Biomimicry

I'm going to start focusing a few of my blog entries on 'Eco, Sustainable and Slow' Fashion as in 14 months time I will be starting my blog on this subject. I chose it as I've always been obsessed with the unique and innovative and I believe there is some really creative ideas coming under this subject. One of those is the idea od "Biomimicry", which is the green idea of "using nature as an idea to solve design problems". Some of these are not necessarily sustainable but theres a lot that do help towards a better environment. Here are some of the existing ideas I have discovered.

Karen Ingham has created a line of "Pollinator Frocks". It has been researched and  discovered that the bee population is shrinking and this supposedly threatens humans in terms of their food sources. So, the designs are treated with a "nectar-like sugar solution" to encourage bees and butterflies to pollinate. It is an interesting solution though I'm not sure how one would react to becoming a bee magnet !

When discussing Biomimicry, Ada Zanditon is a designers name that will always appear. She too translates the idea of the collapse of bee colonys but in a way that she tells the story through the clothing; she instead draws awareness to the issue. Her "Colony" Spring/Summer 2010 collection takes examples from Hexagonal Honey combs in structure, showing how high fashion and sustainability can work hand in hand with one another. She uses sustainable fabrics too and concentrates on enhancing the life cycle of her products.

Fashion Designer Mattijs van Bergen and Landscape architect Anouk Vogel collaborated to create the "Living" dress. Constructed from recycled bicycle inner tubes and wool, the idea of the dress is that it evolves every season. Its surface is constructed of "vase" like structures that can be filled with water and then topped up with flowers in various positions and of different designs to make a dress that can be ever changing.

Tara Baoth Mooney, a graduate of the London College of Fashio, created a collar that is actually made from textured moss !

Finally, Donna Sgro uses "Morphotex", a nanotechnology based fibre that mimics a morpho butterflies wings due to a trick of the light. The benefits is its lustrous hue is created without the use of dyes which saves on water and energy.

Working for Republic :)

So yesterday is was confirmed that 5 months of my work placement will be as a design studio assistant for Womens and Mens wear at Republic and I am SO SO SO excited ! I finally got the placement that I wanted all along and I'm thrilled, but nervous, to get started in the next few weeks :) As the Head Office is in Leeds too I get to stay in my gorgeous flat :) I feel like my future is finally starting to positively come together.

Fashion Futures Project

Sorry the images are absolutely awful, I lost my memory stick with the original PDFS on it so images are a bit rubbish. I just wanted to show some of the work I did for my Fashion Futures Project. I was really proud of it, despite the mark not being what I wanted. But I came out with 69% overall for design development which is great. Shame that 1% more would have got me that First!

Underneath are a few of my design development pages. The idea was they were garments that could transform from one silhouette to another but the catch was the silhouettes had to be from the trends A/W 11/12 and Spring/Summer 12. This was my solution to the sustainable design project. The idea was that people wanted longer lasting clothes but also wanted to be in fashion. I chose Zara as my company as they are known well for fast fashion and I wanted to do something to change that perception.

My final illustrations can be seen underneath. They were constructed on Illustrator then shaded afterwards with pencil. I definitely thought they looked quite professional and improved on last semesters illustration attempt.

Style Icons

Though I'd update with some of the celebrities who's style I have always adored!

Mary-Kate Olsen is absolutely beautiful without a doubt and teams Vintage and designer together, not to mention having two clothing lines of her own. She rocks this boho/gothic look which is so unique and original and she does it extremely well

Alexa Chung-Indie Goddess. I've always had a thing for the Indie Chic look at the Queen of it is definitely Alexa Chung. Whats perfect about it too is it is so simple and easy to style up your own look from. I love the lace cardigan in the first image and I believe they're doing some like that in New Look at the moment

Kate Moss. The original style icon I think. I think many celebrities looks all originate from her. She rocked the Vintage, boho, rock chick, indie and each celebrity seems to have stemmed somewhere from her. 

I could go on with more pictures but I'd totally fill up the blog til nobody could be bothered reading anymore. Check out the styles of Chloe Sevigny, Zooey Deschanel, Ashley Olsen, Emma Watson and Coco Rocha.

New Dress

I wanted a floral dress with summer in mind, but I've never been one for bright colours. I wanted a Kate Moss style one, in a faded colour, looking like it could have come from some past era. In Urban Outfitters for £65 I found the perfect one in teal.

Lace.

Everyone knows that lace is a big trend this season and it never grows old. The reason is because lace is so delicate and antique looking that it can follow trends or can be used to pull of a more Vintage-without-being-second-hand look. I decided to explore some of my favourite lace pieces that I have seen across a variety of mediums in the fashion industry.

1. Erdem, Spring/Summer 2011. I was absolutely fascinated by this collection. The styling of the washed out make up and slightly roughed up hair styles is a perfect fit to these interesting outfits from the collection.

2. Emma Watson models this revealing but classy, lace embellished dress from People Tree. She helped pick out the fair trade materials for the dress. Okay, so the lace part of it is more a netted lace made from dogtooth hand woven fabrics but it is still such a beautiful piece.

3. Eric Daman gets it right for his styling of Blair Waldorf on Gossip Girl with the lace and metallic dress teamed with black patterned tights and the cropped cape.

4. ASOS lace panel dress by TBA. I love the nude and white together, teamed with the casual hat.

5. Lace doesn't have to be girly and fragile. For example, take online boutique ohmyfrock.com who show some more edgier takes on the trend.

6. Topshop mixes the lace trend with the idea of masculine dressing. I personally have this top and love wearing it with high waisted black shorts or tapered trousers

Black Swan

If I were to take the Ballet fashion trend and style up a fashion shoot, I'd be thinking about it's connotations a little more closely. Everyone has already seen the trends; the floaty chiffon skirts, tutu shapes and leotards but I'd rather play on that. I'd want to do a twisted, edgy and creepy version of it. Afterall, Black Swan is psychotic and mad in a beautiful form and fashion could be used to convey that. I'd want these sheers mixed with hard materials and Heroin chic make-up in a broken down setting.

These Images from Russh magazine are the kind of initial inspiration I'd be looking at. The conflict of beauty and destruction is perfect to the black swan theme. Then, the next idea would be to look at clothes I would use.

For starters, id be using this. A 1950s circular skirt and corset dress design by Samantha Tretton from DeMontfort University, Leicester.

The design is elegant and pretty but there is something not all perfect about it. I'd stle it with perhaps a leather one shouldered body suit or dress underneath to continue with the rugged touch to the design. Perhaps Rick Owens would have the right piece, or more likely, Margiela. He does some edgy pieces bodysuits that would style well with this whilst alluding to the ballet theme. 

I think something like this would be good with a bit of embellishment such as a full circle dismantled tutu around the waist, cut shorter than the bottom of the dress. 

I noted that this kind of look in Italian Vogue was spectacular , looking at ways to mix corsets and chiffon fabrics together. Brilliant.

But how would I style up a friend or a fashionable teenager if she wanted ideas on how to work the trend ?

Well...

I'd firstly say don't go for the complete obvious. There are many dresses say in Topshop with big tutu skirts or what not, so why not choose something like this.

This Sadie dress by Jones and Jones at Topshop is a little more of an artistic and conceptual take on the ballet idea. Much more Natalie Portman in Black Swan than the generic idea. White tights would go well with this to give a pale and pasty contrast. You wouldn't want to go too heavy on the accessories though

American Apparel have these sheer skirts that can be worn over something like a black leotard or edged up by pairing maybe a graphic top shorts underneath with the skirt on top. In fact, I might try out that look myself tomorrow when I go shopping.