Sew sew sew

Been/ sorting through my fabric trunk/ shopping for ribbon/ making pretty things.

Kafou: Haiti, Art and Vodou, Nottingham Contemporary.

Went to the Haiti Exhibition at the Contemporary gallery.
Gained inspiration in terms of the embroidery and embellishment applied to the rugs. Thinking in just white materials - brought back some ideas in terms of experimentation. Initially, I thought the exhibition would allow me to gain knowledge about the spiritual and supernatural aspects of the Haiti culture, and possibly develop ideas for my projects theme and concept, yet that element didn't quite resonate with me as much as the textual components.

The White Project/ Of Late.

 Sketchbook stuff for the White Project.

Cotton farmin' folk.

Embellished bralette, handmade floral garland on satin coat hanger, close-up, charity shop finds.

Pieces for the Deer Ava collection hanging on my wall... Now i'm wondering if I even want to sell them...
Bought some beautiful 1970's floral fabric in the charity shop yesterday, along with a Roy Orbison vinyl, leather bound sketchbook + one suede + one denim shirt. I do find some gems.
Also, got a thing for Nancy Sinatra.

Getty Images Gallery: Marilyn.

Today I went to see the Marilyn exhibition at the Getty Images Gallery, along Oxford Street. It was amazing to be in the presence of these garments, knowing that Marilyn once had worn them. After seeing them all countless times on screen and to then have the costumes and dresses in front of me, as well as some of the never-before-seen photographs, was an experience that has heightened my appreciation for the Hollywood starlet even more.

For more photographs visit my Flickr.

Photographs show the negligee Marilyn wore in Niagara, the black embellished dress in Some Like It Hot, the embellished ivory costume in There's No Business Like Show Business and the cream gown from The Prince and The Showgirl. As well as the red sequin dress in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and the costume worn in Bus Stop. 

Exhibition Show

A few shots from the Foundation Exhibition Show at London College of Communication. So pleased with how the piece turned out. The course is finished now, and the years been really difficult, but I've learnt a lot in terms of what I'm interested in artistically, what inspires me and what I want to pursue in the future. Next year I'm off to Nottingham Trent to do a degree in Fashion Design, so excited.

Embellished Kimono & Satin Lace Pieces.

Shots of the embellished chiffon kimono.

As well as creating lingerie pieces such as bralettes and tap pants, I thought I would create some sort of kimono to go with them. Having purchased a light chiffon material from a vintage shop, I realised it was too thin to make underwear out of, but it was the perfect fabric to produce a kimono. Also, in the process of trying to figure out which lingerie pieces will be placed on the mannequin, and how the installation will appear in the exhibition space. The photographs above show the cream satin pieces as well.

To accompany the lingerie garments in the exhibition, I created photography pieces too, of my model (Laura Marie Keogh) wearing the cream satin pieces. From the shoot, I chose the three strongest photos and framed them, to hang on the wall in the exhibition space.

To see the photographs from the shoot... 

Vintage Lace Bralettes.

Collection of vintage lace I picked up at Portobello market. Using this vintage scarf I created the bralet below...

Shots of the vintage lace, embellished bralette

Using the vintage lace I bought at Portobello, I created this bralette and embellished it with little pearls, all of which was completed by hand. The high-waisted shorts were created using a light chiffon material, cut from the lining of an old dress.

Shots of the satin/lace bra with matching high-waisted knickers.

 Out of all the pieces created, these two are definitely my favourite. The cream satin lining used for these pieces, was originally a dressing gown I found in Oxfam and picked up for £3! And the lace was from a vintage store.

Deciding to create garments for this project, has made me realise that I want to go into Fashion Design for the degree next year. I feel it suits me perfectly, as my talents lie within drawing/ illustrating, as well as sewing and working with different textures and materials. It also leaves the opportunity open to still include other media's i'm passionate about: photography and film.