MARY KATRANTZOU SPRING/SUMMER 2014

Recently on my art foundation course we have all been finalising our ideas and designing our final garments. I have got my prints and designs sorted (I will be showing them soon don't worry!) but have taken a while on choosing what shapes I would like. I stumbled across this collection from 2014 and I instantly fell in love and found the shapes I wanted. I was torn between a long, silky, flowy dress or a shorter, more structured dress but after looking at this collection I have settled on a shorter dress using a satin fabric which has both structure and shine (perfect for my designs!).

I hope to recreate some similar shapes within my own work as I really like the shapes and structures within this collection.

This is probably one of my favourite shapes as I love the huge pleat in the centre of the dress. I also like the higher neck and the baby-doll style with the waistline not being emphasized as much.

This dress reminds me of co-cords, I really like how the top looks almost separate from the rest of the dress. It has multiple pleats which I really like and really interesting shapes on the sides.

I love the riffles at the top of the dress, this is something that I hadn't considered using before so it could be a good idea to look at. I also like the two layers, it looks so simple (but very complicated to make!).

This is a very interesting style and probably one that I won't be using, however the multi-layering and extra panels make it very unique and interesting to look at.

I like the strapless element to this dress and like how it uses multiple prints and almost looks like a coat or cape added to it. The shapes in this dress are some of my favourites.

I hope you like the shapes I have been looking at. I'm aware they are a bit wacky and extravagant for everyday wear but that's the look I am going for! I am going to take inspiration from these dresses and create some of my own styles and hope they turn out okay! Take a look at the others in this collection, there are some more lovely designs that i'm sure everyone can take some inspiration from.

Thankyou for reading,

Love from Georgia

xxx

Photo credit: www.vogue.co.uk

MORE DESTRUCTION OF BEAUTY TEXTILE SAMPLES

I wanted to include some more of my 'destruction of beauty' samples to update you on my foundation course work. I am still experimenting and deciding what I want to do for my final garments, however I have enjoyed using different, strange materials and want to carry on using most of the techniques I have discovered along the way! I love how most of my favourite ideas were discovered by mistake and by accidents I made along the way, this is what makes my project and the art foundation in itself so interesting!

I have included more transfer printing and silk screen printing, however this time I have added some more burning into my work and have refined my ideas more. My work is now starting to relate more to my ideas and I can see it all coming together a bit better!

I hope you like my samples even if they are a bit overly destroyed and strange! 

Print screen samples using multiple colours

Transfer print sample with gorilla glue. This expanded and changed colour as it dried which I wasn't expecting.

Transfer print cut with a scalpel, then dipped in black paint with pieces of rusty metal, this is supposed to relate to the pollution of the sea with oil spills and washed up deberry.

Ripped transfer print with twigs burnt into it. It was then dipped into brown paint to represent mud with more twigs sprinkled on top.

A ruined print screen copy with twigs burnt into it. I like the shape this created.

Negative screen print with pieces of wood burnt into it. My burnt samples represent burning down rainforests. 

Original negative teal screen print with wood added to it. I then print screened back over it in a lighter colour which stood out against the darker teal green. I also ripped the other side to add more destruction.

Screen print on silk with a sheer fabric folded over the top.

Screen print on stitched together silk using bright summery colours. I also added pieces of rusty metal as the rust colour went well with the oranges and yellows. I used the wire brush to destroy and fray the bottom.

Shiny silk transfer print with stapled together pleats and hole punches.

Instead of throwing away all of my scraps I decided to staple them all together, I really liked this effect and might experiment more with this sample.

Two transfer prints using silicone, I really liked the bright baby blue colour, however this didn't dry so I can't really see myself using this in future work.

I also tried out laser cutting which I really enjoyed. I drew my own pattern and then scanned it into the computer. I had to keep changing the settings depending on the thickness of each fabric. My favourite materials to use were synthetic silks and leathers. On the silk it made the fabric so delicate and almost lacey whereas on the leather it only engraved the pattern on. I am considering using this technique for my final garments.

So as you can see, I have tried out many more strange materials and techniques which I have really enjoyed using. I have many more I would like to try out before moving on to finalising my ideas and finally creating my final garments which we only have a few more weeks to do (scary!). Let me know what you think about my project so far!

Thanks for reading,

Love from Georgia

xxx

HIGH END BEAUTY BUYS

Last week was my birthday and I received a lot of amazing makeup that I have been wanting for ages! I thought I'd try the makeup out before blogging about it so I could review it for you all and let you know what I really think about the products.

