When Alcohol and Fashion Combine Forces

So my dream has just come true- Versace has collaborated with Dissaronno for a limited edition New Year  stylish celebration.

On sale now - so fashion and cocktail fans enjoy! 

Advice from Vice

This article is definitely worth a read. It shows that anything can be fashion, anything can be an inspiration, anything can make you. 

As I look to starting my new project brief in the New Year, I am becoming more aware of how to capture Street style and what exactly it is. The answer is: its anything. Anything people where which can influence trend.

http://www.vice.com/en_uk/read/lfw-street-style-bloggers-942

[Hannah Ewens- writing for Vice on a test she carried out LFW]

[http://www.vice.com/en_uk/read/lfw-street-style-bloggers-942]

Illustration In The Rain

As previously promised here are the illustrations of some of the inspirational garments for me, from Singing in the Rain (the film). 

A mix of hand and digital media. 

Designs inspired by these to follow!  

Melt in mouth, mouthwatering marvels

So my Grandma and I did a trade of Christmas gifts of the sweet kind. And what a sawwwweeeeeet swap it was. 

These Sea Salt and Butterscotch, Chocolate Truffles by Monty Bojangles are exactly what it says on the box "heaven". 

I'm not sure if I'm pleased to discover these truffle treats or not as I've nearly finished the entire box already!  

Music as a Muse

Never really a fan of musicals, today the tables turned. As my Mum and Grandma settled down for a Boxing Day afternoon infront of the box to watch Singing in the Rain, I wasn't best pleased at the prospect of having to endure another musical. However, I found the whole thing rather inspirational beacuse of the fantastic costumes.

I intend to draw those that most inspire me and take influence from them in my design work. 

Competition Christmas

Yet again my posting persistence has failed me and Uni work has been my priority. 

But what time is better to blog than just after the Queens speech on CHRISTMAS day. 

Despite nearing 20, I often find my inner child and today is definitely no exception! 

Food and presents may seem to be the focus of this festive day but to me spending time with family and loved ones is key. 

It is safe to say I've been spoilt today, the whole household has, but ironically we've prehaps had the most fun with possibly the cheapest gifts.

Who doesn't get excited by giant pipe cleaners hey!?Haha!  

A creative competition to concoct a creature occupied us emensly.

Below are my entries, can you guess what they are?! Haha! 

The best part however was the laughs and smiles it brought to all.

I hope you all have a Merry Christmas surrounded by fabulous people! 

  

Cat Day

So today is Cat Day. Personally I have never heard of this before, but being a lover of cats and blogging, I felt a post was in order. 

Obviously one of our cats  knew it was a holiday, as she greeted Mum with the gift  of a live mouse, shortly followed by a not so lucky shrew.

I have always been amazed at the feline's elegance, balance and ability to land on their feet! 

Not only are these very intelligent animals, but they are incredibly loyal and loving as well. 

Above is a photograph of my cats ( Left: Frankie, Right: Belle,) a year ago when we rescued them. Despite me living away, whenever I have been at home and in need of comfort they have known and been there to cuddle and amuse me. However when doing work and they decide to sit on it, that is definitely not relaxing in the slightest haha! 

Not Just Coffee - Great Coffee

So today is Sunday, which is market day down on Newcastle Quayside. This is a weekly event I love to visit as and when possible to buy local produce or presents. 

Today I went with the mission of Christmas shopping on my mind and a very productive outing. 

Those who know me, know I love coffee to the extent it could be considered an addiction. 

One of my favourite places to get my "fix" is Great Coffee. Not only do they make a great cup of coffee, but the views are splendid; choice ample, and staff very friendly. 

So of course whilst at the Quayside I had to also visit this quaint cafe. 

The aim of this post is really to promote two great, and possibly unknown attractions in Newcastle: 

The Quayside Sunday market, and Great Coffee. I highly recommend a visit to both! 

Here are the above mentioned attractions' websites containing further information: 

http://www.greatcoffee-newcastle.co.uk

http://www.newcastlegateshead.com/things-to-do/quayside-market-p477401

Photograph of Millennium Bridge, Newcastle tilting.

 Taken by myself, at the Quayside Sunday Market.

Love My Readers, Love Music, Love Actually

Firstly I would like to say a big thank you to my readers. Despite my few and far between posts recently, I have now exceeded the 10 000 views mark!

But back to the post in hand. BBC have just remade the classic song - God only knows. 

