Ramblings...

Today i got up super early for my seminar/lecture which was annoying because i didn't get much sleep last night, neighbours must have had some sort of party and unfortunately have a love for drum and bass. My seminar was all about the homosexual black identity and we watched a film which i could only class as Art. It was a bit provocative and suggestive but wasn't particularly very good. It's called Looking for Langston by Isaac Julien and I really feared I would fall asleep half way through. The girl who did the class presentation on the film was wearing this amazing Green Fluro coat from French Connection. Great choice I thought as Neon is making its way back into our wardrobes for the summer! I can't find any image of it so it must be from a few seasons ago but it was in a pea coat style, but she really got away with wearing that colour. She also has a lovely raspberry coat too, which i admire a lot! She's always very well dressed and I wish I could have a rummage through her wardrobe!

Anyway, I’ve decided not to do any work for now, and chill out reading a few magazines (the ones i bought earlier in the week!) as well as my housemate’s copy of Vogue which she kindly left behind for me while she is away this weekend. I should probably get on with my dissertation but I might do that tonight if i can. After I’ve been to see Sweeny Todd with some of my other housemates. I've heard good things about it, but also that it’s a bit gory? Ah I hope not or maybe just that it’s gory in Tim Burton's Sleepy Hollow way. That was a great film wasn't it? I must make time to rewatch my favourite French films I have sitting on my shelf and also my housemates copy of The Chorus which she promised is well worth watching!

Naughty Nymphs

I love illustration especially when its thrown into the world of fashion. The Likes of Lislotte Watkins to whom i spent a whole year obsessing over during my A Level Art to the many others that feature in my well worn,Fashion Illustration Now book.

So when i heard about the collaboration between James Jean, a Taiwanese-American illustrator and DC Comics cover artist and Miuccia Prada, I was intrigued. Especially when i l learned that they would be using his 'naughty nymphs' fairy designs (apparently they are seductive nymphs rather than fairies). His images have been used in the Spring advertising campaign, alongside their fashion show and also feature in print-form on their garments. A selection of wallpapers from the collaboration between Prada and 2x4 (art design team) is currently on display at the Architecture and Design gallery at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

However, that's not all she will also be unveiling a short 4 minute illustrated film, Trembled Blossoms at her Soho Boutique on Feb 5th, right in the middle of NY fashion week.
The film is an extension of the illustrations by James Jean, evoking fantastical fairies, flowers and suggestions of Aubrey Beardsley, Art Nouveau and even Hieronymus Bosch.
The concept of the film is linked to the motions of a dancer playing a nymph (from James Jean's illustrations) who has had small tracking reflectors on her body which have been captured and recorded, then digitally superimposed onto the drawings. It is meant to evoke the lush animation of Disney in the 1930s-40s.

This collaboration could be seen as innovative and i have read many thoughts that deem it as being so creative that it pushes Prada right to the creative forefront. I'd like to differ because in regards to video installations in the past, it has all been done before, and is not a new concept. Just what is it that is seen as innovative? Surely it just highlights the technology used by the art&design and film teams championing James Jean's illustrations (obviously great exposure for him as an illustrator) What does it say about Prada other than incorporating the dream-like sequence to their S/S collection, does it really say anything about innovation?. We might refer to YSL's Stefano Pilati forgoeing the traditional runway this year and who showed his collection in customised showrooms and through a video installation during Paris Fashion week. Particularly with YSL, is this the way forward? Where fashion becomes further removed from the viewers? I'm not so sure but it's an interesting thought and one i will be thinking about, especially if the video makes its way on to the Prada Website.

For now though, i can only imagine the fashion elite watching frolicking nymphs and disney-esque animation surrounded by Prada Shoes, clothes and the like, while clinking glasses and eating canopés. Somewhat Surreal don't you think?

Extreme Knitting

This week was STLM Fashion week by Berns in Stockholm where Sandra Backlund was one of many who showcased her A/W 08 collection (she already wins my approval by using Regina Spektor as her soundtrack to her show). The Swede is still a relatively new name in the fashion world (but she won the Future Design Days award for young designers at the Future Design Days conference in Stockholm, 2005 as well as being the winning collection at Festival d'Hyeres last April) Her pieces are instantly recognisable and push knitwear to the extreme. This clearly caught the attention of Marc Jacobs and they collaborated on the Louis Vuitton AW knitwear collection as well as quite a few bloggers in the past year. Perhaps I'm treading on ground that has already been well trodden but still, here is my little input to the exciting young designers that are bringing knitwear back to life.

