historical romanticism x retail

On going with my primary research it was evident that my rend was mostly found in high street shops like Zara, and Topshop. Where I noticed subtle details of the trend was incorporated through various items. Aspects of the trend like ruffles, blooms and sleeve focus where the main detail I saw when i was collecting my research.

- Chrissy x 

historical romanticism - ruffle detail

 

As you know I was given the Trend Historical Romanticism trend for my summative brief, whilst researching I noticed that ruffle detail was one of the main focuses used within the trend; adding to silhouette the use of ruffles adds tone adding a flirty, feminine style to various pieces. 
I'ts clear to how ruffles added a girly flair, and was quite popular in the 19th century with almost every garment incorporating ruffles. It's really interesting also to see the placement of ruffles on certain garments, although many are attached to sleeves I like when designers mix it up and will add it to a neck line, or on the actual face of the garment!

- Chrissy x 

historical romanticism

I was given a summative brief at the very start of December, and when I first looked at it and had a quick look through it was safe to say I was pretty intimidated. It was pretty heavy on when i first looked at it but when I continously read it through it became so much easier to get to grips with and I was excited to get stuck in! What i enjoyed mostly about this brief was the context stage where we where given a upcoming A/W 16/7 trend. 

For my trend I was given Historical Romanticism, I've never actually heard of the trend before hand but after doing some research I was particularity happy with the trend as I found it very interesting to research. The trend mainly consisted of various styles which embodied a romantic mood. which i liked as it was quite feminine and elegant as well as keeping historical references throughout. 

 Also hinted with the mixed colour scheme, like burgundy, light pink and browns. 

"Artists look at historical pieces and fuse them with day by marrying the unusual and the unexpected." - WGSN 

Historical Romanticism has already been a pretty popular trend for A/W 16/17 trend since the trend infuses a wide range of styles, including; blooms, delicate silhouettes, high neck lines, sleeve focus, sheers as well as ruffles. Designers referenced historical details and silhouettes in a romantic approach through renaissance inspired dresses, coats, lavish embroideries and velvet's. 

I noticed that the trend relies heavily on detail to capture mood and the use of small details were particularly brought to attention to by designers like, Valentino, Erdem and balenciaga  Including feminine silhouettes, delicate ruffles, lace and pussy bows, feathers and rich embellished surfaces. 

The 19^th century fashion is the main bulk of the historical romanticism trend, and designers interweave the likes of the era through art, and fashion making it an overall statement trend. Fashion in the 19^th century was a real turning point for women’s fashion, garments oozed confidence and style, and no matter what the garment was, it was designed to show off a woman’s tightly corseted torso.  In likes of this, the silhouette of a hourglass shape became popular, and many women required “the perfect fit” so the most stylish women went out of their way to dress makers to full fill this.

I find it interesting seeing how the trend translates to the 19th century as well as noticing the alterations to fit to modern world. So far I've really enjoyed getting to grips with the trend and continuously find so much information about it!

- Chrissy x 

CHANEL HAUTE COUTURE SPRING 2017!

“I wanted something impeccable, clean. I wanted the girls to look like walking fashion drawings,” said Karl Lagerfeld, 

In all realness, I do have a love hate relationship with Chanel over all. But sometimes I can't help think on how collections just ooze - Granny Chic. Is that just me? 

I found this statement to be particularly correct upon looking through their recent runway show - Chanel Haute Couture. 

I do understand the general over arch of Haute Couture, and maybe I'm just not a fan? Who Knows.

The show was nevertheless stunning, you  the clothes where beautifully constructed but style wise it's very..uh expected from Chanel. I get that's their aesthetic, but I wish they'd switch it up sometime!

- Chrissy x 

model love | sora choi

Sora Choi is one of fashions upcoming models, after winning Cycle 3 of Korea's next top model her career sky rocketed and she was signed up to  K-Plus models in Seoul, and has a contract with Major Model Management. Being one of the most popular faces on runways this season, Sora has walked over 50 different shows in iconic destinations like London, Milan and NewYork. 

