If I Had a Magic Wand

There are thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of items on my Wish List. I have chosen a few here for you to see. Twilight topaz and Neptune topaz rings. I could not find a Canary diamond picture of sufficient carat weight ( it needs to be at least 10 carats !!!), but it is on my list.
Fabulous bags and even more beautiful shoes, I am the Imelda Marcos of Plymouth. There are dozens of designers I would love to wear if they made plus size collections.....I also love to wear my own stuff, but that is more necessity than desire.


What would I spend the most on you ask..???
I would have made to measure lingerie, bras that fit, the dream of all women who have ever needed to wear one..

If I had a magic wand these are some of the pieces I would magic up for myself.

Accessories are Essentories

Accessories should never be the last thing you think of when getting ready to go out.
Always buy a fabulous bag, now fabulous is not about price, colour, versatility, shape and the fact that you can use it for more than event is what makes it fabulous...
So... Fab bag, cute flats, a cardigan/shrug and small jewellery and you are set for a day at work.
Same Fab bag, comfy sandels, scarf and bold, chunky jewellery and your off to the beach.
Same Fab bag, precariously pretty heels, some serious "bling" and a pashmina and you could party anywhere.

Never forget perfume, change it up from day to night and from day to day. When you find a great smell and you sniff it with your eyes shut, do you see colours?.. I DO....

SO, DON'T THINK ACCESSORIES, THINK ESSENTORIES.

Tavi, Wearing Whose Style ???

Tavi looking like she has raided her Grandma and her mothers wardrobes and then borrowed the shoes from the model. She appears a little pathetic and vulnerable in this photograph, like she's been caught wearing clothes that don't belong to her.

Paper dresses

I picked up a book in the LRC book sale for 50p, it is all about paper manipulations. I thought it might be a great book to start the design process and sure enough it is very interesting. I found a few really fun video links where the designers have only been allowed to use paper. Check out YouTube-RMCAD:paperfashionshow2010

Tailored and fabulous.

I have been following the new seasons collections, on Fashion TV, the magazines and the internet and yet again one of my favorite designers has delivered. Showing in Milan, Yudashkin's collection is superb. Beautiful fabrics, clever tailoring and texturising and although the palette is softer than in previous years, it is very on trend for this year. Check it out at Million Looks Put his name in the search box and enjoy.

Galliano and Dior and marriage made in Heaven

Some collaboratins are just made in heaven. John Galliano working with Dior. Class, tailoring, textiles, the pure exuberancy of the garments makes me smile. He loves colour & form and so do I. As the years have gone by Galliano has played with shape and form, he is know as a provocateur, the 'enfant terrible' of the last ten years.

Few designers have pushed the boundaries the way Galliano has over the years, his shows are reknowned for their extravegance and excess.

Illustrator and Me

This is my first soiree into the realms of Illustrator and I got a lot of help. A giant thank you Sara and Anne after all your assistance today I actually produced something I am pleased with. So I guess the next purchase for me will be Illustrator, but, OMG it is expensive. I did purchase the Kevin Tallon book, Creative Fashion Design with Illustrator, thus far I am able to follow the text.

I found a frock...

I found a frock, a maxi dress that with very few alterations will fit me...and what is more I found it on the high street in one of the thin people shops, who pay lip-service to the plus size consumer..
so well done New Look, you only had one plus size dress and it is plain, but at least you had one.

Press Release

Venus will become the fashion leader for the plus size woman, there are over 4,000,000 women in the UK who wear size 20 or larger. In 2008 London advertising agencies discovered that on average women spent £1,500 a year on clothes (excluding accessories), that gives a new and ever growing market of over £6,000,000,000, thats a lot of spending power. It is our aim to become the dominant high street brand for the plus size woman and to become a brand respected by the other high street stores.

Collaborations in Fashion

One of my favorite designers of all times is Elsa Schiaparelli, her designs are very wearer friendly and witty. She collaborated with Salvador Dali and Alberto Giacommetti, she produced many garments influenced by their inspirations.

Many designers collaborate to produce collections and they do not always select the obvious, like using an artist. Musicians, architecture, gardeners, many influences have been the inspiration point/collaboration for deigners and fashion houses.
http://www.blackbookmag.com/article/fashion-flooded-with-designer-collaborations/6939

Dazed Digital | Louis Vuitton's Young Arts project

Dazed Digital Louis Vuitton's Young Arts project

Do you ever feel frustrated?

In trying to develope this blog and fulfil the project brief for this term, I find myself becoming increasingly frustrated. I do not have access to Illustrator at home and even if I did feel inadequately prepared to use it, as I have other things that keep me very busy. In College I keep sounding like the needy/computer illiterate/technophob, every time I think I am getting somewhere with the Illustration work on the computer I make a wrong turn and 'poof'' it turns to crap.....
The rebranding/marketting ideas are coming along and I have produced some fashion drawings I am reasonably happy with, of course now I am supposed to use Illustrator to make them look like they were never touch by human hands!
AND... my final winge, big business do not like speaking to students, at grass roots level I have the support for my ideas, but, now the questions I have posed have gone from local and regional to Head Office and they are giving me the run around!
So, I guess this will be a hypothetical exercise in rebranding/marketting and collaboration.

Street Style Plymouth

These are a few images of individuals who looked like they bothered to think about their clothing and wanted to say something about their own personal style. So, thank you, Cathy, Laura and Me !!!
Cathy is an Evans employee and she always look fabulous and well put together, she combines outfits from the store with her own unique style and always looks on trend and classy.
Laura was a young woman I stopped in the street her look may not appeal to everyone, but, a considerable amount of time and effort has gone into this colourfully eclectic outfit.
Then there is me... I always make an effort, I am not saying it works, but I chose not to hide....
I have to say there are slim pickings in Plymouth, my daughter is my favorite stylista and she has moved to Birmingham.

Styling and restyling.

This is me testing the water; if there are any plus-size women reading this blog, I ask you a question, well actually a series of questions...

• would you like to have a dedicated plus-size fashion evening
• would you like to see the newest fashions and try them for yourself
• would you like the advice of a stylist, make-up artist and hairdresser
• would it be fun to build some capsule wardrobes
• would it be nice to shop without feeling guilty
• would a little cheese and wine make the experience even more pleasant

If this seems like something you would be interested in being invovled in, please send me a word of support.

Thank you

My rainbow child,
A spectrum of joys
will colour your life.
Stay true to your loves
and passions.

Some people are just stylish

The beauty within

I am the greatest Terry Pratchett fan, I find his literature both witty, challenging and brilliantly written. Maskerade is one of my favorites, because thefemale lead is one AgnesNitt. Every plus-size woman needs to read, Maskerade and Carpi Jugulum and get in touch with their Agnes Nitt. Because inside every Agnes Nitt there is a Perdita (the beautywithin) and every now and then she really should be allowed to see day-light and "sniff the daisies".

Rebranding !!

A plus size clothing outlet that is a joke in the fashion world. Their catalogue and web-site are posted with a model on the front who is beautiful and may well be plus size, but as we only see her head, who is to say??? Also lets be realistic about the images on the site and in the catalogue, a size 18/20 model may look fabulous in the garments. But, as they sell up to a size 32 I would like to see how the garments look on this size model.
Next; how do we rebrand Evans, so that they can take their rightful place in the high street and gain some respect from the other fashion outlets. After all their turn-over every year is in the millions, they should have a louder, more listened to voice.
Every regular size woman I have spoken to says..."oh yes, Evans, thats the fat womens shop, but, they have great jewellery". Not exactly what you wish for your brand, it should feel customer friendly and have a real footprint in the high street.