Commenting on the design process Backlund says she sees her work as art and is greatly interested in how garments can highlight, distort and transform the natural silhouette of the body. Backlund also knits and hand crochets all the garments herself. She describes the approach to her work as more akin to sculpture than as a tailor and her trademark is in the very heavy wool collage knitting.

Upon first glance, her designs to me are very sculptural, almost architectural in design where you could almost imagine scaffolding holding up the pieces together. In Stockholm she exhibited huge, weighty tunics with exaggerated braided knitting and also resembling huge twisted balls of rope. Who knew that knitwear could be manipulated into these huge, sculptural forms?










Another young designer is Craig Lawrence whose work includes knitting bin bags for Gareth Pugh's first collection (S/S 07) His enthusiasm for knitwear shows in his fun and cleverly knitted pieces and describing knitwear as being more exciting than fashion design because you get to create your own fabric. He has since gone and worked for McQ and i am awaiting eagarly in anticipation for his debut collection.
This new approach to knitwear (which has long been associated with our grannies knitting woolly jumpers and hideous stuffed toys) is such a radical take. Perhaps we are entering a refreshing and exciting new era for knitwear and i, frankly can't wait to see more of it!

Bargain Bin

So yesterday i went shopping with my housemates to buy a present for my friends 22nd. We ended up going to our favourite boutique in one of two Victorian arcades in Birmingham (Piccadilly Arcade)called Smithsonia and found a lovely little flat beaded necklace by a Spanish Company (can't remember the name but they were based in Barcelona). Birmingham is also home to the Great Western Arcade which i have never been to seeing as its a little out of the way. I must make time and go there eventually, terrible really seeing as I'm classed as a bit of a local. I bought my dose of magazines (Dazed and confused and Wonderland) which i probably shouldn't have bought because that came to £8, but i love magazines too much. I didn't intend to buy Wonderland but i loved the Miguel Reveriego fashion shoot too much to let it pass by. Plus it was the last Dec/Jan issue so it wouldn't be around the next time i was in town.
We also hovered for a while by the Travel section in Waterstones looking at the New York travel guides. We hope to book tickets by Monday, so it will be a great end of term, end of Uni present to ourselves. Plus we might find our graduation dresses out there! It's all a bit exciting!

As always, i am forever on either the topshop or urban outfitters website, I was browsing the UO website and convinced myself into wanting a new jacket. I didn't want to buy it over the Internet as i really wanted to try it on before i parted with £55. Its a sort of motorcycle style jacket, and it would be a nice jacket for the spring, it's blue Cotton twill with a jersey fabric lining. I thought it could wear that with anything, a dress or jeans etc. However, it wasn't meant to be, we went into Urban Outfitters and it was looking a little bare and i think they were preparing to put out their new stuff and the jacket couldn't be seen anywhere. Still, in Spring i tend to wear my H&M hoodies as jackets so i suppose i don't really need one after all.

So i aimlessly pondered around the store looking to see what else would catch my eye and i came across the diffusion line from Vanessa Bruno,Vanessa Bruno Athé. I found a bag of hers that i had been eyeing up for ages. It's a large, slouchy black leather bag that is perfect for uni for stuffing all my books in. It has Double arm straps that fit nicely on your shoulder with decorative studs on the corners and strap. It was a tad expensive, and being a student can't afford to over indulge on things i honestly don't need. It's nice, but not nice enough for me to splurge £150 and the last time i popped in, the bag was reduced to £99 in the sale. Still too much.

But yesterday i went in, and i saw one lone bag on the side for a measly £40! That's over 75% off the original price. Net a porter (which the image is taken from, sold the bag for £112.70 in the sale and that's without p&p...but now sold out). This was crazy stuff, so after checking over the bag again and again in UO (surely being that cheap there must have been something wrong with it? but no) So of course i snapped it up! Though as ever with sales, i know its out of season and that larger totes are on their way out but instead, making way for the much smaller (but still over sized)Clutch. Though i have never been one for clutches, but things change huh?

Luckily i was able to splurge a little as i was finally paid for working over Christmas (I work for a department store in the holidays) Yay!