Sora Choi made her internatioanl debut with high end fashion brand Louis Vuitton's resort show three years ago, and is slowly becoming a popular face within the fashion industry. Appearing in Marc Jacobs spring ads, Shooting stories with Mario Sorrenti making herself one of the most versatile faces on the catwalk. 

What struck me first was Sora's personal style, and how we shared similar style in terms of colour palette and silhouette. I'm Especially in love with her rock-chic style that adds a punch, which i find compliment her features extremely well. It's stylish, but ever so effortless which i love!

- Chrissy x 

the fishnet trend

The fishnet trend has been populating my instagram feed for weeks now & it's easy to say that the trend wont die down anytime soon. I remember seeing the start of this trend on blogger Erika Bowes instagram and was instantly in awe. I loved the way she had paired a pair of distressed jeans over a fish nets, and then completed the outfit with a pair of Gucci loathers. An absolute trend setter, and it was amazing to see that she had made a simple outfit pack a punch! 

Soon after that I saw other fashion bloggers had caught up with the trend, as well as celebrities like Kim Kardashian & little sister Kylie Jenner often wearing the trend over a pair of light wash jeans & adding focus to the tights with ripped jeans or cropped tops. 

Since I'm a big off wearing typically plain outfits and adding a statement piece within it, It's safe to say that i'm in love with this trend, it's just so bad ass and would of never thought of combining the two. I love how people have altered the way they've worn it also, like mixing it with leathers, jeans, or skirts to add texture. 

I'll definitely be grabbing a pair of fish nets when I'm next out!

Chrissy x 

FALL 2017 MENSWEAR X CONTENT CREATORS

Before I start can I just say how IN LOVE, I am with this collection. Dolce & Gabbana you've done it again. I'm in love with how rich the colour scheme is and how well it compliments the chosen models facial features and skin tones. I find the use of mixed prints, silhouettes and infusion of lounge wear to be absolutely stunning, and was probably the thing that stood out for me the most within this collection. I loveeee the colour palette and the generally styling of all models. 

Unlike I noticed something, no everyone walking for this collection were models, initially I thought it was weird but realized it was 2017, and it was bound to happen some time soon. 
"For Fall ’17, Dolce & Gabbana took the idea of inviting YouTube and Instagram influences from the millennial generation to their show, started by them last season, by inviting them to be the show." - Vouge. 

With the constant rise in content creators it's no surprise that they're everywhere. Personalities included Cameron Dallas who rocked a deep purple suit and sleek black hair. In all honestly I don't know if I like the fact Dolce & Gabbana decided to infuse online personalities onto their catwalk. The fashion / modeling industry is hard as it is and I do feel as if content creators get a simple pass to be in designers shows which isn't exactly fair to people that audition. Fair enough they have a strong viewership, and connect their audiences to Dolce & Gabbana on a whole, but it's likely that their target won't be able to afford designer luxury's. I know it's probably all fun and games, and that content creators can promote the rise in the brands collection / advertising, but I just don't understand the mixing of the two, and do personally believe it makes the brands ideals unclear. Other than that I'm in love with this collection on the whole, it's simply stunning!

What are your thoughts?

Chrissy x 

new found love - pinterest!!!

Me and pinterest have had a love / hate relationship for the past year or two, the love steams from the creativity, ease of the app as well as continuous flow of inspiration. Whereas the hate steams from how much it wastes my time, and sucks the productiveness out of me - pinterest i love you really.

I really love how easy it is to navigate pinterest and the home page for pinterest, relates back to pins that where previously pinned before. 

I'm forever finding inspiration on this platform, and find it enjoyably just endlessly scrolling through, gathering as much content and inspiration as I can. Most of my pins showcase many different aspects of my interests, showing the likes of food photography, styling tips as well as trends. 

Possibly one of my favourite apps that I have used whilst being on my course, as I've found so many images that have inspired me and helped me on my course!

