Tagline : First Love Burns Brightest

Recently I went to see the film Bright Star with a few of my flat mates.... it was wonderful!

"London 1818: a secret love affair begins between 23 year-old English poet, John Keats (Ben Whishaw), and the girl next door, Fanny Brawne (Abbie Cornish), an out-spoken student of high fashion. This unlikely pair begin at odds, he thinking her a stylish minx, while she was unimpressed not only by his poetry but also by literature in general."


I loved the story however i was instantly struck by the beautiful imagery and stunning costume designs throughout the film. I found it really inspiring, above are a few photos....

Bright Star movie trailer 2009

The Bradford Textiles Competition

In late November me and my fellow textiles students visited the Bradford Textiles Competition Conference, where we looked at work of the previous winners, were told what to expect from the next competition and were given a talk by Peclers Paris.
Peclers Paris is a trend forecasting agency, who decipher consumer expectations for fashion by using a number of online trend publications.

For Summer 2001 a season of hope is predicted in order to overcome the downbeat mood. Four key themes are used to show this transition.


Floreal - is concerned with reconnecting people with natures effervescence and recreating this initial excitement . Inspirations for this theme are the ballet russe, Pollen, Arabian nights, Maharajahs and palaces. Yellow and green are key colours and textures to look out for are linens and shiny sheen surfaces.



Meandering (Errances) - This is the antidote for fast living, time and distance disappear, technology is rejected and everything begins to slow down. The idea of long haul travel, leaving the world behind and taking the time out to daydream or read a book. Inspirations are Arabesque patterns, the modern traveler, the timeless elegance of craft raised surfaces and the idea that everything is natural yet completely modern. Textures are shabby chic, Velvet and thread bear pinks, which all give a sense of understated preciousness!!



Solaris - This themes captures our innate fascination with the things that we don't yet understand and the curiosity we feel when faced with something new to us. In particularly new cultures and far out places such as Egypt, South America and Tahiti. Inspirations are Ethnic patterns/designs, stylized, synthetic materials and craft borderline couture. Textures and materials are straw, fur, shiny finishes, rough/vegetal, hessian and raffia.



Cheerful - A positive season all round. This upbeat lifestyle needs practical clothing, structured silhouettes, fresh colours and simple modern graphics. Key themes are nautical stripes, leather, sexy sports, patterns padding and fun bondage.

Some examples of my wallpaper project..........

Necklushes

Make your own neck embellishment!

These versatile scarves allow you to loop, knot or plat your scarf however you wish. They are designed by Necklush and are in a variety of different colours. So get designing your own winter accessories.......

Missoni

An article about Missoni’s winter collection also said that "They are museum pieces, but you can wear them" (M. Pezzi). This allows collections to produce highly innovative, unusual work that would still have a place in everyday life. I loved the accented neutral colour schemes of Missoni and the layer upon layer of beautiful knits. These blanket like options are perfect for braving the winters chill.

Second collection

‘Art nouveau’ is the French for ‘new art’. This movement provided an imperative link between the older academic artistic pursuits of the 19^th century and modernism. I wanted to make this connection clear within my work by my yarn choice. I began to use natural traditional yarns with hairy raised or crisp effects such as mohair, angora, linens and cottons, along with synthetic shiny viscose yarns, to exemplify the transition. It is also known that Art Nouveau was concerned with making art an integral part of everyday life. On this basis, I wanted to produce artistically unique pieces which could be used in an artistic sense, but that would also have the practicality to be useful in everyday life.

When looking into the knitwear of contemporary designer Missoni, I instantly saw elements of the Art Nouveau period. From the flowing curvy linear lines to the organic materials and textures, the models look like they have walked out of an Alphonse Mucha painting! They are both covered in draping highly textured exquisite materials, which is exactly the look that I wanted my pieces to portray when made into a garment.