Traveling

The things i do for my friends, such as traveling an hour and a half by train for their birthday. I don't really mind though as i love travel, so i guess it works out well for me. The only problem i face is what to do whilst on my journey. I own a kindle and so reading a novel is a viable option, but alas i do not have anything currently downloaded. So this is where i find myself installing the blogger app for my phone and updating my blog on the go. Technology is a wonderful thing.

So i thought today i would post some pictures that i took on a recent trip to London. My course requires me to visit the capital in order to gain inspiration via numerous sights and galleries, as well as source materials and fabrics. Whilst on my last visit my friend Ben and i decided to go and look at Harrods' window displays. We had already read about them but wanted to view them for ourselves. So here they are (forgive my phone camera quality) -

They are all based around the Disney princesses and designers were commissioned to make a dress for each one. I personally adore Jenny Packham for Rapunzel and Elie Saab for Sleeping Beauty. What do you guys think? Also i'd google 'Harrods window display 2012' for better pictures!

(Note: This was supposed to be posted yesterday but my phone started playing up! Typical.)

Craving.

For my first post since my very long hiatus I will be looking at the items I am currently craving. Not that I should really be window shopping, I spend enough money as it is on my wardrobe, but here they are -



Neon Satchels.

Bohemia £112

Madison Belts £129

J by Jas M.B £85

H! by Henry Holland £39

I find it very strange that I have even been attracted to this trend - I hate neon. At least, I thought I did. I remember back in 2007 when florescent clothing was a massive trend and I have to admit I did my fair share of following it but after that brief period of what I like to call 'style insanity' I abhorred it. Yet now here I am dreaming of the perfect satchel to sit comfortably against my hip and aid me in my too common shopping trips.



Acid Wash Jeans.

Miss Selfridge £38



I did have some acid wash jeans that i bought from Topshop in 2008/2009 when they were promoting their 'Pippa' range which was a skinny jean that cut to just above the ankle. I adored those jeans and they are still in a drawer somewhere, however they are old and a bit tight. I've been looking for a long time for a pair of jeans perfect enough to replace them and one day whilst browsing the shops i cam across these beauties. I am in love with these jeans! From the colour to the ultra soft texture, they are perfect. I know what my christmas money is going on!

Off the Radar.

I'm not sure if anyone really reads my blog but I've been gone quite a long while and I apologise. The fact is that a chain of unfortunate events this year has led me to look at my life quite differently. I have learnt that bad luck comes in more than threes, but what I never grasped until now is that no matter how tough life can seem, there is always a little good around every corner. I have seen my world crash around me this year and all my control just melt away. For a while I let my grief and anxiety consume me, I wrapped it around me like a dark blanket and carried it with me wherever I went (If I chose to go anywhere). I lacked motivation and any other emotion but sadness, my work became affected; my education was put at risk and my life halted. Then one night I tipped myself over the edge and that was when I knew I needed help and I got it. To me, help always seemed a bit pathetic, like you had let yourself down. I have struggled with a dark cloud shadowing my mind since I was 13 (I am now 20) and the idea of talking to someone about every silly thought that went through my head seemed hellish. I felt like no one would ever understand my hardships and my views and now that I am an adult I understand how very wrong I was. It's not that they understand exactly either, it's that they accept everything you have to say. You are not judged. I think that is what I was always so afraid of - being judged for just being me. For being human. I think anybody that finds themselves at their own personal rock bottom should always get help. You don’t have to live with your sadness and you don’t have to bear that weight on your shoulders. If I could give the best advice possible it would be this – talk to somebody. It's been an interesting few months and looking back on all that has been discussed and all that I have said I think I’m finally starting to make sense of the dark cloud. A couple of months ago I was so sure that everyone had abandoned me, when in reality I had abandoned myself. I am finally beginning to accept myself, but that does not mean that I am not looking for change or to put it better - growth. I am determined to become a better me, I am looking to regain my control. It will be a difficult process, a lot of hard work on my part, but I can already feel a tinge of strength back in my bones. The pressure on my head is subsiding and a feeling of relief and anticipation for what is to come. I am ready to start fresh and new, not to mention regularly updating this blog. Thank you for reading, Lulabelle.

Current

Apologies for the delay, i'm lacking a lot of motivation in everything at the moment. I think i'm just bored of this semester of university, there isn't that much happening. We are currently doing tailoring, which should be really interesting but unfortunately it's only two days a week and that's thursday and friday and by that time no one can really be bothered. However, i'm slowly powering through!

