Mary Katrantzou Fall 2010

I have discovered Mary's new collection for fall 2010, which I can relate a lot to my collection. I love the way she has used jewellery in her prints, which is what I have been doing, but she has also successfuly made them come to life with embellishments. I like they way she has used metal and crystals to enhance the jewellery prints, and also combined them with abstract print backgrounds. The vibrant colours and detail in the garments as well as the construction details all make it a really successful collection...

I love the beaded and embellished jewellery created on the sheer neckline of the garment above, and the way she has created the illusion of surface textures with the print below.




www.style.com

FMP progression

This is my inspiration wall, which now has a more refined direction. Erdems s/s '10 collection has become a large influence for print and floral ideas. I love the bold colours and the way the florals are filtered out and combined with lace detailing. I adore the bejewelled decoration of Mui Mui's collection, with crystals and delicate colours, which has an expensive, glamourous feel. Loewe's s/s 10 collection has also inspired me, as I want to do some laser cutting in leather, which has been delicately achieved in his collection...


I now have a final colour story, which was taken from a painting I saw at the Royal Collection, and also links with the pallette from the trends boards of s/s 2011. I decided to use quite soft, warm tones, with accents of tomatoe red/pink and kahaki and contrasting black as a base colour for boldness. My fabrics have also been choosen, which include indulgent laces which I brought in Paris, satin silk, silk chiffon, silk goergette and soft leather. I got some pleated samples from Cement pleaters to see which type of pleats I want to use in my collection. They sent me a really good range, but the ones I particulary liked are on my wall, which include the accordian pleat and folded pleat in small sizes...

Copyright
I feel like I am really getting somewhere with my print designs now, and that the collection is starting to come together well. This is one of the prints that I have been working on, and is one of my favourites, because it is bold but still feminine and delicate. The hand drawn flowers work really well once they have been filled in with colour on photoshop, and in repeat of different scales is quite effective...



These are the lace fabrics which I brought in Paris, which are beautifully embellished into to create detail and pattern. This effect is what I love, as it looks really special and feminine. I love the rich, warm colours and edge detailing, which I think would look great as a sleeve or hem.

Pure London

I visited Pure London on Tuesday which is a fashion trade event for directional and contemporary fashion. Buyers visit the show to choose collections for thier stores, so it was a good insight into the industry. I got to look around all the exhibitors stands and talk to the designers about thier brands which was really insightful. A lot of the brands at the show are smaller labels and some less well known so it was interesting to see how many there are out there and what brands I like. My favourites were Darling; a vintage inspired, feminine, pretty label with delicate prints and embroidery. I also liked Chilli Pepper, Jam, Charming, ChiChi, Fever; who use vintage prints, re-creating them for their own collections. I made lots of contacts for possible work experience, so it was a really useful day. I came away really inspired by all the collections I liked, and also feel like I have gained lots of new inpiration for my final collection.


www.darlingclothes.com
www.byjam.co.uk

Paris...

Having just returned from a week in Paris, I feel full of inspiration and ideas for my final collection. The trip to Paris was primarily to ehibit work at Indigo, Premiere Vision, but I also got to work on the stand which was really insightful. I made some useful contacts with the industry and got to see all the different studios which exhibit there. I particularly liked the studio PATTERN, who show beautifully elegant pieces with lots of embellishment and stylish print in a delicate manner. It was exactly the kind of design that appeals to me and is what I aim to create for my final collection. They use screen print, digial print, beading, embroidery and construction details in their work, so show a range of skills and detail which appeals to me.


By looking at the trend forecasts and colours for spring 2011, I feel that I am going in the right direction with my final collection. Premiere Vision states that spring/summer 2011 mixes fashion periods in a simpler, more natural way, creating a relaxed elegance. 'Sparkling Nonchalance' describes the mood of my collection well; 'with contrasts between leather aspects and lacquered laces... relaxed, charmingly simple silhouettes... playing with the semi-transparancy of silks... prettying up reality with lightness'.

By seeing all the fabrics and colours for spring 2011, as well as the prints and details from Indigo I am now really inspired and have a good idea of where I want to go with the project. I brought some beautiful laces from the fabric market in Paris, decorated with embellishments, and this along with sheer silks, print and light leather will form my fabrics.

While in Paris I also looked around a lot of the designer shops for inspiration. It was really insightful to see the pieces close up and look at the construction details and how they are made. there is so much detail and craft that goes into some pieces that you just don't see from looking at catwalk photos, so it was great to see. I loved Erdems collection, with the embroidered florals going into print, and lace dress- all beautifully made. I loved John Galliano's shop which was interestingly styled, enchanting you to weave through the rails of colthes. The lace and embroidery details on light silks inspired me.

Versailles...


We spent a day at Versailles, which is a beautiful Palace in Paris, once home to royalty and Mary Antoinette. The sheer size of the Palace is breathtaking, adorned with gold decoration. The interiors and eleborate adornment inside was fabulous, and has inspired me a lot with print ideas...



Every space of each room is decorated with print and adorned with gold, which I loved. I feel inspired to create print for my collection which could be applied to interiors as with the rooms of the palace. The floral prints are quite English feeling, with delicate colours and repeat placements. This is the kind of prints I have already been designing, so I think it could work well.



The theme of royalty is already strong in my collection, and I feel I can add a lot more after visiting Versailles, with fresh inspiration and exciting ideas.