Twenty-five year old illustrator Clive Mc Farland illustrates the CUTEST furry friends - squirrels, rabbits, birds.
Not only is he a talented artist, but he’s from Northern Ireland too (we just melt for a nice Irish accent!)
Focusing back to his work though… the polar bear is deffo our favourite, just look at its gorgeous little satchel and gloves, we love it!
After seeing Inbar Spector‘s absolutely stunning collection at LFW, I was really interested to find out more about the lady behind the label, her influences and inspiration. Showing collections with a dark, gothic aesthetic she also perfectly suited our newest Little Book of Horrors theme! Sadly I didn’t get a chance to see her face to face (I had a quick dash to Meadham Kirchhoff all the way over the other side of town!) but I was lucky to catch a few words with a busy Inbar her via email…
What was your inspiration behind this season’s collection?
The fire at Haifa in Israel that destroyed a large part of Mount Carmel was something that really affected me and instigated the creation of this collection. After I began designing I was inspired by the themes of nightmares and violence which formed a big part of my designs.
On your website there is a quote from Vogue stating your work is “outrageous” would you agree and why?
I absolutely don’t have any problem with that. I would like to give people the freedom to interpret and take my creations to where they feel is right for them. If people think I’m outrageous I look at it as a compliment to me and my work for being completely unique.
It also says your gothic inspired vision seems most at home in London - why do you think this is?
I guess it’s because people here in London are very open to new things and to my ideas. London is an excellent environment to launch something new, unique and different.
It would be an amazing honour to think I have anything to do with that. Every designer’s dream is to leave an impact on the world and people around them.
However, this season your collection seemed to move away from ‘goth’ and was much more pretty, almost girly - what caused this shift and was it intentional?
Yes it was intentional but you can’t see the final result until the models are walking on the catwalk…. The theme of the season was nightmares and I wanted to contradict the feelings of something happy (like a wedding or the circus) with something violent like a war zone. That’s the reason I choose smoked green and pink as this symbolises fire decay, the gold and silver symbolise the fire and white symbolises the hospital and the idea of death.
Do you design with a specific person in mind?
Yes, I always think about myself when I design. If I like to wear it I’m happy and if not I continue to work on it… I’m someone who is hard to please
The giant cloud-like dresses were definitely my favourite looks of the collection - how long did each take to create!? (They were SPECTACULAR!)
This is CRAZY work to do and it took sooo much time to complete… this is the perfect opportunity to thank my studio team who did an amazing job and pushed themselves to their limits – well done girls, I love you all!
You have achieved so much already but where do you hope to be in 5 years time?
Thanks! I would like to aim as high as possible; I truly believe that only you create your own boundaries and limits and you can always surprise yourself and push yourself further than you initially thought. It will be an absolute dream come true to design for one of the big houses in Paris and make a real impact there, but I’ll be very happy to continue with my work and build a strong business structure like we are doing now. I’m currently launching my online shop which will contain all of the outfits that were shown. This will happen next month (October) and I’m very very excited about that.
Now as our next issue is horror themed I just have a few silly scary questions..
What top 3 things are you most afraid of?
Cockroaches, traffic accidents and terror attacks
If you could haunt someone for a day, who would it be and why?
My sister – she is hilarious, I love her and I’d love to see her reactions
What’s your scariest moment been in your career so far?
A fluorescent light cage fell a few millimetres from one of my assistants head once… that was a really scary moment!!! I always think about how lucky we were!
Daisy x
The Vauxhall Fashion Scout Venue during London Fashion week often plays host so some of the most exciting shows and exhibitions – a round up of young and fresh designers, which are usually the ones to watch for the future, means that the boundaries for what is deemed acceptable are much less strict than that of the BFC venues.
I’m a firm believer that if I’m going to a fashion show I want to see a ‘show’ something that shocks and thrills and leaves me with plenty to talk about, so for me the VFC shows are a delight – the more daring the better!
Jacob Kimmie was a new show for me, having somehow missed it last season, so I really didn’t know what to expect from him -but I was really really impressed.
An almost entirely monochromatic collection, it was a mix of soft relaxed silhouettes in black, white and digitally printed fabrics. Dresses were easy breezy and floaty, many completely sheer or with a sheer cape like overlay on top. Ruffles came into play half way through with feminine and playful maxi and midi dresses. While most of the pieces were easily wearable and rather chic – half way through the show came a few more daring looks. Models came out carrying small bird cage like lanterns in one hand, viels covering their faces and often they had crucifix emblems emblazoned on their chest. The antithesis of the mysterious sheer black and angelic sheer white brought about a feeling of a witches coven – it wouldn’t have felt out of the ordinary if they had started holding hands and chanting spells. Then almost as quickly as it began the daring phase was over and we were back to soft digitally mastered floral prints on fitted maxi dresses and tulip shaped skirts.
