Illustrations

These are some quick sketches I produced during my final post-graduate project at uni, which involved creating a magazine to fill a gap in the publishing market. I chose to create a 28 page contract publication for AllSaints, which is a brand that I admire, and these illustrations show two items from their Spring/Summer collection for 2011. I didn't end up using them in the project, but it was fun to draw again, as it's something I've recently neglected a little in favour of photography.

Fashion Origami and Other Delights

(Image: My first successful attempt at fashion origami, using the kit that I was given for Christmas. Pretty snazzy. This one is meant to be a men's shirt, in case you can't tell, and you can make a little tie to match if you're so inclined).

Sorry for the severe hiatus from blogging. I finished my fashion journalism course in early February and then the great job hunt began, which left me pretty frazzled but excited to try something new. I'm now interning on a part-time basis at a fantastic new ethical luggage brand, as well as continuing my stint in retail. I'm certainly no stranger to juggling things, having studied for a combined honours degree and also taken on an extra AS-level before I even attempted uni, so you could say that I'm well within my comfort zone. Sadly I have had to drastically cut down on shopping, as things are quite tight financially, thus the blogging has been less frequent than usual. However, these are the things that have caught my eye recently in the sartorial world:

1. H&M's new Conscious Collection, which uses recycled fabrics and is mainly based on a palette of white or un-dyed fabrics. It's not 'frumpy eco-clothing with hemp', as so many people assume it might be, and most of the pieces seem really wearable. The worrying thing is that I rarely visit H&M without buying something, so I'm trying to hold out for as long as possible, or at least until I get paid. It's a toss-up between the white lacey dress with ribbon straps (think the Virgin Suicides but less tragic) and the scallop-edged ecru shorts which fall in layers and skim your thighs in a gentle rather than cellulite-exposing way (I hope).
2. High waisted denim shorts: this phrase would normally have me running for the hills and crying out for something more low-slung and comfortable, but the slushy and windswept winter has left me in definite hibernation mode, resulting in a hefty muffin-top on my stomach. More accurately, this should be called a cake-top, because most of it is down to my Lola's Cupcakes addiction. Anyway, due to this unfortunate but completely self-inflicted excess baggage, I cannot wear anything that sits below my belly, as it makes the problem area all the more obvious. Instead, high-waisted shorts have been my saviour, especially the ones that are more like hotpants in their cut, because it draws attention to some indecently exposed legs rather than my worrying paunch, which becomes much flatter. I plumped (excuse the pun) for a Topshop black denim pair with gold rivets, which set me back £32; yes, this is too expensive for shorts, in my opinion, but they have been brilliant and I know I'll continue to wear them for years to come. I thoroughly recommend them.
3. Peacock feathers: call me an old hippy or a Bohemian twat, but I love them. The real ones, however, are an utter nightmare, and I seem to be in a constant cycle of buying and accidentally destroying peacock feather earrings or necklaces. They look great when contrasted with a more severe piece, such as studded boots or frayed denim.
4. Bright yellow fake Dr. Martens - yep, I bought some. I would love to say that they were real, but I don't have £90 knocking around to spend on a pair. If I'm honest, these fakes are a lot lighter to stomp around in all day, though I don't expect them to be half as hard-wearing as the real thing.

Musical Muse

(Images via Standart News and Last FM).

For those of you who didn't see the amazing Mark Knopfler program on BBC Four last night, you're in for a treat. Not only is this man amazing at writing lyrics and creating the most incredible guitar riffs and solos, but he is also known for his distinctive look in the 1980s. I knew he was famous for those little headbands, but I'd never quite appreciated the whole ensemble until I was watching the archive footage on this documentary; it's not only practical (who wants hair in your face when you're boiling on stage?) but it's about ignoring whatever anyone else may be wearing and doing your own thing. There are no logos or considerations for looking cool (besides maybe choosing something in a nice colour or a crazy pattern), because comfort and purpose have overtaken them. With sportswear looming large on the catwalk, the more functional terry towelling headband may yet make a comeback, but I hope this doesn't leave us with a lasting trend. The whole thing about Knopfler is that you can try and imitate what he does, but you'll never do it quite as good as him. I wish more men had the guts to dress however they want, without being restricted to obvious choices or whatever is in the shop window. It's time to be inventive.

Crisis Clothing

I'm experiencing a problem which hasn't significantly reared its ugly head in nearly ten years; one of my peers is stealing my style. The last time this happened was in school, and my eclectic multi-layered t-shirts and baggy brightly coloured cords became the ultimate items for one of my closest friends. It was supposed to feel flattering but it just felt disappointing, and that's still my reaction now. The difference is, we're not at school any more; this decade's look-thief is someone who is normally quite content to do her own thing, yet recently she's been absorbing my hair colour, hair style, clothing ensembles and other such small and seemingly insignificant details. It's frustrating when I spend ages trying to express myself through what I wear or how I present myself, and then suddenly there she is, expressing me through her own body (if that makes any sense). It's truly maddening. I don't feel I can say anything because we haven't spoken properly in a while - that's right, this modern version of imitation is conducted by her checking on my Facebook photos and 'liking' them. It's a sad day when the technology that unites you with your friends also makes you want to slap them.