I have two lovely images to show you all of my completed white shirt project. The idea of it is to be a casual looking and comfortable shirt and the final material is brushed back cotton sweatshirting and cotton. I'm very pleased with the end result and have had quite positive feed back from my tutors.



Hand embroidered detail


I plan to take some pictures on a model soon so that it can be seen better on the body!

Sorry i've been away!

I lost my internet for a little while and then had projects to get on with but i'm back now :)

Burberry Live Stream

I hope everyone got on to Vogue UK's facebook page today and watched the Burberry live stream at 4pm? I certainly did! There was a 5-10 minute delay but then it kicked off. I'm not going to make this post long but i got a few screenshots, forgive the quality!



It took me awhile before i thought to myself 'i could be taking screenshots of this right now!' so i unfotunately missed out some really good garments. However, you can check the whole collection out at Vogue or Style.com. The soundtrack to the show was also well chosen and really carried the mood across well, i could imagine it being autumn and all the leaves turned orange, some upon the ground, the sun in the sky and the air clear and fresh! And then there was the rain and umbrellas at the end! Water trickled down the panoramic windows outside and inside confetti fluttered down like tiny droplets of water or snow! All the models walked out with umbrellas! What a show!

A Week Away

The past week and two days has been absolutely wonderful! I finally got a break from the hectic uni schedule and got to visit some very special people. I spent about 5 days in Cardiff with my beau at his uni flat, we didn't do a heck of a lot but then when your with someone you love the time flies no matter what! I then came back to halls for a night and in the morning left for London with my lovely flatmate Rachel! We were supposed to fabric resourcing and visiting suppliers as the rest of our class were in Paris at the Premier Vision shows (we couldn't afford it) but that went to the bottom of our priorities list! We ended up visiting the British museum and The Tate Modern as well as trawling around China Town, Camden, Leicester Square and Tottenham Court Road. We found the cutest italian cafe just off TCR and had divine pasta for lunch for just £5.65 each! And in China Town we bought colourful cakes and used a real life Purikura photobooth! Now we've been to London plenty of times in our lives but every time you go there is something new and this trip really was wonderful. We left London on Friday after two days there and went back to our home towns. I got to see my mum again and i really missed her and she really missed me so we watched tv and chatted on friday night and then on Saturday i visited my aunty! She has a little baby girl called Eleanor and every time i see her she's gotten so big, which probably has something to do with the months i spend away from home. It was so lovely to see her again though and on the plus side two of my other aunties were there. On Friday my dad visited from Oxford and drove me back to uni and bought me a couple of weeks worth of food shopping! Thank you dad!!! I didn't get to spend long with him though which was sad but the good news is he got me an imac so now we can skype! So right now i am typing this up on my imac which i have to say looks pretty swish in my uni room! So anyway that's where i have been, and hopefully i will be posting more reviews soon!

Happy Valentines!

This is my quick attempt at a Valentines e-card for you all! Have a wonderful day and if your single don't forget, you don't just get love from having a partner! Make someone's day.

Ciao!
xox

Random inspiration #1

It's strange how inspiration can come from anyway be it a blade of grass or a stack of jumpers. I found these stacked up in Debenhams in the the Jasper Conran Men's section (I was shopping with my boyfriend!). I love the textures and the colours so a picture HAD to be taken! It is a palette that I would love to use in a future collection, possibly exploring knitwear as well.

Elie Saab 2012 Couture

It's been over a year since I last posted a review of any show and I miss doing so. Being a fashion student however, studying and critiquing your own work takes centrefold in your brain rather than laying on to others. I try my hardest to keep up to date with every fashion week and season, but these days it involves a brief visit to Style.com and a quick scan of the shows. Now that I have handed my last module in, which I did so on Friday, I can actually take a proper look at the last season (and the current one) and see what's going on.

I just want to add before I get on to this review of the mastermind that is Saab, that I could have had the chance to work the ever prestigious London Fashion Week this February but the opportunity was not for me this time. This included numerous factors mostly to do with money, London is not a cheap place you know! I promise you though that one day I will be there, be it September 2012 or February 2015, I have my dreams! Onto the review....



