London Calling

I am sitting in my room, in a house, in London. The sun is out today, and it is shining through my window, but it is still cold. The train goes by, visible between the trees in the garden and beyond. Most of the trees are bare, but the grass everywhere is so green. It hasn't rained yet today, and I'm glad.

I am in London. I don't quite believe it myself.

I've been here for over a week now. I try to go out everyday and see something new. The first day was a jet lag day, so I wandered around the neighborhood and down the Killburn high road. Cailtin came to visit from France, so we spent the rest of the week traveling about. We went to the V&A, which is a wonderful museum. Then we wandered around Camden Town the next day, visiting the various markets and enjoying the sunny and somewhat warmer day. The next day we walked around and saw the London eye, Big Ben, Parliament, Buckingham palace (and we stumbled upon the changing of the guard), and Trafalgar square. We found our way onto Oxford street later that day, and window shopped in amazement. The next day was her last full day in London, so we went to brick lane for some indian food and walked along the Thames, crossing Tower Bridge a few times in the process. It was nice to have a friend there that first week, to help alleviate the stress and culture shock.

Yes, culture shock. Well, perhaps not completely. I think it's just shock in general. Shock of being in London, of realizing it will be my home for 3 months, of being away from everyone I know and love, of being so far from home, and of being on my own in a strange place. London is great, and I am enjoying myself, but I do feel lonely at times. I cried at some point everyday, excluding yesterday, when I just got a bit teary eyed. It'll get better, I know. I just need to remember that I am doing something that I've wanted to do for so long. I am in an amazing city, doing something most can only dream of. I've worked so hard to get to this point. So I am trying to just relax, settles in, and enjoy the ride.

The house I am living in is lovely. I am renting a room from a family: a couple and their two daughters. There are two other lodgers here as well. Breakfast and dinner is included in my rent, and my room is bigger than my room at home! We have dinner together, which is nice. It helps to have people around and to feel some security, since being so far from home can be a challenge. We banter and tease each other and enjoy each other's company, so it is a nice set up. I miss my family, but it is getting better.

This past week has been a series of highs and lows. The grey skies and cold weather have not helped my mood, but I still have gone out everyday. Monday was spent at the British museum, which was amazing. I geeked out over the Assyrian statues and reliefs, but I couldn't help myself. It was so cold and grey that I went straight home afterwards.
The next day I visited the Hunterian Museum, which is the Mutter museum of London. It was great, though I think I prefer the Mutter (except for the fact that the Hunterian is free.) I found my way back to the British museum afterward, and saw some of the collections I had missed the day before.
The sun came out a bit the following day, so I went to Green Park. I walked through the park, over to Buckingham palace, and sat on the ledge around the statue of Queen Victoria. I wrote a letter to my boyfriend, stared around me, and realized I was in London. It hits me every so often. Afterwards, I walked to Hyde Park, then down the road and into Harrods. The food hall was amazing! I didn't buy anything, but I marveled at the products, displays, and atmosphere. The candy section was like a scene from a movie, full of color and fantastical displays. The tea and coffee room was quite tempting, as was the counter selling macarons. I will have a macaron soon, since it has been awhile, and I am so close to Paris, so they must be good here. I went to a few other stores afterwards, since it was still quite cold outside, then made my way back home.
Yesterday it was freezing, but I was determined to visit the Spitalfields antique market. The vendors had some amazing things, and I had to restrain myself. First, because I can't spend too much or I won't be able to pay rent. second, because transporting some items home will be a challenge. So I restrained myself. I bought a small bound book of childrens poems with some great illustrations, and two illustration pages from a childrens book. I love illustrations, and older childrens books often have the best. I bought a gift for Sandra, and a gift for my father. It is a really old thing, like he requested, though older than he may expect. It is more of an artifact than an antique! I treated myself to a coffee and soup for lunch, since I hadn't packed anything and I was so cold after wandering outdoors.

The lows are after I return from my little adventures. I start to feel very lonely and disconnected from everyone, and I sit in my room, shivering and crying. Skype has made things easier, and at any given time I am chatting with my boyfriend, or Caitlin, or my parents, or my sister. I really don't know how I would survive without it. I love being here, but I feel so far away from everyone, and it's difficult. But I know it will get better.

Tonight I am going to the lanch of World Book day in Trafalgar square. There will be authors, performers (including Nick Cave and Rupert Everett) and others doing readings, and it is hosted by Graham Norton. I am going with Lucy, one of the daughters, since her mother is partkaing in world book day. You can read about it here:
http://www.timeout.com/london/books-poetry/event/217658/world-book-night-wbn-launch

I am quite excited! Tomorrow my friend Claire is visiting from the states, and we will enjoy ourselves around town. I am making a quick trip to Berlin from March 14-16, then classes start the next week. Time will be flying by!

Sorry for an all text post, but the next will include pictures and less rambling. Until then, cheers!

Blackbookbookblackshadowplay

It snowed quite a lot last night, and as a result I am stuck inside. Not to worry, I have found ways to be productive. Between searching for a residency in London, making soup, and drawing, I have kept busy.
Next week is the deadline for the Joe's blackbook  scholarship competition, and I have been planning to enter since I heard about it. I'm doing a menswear collection, spawned from my summer collection, "Shadowplay." Please enjoy a selection of images and videos that have served as inspiration for it all. Some are things I've posted already, but there are some new things thrown in. I will be working steadily on the collection - illustrations, trend board, etc. between work and room searching this week. Enjoy!

