Welcome to the island of misfit toys

Lucy McRae // fashion meets new technology // human hybrid

Sophia Ajram (photograper) // ice and fire // illusions

Virgin suicides // youth // death // obsession

THE HUMAN CONDITION

Bruno Dayan photography // forboding grandeur

Imagine Dragons // levitation

Beautiful skeleton

Marie Antoinette // young, beautiful and damned

Unif ss12 fashion, meh, but I liked the image // how things look from the outside opposed to how they actually are inside 

Chris little photography

Rose Sanderson // nature and decay // fading grandeur

The universe

"5 minute page" I thought this would be a formal presentation but I've found out it's an email hand-in so just to summarise; this is a board of imagery relevant to what currently inspires me, followed by some trigger words to aid further explanation. I like that there's a colour theme emerging; it feels quite soft and feminine but with an ever present darkness looming. I like that. Even if it's cliche or pretentious, I like it.
There's also a reccurent theme of something fading; perhaps descending from life to death, or simply the anxiety of growing up - experiencing the loss of things like innocence and belief in the extraordinary. It's something quite sad and personal, but at the same time it can be so beautiful.  I don't want any one to see this blog anymore, it feels too personal. I don't like university, I feel stiffled, like I'm under seige by my own psychosys. No one else can see, but that doesn't mean it's not real.

[*disclaimer: I do not own these images, using for coursework purposes only]

Self portrait - TAKE 2

I attempted a self portrait in this post here, but was kind of unsatisfied so I intended to stage a proper shoot, however I took this photo in my bedroom yesterday and I think it captured me perfectly. I might do a third portrait if I find time and genuinely feel inspired but I've got so much packing left to do before the big move down to London on Saturday that I doubt I'll have time. It's a shame really because I did have something pretty special in mind, but I don't need to go out of my way to prove I'm good at photography because that's the only real reason why I'd push myself to do a third take, it would imply that I care too much what people think and that's not me any more. It's not technically impressive, and I know there's not a lot to look at, but I've captured an authentic picture of myself featuring the mood I've experienced most lately. Other people may not like it, but it's me, and I can't be anything more than that.

10 facts about meh.

 

Sooo I finally got around to doing my "10 things about me" post, I wanted to do it as a video which took me ages to film and edit, I almost didn't post it because it's not exactly perfect but hey neither am I so I think it sums me up quite well. Youtube wouldn't let me upload it with high resolution soo it's ended up with a strange black border around it, almost like you're watching me through a letterbox, creepy, anywhoo, that is all.

Ooh and yes you read the timestamp right; it is currently 1.15am and I have been editing this video since 6pm... yesterday. I.am.a.machine. Uhh, university, what have I let myself in for?

Quirky web/blog links

I thought I'd combine my links to "four great design blogs" and "quirky websites to look at" posts and compile a list of links to update here whenever I find new sites I like... I've marked the style blogs with this '△' symbol, just so they're easier to pull out from the other sites I've selected, heyho.

R O O K I E   M A G
An awesome webzine for teen girls, filled with artciles on everything from friendship, fashion, books, music, film, photography, youth culture, some pretty kickass DIY's, and with more comebacks than an 80s rock band. I saw this denim jacket DIY on their website recently which I thought was pretty snazzy. It reminded me of being eleven years old and getting into trouble for wearing my own (ridiculously oversized) denim jacket to school. I'd emblazoned the letters "glitter girls" (what me and my friends called ourselves as a collective... I know, we were young) on the back with silver glitter transfers inside a pink satin loveheart (very pink ladies-esque ya know). I'd covered the front of my jacket in holographic animal stickers and saftey pinks strewn with plastic rainbow beads - I was one cool cat :P

Rookiemag was created in 2011 by style blogger Tavi Genvison. Eeryone and thier gran's heard about Tavi by now so I won't go into avid detail, but the best way I can describe her is like a wild old soul in a young girls body - with style to boot. She's pretty cool and has super interesting perspectives on life and popular culture, I almost don't want to like her because she's been so hyped about, but what can ya do...
Anywhoo, that leads me onto my second weblink  S T Y L E   R O O K I E  △  need I say no more.

