The Cherry Blossom

I love this time of year! Spring has to be my favourite season because

 everything seems to be blooming and coming out of the dark winter days

 into a transmission before the long summer evenings. Yesterday I went to

 my dad's farm to see the wee fluffy white lambs, they are all so adorable! 

I am the kind of person who finds a lot of things hilarious,

 usually when it's not meant to be funny and when I do I laugh

 until tears stream down my face. There isn't much of a

 middle ground but I went to go see American Pie The Reunion tonight!

 I had many good chuckles and was smiling all the way through,

 especially with the unexpected ending! I'd throughly recommend it, 

slightly rude in some parts but nevertheless adds to the hilariousness!  

(Beaded T-Shirt: Thailand, Jacket: Zara, Skirt: Topshop, Boat Shoes: Sebago)

Flora x

Carousel Circus

So this was another one of my projects from my Advanced Higher last year. My theme was based on the circus and this was also inspired by a carousel. Its probably one of my favourite pieces, probably the hardest to make but the most rewarding and visually appealing!! I used two kids hula hoops to create the structure of the piece that was to represent a circus tent but also a carousel. A lot of measurements had to made for this!

I had limited materials to use and I had quite a low budget really and kept it to plastics, cards and paper and some other materials! The front of the design is to represent the front of a circus tent where these 'circus shapes' are also featured to add mystery. I then attached braces which I bought on ebay so that it could be worn on a person and Flora kindly modelled for me again! It was a lot of work but certainly very fun to make! I went through a lot of development to arrive at my final outcome and my work finally paid off.This design was highly inspired by Manish Arora which makes crazy designs!

Also got my results back and I passed all my projects in first year at art school so I'm a very happy girl!! And got accepted to do Jewellery and Metalwork Design as my degree in 2nd year!

Thanks for reading

Kaela x

Fashion Against Aids

In it's fifth year of launching the Fashion Against Aids collections, H&M helps create awareness of HIV/AIDs amongst the young but also raising funds as 25% of the purchase price are donated to HIV/AIDs prevention. It's the best collection yet in my eyes with it's ethnic inspiration from around the globe but also the affordability is a major plus. There is a modern twist in the way the traditional ethnic pattens are being used by the style of how the garments are cut to the use of bright vibrant colours.The collection will be available in 300 H&M divided departments from the 26th of April, so fingers crossed its going to be in mine but if not, there is always online! 

Here are  a few of my favourites:

                   Jacket: £24.99                      Dress: £14.99

Bustier: £14.99

The garment above is definitely in my Must Have, Must Buy list at £14.99! It's a gorgeous dip dyed flowy high-low top, perfect for the summer.

Flora x

Animalism Project

This project was based on animalism and how we can take inspiration from animals and make pieces of art from it. So my inspiration were bees & wasps, not exactly animals more insects but I was keen to be influenced by their habitat and what they look like visually. You can see from the patterns on my design that I was going for a honey comb effect which of course is associated with bees. I experimented with different materials and colours. I actually used bubble wrap to create this pattern, just shows how experimental you can be with limited resources.

After creating the honey comb patterns, I put these into laminating pouches were I always inserted wire which holds the shape and structure of the piece. I love wire!! After each pouch comes out of the laminator you can cut and fold each piece into what ever shape you want. I created these cone shapes or varies sizes, colours and I experimented with transparency. These were to represent the wings of bees and wasps and to show that they are very fragile. After creating one cone, I made lots and eventually it developed into creating this structure. I have used wire again to place each cone onto and wire holds the shape very well. As I have made individual cones, it allows the design to take hold of alternative shapes in which you can move all of the cones to show it is not a 'fixed' design.

I think I have been successful is creating a design that is very visually appealing with using the limited resources I choose to work with. Thank you to Flora for modelling and editing the photos for me! This project was one of many many project I have done this year in my first year at art school, I collect my results on Friday so wish me luck!

Kaela x

Primark (is that really you?!) vs Mary Katrantzou

So when I logged into my Marie Claire app on my iPhone this morning, I couldn't believe my eyes! Primark have really upped their game for their Summer 2012 Collection. I picked out my favourite outfits I saw from the photos and I got to say, I am in love with some of their new designs and with the price tag it is irresistible. This lovely dress is perfect for summer which features a chain detail as a belt. 

Who would have thought these were Primark designs?! I LOVE this mustard yellow dress. They've got some lovely shades and floral patterns in at the moment perfect for your summer wardrobe!

SPOT THE DIFFERENCE

                       Mary Katrantzou                                                               Primark

SPOT THE DIFFERENCE

              Mary Katrantzou                                  Primark: Jacket (£25) Trousers (£16)

The copy cat outfit came into the lime light of the media when designer Michael Van Der Ham posted a photo of the Primark trouser set on twitter to which he added, "Thank you Primark for ripping off Mary Katrantzou. Very supportive."

