Saturday Bulletin Article

Here is the scanned copies of the Saturday Townsville Bulletin article that I was featured in today. Hope you like the story!

The Swing of Things

Now that university has slowed down, I have time to get back into the things I enjoy. My brain has been on a creative low lately and I intend to indulge in inspiration until I get it right back where I want it. 

 SEWING

Today I've spent my day lounging around, going through my material and sewing a dress. The dress I'm currently working on involves a scalloped hem, which is something I'm mildly obsessed with lately.

I'm also working on a little polka dot number...

Scalloped hem..harder than it looks!

Can anyone say POLKA DOTS?

My little beauty looking pretty after a hard day's work..

UPCYCLE AUSTRALIA WEBSITE

I've also recently been featured on a website called "Upcycle Australia" which is a website that is dedicated to showcasing people who use recycled material and reinvent it into a work of art. 

Since I use recycled fabric in some of my designs, I was approached to be featured on their website.Here is a screen shot for you, or you can click on the link above to see the original article.

FASHION SHOOT

 In the previous post I talked about the shoot that I styled, here are some Polaroid snaps of me putting together some outfits and Frances hard at work shooting away...

Another project I'm working on is creating a logo and ordering labels for my clothes, so they can be attached. Any ideas on a logo?

Look out for this Saturday's Townsville Bulletin as I will be featured in an article by Fashion Journalist, Roanne Johnson.

Hope your day is wonderful,

All photos taken by me.

Large Update of Recent Projects

The first question on your lips is probably...what have I been up to lately? The past two months have been quite hectic, exciting and crazy.

FASHION FILM

I was approached a little while ago by a group of university students who study New Media Arts, about using my clothes for a fashion film they are producing. Needless to say I jumped at the opportunity and felt so grateful that they had chosen to use my designs! 

This talented group of people have been working hard to produce an amazing film to accompany my designs. If you aren't aware already, most designers have a "mood" film with each collection they assesmble. An example of this is the video for the latest Rodarte collection "The Curve of Forgotten Things" starring Elle Fanning. 

Rodarte "The Curve of Forgotten Things" from Michael Mees on Vimeo.

Check out some behind the scene shots of the filming with the model wearing my creations. Here are the photos Aleena Bridge took throughout the filming process. Aleena is just one of the many talented students who worked on producing this film. You can find her work on facebook here. 

By the way, the stunning model who you've seen before is Jessica Feaver, my dear friend. 

Photo by Aleena Bridge

Photo by Aleena Bridge

Photo by Aleena Bridge

Photo by Aleena Bridge

Photo by Aleena Bridge

Here are more wonderful images by Emily Clarke. She captured my dresses perfectly. You can find some more of her amazing work here.

Photo by EMbrace Creations

Photo by EMbrace Creations

Photo by EMbrace Creations

Photo by EMbrace Creations 

YOUTH ARTS QLD BLOG

I've also recently been featured on the Youth Arts Queensland blog. This is apart of the Starburst grant that I share with my friend and business partner Jessica Hay. They interviewed me a little while ago and produced this blog where I talk about my designs, inspirations and the sewing workshops that I'm apart of held at Cereal Box.

MAYHEM MAGAZINE

The other exciting projects I've been working on is my fashion column for Mayhem Magazine. My first column is set to be released in the Winter Issue of Mayhem along with an article I wrote about a local artist. I'm beyond excited and can't wait to keep immersing myself in Fashion Journalism. I will post a scan of my fashion column and article when it is published. 

 STYLING OF PHOTOSHOOT

Another project I worked on was styling my friends photoshoot for her university assignment.As you probably know, Frances is my amazing photographer who shoots all my clothes. For her assignment she wanted to do a fashion shoot for a catalogue/magazine layout and asked me to style it for her.

Most of the clothes used were from my large wardrobe and some of France's beautiful dresses. When she is finished perfecting them I will be sure to post them here, however here are some sneaky behind the scene's shots of me styling and helping out....

Photo by Frances Fitzsimmons

Photo by Frances Fitzsimmons

Photo by Frances Fitzsimmons

Lastly, I have some more thrilling news!! 

Jess and myself have an interview with Townsville Bulletin, Fashion Journalist - Roanne Johnson. This will be happening on Sunday which involves a mini fashion shoot of us wearing our latest creations. This will appear in the Townsville Bulletin's "NQ Confidential" section next Saturday. I will be sure to post a scan of the article once it is published.

Apologies for the lengthy post, however, I felt it was necessary to catch you up to date about everything that been happening with my label "t-maree" Yes that's right, a name change!

Until next time,

Loreal Paris Fashion Festival

This entire week has been spent on drawing, sewing and fine-tuning inspiration. I have some sneak peek photos to show you of what I've been up to...that will come in a later post (so stay tuned!). 