Cacharel-Inspired Preppy Moment

After a brief absence from the blog (work/holiday-related), here's what I've been drawn to in recent weeks:
1. The quest for the perfect leather skirt. The one in the image above is from Zara's TRF range and it's pleated with an A-line shape. It took some getting used to as my previous favourite was a pencil skirt from a charity shop, which I've now lost to my sister's wardrobe. The Zara skirt is an imitation leather, which makes it more pliable and soft, but it doesn't have the toughness of leather, which I do kind of miss.
2. Men's shirts. I wear a lot of these for my part-time job, because our women's versions are often too short in the body and not as wearable print-wise, and now they've become a bit of a wardrobe staple. The shirt above is a delicate floral which is something I've been trying to avoid for Spring (it feels a bit predictable), but it jumped out at me the other day as the perfect contrast to the skirt. I added the lace bow, which I made from tying a remnant of lace around the collar. I wore this with purple brogues and a large grey coat with an asymmetric hem.
3. Navy opaque tights. My mum is a big fan of these and I normally plump for black, but navy feels less obvious and wintery. She looked quite proud when I bought my first pair!
4. Rodarte's collection for SS/11. On hearing a description of this, you'd think it was hideous - imitation wood prints and a blue and white design which appears to be taken from a willow patterned plate - but somehow it really works. There's something about the 'back to nature' element of it which would make a great antidote to the neon colours which seem to be creeping back into fashion this season. I'm also excited to see Rodarte's costume designs for the new Black Swan film, which sound sumptuous.

Photo Evidence of a Genius Window Display

Liberty has the best Christmas window displays in London: FACT. I love the theatricality and the determination to combine Christmassy warmth with a dash of cool. I do not, however, love the service in Liberty - I decided to treat myself to a sheet of wrapping paper (I know, last of the big spenders... but it did cost me a fiver and it's a beautiful old map of England) and could have honestly received better service in Primark. What's more, the guy in front of me spending £400 (yup, I was eavesdropping) got the same indifferent treatment, at the same snail pace. It's lucky for Liberty that their visual merchandisers are working harder than their sales assistants, because it's displays like this one which will keep customers coming back rather than defecting to other department stores, or indeed online shopping. Much as I adore their window displays, I'm not sure I'll be going back to purchase anything in a hurry.

We are not all one size. We do not come from moulds.

After lusting over leather dresses for weeks on end, I finally took the plunge and headed to the changing rooms of Bershka to try one for size. Many people have been sceptical about leather dresses, seeing them as a step too far in the leather trend and verging on overkill. I was determined to prove them wrong and team mine with minimalist pieces and make that dress the ultimate statement. However, I fell at the first hurdle when I put this one on: it was clingy in all the wrong places and strangely baggy at the neckline and back. Being synthetic, it was also boiling hot within 2 minutes of being zipped up, and I could feel myself panicking about leaving the dress dripping with sweat and running make-up in an effort to extract myself from it (luckily it was quite easy to remove). The dress I tried on was a size Large, although I can honestly say that it wasn't made for a woman with hips or a chest and it tried desperately to skim over both these features with little success. I do expect to be a bigger size in a Spanish retail chain, because traditionally they seem to cater for smaller, more birdlike women - it's just one of those things. But I don't expect to find the 'L' labelled dress like a sausage skin, whether it's in faux leather or cotton. I should be able to move my legs and not feel my circulation being cut off.
Undeterred, I found a simple but edgy jumper on my second look in the store - it was khaki with elbow patches and I knew it was going to end up in my wardrobe. But, after browsing through a pile of at least ten jumpers, I was dismayed to find that every single one was a size 'Small'. I returned a week later with fresh optimism, only to find the same problem. I won't lie; I already felt a little insecure about expecting to buy a Large, or indeed Extra Large, but seeing row upon row of garments in 'Small' around the store, I didn't find myself excited about the jumper any more. I'd expect to see a full size range catered for in the high street, especially when the size 'Small' equates to a 6-8, because it's hardly appealing to a diverse range of customers. I love the fresh and interesting designs available in Bershka, but this has left me reluctant to visit regularly if they are quite happy to place a size 12 customer in a 'Large' category and consistently not stock anything beyond 'Small'. I will never have a size 6-8 figure, even with a severe breast reduction, and I don't want to feel as though it's wrong to be a size 12. The leather dress was just the catalyst for me in realising that some retailers in Britain target a scarily exclusive size market.