My housemate laughed and said she could see instantly the moment when something inside me snapped, apparently i had a 'look' on my face. Haha, well I didn't know that i had a look! Slightly worrying! To her further amusement, i harped on about it being perfect for holidays (obviously justifying my purchase, I don't know why i felt i needed to do this as she really isn't one to criticise as she is one of my favourite shopping partners!) The bag is huge (and as my other housemate pointed out, its probably half the size of me), i will definitely be able to fit some holiday essentials in it for the plane trip to Hong Kong (and New York!). Though having used it today, its very pickpocket friendly as there is no zip, just snap buttons to hold it together. Well...it was too much of a bargain to let it slip away.

I took it into uni today, and it definitely did its job, its so big though that I fear that I may run into the trap of fitting an obscene amount of stuff in there because i can. Ahh! Over and out!

The White Cubicle

On the subject of art galleries, i recently found out that a toilet/bathroom can be a place for exhibitions (to be honest, is that at all surprising?). The toilet is White Cubicle Gallery (not sure if it has any affiliation with White Cube gallery)and is in the Ladies Loo of London's George and Dragon Pub (where else but in Shoreditch of course) measuring a tiny, 1.40 by 1.40 metres. Must be interesting if you're a guy and want to check out the artwork. Seeing as i don't live in London i won't have time to check out the latest exhibition. However it will be Husam El odeh who is an illustrator and jewellery designer who will be exhibiting in this unusual choice of venue from 11th Feb.

Unfortunately i have no idea what he will be exhibiting, but if you're ever in Shoreditch, stop for a pint in the George and Dragon and see what he has to offer. His past creations have been interesting, he seems to like the fusion of everyday pieces such as the combs and collar to lady-like pearls. You might recognise his name and may already know that TopShop took him on in designing some pieces for their ever-growing collection of designer diffusion lines, and generation sponsorship scheme. Husan El Odeh used perspex and metal as you can see in the hairband below.

To give you an idea of what the space is like, above is an image i found from 2005, exhibition by Terence Koh who transformed the cubicle into a shrine... and Deborah Castillo from the same year who apparently also displayed her artwork in various telephone booths in and around the area.

I really did not expect it to look so tiny and well, so toilet like! How strange! Haha. Whatever next? In the words of my contemporary visual arts tutor, on postmodernism, 'Anything goes!'

Anyway, gotta run, i have to get to my seminar on portraiture!

Arty Stuff

After writing a little more on my dissertation (it's slow work I'm afraid..)and managing to bake some delicious Brownies which are full fat and very calorific...though they are to Jamie Oliver's recipe, so that's OK as he's always on TV nowadays telling us Brits to be healthy otherwise we will all become obese, not fit into our clothes (now that would be a dire situation) and suffer all manner of illnesses. Seeing as these were in his recipe book, i guess that means it's fine to gorge ourselves on tasty treats on occasion.

Anyway, I'm straying from my main point...after working away at the dissertation i realised that you can study Art History and probably get away without seeing much art. I haven't gone to our Uni Art Gallery for a couple of months now, which is terrible when we have so many amazing artists, my favourite ones we have are the Monet and Degas oil paintings. Expressive brush strokes always win me over.

So i am definitely looking forward to the new exhibition called, Behind Closed Doors which is an exhibition made up of private collections from around Birmingham. I'm quite excited as included in the exhibition are Turners, Picasso's, Hockney, Paula Rego and a Cornelia Parker. There are some much older contributions e.g. Van Dyck which I'm not writing off, i can appreciate them but i have never found much affinity with them as i have with more contemporary art.

As well as this, Birminghams answer to contemporary art, The Ikon Gallery also has a few treats in store. I'm really looking forward to the exhibitions that they have planned including Ryan Gander's exhibition called Heralded as the New Black. I'm quite keen to check out the art work titled, The sheet of paper on which I was about to draw, as it slipped from my table and fell to the floor (2008) which consists of 100 identical glass spheres each with a laser etched image of a piece of paper inside. They are reminiscent of giant marbles and are all placed haphazardly around the gallery as if they have been left, it will be interesting to see how easy it will to navigate around them. These balls are meant to embody an unattainable future, the idea of an idea that is still undiscovered and is epitomised by a blank white rectangle frozen in space. Sounds interesting and am looking forward to the physical response that i am sure it will produce. They sound quite fun all scattered around the room, hope i don't fall over any of them...