The way I draw inspiration is to look at the creativity of other designers, including the unique shapes they produce for their collections. The first thing I look at when I see a garment is not the colour, not the print, but the shape of it. I'm attracted to unique styles of clothes and the way the designer has manipulated the fabric to create an original design.

On March 14th to the 20th, the Loreal Melbourne Fashion Festival was held. I really really wanted to go to this, unfortunately it wasn't possible at this time. However this doesn't mean that it is not attainable in the future, or perhaps actually showcasing a collection of mine? (Long term goal!!).

Here are a few designers that I've been inspired by and my three favourite pieces from their collections..

Alex Perry has been an idol of mine for many years. He is no doubt one of Australia's greatest ever talents. His glamorous designs have been seen on celebrity after celebrity. Alex Perry knows how to design for a woman's body, with his glamorous gowns creating a sensation on red-carpet events and has been doing so for 17 years. His latest collection "Arabian Princess" is yet another reason to admire his hard-work and incredible talent.

This collection saw Alex Perry continue his love for jewelled corsets, body-con dresses, elegant 50's style bell-shaped lace dresses and peplum jackets in colours ranging from black to zebra print. 

Alannah Hill captured my interest when I came across her beautiful clothes about 6 years ago. Her quirky take on elegance sets her apart from any other designer. From starting her own boutique in Melbourne, Alannah Hill has come a long way to become one of Australia's most established designers. 

Her new collection "Mysterious Girl" uses sequins, bows, peplum and over the top headbands. This collection channels a little bit of Blair Waldorf. Bold prints and bright colours contrast together to create girly school-girl inspired garments. 

By the way...check out her website if you want to step into her enchanted world (kudos to the web designer!!)...

Sass and Bide are designers that inspire me to be unique and distinct. They take their label beyond boundaries and are recognised all over the world by their unusual garments.

Their latest collection "Papre Sucre" is futuristic and tribal inspired. Digital prints, watercolour splatters and textured raffia is the essence of this collection. Sass and Bide show that by thinking outside of the box and breaking all the rules can have you acquiring all the benefits.

After reading all of this, I guess you can tell that I have very different tastes... which definitely makes dressing myself everyday a delight and a challenge.

Above all, like anyone I yearn to be different and unique, something I hope is reflected in the collection I'm creating for my Fashion Show on Saturday the 16th of July at Cereal Box.

Anyway, I have so much work ahead of me, so I best get some sleep in order to start all over again tomorrow!

I hope you've been inspired!

Collections I Adore

So apart from designing clothes, attending university and so forth I also stalk out designers collections. There are so many at the moment that I adore, especially from the Melbourne fashion show that has just been held. However, here are some random collections that I've come across that is definitely worth a special mention.

Twelfth Street by Cynthia Vincent is a label launched in 2003 that produces garments that are casually elegant using rich luxe fabric. Cynthia doesn't follow trends as her pieces are unique and a little off-beat. Her Spring 2011 collection is filled with ethnic inspired prints, rich browns and mustard as well as staple colours such as navy and black. She also combines this season's nudes to create an elegant palette of colours for her maxi and mini dresses this season.  

 

You can find more from her collection here.

Another collection I'm in complete awe of this season is Kahlo.

Kahlo's "A Blank Canvas" collection uses a neutral palette combined with black to give the clothes a little more edge. This season's biggest trend "minimalism" is the essence of this collection as structure and texture is the focal point. Mixing leather pieces with suede in simple but structured shapes creates wearable peices that is flattering on most shapes and sizes.

I don't know about you, but I'm lusting over that suede dress and wine coloured pants!!!

I hope you enjoyed me sharing my latest loves with you!

Ey' there Sailor

The nautical look is a trend that will forever be in fashion. Lucky for me I'm a big fan, which means that there is always an endless amount of sailor-inspired pieces that I can get my hands on. There's something about sailor collars, stripey prints and large brass buckles that gets me in a frenzy. 

Whilst out shopping, my eyes are drawn to horizontal stripes and anything that slightly resembles "sailor." It is then followed by an immediate purchase. The nautical look is a fresh change from the overdone florals and botanical prints seen this season. And there is nothing that looks more chic than the classic stripey sweater. 

Here is my own version of the sailor dress. I found this little gem on ebay <3 I am in love with the large white collar and black stiching detail...and of course the brass buttons. I chose to keep the look casual with black sandals and a black belt. 

Townsville Bulletin Article

As promised, here is the article I had an interview for a week ago :)

I have to say I'm pretty excited about the Fashion show coming up!!

And, it looks like there will be a video being made with my clothing designs...more about this in the future!!

I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Sincerely,