ALL ABOUT THE DRESS

WELL! If you didn't know that today was the Royal Wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton... THEN WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN?!

Oh I do love a good wedding, bloggies! And of course, it is all about the dress really, isn't it?

Speculation over the designer and style of the most famous dress in the world (an estimated 2 billion people watched Kate arrive at Westminster Abbey a few hours ago) had been building for months, but reached fever pitch last night.

The reason? Sarah Burton - head designer at Alexander McQueen - was seen arriving at The Goring Hotel in central London where Kate spent her last night as a single woman, and the grainy shot of a hooded figure in ballet flats slipping into the side entrance of the 5* hotel pretty much sealed the deal... KATE WOULD BE WEARING MCQUEEN!

And indeed she was. Those of us waiting on tenterhooks to see the dress were NOT disappointed (I actually shrieked and spilled my tea down my jumper... glamorous):

Stunning, stunning, stunning! Pics via Getty Images and ELLE

According to the Telegraph, "the dress was made with ivory and white satin gazar. The skirt echoed an opening flower, with white satin gazar arches and pleats and the train measured two metres 70 centimetres. The ivory satin bodice, which was narrowed at the waist and padded at the hips, drew on the Victorian tradition of corsetry and is a hallmark of Alexander McQueen's designs. The back was finished with 58 gazar and organza covered buttons fastened by Rouleau loops and the underskirt was made of silk tulle trimmed with Cluny lace."

Sarah Burton DONE GOOD I think we'd all agree. I had predicted and hoped for something just like this - demure, gorgeous, slightly 50s in essence with lace sleeves and deep V neck: old fashioned but with a modern twist - and the reality more than met my expectiations. I especially loved all the tiny details like the tiara and veil, no necklace and embroidery on the bottom of the gown. Her hair was half up, half down - a style with which Kate clearly feels comfortable.

Really, it was an absolutely faultless overall look. I have to confess, bloggies, I came over more than a little misty-eyed when I first saw it in all its glory! A poignant moment for the late great Lee McQueen and British Fashion in general... *SNIFF!*

Sarah Burton was quoted on ELLEUK as saying: "It was such an incredible honour to be asked, and I am so proud of what we and the Alexander McQueen team have created.

Burton declared herself "delighted that the dress represents the best of British craftsmanship. Alexander McQueen's designs are all about bringing contrasts together to create startling and beautiful clothes and I hope that by marrying traditional fabrics and lacework, with a modern structure and design, we have created a beautiful dress for Catherine on her wedding day."


*SNIFF/SNOTTER!*

However, although I had hoped against hope that Sarah Burton would take inspiration from one of my favourite, if not my absolute favourite wedding dresses of all time - Grace Kelly's - I couldn't have dreamed that the inspiration would be interpreted in such a fittingly literal way. The similarities, both between the dresses of Grace and Kate, and circumstances of their marriages into royalty are notable.

Grace Kelly the American actress (and therefore "commoner") married Crown Prince Rainier of Monaco in April 1956. Kelly's wedding dress, designed by MGM's Academy Award–winning Helen Rose, was worked on for six weeks by three dozen seamstresses:

The resemblance between the two dresses (and women of course!) is undeniable, but the subtle differences in detailing, neckline and hair styling brings Kate's McQueen gown into the 21st century. Truly, a dress that will be remembered forever.

Never has a potential future Queen looked as stunning since gorgeous Grace herself.

Swoooooon!

BY ALL MEANS NECESSARY

Hey bloggies! Excuse the HUNNERS O' POSTS recently... What can I say, I'm inspired!

Here's another wee piece I bashed out earlier about a joint art exhibition I went to on Friday night. I might be biased since one of these talented artists is my friend's beau, but seriously I was MEGA impressed with the genuine, simplistic nature of their work. Arty folk make me SUPER envious, I can just about draw stick figures!

Anyway, N-JOY. 

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Friday 22 April saw Glasgow's art lovers flock to the top floor studio at uber-cool hangout The Art School to witness a special exhibition of recent work by artists Jackson Marlette and Robin Leishman.

The two students in their final year at Glasgow School of Art put together the unique event - By All Means Necessary - in a matter of weeks, and greeted the plethora of guests with a cold beer and a polite eagerness to discuss the concept for the exhibition:

“The idea was to show that massively differing personal inspirations can sit side by side in a harmonious habitat through linking imagery,” said Robin.

“We wanted to show that art doesn’t need to be consciously curated together to work collaboratively in this sort of space. There just needs to be an overlap in passion to allow the work to make sense together, and in our case what links our work is the psychology, imagery and military motifs.”

Indeed, walking into the exhibition space, sparse but for the adorned walls, visitors were confronted with two very different fine art styles.

Jackson Marlette’s work used primarily paint and spray paint on canvas (materials that are sometimes considered ‘primitive' in a contemporary sense), and focused on memory and paranoia.

The most striking aspect of his work was the imagery of guerrilla militia and live arms set against a background of vivid primary colours and erratic brush strokes to create a contrast between the unsettling and the childish. Needless to say, the result was disturbing yet captivating.

Like Jackson, Robin’s work also focused on childhood and memory, however the materials used in his case included photography, sketches and pine and steel etchings.

A favourite among visitors was a mural of photographs showing toy soldiers carrying a wounded comrade away on a stretcher. The photos had been stitched together with thread to create one large, touching scene.

Robin said: “I wanted to explore the relationship that we all form with inanimate objects in order to stimulate an organic memory of the past.”