This is one show that got me incredibly excited, I think it's possibly the mix of fairytale, romanticism and also a wedding quality. I think Saab has become one of those designers that never really needs to prove himself worthy of the fashion world, you just expect his shows to be magnificent. A girl can never get tired of her dresses and thus can never tire of a dress designer, especially the very talented folk who can supply a vast array for all types of female. I'm not sure why chiffon, silk and all things sparkly tantalise our fashion lust but it's a love affair that will never really die.

Until I became a fashion student I never really understood the time that went in to making a garment and one thing I have learnt is that even simple can take time and often be more complicated than your extravagant pieces. And when you look at the silhouettes in Saab's collections they are all quite simple indeed. I think it's this quality that really reaches out and pulls you in. When choosing a dress you want something that you can get out of just as easily as you can put it on, you want something that accentuates your figure but doesn't pull away from your face and above all you want something that gives you that certain class that no other garment can bring. That being said there is a such a thing as too simplistic but fear not for it's the detail and cloth that really make these gowns something else.



A mixture of gorgeous botanical print, lazer cuttings, appliqué and bead work give way to a craftsmanship that I myself feel only a select few possess. It is so easy to get it wrong and pile on too much that you weigh the garment down. But though Saab's gowns are adorned with detail and work they still have that sense of airiness and lightness that make the models seem as if they are in fact floating down the runway. All of this emphasised by the chosen angelic fabrics and pastel palette.

I expect it's because it's close to valentines day that all i can think about from these designs is weddings, romance and Aphrodite, or maybe it's just my love for every single piece before my eyes that has me feeling cupids arrows. What a remarkable addition to Spring and Bravo Mr. Saab, keep up the good work because i'm not ready to end this affair yet!

To view the full collections and the image sources go to style.com.

Blair's Wardrobe

I've watched nearly two whole seasons of Gossip girl in just a week whilst doing my project and during in that time my preference when it comes to favourite wardrobe is going to Blair. The above image has to be the most wonderful and elegant she looks this season (5) so far! I found the image on a facebook group called 'Blair Waldorf's Wardrobe'. I remember when Gossip Girl first came out and Blair annoyed the hell out of me, I always loved Serena. But the last two seasons and especially this one show a different more mature side to her and she's gradually become my favourite. Hopefully her fashion stays this good!

Divine Inspiration

I found the above images on the Daily Mail's website, they are absolutely stunning. Photographer Tsuneaki Hiramatsu used time lapse photography (using a Nikon camera) to capture the movement of fireflies in his home country of Japan. I'm usually drawn to portraiture or fashion images but nobody can deny the beauty and grace within these images performed by something so small.

Image found on the Daily Mail, here

So i'm filling out my sketchbook as well as watching season 4 of Gossip Girl, i am so far behind i know! But i got side tracked and stopped following it. Anyway i'm really loving this season so far, so much scandal and a really good story line developing. Hopefully i'll be up to date soon!

Shirt Project Toiles

So my toiles are going really well, i have 2 now. The first toile needed a few adjustments such as raising the armhole and taking the shoulder in about 1cm. They were fairly easy and now i have finished my second it needs about 5 tiny adjustments and i'm ready to cut! Excuse the bad quality images, the lighting in our lounge is poor!



Second Toile with a few pins in one side for adjustments



First Toile (very crumpled)

The final fabrics are going to be sweatshirting and cotton drill. I had absolute hell looking for sweatshirting, i orginally found some in Bristol at 'Fabricland' but it was called 'baby tracksuiting'. It was the perfect weight and was brush backed, leaving an incredibly soft texture i felt this really conveyed the comfort element of my garment. At just £3.19 a meter it was perfect so i got a corner cut and took it back to uni for my lecturer's approval. I was given the go ahead and went back to Bristol just 3 days later to find out they had sold all of it and there was no more in any store! After this stressed me out i decided to search online and yet came back with nothing for awhile until i found a site that would ultimately cost about £27 or an ebay seller that would cost £12 and so i chose the cheaper one. Everything went through just fine until i get an email a few days later telling me my order was cancelled and they had run out of stock! Which led me to question why it was displayed for auction on ebay at all! So today i paid £26.85 for just two meters of sweatshirting and recorded delivery with fingers crossed it arrives tomorrow! I still need to buy my cotton but i have to wait for the sweatshirting to do a colour match as everything must be the same shade of white. I want this finished by Friday as hand in is tuesday and i would quite like the weekend to make my sketch book better. So wish me luck!