Follow my pinterest here - https://uk.pinterest.com/chxrissy/

Thanks for reading x 

Guriella marketing

Forms of marketing is forever changing, with the rise in social media over the last few years many companies strive to engage their target audience, in almost every way they came. Make it interactive or not, companies use the likes of popular platforms to gain further interest. Here are a variety of forms of marketing that brands use to inform a particular target audience.

> Brand Emails

Usually when signing up to a company, many will ask you to sign up for added discounts etc, it's evident that many online or high street shops like; Forever 21, H&M and Missguided rely on this strategy of advertising, as it's a quick and easy reminder to consumers, about sales / % off, what to expect within upcoming seasons in stock. Since emails are on the mailing lists it's often automatic that consumers will get a brand email, and will be informed instantly. Which i find particularly find interactive as it's directly seen on your phone / laptop. 

>Billboards on buses

Both interactive as they're in plain sight, everyday, don't miss it as they're mainly straight to the point, usually bold and rely on photographs as they're the main focal point. 

>Pop Up adds

Popular social media platforms like - instagram, twitter, facebook will usually use the likes of pop up Ads, showing you recently visited websites. Example the bag you where probably eyeing up on Asos, will probably will pop up on your facebook timeline. Making you want to change your decision and wanting to pop it back into your basket. 

>Guerrilla marketing 

"an advertisement strategy concept designed for businesses to promote their products or services in an unconventional way with little budget to spend. This involves high energy and imagination focusing on grasping the attention of the public in more personal and memorable level." I enjoy the aspects of Guerrilla marketing and how it stands out so much more than traditional advertising campaign, as they are interactive, motivational or often making individuals question their out look on life. 

Here are some of my favourite Guerrilla Marketing..

thanks for reading! x 

tim walker - lady grey

In one of my seminars a few weeks back, we were given an in depth seminar to the stages of visual analysis, three key tricks being when looking at fashion images is..; description, formal analysis, deeper interpretation, semiotics (background information, connection etc - the basic theory - the sign, the signer, the signified > rose - picture - passion). Within this I learnt two important words that would help during the process of breaking down a image. 

CONNOTATION > what does the image mean/signify, what is the message behind the image, the interpretation of the meaning. 

DENOTATION > what is the image, what is the picture of?

I thought these two words stood out the most to me, as it made the processes of analyzing an image in depth so much more easier. 

making it through winter in style

Winter not exactly my favourite season; full of bleak colour schemes, dark misty skies and just generally grumpiness. When it's cold the easiest thing to do is grab the most over sized jumper you own and calling it a day, being comfy and warm in this season is probably much more a priority opposed to being stylish. But there is such thing as being warm, comfortable & STYLISH! Winter is a chance be more open to layering which is most definitely my favourite thing about the season; opposed to layering here are a few other items you can bring any comfortable outfit into something that stands out; as a fashion statement. Here are a couple of my favourite things that makes any simple outfit more fashionable!

> T E D D Y   B E A R  C O A T 

> S T A T E M E N T   B O O T S 

> A P O P   O F   C O L O U R 

> C H U N K Y   S C A R F 

> T U R T L E  N E C K S 

tackling the lack of diversity in the fashion industry

2017 is still fresh upon us, but it still seems as the fashion industry hasn't caught up with battling all sorts of underlying issues like; racism, lack of diversity, ethical problems as well as other handful of conversations that are consistently swept under the carpet. It'll be a lie if I said that fashion isn't picking up the paste in terms of lack of representation within females; especially women of colour. However, the lack of representation is still very much real towards race, gender and size and it's still very obvious that the same stereotypical features of a model is a common use for popular brands, and is often the first choice to represent brands or a brands motive. 
When Jasmine Tookees, modeled the "fantasy bra" for Victoria's Secret fashion show last year, it had only the marked the third time in the show's 21-year run that a woman of colour was chosen to make the brand's ultimate fashion statement. Though quite shocking, I'm not surprised in the slightest. 