 

D A Z E D   D I G I T A L

The daily feed from the team behind Dazed & Confused magazine. Publishing an eclectic mix of articles on directional art, culture, music, photography and fashion. It's introduced me to a lot of cool stuff. Strangely I've grown to like it more than the magazine... I think it's because the website's a little more accessible and I can pick and choose the sort of articles I want to read while I'm on the go.

 

W H O 'S   T H A T   G I R L 

I've got somewhat of an obsession with Marie Antoinette soo I'm linking back to an article I found on wordpress blog "Who's that girl?" written by Ophelia Horton - also an avid reader of Rookie Mag (it's like the six degrees of separation up in here, IKR :P). The article's on a photoshoot from Vogue last year, shot by Annie Leibovitz and featuring Kirsten Dunst in glorious Parisian couture - what more could a girl ask for?  

 

 

L U C Y   M C R A E

I've already mentioned her in a previous post but she's my absolute idol; leading advancements in both fashion and technological innovations, her visions of the future have really inspired me to be more forward thinking with my design work and more willing to experiment with the seemingly unconventional.

 

F O X   H U N T I N G

I loved her post on the new Alexander Wang collection for SS13, featuring geometric cut-outs and glow in the dark fabrics. I like how there's a futuristic / fashion-forward feel to this collection without it being too outlandish.   

 

K A Y L A   H A D D L I N G T O N  △  

Kayla is one of my absolute favourite lookbook / style bloggers. I love her eclectic stream of outfit shots - principally made up of what I believe to be, THE snazzy charity shop finds in the world, ever. I also love all the quirky colours she dyes her hair, she's straight up awesome.  

 

 

[*disclaimer: I do not own these images, they belong to their respective authors, featured here only for coursework purposes only]

We're just misguided ghosts

 

Seeing as I've just done a post on a piece of deign I hate it felt only natural for me to follow this with a piece of design I love, just for the sake of maintaining balance in my life / blog.

I spend so much time on here now they're pretty much the same thing :P 

 

I first mentioned the Bubelle dress by Lucy McRae in this post here and I just found the original video I was looking to share with you. I love the way McRae has managed to combine design innovations for both fashion and technology. Scientific developments have a great impact on modern culture and I admire when fashion is approached as an artistic representation of that.
McRae was trained as both a classical ballerina and an architect, which is what sparked her fascination with reshaping the human body. She's recently created a swallowable perfume; taken as a capsule which works from the inside out - releasing a biologically enhanced odour as a person sweats. Fragrance molecules are emitted through the skin creating a unique fragrance which is determined by a person's acclimation to an increased body temperature via triggers such as stress or physical activity. Lucy's also recently branched out into making short films including a music video for an Australian synth-pop band 'Rat vs. Possum' (is there no end to her awesomeness?) You can check out more of Lucy McRae's work on her website here.

A lot of McRae's work looks to what she thinks life will be like in the future; I think that's what excites me most, her work feels so special and ahead of it's time. Much of fashion these days is drawn from retro revival, and whilst I can still look to the past for inspiration and respect how design has evolved, what I'm most excited about it creating something new and maybe even a little unusual. So far all the work I've done has been very pretty, controlled and highly conventional. I'm hoping that my time on this degree course will allow me to look into new waves of design and inspire me into creating something that excites me in the same way as when I look at Lucy McRae's work.
 

Collaboration work: Lucy & Bart, via google images.

 

D'ya like it like that? NO.

 

Part of my summer project was to visit 5 galleries / shows and this is the fifth and final instalment of that, which I've combined with the "piece of design I either love or hate" task.