 Will be expanding from the looks here; The central figure was from my summer work, the other two were added in over the fall. Trying to explain that look during the crit, to a roomful of people who probably never listened to Joy Division was quite interesting. "Um, I was in a post-punk, industrial mood. It's something Ian Curtis of Joy Division would perhaps wear. They were a band... well anyway, yes. And there's a military theme as well, and I wanted to play with greys and blacks, the look of shadows. I'm marketing this to people who like this music.... uh, yes." Thankfully my good friend was an excellent model for me, because he fit in to the look. He's a wonderful artist himself:
http://alexwalcroft.blogspot.com

Anyway, continuing...

 Yes, yes. Joy Division. The collection is stemming from my "Shadowplay" collection, so what do you expect? Everytime I listen to these guys, my mind wanders and designs just seem to create themselves.

And how about some modern editorials and models? I am so glad I found a love for menswear, because it's really nice to break away from designing for women for a bit.


This is Jethro Cave, son of Nick Cave. Yes.

 
      
And of course, Nicholas Hoult, the british actor and sometimes model. He has a great look, and his photos are stunning.

 

Some more menswear....

Dior Homme, then Hermes

And hell, how about all of these photos by Hedi Slimane?

http://www.hedislimane.com/fashiondiary/index.php

Including:

I'll add more as I sketch and search. I want this to just grow out of my inspiration sources and be very strong. Wish me luck!

Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered

Over this past semester, I noticed a somewhat dark mood coming over my work. Not like my work wasn't dark already, but still. Perhaps it's from listening to so much Joy Division. or perhaps it's because my mind has been all over the place lately. In any case, I've actually enjoyed the work I produced. For my portfolio presentation in front of my Fashion Illustration class, I decided to make a mood board that summed up my 12 pieces. I feel like a few of the illustrations really fit in well with the theme.

First, the mood board.

I made that in gimp, which is like fake photoshop. I don't like using those programs, I much prefer to make them by hand, but I had to. 

And now for some illustrations!

 

 

I think this all comes from a combination of listening to Joy Division, Siousxie, and Nick Cave a lot. Also, because of the blogs I read. But it's actually very "on trend". A lot of designers have been inspired by so called "gothic" or dark themes for the fall. I took a lot of inspiration from Zana of Garbagedress as well as from the likes of certain musicians.

I did try to lighten the mood a bit in a few pieces, but that's another post for another time. I think my mood allowed for some interesting work, so perhaps it wasn't so dark after all.

2011: A sick day

I stayed home sick today, so I decided to catch up on my internship documents and watch a movie. At the suggestion of my good friend Sandra, who is a huge Kubrick fan, I decided to pop on 2001: A Space Odyssey. I was blown away. I spent some time staring at the screen after the film was over, trying to process the story and figure it out. I think it needs a second viewing. In any case, the visuals were amazing. The effects were ahead of their time, the style of the entire film was just wonderful, and it was quite inspiring. I've been collecting sources of inspiration as always, and I need to get working on a menswear collection for a scholarship competition, so it's much needed. I know I'm a little late on this movie, but it's better late than never. I am trying to catch up on movies while I have some time, and this was first on my list.

So now, some images from the film.

The music was great too. I can see why it's considered a masterpiece. It was really cinematic, it made me think, and it was beautiful. A bit slow moving, but it worked for the film. I loved the set designs and the space suits. Also, the camera work in the zero-gravity parts was awesome. Oh, and I may have developed a bit of a thing for Keir Dullea. It's those eyes. Look, I don't get out much, and I'm sick and alone. Okay?

And, related, a retro ad from plan59.com, which is a pretty awesome site.

Coming up soon: more fashion illustration work! I will most likely be home again tomorrow, so I may be able to work on some sketches. We'll see. Or maybe I'll just watch the film again...

Memory in Revolt

When I design, my concepts are usually somewhat abstract. This usually means that when I am asked to describe my concept, I end up reciting a convoluted piece of prose. For my first project in my Fashion Design class this past semester, we were asked to design a 3 piece collection for a couture designer of our choice. We were to pretend we were working for them, and to adapt our own aesthetic to fit in with their repertoire. The choice of the designer was not hard for me. It is no secret that Vivienne Westwood is my favorite designer. To work for her would be a dream. So, after doing some trend research a looking through her back catalog, I came up with a concept: Memory in Revolt. What does that mean? Here's a bit of my thought process and what I tried to explain:
Memories are what we make them. Our perceptions can change our memories. What is real and what is imagined? We look to the past while we simultaneously try to subvert it. What if what we think we remember is just an illusion that our minds created? Our memories can become veiled and concealed, repressed, changed...

And so on.
And now on to the actual pieces. A mood board, a fabrication board, and illustrations with flats. My illustration style developed a lot over the semester, and these pieces look vastly different than my later work. I am really proud at how much I progressed. In any case, I still had fun with these. At least, I think I did... my memory could be wrong...

Some results

Fashion illustrations (Fall 2010)

Fashion Design (Fall 2010) Mini-childrens collection inspired by Pan's Labyrinth

Inspiration (from summer until now)