Holidayyy

I have just been told that we have paid for our tickets to Hong Kong in the summer (July 20th-Aug 10th) and they are going to be picked up on Monday!!!

I am so excited! I have a photo of the skyline i took a couple years back but can't find it anywhere on my laptop so heres a pic from 12hk.com.

Last time i went, my aunts took us to a hotel for dinner that was opposite this view (or the other way round, i can't be sure...) but the view was spectacular and the food was delicious (all you can eat Buffet which included Sushi my favourite! as well as loads of other yummy food and so, so many desserts- i have never seen a better buffet since being back in the UK)

I really can't wait to go back, and do some shopping. What i love about Hong Kong are the shopping malls that are tucked away and inside quite ordinary looking buildings. The escalators take you up into what i can only explain are like a treasure trove full of little tiny shops selling cheap and wonderful clothes. It's also fun going into the department stores with my little sister and hunting through all the Hello Kitty for souvenirs. I don't think that will ever stop being fun! I may be 21 but Hello Kitty is so kitsch and cute, i'm not as crazy over the stuff as i used to be, but i will never get sick of the stuff.

I have to admit though, that this hello kitty exhaust pipe has stepped wayyyy over the mark. Taking cute to the extreme..

My aunts/grandparents live in North Point which is right by Causeway Bay (Tung Lo Wan) on Hong Kong Island, which is one of the most popular places to go shopping. I can almost smell Hong Kong just by thinking about it. That might sound wierd, but its like that 'holiday' smell you get when you go away somewhere. We always have such a good time in Hong Kong catching up with the grandparents, aunts and watching loads of chinese mtv and chinese soaps. Plus it's also nice actually spending time together with my sisters, the apartments are so small that we are in each others faces all the time. It might sound like a nightmare, but in Hong Kong it works and we actually get along! Gotta save my pennies though, we are perfect partners when it comes to shopping. Though some of the shop assistants in Hong Kong don't leave you alone and keep commenting how beautiful the clothes are and that they have any size i want etc. Still, i'm told it isn't as bad as it used to be.

Theres such a lot to get through before July...dissertation, essays, revision and then the dreaded finals. Well, at least i have something to work towards, and who knows, i might have gone to New York before then!

Alsoo...again with the tennis talk, but Federer was knocked out yesterday, so no Fed vs Nadal final...Djokovic was amazing though (he's only 20 but looks a lot older) so can't wait to catch the final on Sunday Morning vs French unseeded Tsonga!

Eye Popping!

Make up is an important part of the fashion world and for most of us, a daily routine. What i love about make up is that it can get so experimental, and designers really do let loose when it comes to their models.

Haute Couture in Paris has come to an end, finishing with Valentino's specatacular, last ever runway show. It is Alessandro Facchinetti who will be the one who will continue his legacy.

Returning to Galliano's offering of Art inspired pieces earlier this week, the make up was probably just as eye-catching as the clothes!
As you can see from all the photos, the make up team all worked hard glueing on sequins, shiny paper and feathers onto the models. At first, i wondered what on earth the models could have been eating when i spotted the table laid with paper plates. The brightly coloured assortment are feathers used for both false eyelashes as well as feathery additions on the face.

So much work goes into the backstage make up it's a shame there isn't more coverage on the process. I would love to be part of the chaos backstage, among the feathers, make up....and uber tall models.

The eyeshadows used are bright and matte which remind me of the great range of matte eyeshadows that MAC have. I noticed a few bottles of MAC foundation in the photos so i assume they have a mixture of MAC and Dior products for backstage. It must be so much fun to work backstage at fashion shows, glueing bits and pieces onto the models!

This leads on to my own make up routine. I hardly go a day without it and if i'm not going out at all i will still wear a teeny bit of brown eyeliner so i look more awake. I don't cake it on, but i can't live without the eyeliner, concealer and vaseline. I would happily leave everything else! Though really, i would miss everything else that is packed into my make up bag, including my powder foundation (liquid is only for special occassions) and my new christmas gift of a MAC palette which is so pretty (it looks like a paintbox). I have to say that spending that bit more on make up is important, i mean this stuff is going on your face so i can't bring myself to buy cheap products. Plus if you do spend more, you're more likely to get more for your money...which is good because i can't afford to buy make up all the time!

