Simply Stunning

I always wondered how (in the past) the trends of the day came about and how they moved from city to city and abroad.. this is how.. Fashion Dolls, Theatre De La Mode.

With a world in restroation and a city in great need, the Theatre De La Mode was organised. By the Chambre Syndicale of Paris, in 1945 this Syndicale organised the sending of small scale couture designed models (dolls) around the world. It opened up the world of apparel that was "perfection in minature." Each doll included every beautifully constructed detail, and the tailors/dressmakers would unpick the seams to assess and grade the garments to fit the customers figures perfectly.

The collection collaborated designers and artists renditions of what the trends were for the Spring/ Summer of 1945. Theatre De La Mode was intended to "show the supremacy of French fashion designing and was an attempt to reassert French Couture."

The couturiers of Paris came together after World War II to create one of the most telling and "complete representations of fashion splendor."

"Louis XIV wanted all of Europe to know about Paris fashions so he began sending life-sized fashion dolls to every European Court. The dolls were dressed in the latest styles. Noble ladies would have their tailors imitate the clothes, footwear, hats and accessories on the latest dolls."

images from: http://www.pbase.com/sparksdjs/mohi

A Stella World

Stella McCartney – A Life Long Vegetarian, born 13 September 1971.
She was born and raised in the English countryside of Notting Hill, also in London town. Stella McCartney graduated from London’s Central St Martin’s College of Art and Design in the year of 1995 were her signature style of ‘sharp tailoring, sexy femininity and natural confidence’ was immediately apparent from her first collection. McCartney was appointed the Creative Director of Chloe Fashion House in Paris France in 1997 and saw great success while apart of the venture there.
In the year of 2001 Stella McCartney launched her own fashion house, with the help of the Gucci Group and showed her first collection in Paris in October later that year. One thing I greatly admire is that she does not use any leather or fur in any of her collections. She has a strong eco- friendly design aesthetic that promotes caring for the wildlife and making fashion “green.” She has a particular capsule line which caters for organics. A seasonal collection which is a special project with all the materials alternatively sourced and keeping her designs and new ideas true to what she believes in. Her collections include women’s ready-to-wear, accessories, lingerie, eyewear, fragrance and organic skincare.
With operations of 16 worldwide stores including flagship boutiques, her collections are now distributed in over 50 countries through 600 wholesale accounts including specialty shops and departments stores.
Stella McCartney isn’t just a Fashion Designer, or daughter of famous musician Paul McCartney, she’s an activist to learn from. After reading Stella's helpful tips from her website, I too want to help in any way I can...

Here are a few other recent eco-friendly designers i researched who i think are doing a great deal when it comes to helping our planet! Its never too late to start..

- Fleur Wood, Bassike, Kate Sylvester, Skin and Threads, Standard Issue.

The newley launched website, howbigisyoureco.com.au has answers and plenty more for those of you who are keen to find out about the green fashion scene!

Vogue, Vogue, Vogue... Oh how you've grown..

Design and technology has come a long way!

Times have definately changed! Look at these photos of the First ever Vogue Fashion Magazine.. born December 17th, 1892.

More recent publications of Australian and British Vogue Magazines..

I scream for Icecream!

Is this not the coolest thing ever! I came across this icecream truck on Cupcake and Cashmere's blog the other night... wish we had one of these here in Australia!

Lauren Nichole

I would like to introduce, Lauren Nichole!

She’s 22 and works full time so she can afford to splurge on some nice things. Lauren is also studying design to help reach her long awaited goal of designing Shoes and Accessories ( what girl wouldnt love to make her own heels or boots lets not forget handbags!!) Her weekday consists of working 9am - 5pm in Advertising/ PR in the glorious house of Net-A-Porter where they have a little more of a smart casual dress code and being creative with your outfits is the done thing.

At nights she goes to the gym straight after work or catches up with friends over a couple of glasses of wine and some nice food. She attends a bookclub once a month and she lives with her boyfriend Brent in a townhouse on an amazing street where the trees along the side walks are amazingly tall and leafy most of the year. Antique lamps line the windy streets around their suburb and make walking their dog Coco a treat.

On the weekends Lauren spends Saturday either shopping/researching/catching up on her study then heading out with the girls for cocktails and some dancing. Sunday is reserved for quality time with the BF, Brunch at the local cafe and watching the football/a movie then reading on the front porch swing at dusk before tea.

She is a frequent subscriber of a few magazines, namely Vogue and Harpers Bazaar and loves planing trips overseas or a getaway in the countryside.

Inspiration

20-year-old Daniella Caputi of Perth, Curtin Gratuate, up and coming designer and lets not forget a great friend of mine has the world at her feet. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (Fashion and Textiles) from Curtin University, and has recieved an award for Fashion Technology. Her collection which was shown at LMFF "1:26 inside out" wows the fashion world with her gothic inspired pieces using lazer cutting and explores the technique of line drawing which has influenced her designs strongly.

On March 26th, i interviewed Daniella, to find out more about her new collection debuting at this years StyleAID event and to "pick at her brain" in a sense to understand whats going on in a designers mind...

What would you say are your favourite ideas and techniques you’ve used so far?
Ideas that are inspired by artists and designers both exploring parallel practices in architecture and fashion - the idea of the inside out - architectonic space - and exploring this through techniques such as laser cutting, use of balsa wood - and experimenting with different weights in fabrics...

Describe to us how the process of how designing a collection comes about. What hours/time frame do you use?
The process ... there’s a lot of emphasis on shape and manipulation through patterns and drawing - then draping and experimenting with design and shape.

How did you find LMFF this year? Any pointers/likes/dislikes you can share with us?
LMFF was really exciting - the show came together really smoothly - we communicated with the stylists what we wanted in terms of music, styling etc, and then they took it from there - it was great to finally watch the show and see how the collection came together when showcased...

You’re debuting your collection at Style Aid this year, what were your inspirations for this collection?
The inspiration comes from the last collection - and is an extension and development of the ideas, but also creating new forms and shapes within garment.

Do you have any tips for admiring designers out there?
Be inspired by everything around you - keep creating and be concept driven!

- Daniella Caputi.

Interviewed March 26th 2010

photos sourced from http://dustindesouza.com/dc.html