This means that I will have to dedicate myself to you to make up for it, lucky you eh? ;)
So updates woo!
First off, GCSEs went very very very well. I won't post my results but lets just say that I'm pleased :) Starting A levels now and what a struggle! Hurtwood House, my new school, is absolutely amazing. Everyone here is lovely, the school is increadibly relaxed and less strict, which is amazing for me because it reduces stress, yet I still want to work hard. And the atmosphere here is incredibly energetic- the school is full of amazingly talented performing artists.
My current subjects are English, Maths, History and Textiles. Textiles is similar to art but uses a lot more medium, and involves the exploration of fabrics using sewing machines, fashion, etc... Very useful for me.
But enough about me. I'm here to talk about fashion, clothes, anything else interesting, and I intend to enlighten you. First off, (ok, a little bit about me again- eek), During the summer after my GCSEs were finally OVER, I was lucky enough to have work experience at Mark Fast, the knitwear designer.
You may have seen his collaberation with topshop...
Personally, I think his designs are beautiful. He's original, creative, and his collections are sheer, loose, and although they bear all without some sort of garment underneath, they have a formal and classy edge- perhaps because of their appealing and attenuating shapes.
Mark himself was lovely. I would never have thought in my life that I would end up sewing, and listening to Justin Bieber with Mark Fast.
I would also like to note my experiences. What I found was not what I was expecting. The offices may not have been as classy or perfect as 'shown on television', but the few people who worked with Mark were lovely, friendly, and passionate. I experienced friendly everyday chat in a work office, and it inspired me to look towards fashion design as a career. I also realised that you don't need to be the designer to be involved in the designing aspect of the fashion industry, (which is perfect for me as sadly I don't quite think I have the skill to design), but there is an array of other jobs available.
The one downside of the work experience? took me over one hour to get there, and over one hour to get back. It was worth it though, and I even walked away with some gorgeous leggings which Mark kindly gave to me- now part of my pride and joy collection in my wardrobe :)
OK, now collections. Well, actually I intend to skip this part because I see no point in repeating other countless bloggers (It's probably all been said before) and I'm MONTHS late. However I want to give you some examples from some phwoar worthy designers that I have found. Here ya go:
I find that these are similar to Christopher Kane in terms of graphic prints, but I love graphic printing and We Are Handsome provide suave and good- looking options for swimwear at the beach.
A new designer from Australia, I believe a lot of his work seems like a perfect combination of Christopher Kane, Mark Fast, and Alexander McQueen. I love his sleek tailoring and his choice of a limited palette.
Quote from Dazed Digital-
Dazed Digital: What was your starting point for the collection?
Dion Lee: I was looking at abstracting traditional tailoring techniques. Internally, in a tailored jacket you have those layers of horse hair that gives it structure. So we're synthesising that into the different meshes that have been layered. The idea was to turn that internal element into something more decorative. They all create this tertiary pattern when you overlap them.
DD: Where did the Rorschach ink blots come from?
Dion Lee: Controlled tailoring is what the label has become known for in Australia but that is one part of what I do. So I really wanted to try something that was more free and fluid. I was attracted to the ink blots because there was this idea of subconscious and allowing things to happen more freely. I love that they are open to interpretation. Then I also really wanted to work with more soft sculptural elements like with layers of pleats. I wanted them to have a freedom to them but to still have a sculpture to them.
DD: Do you think of your work as being more attuned to tastes in the Northern Hemisphere?
Dion Lee: There is more of a culture to supporting my work in Europe but I definitely don't want to emulate European designers. I'm actually embracing what is Australian in the clothes. My strong point is tailoring and the reaction I've come up with in Australia is that a lot of my work is too heavy and hard to wear and so I have softer pieces such as loose blazers where arms can slip in and our easily. Tailoring doesn't always have to be heavy and hopefully there's a real sense of openess and fluidity.
Dion Lee: I was looking at abstracting traditional tailoring techniques. Internally, in a tailored jacket you have those layers of horse hair that gives it structure. So we're synthesising that into the different meshes that have been layered. The idea was to turn that internal element into something more decorative. They all create this tertiary pattern when you overlap them.
DD: Where did the Rorschach ink blots come from?
Dion Lee: Controlled tailoring is what the label has become known for in Australia but that is one part of what I do. So I really wanted to try something that was more free and fluid. I was attracted to the ink blots because there was this idea of subconscious and allowing things to happen more freely. I love that they are open to interpretation. Then I also really wanted to work with more soft sculptural elements like with layers of pleats. I wanted them to have a freedom to them but to still have a sculpture to them.
DD: Do you think of your work as being more attuned to tastes in the Northern Hemisphere?
Dion Lee: There is more of a culture to supporting my work in Europe but I definitely don't want to emulate European designers. I'm actually embracing what is Australian in the clothes. My strong point is tailoring and the reaction I've come up with in Australia is that a lot of my work is too heavy and hard to wear and so I have softer pieces such as loose blazers where arms can slip in and our easily. Tailoring doesn't always have to be heavy and hopefully there's a real sense of openess and fluidity.
Ok well two brands for now, but I will include more in later posts which I PROMISE will come! But looking at the designers I've mentioned, my taste in fashion is clear. Manipulation of fabrics (which I've been looking at in my textiles work) and the use of various tailoring techniques are most appealing to me. I also like very defined ideas and creations- the swimsuits are so simple but they engage so much.One of my favourite designers, McQueen, summarises what appeals to me so much:
Loving the classy gold elements that trail through his clothes. These are some of my favourites in the new items, but there's always the nagging feeling in the back of my mind that it is not all McQueen, himself, who designed these. R.I.P
I think I will sum up this post here. It's currently a snow day at my school, thus why I had the incentive to create this post. The snow is dam beautiful (therefore some white fluffy inspired posts soon I hope) but I have no camera and I'm stuck in the middle of nowhere with food rations for crying out loud! I love my school but boarding in the countryside can be tricky. Bye bye