I went to an alternative fashion show earlier in the summer and wasn't going to post about it as I didn't want to be negative since I felt it was irrelevant to my personal taste. When I hear the word "latex" two things come to mind; the balloons you get children's birthday parties and condoms - both of which can provide you with hours of fun and entertainment, if used correctly. And by that I obviously mean filling the condoms, full of water and throwing them at your neighbours. Water balloon fights are so much fun... err, what did you think I was talking about?! haha

 

Anywhoo, back to the fashion show... A label called "Lady Allura's Latex" featured heavily throughout, whose collections are made predominantly of latex. I can see the designer is trying to take a seemingly unconventional material and make it fashion, but for me fashion is about inspiring people and this felt too niche and any serious fashion statements were lost beneath the sex appeal. Whilst the idea of using an unconventional material is commendable, the designs themselves were very basic and lacking awareness of what real women want in their wardrobe. The designer's ethos aims encourages women of all sizes to feel good in their bodies and latex - being a smooth fabric - is supposed to empower them to be proud of their figure. Personally I can't stand clothes that cling to me and I can't imagine many women in the real world being keen on wearing this either. Rather than being all about "look-at-me-latex" I think what would have been more effective is using the latex in a way so it doesn't look like latex, if that makes sense. Like the artisan couture collections by Martin Magiela, in which the house designers use recycled material in they're clothes. Team Margiela play with the reconstruction of clothing, giving cast off everyday objects (such as combs, shoe laces, old records) a new lease of life. On first glance you might not even notice the abnormal materials, which makes it all the more exciting when you uncover their true unconventional beauty.

 

Anyway, that's just my opinion; I think developing a better understanding of what I like and what I don't like will aid me long-term in defining my personal vision. I'm still finding my way as a designer and whilst I have strong ambitions and want my clothes to have a real purpose and meaning behind them, I think what's also important is valuing the aesthetic content and not letting the message behind a collection be my sole motivation to design.

Ombre hair, ooft yeah.

 

Just had my ends re-dyed... is this really blogworthy news? Idk. but my hair looks (and smells) so awesome right now. 

Thought I'd pop in a photo of my glittery nails and tights too. I'd usually be miffed that this photo's out of focus (my blackberry hates me) but I actually quite like this shot, the blurriness makes it looks just that bit more magical.

 

Thought I might as well spin this into the 'what I won't miss about home' post. I've been putting it off because it's a genuinely difficult question. Even the things I don't like about home I'm sure I'll miss in some way or another.

To some degree I've always felt haunted by my past, living in this town has kept my world feeling so small for so long that I don't really feel like I've been living at all. There's people I'll miss, sure, but there's also people I'll be relieved to get away from. Sometimes I can't decide whether I'm running away from one thing or running to another, it's like my mind's all over the place. The only thing that's constant is the depression... So much is changing, and I'm not afraid to admit that I'm scared. I've been trying not to admit it to myself for long enough, but I think it's time for a new adventure...

There's still some things I feel I have to leave unsaid, but that's me though, I'm nothing without a little mystery.

 

Upritchard & Kubin Exhibition

I went to the Nottingham Contemporary exhibition for Francis Upritchard & Alfred Kubin yesterday. Due to the age of the early Kubin sketches, I wasn't allowed to take pictures in that section of the gallery. Kubin's drawings centres around themes of death, trauma, mystical creatures and fantasy worlds - subsequently echoing the horrors and shaded fantasies of his past. Something about the joint exhibition made me think of the 2009 stop-motion fantasy / horror film "Coraline" - set in a dystopian world, where things that would traditionally bring joy become dark and menacing, taking on a life of their own, not unlike the pieces within the exhibition. Upritchard's colourful sculptures and tapestries are themed around the expectations of counter-culture from the 70s / 80s. Her figures appear wryly and hunched over, as though they themselves grow tired of the excessive referencing of the decades' failed revolution. Whilst we still celebrate the evolution of alternative youth culture and it's remaining influence on much of the art scene, it is quite a tired concept that fell short of it's initial expectations, and in common practice appears generally quite gauche.

 

Attending an exhibition like this, I couldn't help but feel the artwork itself, whilst addressing the subject matter, didn't summon any quantitative reactions for me. Darkness and dystopia are captivating themes which I commonly look to in my own work, and whilst every one has different interpretations of such concepts, the artworks I saw yesterday didn't entice me in any way. I considered for a while whether it's because sculpture and drawings of this nature don't generally appeal to me. I imagine the black and white drawings were intended to create a profound contrast alongside the colourful sculptures, so I can respect that other people will like this, but personally I wasn't enthused.