Despite the monochrome palette the collection was still extremely summer driven, mainly due to the layers of soft chiffon fabrics and loose shapes. There was only one dot of colour in the whole collection – a reddish pink layered floral print dress which in strange way looked as if it shouldn’t have been there.
The finale saw four striking models strike an equally dramatic pose in sultry all black sheer dresses, shifts and bodysuits.
Jaclyn Craig
x
You know when you find something you are obsessed with? And you can’t leave it alone? And you’re just head over heels with it? WELL, we found that certain something in the form of a gorgeous NAVY lipstick by Illamasqua. Disciple, is the new red when it comes to my lips at the moment. Literally everyday this gorgeous blue lipstick is the finishing touch to my makeup routine. LOVE.
x
We’ve featured her online and in the magazine many times before, but still we just can’t get enough of Miss Stacie Swift!
Her charming, colourful illustrations brighten these dull winter days with scarf clad sausage dogs, and colourful birds perched on cupcakes - which adorn birthday cards, invitations, and even stationary (which you can buy at her Etsy shop here!)
WE LOVE YOU STACIE SWIFT!
LJ’s day of birthday fun! Meal out at a fancy veggie restaurant courtesy of the bf (We have no idea what we ate hehe) then to the zoo to see all the gorgeous animals, then to the pub to see all the gorgeous friends for drinks and pie! YUM!!! Fantastic day, thanks to everyone who made it special…
Apologies for the amount of photos, got a bit carried away didn’t i?
x
The truely wonderful Paulina Otylie Surys kindly shot the Inbar Spector show at LFW SS/12 for us…and just wow…absolutely stunning.
x
We’ve had an absolutely fab London Fashion week full of shows and parties! Here are our reviews and pics of our most favourite shows…
A-Line dresses, pop art motifs and fancy up-dos at Joanne Hynes had me feeling like I’d time warped back to the swinging 60s today. Girls came out onto the catwalk to flashing spotlights and they wouldn’t have looked out of place in ’66 hit film Blow Up - I was almost waiting for Twiggy to appear. Alas she didn’t but the vibrant leather panelling in aqua, burgundy, pillar-box red and metallic gold kept me happy, as well as the various luminous tights all the models wore beneath pencil skirts. Heavily bejewelled bib necklaces perfectly suited the simple cuts, as well as playfully bright patent clutch bags, even eye liner matched in bright orange and turqoise.
Meadham Kirchoff
Meadham Kirchoff transported me to a mystical candy-coloured land with this collection, where the girls were fabulously dressed, tiny prima ballerinas pranced around and Spice Girls played continuously.
Blonde bobbed can-can girls appeared first - parading around the stage, whipping the crowd into a buzzing excitement, and puffing pastel powder around the spacious Old Eurostar venue at Waterloo. As their dancing continued, girl after girl appeared from behind a gold curtain, flirtily walking around the catwalk which was decorated heavily with rainbows of party balloons.
Bejewelled bra cups, teddy bear motifs, pop socks and hearts galore, the models looked like they’d let their trendy little sisters dress them up. Jumbles of styles and colours, all with heavy make-up and cutesy blonde wigs, they could have been life sized dolls. Baby blue, lemon, mint, cream, pastel pink, fur trims, frills, scalloped edges and glittery eyeshadow - Marie Antoinette met the Power Puff girls at this show, and I certainly loved every single minute (And Anna Wintour did too by the look of our picture!)
ANNA WINTOUR WAS SMILING AT US!!!
Moving away from her last very gothic collections, this season Inbar Spector was much more delicite and girly - in a sort of Black Swan meets 80s disco kind of way.
Models floated down the catwalk at Vauxhall Fashion Scout’s Freemason’s Hall to orchestral music in metallic, tulle creations. And creations they certainly were - powder pink, gold and white concertina puffball skirts were like clouds, or marshmallows, engulfing the waif like girls. Some tulle tutu skirts peeked out from oversized gold jackets that wouldn’t have looked out of place on a Japanese emperor, while others were held up with barely-there sheer straps, proving that Spector hasn’t turned a complete 360 from her previous bondage strapped creations.
Hula inspired skirts with black leather tassels, sequin panelling and aztec prints were the order of the day at David Koma. With slicked back hair, models wore knee length sleeveless dresses in either black or white, with hints of lemon, turquoise and warm blushing pink. With deep v necks at the front, and sometimes the back, sheer panels and bare legs, it was evening wear all the way, in a collection totally in-keeping with Koma’s clean, chic aesthetic.
At the end of a very long but extremely amazing day we were totally happy… as you can see (especially thanks to the free Topshop iced teas, boy those things were moorish!)