My brand of choice, is MAC because it actually isn't as expensive as all the designer brands like Chanel and Estee Lauder etc. Clinique are the experts for the skin though, and i wouldn't ever change my clinique foundation to a MAC one..

I thought i would end with a quote from possibly the most inspirational woman in fashion history ever, Coco Chanel... (Feminists...brace yourselves!)
"I don't understand how a woman can leave the house without fixing herself up a little - if only out of politeness. And then, you never know, maybe that's the day she has a date with destiny. And it's best to be as pretty as possible for destiny."

Let me eat Cake!

Omigod, i think i might have found heaven....in cake form. What are all these people queuing for i wonder? Well, let me tell you i will definitely be joining that queue when me and my housemates fly over to New York (which reminds me, we need to sort that out soon otherwise it will never happen!) because they are all queuing to buy yummy cupcakes (or fairycakes as we Brits know them) at The Magnolia Bakery.
Look how beautiful they are! It makes me feel all greedy and want to take a huge bite out of each of them. Makes me think of Bruce Bogtrotter in Matilda (one of my favourite films as a kid) and his 'punishment' of having to devour an entire cake after stealing from Miss Trunchbull.

The Bakery in the Upper west side of New York was made famous by SATC where Carrie and Miranda stuffed themselves with cupcakes. Let me tell you, i can't wait to do the same and probably feel a bit sick afterwards.

I'm sure you (and my housemates would agree) that they are totally worth it! In the mean time, i might have a go at making them myself and will have to put their Recipe Bookon my wishlist on amazon....yum.

Also i thought i would mention the tennis...what a shocker, Nadal knocked out at the Aussie Open by French unseeded player, Tsonga? Crazy stuff. Let's see what happens to the continuous grandslam winner, Federer tomorrow!

Square Eyes

Right, so i know i probably watch far too much TV for anyone to believe that i really get any work done at uni. Actually, i am a good girl and i do manage to get my work done but everyone needs a break from their essays so i turn to my laptop to give me a weekly delivery of the latest tv offerings.

So i am an avid watcher of Gossip Girl as well as catching the new show, Cashmere Mafia. Which is a bit of a SATC rip off, but i don't care, it's something to watch when i'm not writing my dissertation. Both shows, as you are probably aware, have characters that are dressed impeccably. I'll probably blog about Gossip Girl another day, but today i will focus my attentions on Cashmere Mafia. Brief outline of the plot, 4 extremely well dressed, high powered ladies who all met at Business school and have various posts such as Publishers and Managing directors and whose lives are riddled with love problems and the like.
Now i'm not here to criticise about the plot but i think it does ok in the entertainment stakes. Instead, I want to talk about the clothes! Lucy Liu's character in the first episode is walking with her boyfriend down some New York street, on the way to work. While none of them dress like Carrie Bradshaw who got to wear some pretty eccentric but fantastic outfits. These women are meant to be business-like and Lucy Liu's character does a fantastic job bridging business like uniform with the fun and frivoulous.

If i ever work in an office, this is how i am going to dress. Yeah you've got the typical simple white shirt, but its that skirt and the turquoise heels that make the real difference! It manages to be so business like but the colours in the skirt add that bit of extra fun to it all. In fact, i would probably go as far as to wear a turquoise clip, ribbon or something in my hair. However, 10 years on from now, when i'm older and wiser, i'll probably rethink the accessories...and hopefully have a figure like Lucy's. Dammit, i guess i will have to work on the latter. I should go for a run, but i'm too lazy and would mean buying clothes to exercise in.....on second thoughts, that would require me going shopping....hmmmmm, suddenly a jog sounds exciting!

Project Runway

I'm a huge fan of the American Fashion Design show, Project Runway hosted by Heidi Klum. The British version, Project Catwalk hosted by Kelly Osbourne is equally as good, however sadly our freeview box in our student house doesn't have sky one and it might have to be something i have to catch up on via youtube or when i pop home.

Last night i caught up on episode 8 of the stateside show. The theme today, was couture! The contestants had to create avant-garde pieces inspired by the model's hairstyles, so you have massive bouffant styles, birdnests and strange mohawk styles. Not only this they were asked to produce a last minute ready to wear look. Yeah No pressure guys! I was pretty intrigued as to what they would come up with, but i was left a bit dissapointed.