Love actually fans will know this from the sound track, but this is a The Beach Boys original. Splendidly sporting some of the UK's best music talents, I'd highly recommend a watch of the clip! 

Might I add this is to celebrate the launch of BBC music, so lets expect more marvellous music to come. 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/clips/p0286057

Pin the Personality

The aforementioned Diversity project is moving along nicely.
My personal project area has developed to become based on the individual within a friendship group or subculture.

Here is the Pintrest Link to some of the influences and ideas for this:

http://www.pinterest.com/jesjasfashion/diversity-identity-you-daily-lives/

To develop our photography and group skills, we have also been set a sub project to complete a photo-shoot in a group which also looks at Diversity. For this we have chosen to focus on the quirks of an individual.

Here is my Pintrest Board research for this area:

http://www.pinterest.com/jesjasfashion/diversity-shoot/

Diversity, Identity and You

For my next few posts I'm going to concentrate on a subject I am researching for a current project :Diversity  Now!  

I feel diversity should be celebrated. Without diversity there would be no Identity, and without identity there would be no you, I, he or she. 

The mentioned project is inspired, and created in part by All Walks - a fashion activism foundation, celebrating diversity and fighting prejudice and discrimination. 

Take a look at the All Walks website and see the fantastic work they do:

http://www.allwalks.org

Finger Painting

It is not very often that I take 9 minutes out of my time to watch a Facebook video. 

However I was so amazed by how this artist worked and how talented he was, that my eyes and interest stayed very much on the screen. 

This proves that anyone can be creative: it costs very little to show real talent. 

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10152509107089177&set=vb.611109176&type=2&theater

Here are some other artists with similar skills: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mw3fqpvCHe8

[http://thehigherlearning.com/2014/05/18/this-woman-will-make-you-forget-everything-you-thought-you-knew-about-finger-painting-pictures/]

Zaria Forman

[http://www.technocrazed.com/a-talented-artist-only-uses-her-fingers-to-draw-magnificent-paintings-photo-gallery]

Iris Scott

Fishing for Sleigh Bells

Locals you may or may not know that The Fishing Heritage Centre holds a variety of different exhibitions. This is in a designated space, and runs alongside the permanent collection. 

Today I went with my Grandma to the Sleigh Bell Exhibtion. This was a display of a 60s and 70s clothing, accompanied by information on the fashions and icons of the decades. 

The clothing was beautiful, and the accompanying writing was of the most interesting I've read in a museum. 

There was the opportunity to style yourself in a selection of clothing: accessible for the public to interact with. 

Both my Grandma and I thoroughly enjoyed the exhibition, and with the dressing up option, I would recommend it to all ages. 

Charity Treasure Chest

Today was my last day at the local charity shop. Since I've been there I've bought some fantastic items of clothing etc. often never or hardly worn. Highend and designer pieces can be found on a regular basis.

Today I came across and purchased this beautiful Louis Vuitton handbag . Wether it is fake or genuine I can not tell, even after looking up the signs of a counterfeit. Either way it doesn't matter to me; I love it! At a great price, even to use it as an everyday handbag wouldn't worry me overly. 

I do not live in a Highend area for fashion and so it goes to show just how great charity shops are and what rare finds are there to discover! 

A Steep Hill is Worth the Climb

Today I visited the beautiful, small City of Lincoln. 

Full of beautiful architecture, individual shops and scrummy food, it's one of my favourite places to visit near where I live.

 

The hill which holds all these great places is steep. Very steep. So steep it was named exactly that: Steep Hill.

But the hill is definitely worth the climb! 

I will never grow out of finding the cathedral magically grand, nor will I stop being excited by the prospect of finding the Lincoln Imp in the brilliant brick work. 

Unfortunately today I did not get to step foot inside this fantastic place, but for good reason! 

Today was Lincoln University's Graduation day . It was fantastic to see all the gowns cross the pebbles from the cathedral to the castle!  

Congratulations to all those who graduated today, and good luck for the future! 

New York Fashion Week SS15

I get excited by the fashion calendar as it is, but the fact I will be there for the next Spring Summer shows helping out, makes me want to burst! 

These are just a few of the garments I love, from just a few of the NYFW SS15 collections I admire greatly:

Peter Som

Carolina Herrera

Zoe Jordan

Lela Rose

Tommy Hilfiger 

 Parsons MFA

Rebecca Taylor

These Images are all from style.com. Get all the latest coverage of the fashion weeks on this site! 

