Happy Holidays

Went ice-skating with family and friends a couple of times this festive holiday only to fall over a thousand times and bruise black and blue. Broken bits: Watch & two pairs of trousers



Whilst yapping away I kept my hands busy on the accessory for the current project. It took two long days to complete the texture on the surface so planning to complete it tomorrow while preparing for a feast on New Years eve. Cannot believe its 2012 in 24 hours!!! Happy new year to you all.





Silk chiffon





Foundations of a structure that will hopefully be completed by tomorrow evening.



Devil is in the Detail

Last day of term today and I manged to finish off my garments as aimed. Just got an accessory to make now so happy days. This is a snippet of the outfit. I''ll post it once every component is complete.

I pleated good 2.5 metres of fabrics myself to save money and time as the company takes at least 2 working days and a good £6 per metre. It wasn't fun steaming myself with the iron but when working under a budget there isn't much choice. I've been told I have the patience of a 'saint' by my tutor as everyone else sent theirs of to industrial pleaters. patience comes with a price.



I tried rouching on my toile and it looked nice but felt like 'too much' so I chose to work with pleats instead.

 

Ever since I began watching PA NAM on BBC I've been even more hooked to the minimal conservative look. Thanks for the picture Maricel :)



Overtime

I've been working away at the studio since last week and it's sort of depressing when you are the first to arrive in the morning and the last to be chucked out by the security at night. Ha ha ha too tired to even laugh properly. Since Monday I've managed to complete 2 toiles and the final garments but it took me forever and now I've particularly lost my appetite due to long working hours. At this precise moment I'm drawing some technical flats but thought I ought to take a break and update this page.

I spent a good half hour figuring out how to draft a pattern for a full skirt then had a sudden 'eurika' moment where I felt utterly stupid. All I had to do to make a pattern was make a big square and cut out the circumference from the centre. Can't believe I had to think about something so simple. Daft moments do happen I guess :)



This is the draping I achieved in matter of minutes using a semi-circle as a pattern.



I treated myself to Winsor & Newton palette few weeks back so looking forward to life drawing tomorrow as I feel it's the only time I can actually forget stress/pressure and relax.





TimeOut

When was the last time I had fun that came form something other then fabrics and pattern cutting? Surprise surprise I cannot recall a precise moment at all. I'm taking a 20 mins timeout from toiling my final design right now as I type so that I do actually have something to take to my tutorial tommorow. My mind is muddled/jumbled and any thing else that looks like a bad mash-up. I chose this path for myself because its the only thing that I feel passionate about and gives me pure satisfaction. However the intensity is drowning me slowly and effecting me mentally and physically. The Saturday that just passed was my best friend's birthday and it was ever so upsetting that I couldn't join her due to work and family event in the evening. Its sad to think and experience times where its absolutely impossible to pause the moments passing by no matter how much your heart wants to. Does that make sense to you or is it just me get crazier by the hour?

Anyhow I'm still alive doing what I love the most so I shall be thankful to the one above for now. Time to get back to the garment. I'll be taking aid of Disney songs to bring back happy memories so that I don't fall into darkness tonight.  

Here are a few images from saturday night's festive event...

Words out of a dear friend

"I was an inch from nearly skidding off the moss covered wall which divided the area between the lake and the cold, muddy ground. My friend screamed hysterically for a mere 2 seconds, almost as if the world was going to end when my right foot slipped slightly. If luck had left me during that period, I would have fallen straight into the lake, helplessly flapping my arms like an ostrich just for the sake of not drowning. What more having ducks cruising noisily whilst I help myself to the bank of the lake. To add to that, it was 10 minutes before the start of our illustration class. Thank God I was saved from extreme embarrassment of going to class drenched and soaking wet and probably smelling of duck's poop.

Before I start rambling about petty things.. 

This pair of ASOS shoes is my second pair of brogues. I love how they look polished, sophisticated and can easily lend an overall boyish charm to any outfit. I have this pair locked up in its box for quite a while now but only took it out recently to make full use of it. I reckon my snake printed top fits my style of illustration. Both look like pieces of distressed inks. 

And I finally successfully dyed my hair ombre. I might have a trim soon to relinquish my split ends.

Photos by Arati Subba."

This is my darling friend Maricel who is the only person that knows me and my existence currently and suffers the same stressful pain I am going through. Just wanted to say THANK YOU for listening to me moan, bitch and curse during highs and lows. Looking forward to Christmas now and see you in class tomorrow wear some thing nice so that I can shoot you again maybe in the water this time?! :) As for those who visit my site I don't like posting my 'outfits' much because I enjoy photographing more.  

Elaborate Bites



I was dining alone and happened to share a table with a Singaporean lady. She introduced me to 'yam', which I still do not know exactly what it is but did taste very 'mushroomy'.



I prefer to stare at it rather then place it into my mouth which is a first!



Cape

Winter is getting colder then ever and I'm getting bored of my jackets and gilets so I decided to make something. Found some mohair wool  for myself to transform into a cape. Very quick and easy to cut and construct.

I've worn it several times now and it's less restrictive then the high street shop versions as I've purposely added high slits so my arms do function. On the other hand I now wish I had added a lining to it as it's itchy! Haha thought it might get too bulky with lining but now I feel like I should have added a fine lining. Never mind, room for improvement next time.



Samples of silk chiffon and silk satin for the current project. Prices beginning £9.99 per metre. All together I purchased 10metres of silk chiffon as the satin didn't feel 'right' for my designs. It was so tricky choosing colours too as they were all beautiful i.e. ended up getting completely different colours to what I had planned. I haven't taken a picture of my final fabrics. Will post it when I get the chance to.  