"It is completely shameful. Primark should take it off sale immediately. They wouldn't dare do this to a big label like Jimmy Choo or Prada, but they know young designers are in a weak position." Melanie Rickey, fashion editor of Grazia.  

I do agree with this statement that new and young designers are of course in a weak position starting out in the fashion industry however, who can blame Primark for wanting up their game in such a competitive industry? 

At a fraction of the price, this Primark blazer and trouser set is much more friendlier to the bank accounts of students such as myself. The trouser set that arrived in Primark recently has obviously been inspired by the designer Mary Katrantzou's Spring collection shown last September in London. So if you wanted an alternative look to the Mary Katrantzou floral prints then you can head on down to Primark. Unfortunately for many of us, something like this is just not affordable so high-street chains allow us fashion followers to be fashionable at a much more affordable price range. I know it isn't the real deal but for now I can only dream.

The designer, Mr Van De Ham also added, "It is dispiriting that big high-street chains copy from young designers. It's hard enough setting up a new business without this."

 If I were the Greek designer Mary Katrantzou, I wouldn't know if this was a threat or a compliment? In some ways, it could be viewed as both. Although Primark have blatantly done a copy cat version of this outfit, they have been inspired by one of the best new and upcoming designers out there. If I were the designer, I would definitely take this as a compliment and look at the positive aspects. For one, she is getting a lot of media attention alone from the Primark trouser set and this is all publicity for her. Also with being a new designer, her designs are inspirational enough for high-street chains to want to supply their customers with a similar version. It will definitely keep fashion trend spotters on their toes for the future which means this designer is one to look out for!

Although in some ways I am supporting high-street chains, I do believe that Mary Katrantzou is a fantastic designer, her prints and patterns are very inspiration to the fashion industry and she is definitely on her way to make it big.

So I will be going to London in less than 2 weeks (eek!) and will be visiting lots of exhibitions. One of them I will add to the list is 'Designs of the Year' 2012 Exhibiton at the Design Museum where Mary Katrantzou is also featured and I will be able to see her designs in the flesh! So for the meantime, if I can't support new designers by purchasing their designs right off the catwalk, I can at least support them by visiting exhibition such as this!

Would love to hear some thoughts on this, great for high-street fashion lovers or just bad for the fashion industry?

Thank you for reading

Kaela x

Slow Day

(Cardigan, Crop Top, Shoes:Topshop, Shorts, Scarf :Thailand, Belt:Vintage, Bag:Amazon, Bracelet:Rox, Watch:Armani)

I have recently been studying for my exams, which are less than a month away but each day are becoming ever slower! Now I am not the biggest of studiers, probably never will be, but i do always allow myself to get out of the house and enjoy some time away from the stressful work of revising. And when i do, i love to get dressed to feel good about myself also treating myself also helps.

This has to my favourite cardigan, it's basically a blanket with holes, it's oversized baggy and super warm. I bought the canvas duffle bag for £7 off Amazon, it's a great rucksack to shove stuff in and go. I really do not know why i wanted it, but just recently i thought it'll be useful.

The crop top is nicely detailed with embroidery, i like garments that look quite simple but have really intricate detailing. The silk scarf is my Grandma's from Thailand who gratefully gave to me. When an outfit is looking a bit dull, it's an easy piece to add some colour.

 The pearl bracelet was a gift, i do have a fascination with pearls. I remember being around 5 years of age and walking a long a beach in Thailand, which stalls after stalls full of pearl all different shape colours and sizes.

These shoes are my most recent purchase! They are a great height so you can dress them up or just wear them casually. Where i am from not many people wear heels just for daily wear and especially not many teens but it's great to find a pair that aren't scrutinised by people like there is toilet paper stuck on my shoe. It's good to be different and look unique from the crowd because everyone is different and should be able to wear what they want without being judged or given funny looks. 

Flora x

Chanel's Limited Edition Denim Nail Polish

So last September Chanel had released three new 'denim jean' inspired nail polish colours created by Peter Philips, Creative Director of Chanel Makeup. They actually didn't come into the UK till long after that! From left the colours come in Blue Rebel, Coco Blue and Blue Boy. Many people have blogged about the new colours saying that it was actually out last September only for one month last but they are actually still in shops in the UK so you can still get a hold of these lovely colours! 

This is a picture I put up on my instagram and you can see that I have the Blue Boy nail polish shade. They are a lot more expensive than your average nail polish as they are £17.50 but you've got to treat yourself every once in a while! They also gave out cute denim badges inside the Chanel bag that we got with the nail polish. Follow me @kaela_hoggy

Kaela x