Cereal Killer … Bags

Having grown up loving everything weird and wonderful,  and owning handbags shaped as: a watering-can, a princess swan, a fox, a melon slice, and several different makes of car, becoming an adult and passing them down was heart breaking. 

Recently coming across Anya Hindmarch (London)'s Fall 2014 collection therefore filled me with excitement.  Bags focus on well known brands that many generations will recognise, particularly cereal makes. For many this will enforce a feeling of nostalgia. This is a theme that will reoccur over the next few seasons in the fashion calendar. 

Many may think on first glance the designs are rather childish, however paired with a sophisticated and perhaps more understated outfit, this bag will add a bit of fun, colour and statement to it. As already stated nostalgia is in fashion and will be for a while so embrace it and follow fashion into the future!

[http://dustyburrito.blogspot.co.uk/2014/02/counter-culture-anya-hindmarch-fall-2014.html]

Advert Attraction

A catchy well, known or current song; artistic, skilled production; appealing product description; fun. 

In today's society where all areas of retail and sales are in competition, advertising can be crucial. 

Television is a large part of many peoples daily lives now and screens surround us, therefore TV adverts are often a great form of advertising. 

TV adverts have to be different from any others done before them, relevant and eye catching as well as all of the above… oh and follow all of the legalities involved in advertising of of course! 

Companies achieve this to a varying degree of success. 

Two adverts in particular that a feel have been successful in this task lately are M&S and Money Super Market. 

Take a look if you haven't seen the adverts already!

M&S Food 2014 TV advert: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZ4pctQMdg4  

[http://www.tvadmusic.co.uk/2014/08/page/3/]

Epic Elephunk- Money Super Market's new TV advert:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8lLUdyaFO0

[http://great-ads.blogspot.co.uk/2014/08/epic-elephunk-moneysupermarkets-new-tv.html]

Style it the way you like it

Today Harry is wearing :

I love this fun, independent style. 

The two patterns of the top half are bright  and cheerful. The shorts match with the black squares of the flannel shirt, which has been made sleeveless to fit with Harry's style. The yellow contrasts with the blue, brightening the outfit, and the waist-coat works well over the shaped sleeves. 

Harry is a fellow volunteer at a local charity shop. A lovely, kind natured man, he is the perfect person for the toy section which he focuses on at the shop.

His great individual dress sense describes his cheeky, yet kind personality. 

It's a great thing to have individuality in the way you dress and to feel comfortable doing this... So if you can people dress for you personality! 

Jolly Jolie Dress

Angelina-Jolie's wedding dress was revealed today. 

A wonderful Atelier Vercase gown only could be made more spectacular in one way...

By adding meaning. An unusual, yet spectacularly special embellishment covers the veil and gown like a beautiful ray of sunshine. This decoration consists of the celebrity couple'a cherished children's delicate doodles. 

These images were Company Magazine and British Vogue's spectacular coverage of the caring couture creation. 

Deep Deep Crimson

Vogue posted this image today as part of a blog post: "Salon-style nails made easy".

A dominant colour for the season and one of my favourite colours in existence, I'm definitely taking this beauty tip, and buying the nail varnish shade! 

                      [Vogue.com]

My Treat from Taunton

I recieved my super soft zipped hoodie from Henry Hunt on Monday. This was a splendid surprise for me as it arrived so quick and was presented so specially. 

Having interned for this brilliant brand a couple of years back I am aware of all the thought, care and work that comes with each garment. With a variety of beautiful clothing of a high quality, I certainly recommend searching for Henry Hunt CLothing! 

Depths of Desire

A family holiday to the Lakedistrict opened up my mind to many ideas.

We had lots of serene days in and around Ullswater. These calming times allowed me to relax and this appreciate things I have never thought to before. 

It was just what was needed to allow creativity to grow! 

Inspirational Loss

So this morning I awoke early to the sad news of the loss of the fantastic actor Robin Williams. 

Later I came across the Facebook post below.

Reading this I didn't know of the owner of the words, but I was truely touched and inspired by them. 

Once I had taken in the words it touched me further to discover these words were from the late Robin Williams.

He touched and inspired many others on his life from his acting and personality, including Eddie Murphy. 

He will truely be missed by both those close to him and his millions of fans. RIP. 

Crystals Rock

I have recently come across a beautiful little jewellery shop advertised on Facebook. 

A not so secret magpie with a love of everything sparkly, and someone who, as a child collected crystals and stones, this online jewellery boutique is right up my street! 

Different and delicate, I suggest all accessory lovers take a peak at Delilah Dust!