...Is it just me of does this fella look the slightest bit familiar? 

Oh hey Gotye :P

We only know what we see

One of the tasks on the list was to go to Magma book shop and write about the most inspiring book I find. When I took a day trip to London earlier in the month I had to make a fast decision whether to go to another exhibition or the bookshop and I thought it would benefit me more visiting the Damien Hirst exhibition at Tate Mod (which I wrote about here). I don't have enough money to pay for a repeat visit to London before I move so I visited the design shop at the contemporary and decided to write about one of their books instead... They have a great range of books on history and the psychology of art, alongside books showcasing individual artists work. The book that most caught my eye however, was one of the more interactive variety... you mean it's a kids book? Um, noo, pssh, what do you take me for?! Okay yeah, it's a kids book, so sue me. (actually please don't, I have no money :P)

What I loved about this book, "How to be an explorer of the world" by Keri Smith, was the way it encourages the reader to open themselves up to the world around them and experience things in a different light. Smith aids her readers in heightening awareness of their surroundings, engaging senses and encouraging artistic instinct by making the slightest detail seem profoundly significant. This is demonstrated through a series of experiments that readers can complete in everyday environments in whatever order at their own pace. I like the way it actively involves the reader to engage with the book and make it their own - I think that's why I love fashion so much over fine art. I find fashion enticingly tangible, whereas a lot of art remains contained behind a sheet of glass, in a gallery somewhere it's often seen, but rarely experienced.

I'm a paper doll, you can tear me up

[via Odylyne // tumblr] 

 

Model: Lindsey Wixson

Photographer: Tim Walker  

 

I love the new Mulberry campaign for aw/12, I love all their campaigns in fact, they're always so wonderfully whimsical, and the 'Where the Wild Things Are' theme is a pretty epic one at that.

 

On the theme of being in the woods I quite liked this video of Kyla La Grange for her song 'Vampire Smile'. It's not my usual type of music but strangely I'm hooked. Plus she has ombre hair (like me ^.^) therefore she's nothing less than awesome...

 

Say that I'm changed, say I'm different

[source]

Still intrigued by the themes unpinning my previous post, such as; life, death, decay and preservation. I found this beautiful picture of a hand carved cow skull on weheartit - might do more research into skeletons / bones.

Just decided that 'what lies beneath the skin' would make a pretty cool project title... or not, but I like it.

In and out of love

[ Photography was forbidden within the exhibition but I took this photo in the butterfly room @ Wollaton Hall in Nottingham ]

I went to the Damien Hirst exhibit at the Tate Modern fairly recently. Never shy of controversy, Hirst's butterfly room has become the topic of heated discussion amongst art fans and critics alike. The double-room installation consists of live butterflies growing on canvas in one small, sultry room, and dead butterflies mounted upon lurid paintings in the one opposite. Hirst evokes a macabre sensibility throughout much of his work, and whilst in many respects I find this particular exhibit to be quite cruel, I prevail in an attempt to examine it from an artist's perspective...

 

The exhibit carries underlying connotations on mortality, with the most obvious interpretation being that the fragility of life is comparatively as fine and fleeting as that of a butterfly. The butterflies grow from pupae upon canvas, live for a few days and drop dead to the ground not long after. I find it quite sad that the butterflies growing in this exhibit will know no life outside of captivity, no world away from the prying eye of human curiosity. The only beautiful, albeit poignant, part of this exhibit is that the museum has created the experience of witnessing a cycle of life within it's very walls. 

 

Butterflies have become an ubiquitous insignia within the design industry, featured as prints upon clothing and birthday cards alike. Butterflies are also seen in many cultures as a symbol of freedom, which is ironic in this case as their only escape from this confinement lies in their inevitable death. With the theme of morbidity in mind, it seems the exhibits greater purpose is in fact to encourage us to look back upon ourselves and our own transient existence.