“In a time where black people too often are in the media for being underrepresented at important events such as the Oscars, or make headlines for being targeted by the police, I felt it was time to do something positive and inspiring about my race,” 
Debbeh Howard 

The "Black mirror" series captures Liberian-born, L.A based model Debbeh Howard recreating fashion's most iconic editorials. Replacing popular model's like Kendall Jenner, Candice Swanepoel and Gigi Hadid; aiming to embrace as well as "show the world what diversity is is capable off". Emulating her race quite positively, which is often juxtaposed in the media today. 
The first thing I thought of when I first discovered these threads of photographs was how beautiful Debbeh was, yet felt quite dishearten when I read that she has had negative experiences in terms of modeling, one being that she had been turned down by various companies because they already had a black model. What makes this issue sad personally for me is that they completely ignored her beauty and talent because they already had someone that was black (??) . It almost seems ridiculous comparing how many companies take on many models who have the same features, which is quite repetitive which has made it the "norm" for companies to do. I wish bigger brands where more on board with embracing diversity, especially seeing as the world is continuously evolving and being so much more diverse.

 Yet, It's quite empowering seeing a black woman rise against this issue, and taking matters into her own hands by showing everyone that black models can be considered for advertisements too, I hope to see more recognition of Debbeh in the future, as I believe she's really given insight to diversity within the fashion industry. Sometimes the break of the generic stereotype is good, and i wish more people were open to it. 

- Chrissy x 

fashion photo shoot on a budget

Prior to the execution task during the last week of term, our course leader gave us an in depth lecture on fashion image and how to produce high quality images without having to necessarily emptying our pockets. I thought this lecture was extremely beneficial as it really gave me an insight how fashion images can reply on various of things to make it stand out. 
He introduced us to various things that could make an image pop, including.. > concept, props, narrative, reference, location, casting, lighting, colour and lastly composition. Here's a few notes that I took from the lecture and will definitely be applying into future photo shoots. 

>C O N C E P T  -  look for shoots that are concept based, inspiration from art, film, performance, 
> P R O P S - complexity, looking at shoots that use props example; wallpaper, colour, paper etc 
> FIND IT, MAKE IT, SCALE IT AND CONCEPT
> P L A C E M E N T - example; clothing, distort it, bleach it, cut it
>R E F E R E N C I N G - flattering the audience with a mix of references, demonstrate the fashion authority and be inventive // look for shoots that are reference based - examples; The Great Gatsby, Japanese samurai..
> L O C A T I ON   L O C A T I O N - understanding the photographic potential of a location / studio is so much more important than having a perfect location. At the end of the day it is what you make o the location, and how it can fit around your brief 
>E S T A T E - lines add more depth, celebrate this through composition, fake a location with photoshop or physical collages. Can't afford it, then FAKE IT!
>C A S T I N G - Casting defines whats clever but also should remind you that the model is not always the images. Casting is art, and the right face confirms the message you're trying to deliver in the photo. 
> L I G H T I N G - adds atmosphere and depth to a photograph, as well as colour, since colour is a subliminal language, make it be colour block, contrasts, clashing or tinting. 
> C O M P O S I T I O N - adds instant sophistication, through confident cropping or visual contrast. 

These little photo shoot cheats where definitely useful, as when it came to my photo shoot my group didn't want to spend much money on props that would later be damaged, following from these little tips my group relied heavily on composition, location, lighting as well as prop, evident in my last post it's clear that we wanted a dark undertone, and the use of editing on photo shop as well as cropping "confidently" ensured this.  Hope that was hopeful!

- Chrissy x 

new nomad inspired photoshoot

After gathering information on the photographer and his previous work, we were then given a fashion accessory in which we had to incorporate into the photo shoot, ours being Jewelry. This initially proved quite challenging as most Jewelry in high street stores were either silver and gold, and are initially idea was to have bright, colourful jewelry to make it stand out. As of this we decided to choose a statement necklace which would be the main focal point in the chosen 3 images. 

Since the words we came up with were effective, we wanted the location to be isolated, dark but contained some aspect of nature - similar to the New Nomad photo shoot. 

