Academy Awards Fashion 2011

This year on the red carpet we got the chance to see soft, pretty and feminine dresses. The most popular colours were definitely the nudes and white :

Young actress Hailee Steinfeld in Marchesa

(image : http://www.lovetripper.com/)

Mandy Moore in Monique Lhuillier

Halle Berry in Marchesa

(image : http://www.lovetripper.com/)

James Franco and Anne Hethaway

Another popular colour was bright red :

Jennifer Lawrence in Calvin Klein, Anne Hathaway in Valentino and Jennifer Hudson in Atelier Versace

(image : http://www.stylelist.com/)

Sandra Bullock in Vera Wang

 

But my Favourite Dress for the evening was :

Mila Kunis in the lavender Elie Saab Haute Couture dress. This dress is so beautiful and has tongues wagging. Kelly Osbourne said the dress "pushes boundaries but is still elegant".

(image : http://socialitelife.com/mila-kunis-2011-academy-awards-02-2011/83rd-annual-academy-awards-arrivals-32)

To End off the Month of Love

Images from Google Images.

Fashion Shoot 1

I had recently designed and sewn clothing that Roxy Maylon then used in a fashion shoot. Here are a few of the photographs that she took. Hair and Makeup was by Cyan Bindoff and the models were Kelly Tromp, Nicole O'Driscoll,  Cindy Mannheim, Chris Sparks, Cay Lynne and Lee Lubbee.

Swimwear Trends 2011

In our sewing lessons at college we are currently working on creating a swimwear piece, so here are the current trends for 2011.

Popular colours this year include blues and greens, especially turquoise, burnt oranges and pinks and then the nudes. Patterns are also trendy again this year especially tribal patterns and animal prints. The most popular silhouettes are the monokini, the bandeaus, one shoulders and obviously the bikini. Swimwear this season includes a lot of texture; designers achieved this using roughing, gathers, ruffles, studs and plaiting to name a few. Cutouts were also often seen on the runway this season.

image : http://www.millionlooks.com/tag/swimwear/

image : http://womens.asianscent.com/

 image : http://www.glamourvanity.com/spotlight/rio-fashion-week-lenny-swimwear/

... On that Green note

A few months ago at college we got an opportunity to entre the Sappi "War on Waste" Competition where we had to design an outfit made only from recyclable materials. After submitting our designs Sappi choose 12 people to make up their garments. My outfit was made using cream soda cans (which i weaved together), paper, wire and wool. The fashion show took place at the Ballito Prawn and Jazz Festival. Melissa Gelling was my model and Cyan Bindoff did her hair and make up.

My Design

Other students' designs

Let's think green!

Earth Pledge, a non-profit organisation, stated that "At least 8,000 chemicals are used to turn raw materials into textiles and 25% of the world's pesticides are used to grow non-organic cotton”. Sustainable fashion is also known as “Eco Fashion” and is a very relevant topic in our society today. Sustainable design will not only impact the end product but also a designer’s business and production practices and although many people are concerned with “Going Green” and companies strive to be socially responsible; what is the fashion industry doing in relation to this matter?

A pair of denim jeans is one of the items of clothing that nearly everyone purchases and as a result it would only make sense for manufacturers to produce this garment in an eco-friendly manner. The large brand Del Forte Denim has proven that denim can be sustainable by rethinking their fabric choices and dying methods. They now own a line of organic cotton jeans and because of the high demand for jeans, they have created “Project ReJEANeration”. This project allows customers to exchange their old jeans for a 10% discount off their new pair and using these old pairs, they create new products with hand-embellishments and vintage trims.

An example of Del Forte's ReJEANeration from http://www.sustainablefashion.blogspot.com/

Gossip Girl Fashion

Gossip Girl season 4 recently aired here in South Africa and of course the season is off to an amazing start. Serena and Blair are in the fashion hub of Paris shopping up a storm and meeting guys. A popular trend seen on the runway this season was the usage of candy/cotton colours, which Blair and Serena wear oh so well. The glamorous Red Dress by Oscar de la Renta, which Blair wore with pink accessories, is going to set dress trends for a long time to come with the strapless and ruffled silhouette.

image from : http://www.kidzworld.com/article/24700-gossip-girl-season-4-episode-2

 

Blair “sampling sugary snacks like a modern Marie Antoinette.”

image from : http://www.deliciouslynoted.com/2010/09/dining-in-paris-gossip-girl-styl/

The Royal Wedding

At college we are required to design the type of dress we think Kate Middleton will wear when she walks down the aisle. Of course this is no easy task as she has a very elegant and refined style. While researching I came across so many different opinions of what Kate will wear, some think she will wear a huge ball gown dress while others picture her in an a-line dress. Besides the silhouette tongues are also wagging about the colour she will choose to wear: will it be ivory, white or something completely different. Watch this space to see what I would design for her. For the meantime here is my mood board: