.

Because I took the picture using my blackberry camera the brightness has been effected. Therefore when editing in photo-shop, I adjusted the colour and shadow to define the drawn details as well as filling in the background with white to give the clean bright contrast that Laine achieves.
I am really please with my effort to achieve a Laine style drawing and thing the photo-shop really helped, using the contrast setting has given her effect of dark and light really well, however I think Laine must use very small tools to define tiny details for example in the hair as I was not able to gain the same toned effect.

I think her style of drawing would be great for my Couture boards, as its quirky Tim Burton-esque feel would really compliment that style of clothing.

Markus Lupfer

After posting the picture of the giraffe sequin jumper by Markus Lupfer a couple of days ago, I've decided to look at the best of his collection ... mainly because I couldn't stop staring at the collection whilst at work last weekend.

Markus Lupfer is well known for creating the highly embellished jumpers, he is very popular with the younger market, as his clothes are not ridiculously expensive and his jumpers can be dressed down with skinny jeans and ballet pumps or dressed up over a little black dress and some rather large shoes !

Here are my top 5 of Markus Lupfers new S/S 2011 collection.


5. This Scorpion embellished jumper is one of my favourites, as I myself am a Scorpio, and having the dark background of the merino wool, the gold embellishment stand out really well and shows up the details of the Scorpion.


4. Number 4 is a hit with me, as I love the simplicity and the nude trend is one of my favourites this season. I think this is one that will look fab dressed up or down.
3. Number 3 is this diamond ring embellished jumper, I've seen this one on the hanger in front of my eyes, and the blue sequins are so vibrant in colour and really catch the light, giving the diamond sparkle effect.
2. In extremely close second place ( and it took me a day to decide between the 2) its the golden pear jumper. This is currently displayed on a mannequin opposite the department I work on, every time I walk past it really sparkles and catches your eye. The merino wool on this jumper is also supper soft and would look great with an embellished mini and big heels. I also love the neutral colours in the stripe as again the give a very comfy, soft look to the jumper.



FINALLY ...


It's still the Giraffe.
quite simply ... because he's so cute !!!
the question is which do I buy ....

A new take on Animal Prints

Last season animal skin/fur prints were huge, especially leopard and tiger. With the likes of majoy fashion houses such as D&G and Cavlli.


However the new season is seeing another kind of animal print come to trend, ... actual images of the animals so famous for their prints such as Leopards, Pandas and Giraffes.

Louis Vuiton has been the main designer for this trend using many jungle animal as inspiration for his prints, my favourite is the Giraffe suit as the print being so tall gives the illusion of a longer leg.


This is a Marcus Lupfer jumper that I saw at my work, I love the colours and sequin embellishment BUT is £300 to much for a jumper ???

Et Voila ,,, Une Toile

Finally !

After adding the last few sample flowers my first Toile is complete !


I continued to spiral the flowers under the best and round the right side of the dress.


I then put my dress on a mannequin to see how everything held in place and after tacking into place a few petals I'm really happy with the final outcome.