Everyone has their own techniques to get into their zone, which zone? The inspiration zone!
The Highly Anticipated Daft Punk album ‘Random Access Memories’ was available to listen to yesterday on Itunes and might I say it is one great album with the likes of Pharrell Williams, Ezra Koenig from Vampire Weekend and Julian Casablancas lending their voices to the somewhat 80’s sounding album. Personally I find that having music playing in the background really helps gets the creative juices flowing; Delving into different genres can change your mood in an instant, even sometimes inspiring a new design. I can’t get enough of this album and it’s only just the beginning, the album officially comes out Friday the 17th of May. Can’t wait to have this on repeat and see what kind of repeating creations follow.
http://www.daftpunk.com/
http://www.daftpunk.com/
http://www.daftpunk.com/
Images from http://www.daftpunk.com/
The Graffiti Room (www.style.com)
The Metropolitan Museum in New York opens its doors this week to the annual Costume Institute exhibition with this year’s theme, Punk: Chaos to Couture. It looks back to honour the roots of the antiestablishment counterculture that emerged in the seventies and how this ended up inspiring and influencing all levels of the fashion world from then till now.
The exhibition show cases many high end designers with pieces that perhaps were never intended to be worn in any form, and were merely used as shock factors on the runway. The question surely then has to be asked, is it really punk if its couture? If it causes discomfort, then that’s surely a nod in the right direction.
It all comes down to the truism that everything old is new again, and when considering fashion everything really has been done before but the magic is how it is interpreted and reinterpreted. Surely everyone has had a go at punk, whether it be street level or couture. If you look back and see a (fake) leather jacket, ripped jeans, a safety pin holding something together even if unseen, that rebellious piercing or tattoo when you were 16, the political t-shirt you now just wear to bed…It might not be properly hard core but there’s an undercurrent just as there is a flower child in us all as well!
So get a little disruptive this weekend, provoke your inner punk and meld in a little DIY couture just for the hell of it.
Ukraine born Masha Reva is an artist who is using fashion as her current medium, and absolutely killing it. After researching up on Reva I was confused as to why I hadn’t heard about her work earlier, she is a truly gifted being. Her website showcases all her work from videos, illustrations, photography and collections. Seeing her ‘merging’ 2012 collection I instantly knew what I wanted to share on this blog; the explosion of print, the styling, and the backdrops all work together to show off these incredible prints and garment shapes. It’s no secret that I love the use of prints to revive a design and Reva has highlighted how well a print can make a garment.
http://www.mashareva.com/main/index.php?/fashion/-/
http://www.mashareva.com/main/index.php?/fashion/-/
http://www.mashareva.com/main/index.php?/fashion/-/
http://www.mashareva.com/main/index.php?/fashion/-/
Images from http://www.mashareva.com/main/
I find myself finding print inspiration everywhere, this time it was as a Flume gig. If you don’t know who Flume is let me give you a quick recap. Flume is Harley Streten, a young Sydney DJ who in 2011 released 3 EP’s with the record label Future Classics. domain rush He is famous for the song’s ‘sleepless’, ‘Paper Thin’ and ‘over you’; his debut album then followed late 2012, which he is now touring Australia with.
How was I inspired for prints at a gig you may ask? Not only does Flume play amazing beats but he has a visual spectacular to accompany the music. Lasers, projectors, lights and screens all are in synch with every beat drop; one image in particular that had me captivated was the cover art of his debut album being repeated in a kaleidoscope on screens above Flume.
Putting this image into a repeat was as simple as dragging the image across and down, resulting in a unique print ready for a tote or swimwear or anything to be honest; the possibilities are endless when you have your own custom fabric.
Images from http://flumemusic.com/
http://flumemusic.com/
- http://flumemusic.com/
- http://flumemusic.com/
Spring 2013 Ready to Wear – Mary Katrantzou
Mary Katrantzou IS digital printing. With every new collection there is such a wow factor of colour and scale and pictorial combinations that it’s hard to imagine anyone else ever does prints or at least that there is another collection that reaches such digital print design heights.
There’s not much babbling to go on about this week as the images surely speak for themselves and when you’ve got yourself into enough of a tizzy with these images, head to style.com to paw through her collections from the past handful of years.
All images from style.com
Basso & Brooke are masters of digital prints and construction; there is no doubt about it. Their latest sweaters are no disappointment, with their realistic textured prints that I love the most all over these cottons sweats. Basso & Brooke highlight the impact a print can have on a garment, they transform an ordinary cotton sweater (the type we see endlessly) and have incorporated these exotic and textured prints to freshen them up.