I like to think I'm a force to be reckoned with

Another interesting piece of design I found was at the National Design Museum last year called the Melonia shoe which was the result of a Swedish design collaboration by two students, Naim Josefi and Souzan Youssouf. The shoes were made using a 3D printer which specially crafts the shoes to specific measurements. Due to the nature of production no material is wasted, meaning it's economically and environmentally friendly. I love the futuristic nature of this piece of design and I'm keenly interested in future developments of 3D technology.

 

On a side note, we all know how fashion is a fast-paced industry, highly influenced by culture, new media and technology. And whilst a lot of things become cast aside with time I feel we should invest more in fashion that carries a message, a purpose, that takes into consideration it's influence on the world around us and our impact on the environment. I might be drifting off on a tangent but whilst people talk less about global warming these days it doesn't mean it's gone away, and instead of making things that are simply aesthetically desirable more attention should be drawn towards things like design sustainability and environmentally friendly production techniques. I'm not doing fashion simply because I like clothes, I want people to notice, not me, necessarily, but all the that I believe in. 

 

"For me, what I do is an artistic expression of that which is channelled through me. Fashion is just the medium" - Alexander McQueen.

We're plastic but we still have fun

Soo I've found my second piece of great design - and I loved it so much it had to be mine (hey looket that rhymed :')

 

Wait isn't that just a magazine?? Nope, t'is in fact the most awesomest clutch bag I will ever own. It's made by an online brand called  Paparazzi, who sell an assortment of hard-cover clutch bags designed to look like magazine covers. I love all the reactions I've had on it so far; on first glance people think it's just a fashion mag (and say stuff like "err, why did that girl bring a magazine to a night club?") then as they look a little closer and realise it's a bag there's a moment of sheer over excitement (from both parties) and the night rolls on from there...

 

It's a good feeling to have nice things (geez I sound like an airhead, but really, it is).

I am free but I am flawed

Rose Sanderson @ Unnatural Natural History exhibition - held at the Royal West of England Academy.

Featuring the themes of insects, anatomy, decay and man made surfaces.

[via tumblr] 

"I would rather people feel uneasy about my work than feel nothing at all"

 

I decided to look into another practitioner who inspires me, and this time instead of a fashion designer I chose to research into the current work of fine artist Rose Sanderson. Her work is highly influenced by themes of life and decay - striking a contrast between natural and man made elements. She works predominantly with acrylic paint, implementing the use of old wallpapers, peeling and rubbing away paint and cracking surfaces for her backgrounds. This builds upon her theme of exploring texture from man made products, which works well in contrast with the delicate beauty of her winged subjects.
I'm intrigued by the allure of fading grandeur, of both growth and decay. The way paint drips down her images makes me think of melting wax candles, which in turn summons a melancholy nostalgia for the passing of time. The ghostly shadow of a print emerging from the background would make a beautiful print transferred onto fabric. Fading ornate prints, combined with bird and butterfly motifs, layered through textured fabrics would make nice foundation for a future project.

I WANT HER OUTFIT... that is all.

[source]

A wolf in sheep's clothing

Photography by Eleanor Hardwick.
i own nothing.

Meadham Kirchoff  are my ultimate favourite design duo, purely because of their fearlessness. For their SS'12 collection they drew inspiration from the idea of what little girls are expected to be in contrast with who they are. Sugar spice and all thinks nice - earmarking the collection in the form of feathers, glitter, crochet lace, pretty pastels and quirky motifs. A figure of inspiration for their collection was Marie Antoinette; a woman who lived a life of beauty, drama and excess, and who knew what it was like to live under mass expectations of her nation. There's so much pressure within society to act and be a certain way, wherever you go there is always an underlying expectation to look 'pretty'. And I feel that whilst we may embrace this, we should also find a way to make it our own.

 

This collection embodies a more eccentric perception of their theme, which although quite different from my personal design style, I find highly captivating. The pair continue to succeed at creating feminine, yet edgy and outlandish pieces, complete with a wild sense of colour and humour. Looking through their previous collections they display a great sense of design devlopment as they continue to embark along the fashion frontline. 

Letting everyone down, would be my greatest unhappiness

[All images via weheartit.com]

Another Sophia Coppola film, j'adore.

