D.I.Y BLING BEANIE

SAVE THE DATE

D M 's

Last Friday I worked alongside the wonderful Stephanie Carruthers on a collaborative photoshoot with Dr. Martens for our portfolio module. Our model, Sophie, was a perfect fit and it was just a pretty fun day in general :) Here are our selected 6 we submitted:

L B D

So Friday night, after a day of shooting for a Dr. Martens project (pictures to come soon), my little black dress went on sale!

You can read all about mine and the other's selected from my course: here .

And you can see closer details and buy it: here !

Go on, take a look :) x

Jezuz. Update!

Blimey Charlie, I've not posted on here in   a g e s !

A fairly busy (a.k.a too lazy to blog) summer has passed, which consisted of moving home, then moving flats, cooking awesome food, going carnivals, eating awesome food and just catching up with friends I don't get to see as often as I'd like during term time. It was a good'un on the whole :)

Now, I've been back at uni for 2 months and it is   s p e e e e e e d i n g   past me so fast I'll be graduating before I know it. f*ck.

On Monday just gone, I handed in work to the British Fashion Council for a Chloe competition, I'm pretty nervous about the outcome but knowing the competition on my course alone, I'm just pleased to have my work entered by my tutor. (Though the end prize is something insane!)

This weekend (I believe...) I have a dress going on sale on littleblackdress.co.uk

Here's a sneak peek:

 

Anyway, back to work!
xo

MASTER

So I'm stuck indoors on a very grey, rainy and windy Friday in England. 

It kind of sucks. 

I still need to do one final update on my last weekend in New York; I probably have the most photos to show from that weekend because I crammed SO much into those last couple of days. I also need to blog my photo diary of Amsterdam (though I've lost my lead for my phone and took all my photos on that...so it might be a while for that!) 

Anyway, back to today. I am indoors, in a messy ass room that doesn't seem to want to get tidy however much I move things. wtf someone explain that please! I have given up on that and am now job hunting online, and also masters hunting. It's going something a little like this:

Parsons New School vs. Central Saint Martins vs. Royal College of Art

But then I remember Paris, choosing to ignore the obvious language barrier, and I get all baffled. 

Anyone with any advise on Fashion Masters programs, please help! 

tweet me, email me or comment on here, it would be much appreciated

THE CARLY ELLIS REPORT

So I am working on my 2000 word business report that we need to do for assessment, but it's weird writing a report on someone you've become friends with. I have to keep reminding myself that this was work and Carly was my boss, because we got on so well and I loved what I was doing so much that my whole internship essentially felt like I was just helping out a friend. 

And now I have to write about things like a "company philosophy" and "staffing structure". Do you think I can just write Carly and me just did whatever, whenever it was needed? With Rich on hand from time to time?

I think I might do the report more like a magazine or newspaper article on Carly rather than a really strictly professional report, though obviously I'll still need to be critical and analytical throughout the report. It will still need to be formal, but if I am doing it like an article then I think I can have a little more fun with it.

Or maybe I should concentrate on writing the report rather than writing about my thoughts on the report? 

Either way, that's a little insight into whats going on in my mind on this rather grey day in South London...

Take me back to a more exciting place!

EXHIBITION

Some photo's from the graduate exhibition:

STILL PROCRASTINATING

Ok, I am fully aware that this isn't a real diary post, again! But you ought to check this out:

http://www.justin.tv/rackedfilms#/w/3077956848

It's Carly's live feed from the Parsons MFA Graduate Exhibition in New York

(there might be some interesting people to spot so keep an eye out!)

In other news, tomorrow I am off to Amsterdam for my interview at Viktor and Rolf.

I've spent the past weekend getting my portfolio all organised, here's a little preview:

I'm looking forward to pancakes and sightseeing with the lovely Ellie, who has very kindly decided to take a day off from her glamorous job meeting incredible stylists, photographers, musicians and models to come and keep me company! 

HOME

So I am back home with serious post New York blues. 

I have been keeping a really rough diary written by hand whilst I've been here as the last week or so was pretty hectic and I'd not had much chance to update this. 

I will be finishing updating with diary entries and photo blogs of my last 2 weeks in New York over the weekend! And then it'll be on to part 2...o0o bet you can't wait! 

(p.s. I miss you New York)

LAST DAY WITH CARLY

Boo hoo hoo :'( 

Horrible. 

But first I'll tell you about yesterday: Thursday 3rd May

So I took the day of work to show Lewis around New York, which I absolutely loved being miss tour guide for the day :) In the most ridiculously mushy way possible, it was great being able to share things about the city I had spent the last 3 weeks falling in love with with the person I possibly missed the most the past 3 weeks. Sorry, here's a bucket. You all have permission to go be sick after that comment...

We were really lucky and had amazingly beautiful, we went to Times Square and took loads of super touristy pictures which was barrels of fun and then we did the same in Central Park, outside the Guggenheim and just wherever a photo opportunity arose! We also visited the Society of Illustrators, as my Mr is an illustrator, I highly recommend visiting the society of illustrators is you're in NYC, or check out their website - definitely worth a look!

