"Art. Fashion. Desire." - MAC Antonio Lopez Collaboration

 

A great example of combining artistic, traditional techniques of illustration with cosmetics. And who better than the queen of make up collabs, MAC.

 

I recommend subscribing to MAC's YouTube channel... they think of make up as art and present this through short fashion/art films. And no, their channel isn't about 'finding the perfect foundation shade'.... There's plenty of them out there already!

 

Lots of Love,

 

Lauren xx

"It will not always be summer" Fashion Film

This was a collaboration that British Designer, William Tempest created with River Island's Design Forum.

It was a 2012 collection (so a bit dated now) but I was looking through my old seminar notes and I happened to stumble across this interesting and rather bazaar fashion film.

It takes references from 1920's glamour and Great Gatsby style lavish parties, but with an almost 60's Bob Fosse twist.... you'll know what I mean when you see the ballroom party scene (think 'Rich Man's Frug')

This is what River Island had to say about the film and the collaboration:

After launching earlier this year, River Island Design Forum returns for a second season with a collection of specially commissioned pieces created by William Tempest.

 

William’s range for River Island is filled with eveningwear separates in sumptuous black and nude fabrics. Exclusively designed textiles, which you’ll see running as a theme throughout the collection, include a tessellated design and a geometric art deco pattern.

 

William took inspiration from ancient Egyptian mythology, 1920s interiors and the work of the famed artist, M. C. Escher, for his designs. The scarab beetle, a symbol of wealth and power for ancient Egyptians, acts as a key motif which runs throughout the range via prints and intricate detailing.

 

This Design Forum collection made its debut via short film at London Fashion Week’s second biannual FASH/ON FILM festival . FASH/ON FILM, an initiative devised by the British Fashion Council in conjunction with River Island, aims to support and develop creative film in the industry.

 

What do you think? Innovative or creepy?

 

Lots of Love,

 

Lauren xx

Elie Saab Ready-to-wear A/W 2013 Review

 

 

 

You are immediately aware of his signature slices of lace inked into the textural, floating gowns, teasing the audience with hints of bare skin along the thigh and stomach.

 

The lace has an almost spidery, prickled quality adding a gothic twist to the usual pretty, feminine aesthetic associated with the brand.

 

 

Strappy gladiator stilettoes and booted heels with large silver buckles at the ankle added a metallic gleam to the draped, whimsical fabrics.

 

Rich tones of slate, black, plum and mustard were an indulgence to the usual pastel colour palette, with slight splashes of purple and teal as a colour contrast to enhance the vibrancy of the mustard designs.

 

 

Pristine white suits strode between the arrays of floor-length dresses adding a business sophistication to the collection. With chiffon shirts adding a feminine quality underneath the oversized cape-like trench coats and angular cuts… strongly juxtaposing the meticulous organic nature of his usual pieces.

 

 

However, one thing that will always remain constant throughout his collections season after season are the body hugging silhouettes, highlighting the femininely curved frames of the 6ft models.

 

 

Lots of Love,

Lauren xx

Urban Outfitters Moodboard: 'Having fun with Fashion'

My final composition

So I know this post is overdue... I did this moodboard a good few weeks back! But I'm trying to update my blog with the tonnes of photos I have stored on my phone that I haven't got around to uploading. (On a side note, I can't believe the amount of photos I've been taking since starting uni! I swear I'm dreading the day when it says 'not enough memory')

 

 

 Basically, it was a fairly open brief to get us familiarised with producing moodboards. We could chose any of our favourite designers/brands so I decided to go for Urban Outfitters, which coincidently seemed fitting since a new store is opening very soon here in Nottingham, not far from where I live actually.

 

 

 

I collected various magazine cut-outs, interesting typography and a lot (and I mean A LOT!) of flyers/promo cards from freshers week. I thought it might've been a challenge since there isn't a store in Nottingham nor in Norwich where I'm from, however I actually preferred taking on a more figurative interpretation of UO, instead focussing on creating the fun, loud and witty essence that I personally associate with the brand.

 

 

Here are a few of the photos I took in the process of finalising a composition. I played around with the idea of 'having fun with fashion' - a slogan I found in a magazine campaign that I believed summed up the brand's positioning well.

 

 

 

It took me a while to figure out which composition I liked the most, but after many photos on my phone (and a load of magazine cut-outs splayed across the kitchen floor, to the demise of my flatmates!) I finally decided on a mixture of illustrations, neon fabrics and vibrant spray-paint colours to depict this exciting brand.

 

 

 

 

Moodboards are such an easy, therapeutic way of expressing your favourite trends, colours and movements and the best part?... you can't really go wrong! It's all about creating an impression that you believe fits, there's no rules or restrictions. What's your favourite brand? Why not have a go yourself?

 

It's all about having fun with fashion

 

Lots of Love,

 

Lauren xx

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Playing with Photoshop: Colour changes...

Top Left to Right: Hue/Saturation, Luminosity, Original image. Bottom left to right: Half tone pattern, Colour Replacement

In our Photoshop seminar, we experimented with ways in which you can manipulate an original image with certain special effects. In the top right corner is the original and as you can see some are more drastically changed than others!

 

In order from left to right we have hue and saturation (this was such a fun one to use purely because I enjoyed seeing the colours of her face, hair and body change through a rainbow spectrum just by moving the bar back and forth... something I'm sure everyone has done at some point in Photoshop, particularly when bored!)

 

Then there was luminosity, which is pretty straight forward - pick a colour from the original and change the entire image to that colour (in my case, it was the electric blue from the dress)

 

Directly below this was an effect called half tone pattern which was effective at creating a subtle grainy texture (probably not very noticeable in the picture) that is almost reminiscent of photos found in Newspapers.

 

And finally we have the colour replacement option, whereby you can depict certain hues of colour from an image and replace it with others. In my example, I subtly changed the tips of the ostrich feathers to compliment the electric blue found in the dress.... almost as if the feathers had a dip-dye!

 

I think the best thing to do when tackling Photoshop is to select an interesting image and just play around with it. Don't be afraid to make mistakes, and make sure you're ON THE RIGHT LAYER!

 

Lots of Love,

 

Lauren xx