“It’s privately a shrine to the memory of my father. By using the military toys that he once played with as a child, I was hoping to create a bridge to a man that I never knew by developing a relationship with his possessions, and using their motifs to engage in a visual dialogue.”

If the effect of By All Means Necessary was to show that different styles of art can exist in the same space harmoniously, linked only by one single inspiration, then the brief was undoubtedly met.

Guests at the exhibition marvelled at the unique notion of a joint showcase, and Leishman and Garrett have certainly caught the attention of Glasgow’s art luvvies, which will surely stand both artists in great stead for the future.

(Nice arse-shot eh?)

You can see Robin Leishman and Jackson Marlette’s work displayed at the Glasgow School of Art’s degree show from June 11- 18.

I'M IN LOVE...

..with a shoe.

Behold, the Jeffrey Campbell Smudge Fab in black paisley:

I know everyone harps ON AND ON AND ON about the bloody Litas but they don't particularly do it for me and in my opinion are the perfect example of The-Emperor's-New-Clothes syndrome...

These are WAY more up my street. J'adore :)

TEN 30 - THE UKRAINIAN GIRL

So, I know I am SUPER late to the Ten30 party, but forgive me! The following is a short (OK long) review of their latest collection...

Ten30 have created something truly unique with their fourth collection, The Ukrainian Girl. Not solely with the result, though the garments are stunningly-simple and gorgeous in their own right, but with the inspiration for the range.

You see, the Ukrainian girl after whom the collection is named doesn’t actually exist. She’s a fictional 24-year-old girl called Abigail - half gamine, Eastern-Bloc goddess and half English rose. Yes, I did just say fictional!

Alan Moore, designer behind Ten30 who was recently awarded Best New Scottish Designer at the Scottish Variety Awards, explains that Abigail – a.k.a The Ukrainian Girl - acts as an imagined inspiration and represents a mixture of his experiences and aspirations:

"My influence for this collection was born from my intrigue of Ukrainian pysanka, European ballet and 90's Versace. This range afforded me the opportunity to combine the most interesting features from all three to create a contemporary ready-to-wear collection,” said the 24-year-old designer.

Moore continues:

“I’ve been developing Abigail’s story and character for many months now. She has her own blog and Facebook page giving her a virtual persona. I want people to understand my designs through her eyes, as she is the pivotal point for the collection.”

Brilliant and baffling though this explanation may be, there’s no denying the beauty of the pieces he has created using the imaginary Abigail as his muse:

A Luxurious shift dress cut from Persian-style printed silk and adorned with a Peter-pan collar – detail of the moment, it is all about collars for spring – is a personal highlight.

A similar print is used for a surprisingly demure calf-length skirt, which conjures connotations both of the 90s Versace influence Moore mentions, but also reminds me of Christopher Kane’s latest nostalgic AW11 collection:

But there are also more wearable, everyday pieces present too, including a Breton-striped t-shirt, harem pants and pure wool boleros, all printed and hand-made in Scotland.

Cathy Black, head of textiles at Scottish Enterprise who provide industry support to textiles designers and companies in Scotland, said:

“Since graduating [from Glasgow School of Art], Alan Moore has created beautifully-designed bespoke garments and a number of successful capsule selections. The Ukrainian Girl, his second official line, is a beautiful mix of contemporary print on quality fabric.”

What is most striking about this collection, after the high-caliber craftsmanship and quality of the pieces, is the obvious fact that Ten30 are prepared to commit 110% to their inspiration without diluting it. A fictional Ukrainian girl might sound peculiar, but she has acted as muse for a dynamic and intriguing collection of garments which showcase Ten30 as a brand to watch for the future.

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I unfortunately couldn't make The Ukrainian Girl debut catwalk show so could only review the collection via the press shots. I'd have loved to have seen some close-up shots of the prints and details, but on the other hand I do love the contrast between the gritty urban setting and the clean lines of the pieces in the lookbook shots.

Here's a few snaps of the show:

Hot stuff. Loving the quirky makeup, styling and presentation...

What do you guys reckon?

FAVOURITE

Happy Easter, bloggies!

I'm afraid Easter doesn't really mean much to me (sept a monster sugar coma DUH) and I've been working all day instead of out and about enjoying the relatively mild/dry weather SO I'm in a bit of a spring grump.

To cheer myself up I've been taking yet another evening to appreciate this stunning collection. Why? Cos it makes me happy and cos I CAN. SIGH. Indulge me...

Christopher Kane AW10

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Pics from Tumblr

Uhhhhft! I CANNOT understand why the highstreet didn't pick up on this trend/print.

Aaaaaanyway, soon as I saw this badboy back in December on Net a Porter, I knew I had to have it:

Christopher Kane galaxy print modal tshirt

=

Excuse the crappy toilet shot - I don't have a tripod or a white wall or the BALLS to take full outfit shots... Anyway, yeah, pretty much my most favourite tshirt in the entire world now :)

I know I go on and on about this galaxy/nebula print but I seriously think that the highstreet has missed a massive opportunity to make a killing by replicating the Kane AW10 look. I mean come on, I don't know about you but... I would do heinous, unspeakable things to own this badboy:

LUST.

 Over and out for tonight bloggies.

INSPIRATION OF THE DAY

Lula magazine fall/winter 2010 (Rodarte-edited special)

Kirsten Dunst shoot.

N-JOY!

Stunnin.

TODAY I FEEL LIKE...

This:

 

pics from Etsy



I know it's spring, but I'm chilly!

I wish I lived in 1990s Seattle and it was permenantly November...