Anastasia Beverly Hills dipbrow pomade in 'soft brown', £15

I had been wanting to try out the Anastasia dipdrow pomade for absolutely ages! I have only ever tried eyebrow pencils or powders before so this creamy formula really appealed to me. It is soo easy to use and you only have to use a tiny amount to fill out your brows. What I especially love about this product is how natural it makes your eyebrows look, I really struggle with making my brows look really neat and it normally takes ages to achieve a natural but defined shape. This product has definitely made my morning routine quicker! The shade I went for was soft brown, I knew this was a good shade for my eyebrows as I had tried out a friends in the same colour and it worked out fine, I like this colour and think it is the best one for me in the range, however it is a little bit darker than I would like (as I am blonde with naturally darker eyebrows), the more you add, the darker it gets so I only use a tiny bit and blend it out which still works out great. 

Anastasia Beverly Hills contour cream kit in 'fair', £39

This was another product from Anastasia that I really wanted to try out. I want to try out contouring my face a little bit more but I only had powder contour kits which didn't really work for me. This kit is absolutely amazing. It is so blendable and the colours are spot on for my skin tone. I have only used this a couple of times because I don't want to go for such an extreme contoured look for everyday, however you can make this look really natural at the same time! I have a lot more experimenting to do with this palette but I didn't think this kit would make as much of a difference to my face shape as it did, I 100% recommend this to everyone!

Urban Decay Naked basics and Urban Decay Naked basics 2, £23 each

These two palettes have now completed my Naked palette collection and I am soo excited to use them! I have to say, I am more of a shimmery, glittery eyeshadow person but the matte shades in this palette are so wearable and are the perfect palettes to take round with me on the go. I can use the shades for my eyes, eyebrows and eyeliner if I haven't got my everyday usual products with me which is what I really liked about them. I haven't used these as much so far but I am so happy to have them in my collection.

NARS the multiple in 'copacabana', £29

I have been really into dewy, natural looking makeup at the moment and I find that this product gives my skin a really natural glow. You can use this product dry and put it straight on your face but I tend to wet my finger either with water or setting spray and pat it onto my face just above my cheek bones as this makes the colour stronger and gives it a more accurate and dewy look. I didn't think this product was as pigmented as it was before I saw it in the light; it adds a lovely shimmery glow, perfect for a natural-looking, dewy face!

NARS sheer glow foundation in 'mont blanc', £31

Makeup Forever Ultra HD foundation in '117 Y225 Marble', £29

These two foundations are hands down two of my favourite foundations already and I've only had them for just under two weeks! The NARS sheer glow foundation is so natural looking and is perfect for anyone who has dry skin. Before using this I was worried that it would be really sheer and low coverage but it has a lovely medium coverage which is easily buildable. The Makeup Forever foundation has a slightly higher coverage but is still natural looking. I prefer wearing this on nights out as it makes my skin look flawless and is perfect for taking photos!

MORPHE 35T eyeshadow palette, £18.25

I have to say, this may be my all time favourite eyeshadow palette. I could literally spend hours just staring at all of the gorgeous colours! Pink, nude and browny shades are my favourite to wear so this is literally the perfect palette for me! The eyeshadows are soo shimmery and ridiculously pigmented and they last all day. The formulas are so creamy and can be used with a wet brush as well to make the colours even bolder. There are a few matte shades as well so there is something for everyone! I want to try out so many more looks with this palette as there are so many amazing shades I haven't even tried out yet! I cannot say anything bad about it.

Let me know what you thought about all of these products!

Thankyou for reading,

Love from Georgia

xxx

CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN HAS A NUDE FOR EVERYONE

I'm sure all you fellow fashion followers are aware than Christian Louboutin has recently launched a range of nude ballet flats to suit every skin-tone.  These pointed-toe flats come in seven lovely different nude shades meaning that everyone can have the opportunity to wear nude shoes and not just people who suit the typical nudey-pink shade. I think it's great how we are finally embracing every skin tone and asking ourselves 'Exactly what colour IS nude?' to me, nude is a range of different shades, not just the ONE colour.

At £450, these shoes are not exactly cheap, however if you are looking for the perfect nude flats to suit your personal skin tone (and you can afford it!), then these are a must in your shoe collection.

I do like these shoes, however I am not the keenest on the 'classic Parisian silhouette' design and the whole pointed-toe look as I feel they can make your feet look bigger than they are and out of proportion from the rest of your body (Although I have seen pointed shoes on other people and they look great!) I would have liked to see them in a more rounded toe or maybe even more than one style so they can suit everyone's style as well as skin-tone.

Louboutin: 'The nude collection is dedicated to people who want to have great legs, to have a great silhouette' / 'If you look at the shoe, it looks good, if you don't look at the shoe, if you don't see the details, it's all about the legs; it's all about the person'.

Let me know your thoughts on these lovely nude shoes!

Thankyou for reading,

Love from Georgia

xxx

Photo credit: LOUBOUTINWORLD instagram.