I've chosen three out of the four designs that stood out for me. First of all, we have the very layered, tierded, beige dress. Its definitely avant garde and worked out pretty well but it didn't blow me away, probably because it reminded me of one of those horrible doll loo-roll holders and it was suprisingly the winning dress for the episode. In the middle, we have the group that lost, and subsequently one of its designers was picked to leave the competition. It's very costume-y and not at all avant garde, what were they thinking? The judges compared the material to bedding, and it does remind me of Laura Ashley material, very floral. It's looking back into the past and not very fashion forward. Finally, we have my favourite design of the day. A really dramatic black trench coat which was esquisitely made! It was stunning buttoned up, very structured and tight on top, but it had a train and glided down the runway. Underneath was a top and some trousers. Not much to say on these seeing as they were very well made but didn't have the 'wow' factor, it was really the trench that made me sit up and watch

For real avant-garde i checked out the latest offerings from Christian Lacroix who defnitely doesn't do drab. If you didn't already realise sheer is definitely back, and Lacroix has wonderful shades on the legs of his models. What is interesting is that the group who made the 'Laura Ashley' dress should take note, Lacroix takes eighteenth century fin-de-siecle France as his inspiration and has turned the past into the avant garde.

His Summer collection was bright, fun, elaborately puffed sleeves, ruffles, lace and luxury materials...and the fantastic ombre-tinted sheer tights! Bit of a sensory overload, but in a good way!

Each outfit is amazing, and really stunning (i think i could look at the images for hours) now this is what i call fun haute couture!

Come and buy your Designer Ice Cubes!

I'm being deadly serious. What is the world coming to?

Also, i know its all over the news but its such a shame about Heath Ledger. He was so young and had so much ahead of him. A knights tale never fails to make me laugh and i love 10 things I Hate about you but i still haven't seen Brokeback Mountain but we all know it earned him a nomination last year for Best Actor. I guess i will be looking forward to his last ever role in a film, as the joker in Batman, the sequel to Batman Begins. I guess its a shocker because nothing like this has happened since River Pheonix, another young and talented actor- both who had so much more ahead for them in life.

On a less depressing note, why doesn't the BBC show more of the Australian Open? Though maybe i will be able to catch some of it on Sky Sports when i go home briefly this weekend...but i know i should probably be working hard! I am so ready for another Nadal vs Federer grandslam! yeahhh!

Right got to go shower and have some breakfast, oh i love Wednesdays (no seminars or lectures!)

Kooky Westwood

I do love Vivienne Westwood and what i love about her is this punk image that she so loves to portray with her quirky prints and unusual tailoring. She is also well known for being a bit strange to say the least. Everyone knows who she is, and well if you didn't you might have noticed last month when she featured on the news. My dad laughed and pointed at the screen asking if that was the woman who designed the coat that they bought me for my birthday. Well yes, dad it is.

If you didn't know last month she came out with her Manifesto, Manifesto against Propaganda. It's probably just as strange as she is. Her manifesto basically, reads like a play filled with 25characters from Alice in Wonderland, Aristotle, Pinocciho....and Hitler. I guess the idea is that its a morality play. It's hard to follow but...the crux of it lies within art. One of her characters, the Greek Philosopher Diogenes comments that, "I am famous because I've got the balls to do what I want. And I don't want much." only for Pinocciho to respond, "Cool, I've found art! I could be Diogenes II. I'll call myself a piss artist and make lots of money."

Westwood basically wants us to turn away from this type of art, but this type of art is what has been popular for the last couple of decades, if not more! I'm referring to the Duchamps, work of the yBA's, Warhol's art etc while she wants a return to the old masters such as Velasquez.

How strange to be reading this, it is like stepping back into the eighteenth century into one of my lectures on the Academy in France, she is against abstract art and wants a return to the academic. She should probably get in line and join the Stuckists then. Who protest every year outside the Turner Prize.

Isn't it crazy that this 'punk designer/dame' is basically rejecting the avant-garde?

Westwood wants a "universal truth" and that it lies within the works of Chaucer, Bach and Whistler, but they don't exsist in today's society. Her opinion is that art reflects society, and so by supporting the 'Piss artists' we are turning back on our culture.