It's like staring through the looking glass to this beautiful world lost in time. Set in a time and place I'll never truly experience, but losing myself in film is the closest I'll come to it. From the glorious Parisian architecture, spring time tapestries, six-tiered cakes, masquerade balls, horse drawn carriages, ornate candelabras laden with melted wax, brocade bustles and overflowing ruffles, it's hard not to feel enchanted by Marie Antoinette and her life of excess.

Lenticular horse card

Soo I decided to step things up, and make a youtube channel!

*que tumbleweed*
Um okay, I was expecting applause, but whatever. 

One of the tasks on my design list is to post about two pieces of great design that I've found (could be anything from a photograph, to a piece of quirky ephemera, to any sort of three dimensional art thingymabob).

Anywhoo, I came across this lovely little card shop in South Kensington when I went to London last week and I purchased this thing called a lenticular postcard. It was made using a specialised lenticular lens to create the illusion of depth within an image which appears to move when viewed at different angles. It's still a developing technology but it's come a long way since the 1940s when it was first created. It's absolutely amaze-balls - if it's possible I'd love to have some lenticular fabric made up for one of my future fashion projects ^.^

I looked for idea-a-day.com (one of the other tasks on the list) but the site's currently down. From what I can tell it's about little ideas that could improve everyday life, so killing two birds with one stone here I'd love it if it were possible to develop a fabric holding a moving image - without the use of video projectors or smoke & mirrors - an actual fabric hybrid. Or in the least, maybe a fabric that changes colour depending on your mood. I know heat sensitive fabrics were a trend in the nineties and that didn't really catch on but I know of a dress designed by Lucy McRae (whose like my idol, no, seriously) called the Bubelle dress which uses biometric sensors that pick up on a persons emotions and projects them as colours along the outer-layer of the dress. Here's a link to a (super cheesy but nonetheless informative) video about her newest creations. I don't know if ideas like these would improve any body's quality of life per say, which I guess is idea-a-day.com underlying ethos, but I think it would open a gateway to greater developments in the future which is something I find really exciting.


(p.s. I apologise if the amount of times I say the word "like" in this video bothers anybody, I'm just like really like excited and stuff :P like.)

Photobooth fail

This is my self portrait, although I'm not entirely happy with it. I wanted to show various different sides of my personality and I don't feel this has captured 'me' fully. I was inspired by a photo shoot of Elle Fanning for LOVE magazine spring '11, which I believe was originally inspired by this photobooth series of Edie Sedgwick, taken by Gerard Malanga, 1966.

I guess part of the reason I was drawn to the photobooth idea is because I'm pretty indecisive as a person and taking just one shot, expressing one mood, wouldn't be enough for me. I decided to edit my selection down and just picked four images to display as a strip in the style of another traditional photobooth print, which I think works better than before, especially with the black border, but I'm still not entirely content. I really love photography, it's one of my strongest skills and I don't quite feel this showcases my talent fully so I think I'll shoot another self-portrait later on.

 

-   -   -   -   -   -   -   -   -   -    -   -   -   -   -   -   -   -   -   -   -   -   -   -   -   -   -   -   -   -   -   -   -

{Elle Fanning for LOVE magazine source one and two.}

Sometimes I think we don't exist

-  b y  C h r i s   L i t t l e  -

{via weheartit}

One of the tasks on the design list was to pick a practitioner I admire and a picture of theirs I most relate to and explain why.

Chris Little is an established US-based freelance photographer. I was drawn to this particular image of his for several reasons... To begin with it's beautifully captured, even with all colourful confetti (which may just be splattered paint, but I like to think it's confetti) raining down, your eyes are immediately drawn to the subject in the centre. Despite all the beautiful colours, which one would usually relate to a feeling of joy or elation (perhaps as if a celebration were in progress) the subject appears unmoved by it all, potentially in awe, or perhaps simply lost in the haze. The stillness of her character is surprisingly evocative, enough so to challenge the mood of the entire image. She almost appears detached from reality, which is something I guess I can relate to.

I WANT HER HAIR... that is all.

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