Our first selection off photographs where taken in a park and didn't include a model as we wanted the sole attention to be on the jewelry itself however, this proved to be quite unsuccessful as the lighting wasn't good and it wasn't clear what are vision was. Following from this we gathered as a group and re discussed are ideas and decided to re locate, so choose to take more photographs outside the university and a car park; which is where we took the majority of the photographs. 

As we wanted to focus on the jewelry the styling took on a nude colour palette, and we decided to contrast this with bold makeup, seen through a smokey eye look and a nude lip. As the motive within are group was to focus on the jewelry we also wanted infuse are chosen five words into the shoot, on going this we decided that the model's pose should replicate the words we chose, as well as the ones seen in the New Nomad photo shoot, but in a much more suble light. 

these are the final three photographs that we decided to present as our final product 

I loved doing this project, simply because it was very hands on and touched upon photography, creative direction and styling; which are things that I'm very interested in. As a group we were very pleased with the final outcomes of are images, as it was given very positive feedback from our tutors and seminar groups. Our images were also voted second best within the presentation, so it's definitely something that topped off the first terms at University. I can't wait to be able to do more hands of projects throughout the three years i'm here!

- Chrissy x 

new nomad - juergen teller

I'm no good when it comes to photography and my knowledge on photographers is very limited, with the minor excuse that I know Mario Testino. So when I was given an editorial to look at by Juergen Teller I was completely stunned. In a good way of course. During one of my seminars at University, my group were given the editorial titled - New Nomad. A beautiful yet wacky 16 page editorial featured in Vogue March 2015. Featuring Dutch model Saskia De Brauw, exploring the mysterious Greek island of Hydra.

a day in london

London is probably one of my favourite cities, and I pretty much always get excited whenever I get the chance to go. Around a month ago, my course got the chance to visit London for a day, as part of one of are briefs. One section of are brief was to go to London and to find are trend around both high end and high street shops as well as on individuals. My groups trend was the pyjama trend, a trend I have briefly touched upon in my previous blog post. Generally, it was quite difficult trying to find are trend in both high end and high street stores, which was probably due to the weather, as well as the fact that the trend is mainly popular during Spring/Summer which is obviously expected. Nevertheless it was fun having a little nosy in designer shops and eagerly browsing  around London aimlessly trying to find people at least attempting to adopt are trend in some sort of fashion. 

the power of the pyjama

        

pictures from pinterest

The Pyjama Trend, undoubtedly one of the most unlikely trends of this year. Yet surprisingly the Pyjama dressing has remained a constant trend in fashion's revolving door of trends, quoted by Instyle magazine.

Blossoming from the likes of classic men's Pyjamas, the trend has seen the likes of various high end designers, including; Celine, Balenciaga and Dolce and Gabbana; Where I have seen the likes of designers showcase a more refined idea of Pyjama dressing - featuring silk robes, silky camisoles and silk like trousers which have made their way down most spring/summer 2016 catwalks.

Due to it's high popularity and likability the trend has also been picked up from popular high street stores like H&M and ZARA.

what is fcp?

There's a very big misunderstanding that if you're studying a  fashion course, you're either making clothes or doing something  related to design; which in fact isn't fully correct.
It seems to be very frequent that I have to tell people my course doesn't in fact require a sewing machine - which is often responded with a rather puzzled face. The course that I'm doing reaches beyond it's title and offers a broader spectrum towards the fashion industry; which is rather exiting seeing as it's one of the "Most successful courses of it's kind in the UK"

Fashion Communication and Promotion is a very broad course; and is formed from an adaptation of individuals ideas in terms of fashion as well as beyond fashion. The context within a FCP course can vary upon where you decide to do it, and since it's a fairly new course many universities can either offer a more creative / hands on approach or focus more on the business side of fashion.

Particularly, since I decided to do the course at Nottingham Trent University, it's was very clear from the day I started that the course was going to be very varied, and focus more on an in depth approach to fashion; whilst having a critical approach as well identifying yourself with different roles within the industry.