The sun is out and I am thoroughly loving the chance to wear many of my San Francisco Vintage and Goodwill finds. It’s great to have these unique items as you know that you won’t be rocking up to those first summer BBQs in the exact same outfit as someone else. Below are a few of my favourite items purchased from the glorious shops along Haight Street, CA. I only visited in March but I am already wanting to go back and pick up some more Vintage gems!
Original Brown Leather Shoe. I love these shoes but find that they don’t compliment my wardrobe so I’m dying them black!
Remove Laces, make sure leather is clean and dry. An inconspicous test patch is recommended to make sure that the dye works.
Stuff with newspaper to keep the shape when wet
Paint on the leather dye
Repeat if necessary!
Make sure you get in to all the creases for maximum coverage
Shine with black leather polish
New Shoes!
– style.com
– zone7style
– Hype beast
– Slamxhype
– Selectism
– Freshness
– D’marge
Trend forecasting for smaller brands can be tricky as you often have to pay for vital ‘fashion of the future’ type information. For example, you can buy membership with well known trend analysis website WGSN (many high street brands use this when building their ranges for the next season). Thought it would be nice of me to share a few places to look for some fabulous freebie urban inspiration. The above websites share info about trends in Fashion, Art and Design. Zone7style even has a Vintage archive of designer items from the past (pics below). The websites include men’s and women’s fashions from America, Australia and the UK. Enjoy browsing! If anyone knows of other sites worth checking out, please add to comments below…..
Last Friday I was invited to attend the live blogging event at Cribbs Causeway to cover Bristol Fashion week. The show was fabulous with a high point being a beautiful ballerina dressed in white tutu dancing in the midst of a snow scene. Attending the Fashion Week is a great way to start planning your seasonal wardrobe and there were many items I have already set my heart on! The biggest trends to watch include…
– Red, red and more red! The LRD is replacing the LBD this season so get ready to feel festive.
– Tartan. Even better if red tartan. Checks look great on scarves, skirts, shorts (over leggings), and dresses.
– Faux fur as a luxurious trim to your AW13 coat.
– Elegant tailoring. Sharp black blazers look great with trousers and a blouse for daywear or over an embellished dress for a night on the town.
– Embellishment. Heavily beaded or sequinned dresses add a touch of sparkle and fun to any evening. This trend is said to follow through to SS14.
– Pastel colours. Sweet shop pastels is another design story this winter. Just don’t team with red tartan!
Loving my new printed trousers from next. I have been looking for the right pair for at least a month and these fit well, compliment my (often monochrome) wardrobe and best of all: (and unlike the many, many other printed pairs I tried on) they are flattering! Hoorah! Lovely nail polish colour is courtesy of my sister who I have been visiting this week. Whilst I like the simplicity and classic feel of a black and white wardrobe, punctuation with a flash of colour and unusual jewellery keeps things fresh. My favourite kind of outfit.
Spent a little time today looking back over print work I created. I think my T-shirt dress as shown in the last Plumage Portfolio Post would look great in the monochrome floral so I might get some printed. I usually get pieces printed at Spoonflower. Does anyone have other recommendations?
Digital repeat Prints…
A few weeks ago I created a post showing my ultimate festival fashion wish list. Well, as luck would have it, I have just inherited a pair of Hunters (which were actually top of said list). The Hunter brand sits alongside other UK greats such as Barbour and Mulberry in terms of brand heritage, countryside sport inspiration and classic yet practical style.
The initial products from these companies were mostly designed for hunting and fishing, hence the super practical design features. For example, Barbour jackets have an easy pull 2 headed zip for horse riding, waterproof inside pockets (for holding kill) and outside pockets with drainage to stop them filling up with rainwater when out facing the unpredictable English weather for several hours at a time (out on a hunt – see the theme there?)
Some of these features still remain whilst other product lines develop in more glamorous ways. The Willow bag from Mulberry has a zip off clutch bag meaning you buy 2 fabulous bags in one. Practical, yes, but in a much more urban way.
All 3 companies also have a well publicised celebrity following. Kate Moss is pictured regularly at Glastonbury in Hunters, Alexa totes her best selling Alexa Mulberry bag around the coolest places in town and, well, Barbour wins with The Queen being an official fan.
I realise that the sunshine needs to be appreciated but I really can’t wait to stomp around in the mud in these! I’ll be teaming with tall socks, denim cut of levis, a pretty oversized tee and a floral garland (such as the one I picked up from Bestival last year, below).
To make sure that the colour and fabric type is just right for the bridesmaid dress that I’m currently making, these fabric samples were collected and presented to the client. The samples were then discussed with the bride-to-be and it was decided that no. 2 on the fabric list (a rich purple coloured crepe) is most suited to the occasion. It’s a great idea to check each design stage with the client to make sure that the finished product is exactly what they want. More dress updates to follow!
Beautiful Plumage. 