There is a major flaw in this though, one that begins with her own position in the arts. She asks in the manifesto, "Aren'tya OD'd on the latest thing?" referring to the popularity of current art. Well, can't we ask you the same thing? I admit i am one of those who constantly OD's on Vivienne Westwood, the only thing stopping me from buying the latest perfume was the price tag.

The manifesto is a bit hypocritcal to say the least, and i don't really agree with it since i do love contemporary art. Art doesn't have be like a Whistler, where what you see is pretty much what you get, and don't get me started on Gainsborough.

Why can't an art work provoke questions, get you thinking around the subject? Why can't it be brightly coloured and a bit crazy? Certainly, no one in Whistler's paintings wore gold devil horns now did they??

I will pretend Mrs Westwood didn't release such a manifesto....

Dissertation Procrastination

Well you might have guessed that i have a bit of a love of the colour purple and i do admit cranberry isn't too far off. So i decided to refresh my memory and check out some of the ready to wear collections from last October (Spring 08) after all of that theatrical, mad, Galliano. It's a bit of a coincidence that the images i feature off various catwalks are all mostly art related, they just really stand out. Chloe's Spring ready to wear collection reminds me of all sorts of abstract artists like Helen Frankenthaler, Jean Tinguely oh and of course Rothko. The one on the right is so lovely, i am inspired to try and get hold of some fabric paint and paint splogdes on old t-shirts!

Before i shoot off, i heard this on the radio, Radio 1 call it 'New Rave meets Old Dave'
Royal British Legion covering Klaxons Bit good!

I should be writing my dissertation right now i'm currently on 530 words out of 12,000, shocker i know but it's going ok as i only started writing it about half an hour ago. So i've done well!
My desk is a mess, and my bed looks so tidy and comfy i may end up having a snooze before i go and make my tea. Bangers and Mash!

Cranberry and Galliano

Hello...I am on the hunt for some lovely sheer cranberry tights...that colour is everywhere! Not only is the Miu Miu campaign in a lovely hue of cranbery, but i caught my housemate as she was leaving in a gorgeous cranberry coat. I swear it's everywhere except inside my wardrobe.

Aside from my obession with cranberry, I love what Galliano has done with his recent collection for Christian Dior at Paris Fashion Week. Art has always influenced fashion and this is no exception. Gustav Klimt is a key influence and i love the intricately jewelled garments but with this very space aged, sixities make up. Very theatrical. Makes me want to get my paint brushes out!



(Art Images)
Adele Bloch-Bauer I, Klimt, 1907
and Adele Bloch-Bauer II, 1912





The colours are so bright and amazing (no hint of cranberry though). Galliano, really manages to channel the vision of Klimt, can you imagine a world where people would wear crazy outfits such as these?. I particularly love the second orange dress with the poofy bubbled hem. Pity orange isn't really my colour, but is it anyones? Yellow doesn't suit me either but it doesn't stop me from constantly trying on yellow dresses.

Anyway, John Singer Sargents's Madame X also plays her part in the collection with the nod to luxurious velvets, but i have to say that Galliano's appearance at the end of the catwalk really made me smile.

This man is a genius, perhaps he's suggesting Tudor Stylee is the way to go?

A Brand New Blog!

Hey,
Welcome to my new blog! I've been meaning to start one up again for a while, seeing as i started one sometime last year on livejournal but it never really grew into a blog. I guess blogs are like diaries, if you don't keep it daily then you just won't remember to use it at all.

So hopefully, this will be more of a success! I should really be in bed now, but i can't help but start off my blog with the new Miu Miu campaign shots which i absolutely love!

The photographs are really quite stunning, i love the palette of rich burgundy colours. If Circus themes are in then i will be wanting to emulate Kirsten Dunst in her Harlequin dress. I think i will be taking to wearing all shades of purple, and finishing off with a cute red ribbon in my hair! The dress is quite clever and i did have to glance at it twice to realise theres a hand printed onto the dress.

Anyway this is quite a short post, but more to come tomorrow i'm sure! 9am starts are uni are never good, especially when its on eighteenth century france, i do end up wanting to go back to bed...i do prefer C19 France with those Flaneurs, Degas and those Cafe Concerts where Toulouse Lautrec liked to hang out! Sigh...