Pretty Boy <3

 

Today: Friday 4th May


So today was my last day, I got into the studio a little late, about 10:30 and Carly had a long list of things for me to do today.  The thing that stood out most was "make sweater dress". I was like "WOAH, what?!" This is by far the biggest compliment ever, Carly asked me to make one of her final pieces; however this was the last thing on the very long list and by the time I finished the very long list it was about 8:30, and I'd completely run out of time. This made me really sad to be quite honest; not only was it my last day, I'd missed out on the opportunity to make a piece of Carly's incredible collection. Boo :(

Anyway, back to the rest of the day. I ran a few errands in the morning, including a trip to mr. zip shortener in Panda and had a weird "I'm going back to London in a few days"/ "What a shame" moment with him, very bizarre. I did loads of cutting out, and prepping of pattern pieces for the machinists.

After work, upon Carly's recommendation, Lewis and I went to Thai Terminal in the Lower East Side for dinner; again, I strongly recommend a visit here! We ate quite possibly the tastiest Thai food ever - and I've been to Thailand! It's definitely the nicest Thai food I've had not in Thailand anyway! (though I'll always have strong loyalty to the one and only Wagamamas)

Peace out, need to rest up for a weekend packed with all the final things I want to cram in before having to go home!

Night xo

LUNCH BREAK

Posting in my (late) lunch break today as I've just finished speaking to my parents and Ellie on Skype, also Lewis arrives this evening so I'll not get a chance to write about today and yesterday as I'll be picking him up from the airport. 

Yesterday: Tuesday 1st May

I got to work about 10:30 and before I'd even put my bag down I was straight out the door running errands. First stop I was back to my zip-fixing-friend Hammar in Panda, who finally spoke to me and told me "it is because you are from London that you are beautiful" ...shocked I politely said thank you,  he blushed and that was the end of that really. He didn't say another word the rest of the time I was in the shop. Fairly awkward for both parties involved really, but sweet all the same I suppose.

Next stop was getting the drawstring cords for the parka and the windbreaker jackets; I get these from a shop called Daytona, but it's always hit and miss with who serves you as to how much you get charged. Unfortunately today I didn't get my super discount guy serving me, but as I bought a lot, they knocked a yard off each colour. (FYI: Being super friendly and super English makes people like you)

After lunch I did the pattern for the lining of the bomber jacket and worked on retracing the denim jacket pattern after it had been changed from the fitting, I was adding flat and fell seam allowances on to the seams that needed them and then I traced the final patterns onto acetate. Was nice going back to my first task when I started working with Carly. 

Today: Wednesday 2nd May

The jersey fabric is here! 

The last of the print has arrived, it's all getting very real and we have loads to do!

We've relocated again to our quiet and spacious studio downstairs to cut out the jersey, this is the fabric we need the most room for as the pattern pieces are huge - Carly's oversized t-shirt dresses and sweaters are as few pattern pieces as possible. It's pretty hard matching things up and keeping everything smooth and straight so they'll line up as jersey is a really tricky fabric to cut out (it has a mind of it's own, seriously!) Anyway, here's a sneaky preview of what we're up to:

Best get back to work! 

x

MY LAST WEEK

Weep. 

It is so sad that this is my final week. It has absolutely flown by -which sucks by the way if you hadn't gathered... 

However, I am going to stop moaning about how little time I have left and just enjoy every moment and put my all into getting as much done with Carly before I have to leave; I feel terrible leaving the week before her deadline!

I got to work for about 10am this morning to find more of the printed fabric arrived over the weekend so we now have the athletic mesh, the canvas for the parka and the denim. It's all getting really exciting and so this week I'm going to put as many hours in as I can without  being too tired and ruining something!

I spent the morning running errands, starting with seeing my new friend in Panda who sorts out the zips to get loads more shortened. As I said Thursday, we're working on putting like "packs" together with all the components for each garment, with all the pieces cut out and all the trims in one bag so that when it comes to production everything is all organised and be clear to the seamstresses. 

For the packs, I cut out any fusing that was needed throughout the collection and fused any patterns pieces that required it. I also cut out some linings and mesh panels that were needed for the packs we were working on, and we begun cutting out some of the printed mesh until about 9:30 when my energy levels completely crashed and I had to tidy away and head home.

Very. Sleepy. Good. Night.

WEEKEND CHILL OUT

Saturday 28th April

Steph's been working in some super cool studios in Chelsea the past couple of days, and a friend of mine Victoria had told me that Chelsea markets were a must so we decided that we'd spend today wandering around the area. 

After a hectic week, we decided we'd have a lie-in and meet up about 12 at 8th Ave station so we could go straight to Chelsea Market; Victoria knows me too well and all her recommendations of places to go to and things to do have been completely spot on. I fell in love with the place. It's in such a beautiful building and it is FULL of interesting things to see, buy and eat. I could have spent all day, maybe even all weekend there (had I had the money, the lobster restaurant looked to die for!) but as it was a really beautiful day, we only spent a little while in the market before having a sit in the park near by, going for lunch and spending the day wandering from Chelsea down through the Meatpacking District and the West Village, to Soho and Tribeca. It was a really lovely day :)

I'll not over-load this post with text and will leave the rest as a photo-diary: 

rolly polly in the park. being a real grown-up, obviously.

 

Sunday 29th April

Today I have died in bed. All day dead. Bleurgh.