Primark Haul

I LOVE the box bag, I'd seen it in there a few times, but obviously this time I couldn't resist buying it!

Big rings are a big love of mine too, and I seem to have added stud earrings to my list of favourites too. I always think that even subtle earrings make such a big difference to an outfit.

Initially I picked up a lot of black knitwear, and was promptly told to put them pack by my boyfriend. He hates that I don't wear much colour, and always seem to opt for my 'safety' colour - black. I like that he pushes me to be bolder with my colour choices, so I picked these to up instead!

DIY Mannequin....Attempt 1

I know I promised a post documenting my DIY mannequin of myself with instructions on how to make it.... BUT my first attempt all went a bit pair shaped... So I've decided this is how NOT to make your own mannequin!

-It started off well, I had all of the necessary tools:

-Cling Film

-Mod Rock

-Bowl of water

-Newspaper

Then it all went down-hill from there....

My one roll of Mod Rock

Ensure you have enough mod rock: I would say get more than you think you'll need as it's better to be safe than sorry. You need to do about 2 coats of mod rock to make the structure strong enough, and as you can see from the photo's, 1 roll wasn't even enough for one layer!

Posture is everything: As it takes a while to dry, there's a big temptation to slouch while you wait. Try and make it in front of a mirror so you can see if you're standing properly. Or you'll end up with a distorted shape like below!

Attention to detail: Pay attention to the bust. Unless you are making a mannequin to make lingerie from, do not attempt to get the 'cleavage' part of the bust.
-You should also ensure you wear a bra (unless you never wear one). This is because when you're fully dressed you will most likely be wearing a bra, so you want your bust to sit in the right place on the mannequin for when you're drafting up a clothes pattern.
-Concentrate on the contours of the waist and the small of the back.

Protect your skin: Before covering yourself in mod rock you will need to protect your skin. I wrapped myself in cling-film first. BUT I did not use it to protect my neck. Yet I still applied the mod rock there, so by the time it had dried it had completely stuck to my skin. This made it very difficult and painful to remove, and I'm not going to lie - there were a few tears!

I will be attempting another one, hopefully soon. And hopefully this once will go right, especially after this one went so drastically wrong!

And I will 100% be doing a 'how-to' post on it.

First Post Back & Update

It's been nearly 5 months since I last posted on here, and I've decided it's time to come back!

With everything that went on I felt I needed a complete break from fashion to help my mind focus better, and now I feel I'm there.

Catch Up:

I haven't been completely gone from the blogging scene: I've been following my other passion in Beauty over on my new blog 'Not Just Skin Deep'.

But have decided it's time to start this one up again and have both. My main goal in life is still fashion-related, and will be updating this blog with my current projects as I start getting back into fashion properly before I go back to uni in January.

During my time off I went away for a week to Ayia Napa (not such a relaxing break!). You can see more about it here.

Up & Coming Projects:

I have a huge roll of MOD ROCK ready and waiting as this weekend (with the assistance of my OH) I will be using it to mould myself a bespoke mannequin so I can start making my own clothes for Autumn/Winter!

I will be documenting the whole process, so expect a blog post on it sometime next week!

I'm so excited to be coming back to the fashion world again. It really was a much needed break as just the thought of getting into fashion again filled me with dread, which is such a sad way to feel about something that has always been your passion.

But now I feel so positive and inspired, and so happy to be back!

Watch This Space

Hitting the Pause Button

Just before Christmas I became very ill from some kind of exhaustion virus which made me very run down, lethargic and unable to even think about work, let alone physically move to do it. This lasted for over a month and as a result put me very far behind with my studies.

 

This is a very crucial stage in my degree, what with is being my final collection, I will admit I was struggling and had chosen to base my collection on a topic that didn't inspire me, and because of this (and trying to catch up) it resulted in me producing designs I didn't even like, and also I became more stressed and ill again.

I don't want to throw everything away over a stubbourness to finish, so I have reluctantly decided to take a year out to gain my health back and come back this time next year to start my collection again.

HOWEVER, in the meantime I want to continue designing and making in my own time, and as a result of this time off it will give me more time to blog :) It will be interesting working to my own brief and timetable, and I'm really looking forwards to seeing how this freer way of working compares with the results from working in a more structured and intense way.

I will also continue to visit my university to keep up to date with everyones progress, and I've spoken to a few people about being featured on here and they're very happy for that to happen :) I'm going to use this time off as a positive thing, and use it to my full advantage. 

I'm really looking forwards to seeing what this year brings!

Final Collections

I'm so amazed at the standard of work amongst my course mates as it gets closer and closer to the selections for Graduate Fashion week.
Everyone's working really hard on their final collections, and its looking so amazing already.
I always love to see how peoples minds work, and so seeing their individual take on their chosen subject is absolutely fascinating to me.

Over the next few weeks I'm hoping to (with their permission) feature some of their work on here to share it with everyone, as it deserves to be seen. I am taking into account how stressed everyone is at the moment though, so I'm not holding out too much hope on how soon I'll be able to post about them! But for the moment its really inspiring to see everyone so hard at work.

More to come soon!

Japan

I wanted this 1st post to be dedicated to the people of Japan, who have had to face 3 awful disasters all at the same time, and are still having to deal with the devastation left. 

It has been all over the news since the 1st disaster struck last week, and it is truly heartbreaking to watch, and impossible to imagine what they must be going through. 

Many people have since been heading over to japan to help look for survivors, and to help in any way possible. But for the majority of us who are unable to physically go over there to help help, there are other ways you can show your support, and heres how you can do it:

Japan Tsunami Appeal: Ganbare Nippon

One blogger caught my eye recently who is trying to do their bit in showing the people of Japan not to give up hope by organising an illustration rally, asking for creative people to submit their digital art/ illustrations with the message 

'Don't Give Up Japan!'

More details, and submission guideline can be found here: Illustration Rally

UNIQLO

You can even donate clothing to Japan at some fashion retailers, like Uniqlo. All of Uniqlo's stores are planning to house donation boxes where customers can donate clothing to help the victims of the disaster.  You can find more information here: UNIQLO

Lady Gaga

Lady Gaga has designed 'we pray for japan' bracelets to raise money for the japan relief efforts. These can be purchased HERE.

Map Action

You can help by donating a small amount to help provide up to date maps of japan to those searching for survivors reach them sooner. More information can be found HERE.

Charities:

You can also donate money at the following charities:

British Red Cross

American Red Cross

International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies 

Yahoo Japan! Charity

Thankyou!

I know its been a while since my last post, and I've really missed writing on here. Life's been really hectic at the moment. But it's so good to come back :)

First thing's first: I want to thank everyone who helped with my dissertation survey. It did help a lot and it was very interesting to get different perspectives on the subject. I really appreciate it.

Secondly: There will be a lot more posts to come as I have lots to update on! (London Fashion Weekend, current projects etc.

I'm really looking forwards to coming back, it's been too long!