My favourite by far is the half snake skin half knitted printed sweater; with the aid of Digital Printing you can make any fabric look like another, there is no limit in colour or print.
www.bassoandbrooke.com
www.bassoandbrooke.com
www.bassoandbrooke.com
www.bassoandbrooke.com
www.bassoandbrooke.com
Images from www.bassoandbrooke.com
Firstly, why is this not more heavily promoted?! Seriously, why are we not more motivated celebrate this day and use it as a call to action or at least contemplation?
Is it because ANZAC Day is just around the corner and we’re all too busy working on our two-up strategy to notice. Well if so, perhaps we need to take a long hard look at our priorities as individuals, a community, a nation and a planet! Get them in check and it’ll make that beer and two-up win next Thursday even sweeter. Just take a sec to check it out, World Earth Day 2013.
And perhaps the fashion industry needs to take heed. Often given a bad rep, polyester fabric and in turn sublimation digital printing, could be that “little bit” that goes a long way when you consider it as an alternative to some natural “green” fibers. The argument is that, for example, cotton (even organic) has a larger footprint than polyester when you compare factors such as water usage and pollutant hazards; renewable and recyclable sources; and the potential for a closed-loop production cycle. There’s plenty of reference material out there on this, but here’s just one interesting read on Social Responsibility.
Marvel at the amazing place we live in and be inspired to love it and not abuse it. Consider your choices and the impact they have not only in your immediate environment, but also as an ongoing process over the coming months, years or decades.
Cherish your Earth and she will cherish you. Happy Weekend!!
As I sit thinking about what latest nail colour I should paint my nails, I think to myself why do I obsess about such a small part of me. Nails are such a small part of our body, yet I always seem to be thinking about them, what colour should I paint them? Will they match my weekly array of outfits? It all seems kind of silly and time wasting but why do I still find the need to do something different with my nails?
In saying this I caught myself researching when I stumbled across some great blogs with amazing nail art, scrolling through the pages of the blogs I found out that Iscreamnails.com.au actually pop up around Melbourne to paint nails in crazy designs. Another blog led me to supanails.tumblr.com/shop, where I am now lusting over some incredible nails.
All this Nail art inspiration gave me an idea; why not match you nails to a print, you want to rock that dress you just had custom printed and made, but don’t know what colour nails to match your outfit with, why not get creative and go print crazy and paint your nails with the same print! A Quick search on the web led me to one fantastic example using designer Karla Spetic’s garments as inspiration.
Seeing as I have zero patience with waiting for nail polish to dry, and always seeming to bump and ruin them, I believe I’m due for a Melbourne visit very soon. Now to decide what kind of nail art I want to commit to for a week or two.
Images from www.karlaspetic.com , http://www.iscreamnails.com.au/ and supanails.tumblr.com/shop
Not to make light of a serious subject that has the potential to affect everyone the world over, but over the past couple of weeks as the North Korean nuclear threat deepens and images of its military forces are beamed to us in all manner of forms, has anyone else noticed the design significance?
It may sound an odd thing to say, and as much any social event has the potential to influence a fashion trend of sorts, this is not necessarily what I’m getting at. If you go back to the principles and elements of design; line, form, direction, perspective…the images of the North Korean military formations are a great example of these in play.
And while I’m not saying ‘look at the pretty pictures, not at what is actually going on over there’ it’s more about being visually aware of design occurrences and appreciating how this can impact creating for any end product, even seamless repeating textile designs. Be inspired, no matter how random.
Please note, that this post is not intended to offend or course intentional distress to the reader.
Images found in Google Image search using “north korean military formation”
Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Sydney is well underway, I love looking at designers latest collections and street style photos, specifically Tommy Tom for Style.com. One of my favourite labels is Romance Was Born, for their amazing designs, quirky styling and unique runway installation.
This seasons was no exception, psychedelic out of this world was the first words to pop into my head as I looked at this collection. My second thought was wow look at those prints! I feel that it’s very hard to present a new design these days, everything has been done that’s where I think Prints and textures come in.
An outstanding collection for me incorporates simple silhouettes with amazing prints, which I think has been perfectly executed by the designers at Romance was Born. The late 60’s early 70’s silhouettes with the pop coloured fantasy prints has won me over once again, now to find an occasion to wear these amazing pieces.
Romance Was Born SS2013
Romance Was Born SS2013
Romance Was Born SS2013
Romance Was Born SS2013
Creative Director: Mark Vassallo
Stylist: Caterina Scardino
Hair direction by Alan White for GHD
Make up direction by Val Garland for M.A.C.
Nails by Rock Beauty London
Shoes by Shoes Of Prey for Romance Was Born
Jewellery by Romance Was Born in collaboration with Nikki Majajas and Pip and Pop.
Photos by Stefan Gosatti for Getty Images.