'Austere'

Finally I got the chance to go to London and meet him in person. Didn't know what to expect but over all I am very pleased with the meeting. Two inspiring people in one day was ermmm whats the word.... lets say 'aroused' a lot of excitment as I literally couldn't stop smiling. Along with Max, I met Sustika Limbu who is a film student form London (wearing the most amazing coat with raglan sleeves! it looked unusually attractive for womenswear!!). We got talking and Max explained the concept of his upcoming project for the Parcha Exhibition which was ever so captivating. Now feeling a bit gutted I can't make it this coming weekend to see the whole thing as I've already agreed to attend a winter ball at Middle Wallop.

Accessory based on the muse. PVC and cross stitch fabric backpack with magnetic fastenings.



PCV structure on top a collar less blazer. Classic with a modern twist.  



At shepard's bush. I made a shirt for him but forgot to take a picture before handing it over so I guess will have to wait until he uploads it on his lookbook or blog :)



She is the one with the amazing coat. I'd love to show her my collection of silk and cotton scarves!

                   Sustika hopefully next time? x



Another regret...

I've been keeping myself busy with work and uni work since last Thursday. I keep telling myself 'It's ok' and 'GET OVER IT' but isn't working yet. Cannot stop thinking about these garments from the H&M and Versace collection that was released at 9am last Thursday. I missed it by 10 minutes all in the name of charity. By the time the charity lunch I volunteered to help out at finished EVERYTHING was SOLD OUT :(. It's all on eBay but at ridiculous prices. Did any one get anything?







Fur Waistcoat - £39.99
Pleated Silk skirt - £39.99

Dhaka Prints



I wore traditional Nepali attire today whilst selling curry for lunch at the camp all for children in need (charity). We made just over £450. The traditional Dhaka print that is well known and worn by all women and girls in Nepal has made its way to the western side of the world.



Reminded me of designer Julian Louie and ALDO's collaboration that had the woven prints on it. Completely different interpretation of the traditional fabric.

Random

Soya milk, apple juice and coke for Cel and I on our last lunch together in London. Craving it right now so thought I would look at the pictures instead.



Food was yummy but service was really bad so won't be going there again in future.  





Fried dumplings. Food and clothing are the same, detailed, pleasing to the eye and makes everyone :) :) :)





Illustrator

I have no life. Its our formative feedback week and whilst others take time out I'm stuck at home glued onto Illustrator. Experiencing whole body ache due to sitting down for long periods staring at the computer. Hard not to get distracted but finally finished all 8. It took forever mostly because it was my first time. Just wanted to experiment and see whether digital is better then normal but now I can't decide because they are both bloody time consuming and the result isn't exactly amazing.

Avant Garde project- Brief is to base the collection on any movie/s. Watched a few movies and chose to base it on the Corpse Bride. Have any of you watched 'Death in Venice'? I tried, but fell asleep even though all the costumes were so beautiful.

Stuck. Watched the movie twice and took video stills but now don't know where to begin.



On Saturday I ran into town during my 30mins break form work and treated myself to two lipsticks. Both Rimmel, 128 starry-eyed and 04 from the Kate collection. The 128 is more wearable in my opinion as the 04 looks a bit too dark and is hard to pull of for a day look especially around Winchester as it's pretty muted around here.

Went to a friend's birthday celebration and danced all night. Another reason to dress up and relax!



I applied the 128 that night but it looks a lot brighter in the photo. Happy birthday once again Susma! 



Toiles

Don't know whether any of you have read the vile words that come form Maximus but I think his blog is pretty addictive. Austere is the name of his blog and it some how fits perfectly with his whole look. How do I know this? I chose to have him as my muse and base my inspiration and collection around him i.e. weeks of researching, designing a capsule collection  and finally making one garment and accessory. 

Managed to contact him via facebook so that a photo shoot could be arranged. Now just looking forward to the day and still trying to figure out how and where I should shoot him. 

If your wondering why I chose max, Its all due to his 'panda' look. Check his lookbook and blogspot and you will see what I mean! 



A page from my book, including inspiration for colour palette based on packaging.



Another big inspiration was the Yas Hotel in Abu Dhabi. PVC toile for a 3D jacket which didn't work quite as well as I had hoped for but managed to find firmer PVC in Goldhawk road.

Toile of the jacket. My first attempt on men's jackets, however the arms were swinging back a bit so had a fun day mending my master pattern NOT! haha I swear Fashion generates the most waste in the planet. literally even more then cars and other fuel emission. The amount of paper, fabric, time and effort not counting electricity and energy wasted is unbelievable!!

Pin Cushions

We were fortunate to have Patty Glanville (accessories designer for Jasper Conran) come in for tutorials and give us one to one advice on our accessories for the Menswear project. I decided to make a rucksack and she was helpful when it came to figuring out where and how to fasten my bag.

Most amusing part of the whole experience was her pin cushion! Here are a few pictures, apparently she bought it when she first started back in her days.

Had my crit today and now feeling very satisfied with everything. Got few more finishing details to add to the project and then I'll be moving on to the new AVANT GARDE project...

These are the colours I worked with in the menswear project. I'll post the pictures once I get the photo shoot done.



I'm taking time out this weekend to relax a bit before starting again on Monday but this time hopefully I'll get the hang of it and blog a bit more. Time management skills are getting better but not perfect just yet :)

Remembrance day tomorrow hope you will all take out two minutes to pay respect. I was explaining to a few Chinese students that the poppy is there for a meaningful reason as they had the idea that it was the most wanted accessory of the moment.