Sat 14th: Swedish Fashion @ FTM

I have only just found out about the new exhibition at the Fashion and Textile Museum so asked my blog informer Ben Fern's to make it his latest mission to investigate . Ben headed south to Zandra Rhode's exhibition space, duley paid the £5 and reports back with the following info for anyone needing a weekend exhibit tip off:
13 Swedish designers on a quest to challenge the stereotypical picture of the countries fashion. The jewellery is fun and the Aud Charlotte Ho Sook Sinding pieces are really exciting. Other jewellery I thought was worth a look was Dada's Diamonds (www.dadasdiamonds.se/) and Henrik Brandt. Sandra Buckland's work alongside Fifth Avenue Shoe Repair, is inspiring and the best in the exhibition. Fifth Avenue's conceptual and unusual designs were something to really admire.




Thank you Ben for this beautiful images too!

Friday 13th March: Patrick Wolf's wardrobe by Ada Zanditon

On Sunday night I had the priveledge of seeing the 1st performance from Patrick Wolf's iminent album release "Bachelor". I saw him preview new material last year but had no idea how the themes have evolved and what creations have been invented since the initial incarnation. As an exponent of avantgarde experimentation in his dress, I was just as excited to see his new wardrobe as hear the new songs. And boy, the prolific talent has been hard at work collaborating with designer Ada Zanditon to perfectly polish the next chapter.
I got in touch with Ada to find out exactly how it came about.
Patrick played her some music and explained a brief for her to freely interpret: death, oblivion, battle, bones picked clean, an elegant carcus.....visuals to come out of songs such as "Vulture".



"i had this kind of idea for a klaus nomi inspired charachter - the suit
a vulture - the vulture cape
and a henry the 8th the younger like a battle hero

suit - polished cotton very thick - pop out coffin panel on the arm and
generally inspired by coffins and vampires and oblivion....

vulture - vultures feathers as a suit of armour so its taking on the
strength / sight / cunning of the vulture in a shamanistic way .....

the henry 8th via space - human hair shoulder pads . heat seam sealing
tape to finish edges ......... henry the 8000th....

then the needles jacket was from my previous collection
that is inspired by extending the skeleton out of the body extending the
nerve endings touching the world with a magnification of what is
microscopic..."

Ada, who just exhibited in the Aesthetica section of London Fashion Week opperates her business within parameters of sustainability and ethical design. Her aesthetic is to create cutting edge conceptual clothes from conciencsely considered materials. Patrick has metomophisised by shedding the shimmering sparkling Peter Pan era and emmerged by crackling open spiky and radical new wings. I went backstage after the gig to have a close look at the incredible garments that have given his presence such a radical new energy. The jacket with spears is covered in individually sewn sticks that bristle in wakes when moved. If you want to see the spectacle for yourself and missed the show at Heaven last night, you can catch the act again at Koko in Camden tonight. For non Londoners, check Patrick's upcoming tour dates: http://www.myspace.com/officialpatrickwolf

(Thank you to Ada for the snaps from her fittings and the other images I have lifted from Nova Dando's blog.)








(Snow photos courtesy of: http://novadando.blogspot.com/)

Thurs 12th March: Sara Nobre

Thank you to Sara Nobre who joined me from Ravensborne to help with the collection and has just finished her work placement. Before she heads back home today for Lisbon fashion week, she has given me one of her lego necklace creations, complete with incased spaceman. Awesome, thanks man!

Tues 10th March: More Rosy Nicholas

Tues 10th March: Rosy Nicholas

In the midst of LFW preparation meltdown I received this crazily cosmic envelope in the post. The contents were equally gorge and here is one of the screen-print collage postcards. I didn't have time to investigate further................but just as soon as I could............look what I unearthed!!!!!!! Oh my God, how sparkalicious is this? Its the work of prop maker / illustrator Rosy Nicholas who has many sections on her website to have fun hopping around. But these images are from her Super 8 video work for which she built a space suit from kitchen foil, masking tape and felt-tip pens. My kind of choice materials! Infact I have the very same fluorescent stripey paper in my special paper folder so I knew we were on the same page.............(excuse terrible use of pun, they do slip in occasionally...........I fully lay blame at the feet of spadgerdisco)

Mon 9th March: Salome

This has been a long weekend of back-to-back gigs with Saturday's stint being the Salome screening on the southbank with live score by Bishi. I met up with her earlier in the week to get an idea of the original costumes to recreate something to adorn her hair. Its funny that I stayed faithful to the Aubery Beardsley theme but ended up with something intrinsically Bishi! I love that unconscious surprise in craft. So here is a screengrab from the 1923 film, a work-in-progress shot of my peacock headdress and two portraits from the event kindly sent to me by photographer Sara Ekholm.
I think that I have seen Bishi perform more times than I have fingers & toes, and it has never ever been the same twice! From a small ukulele folk gathering upstairs in a pub, to The London Symphony Orchestra album rearrangement and then NYC prodigy organist Cameron Carpernter collaboration in East End churches, to a backing track P.A at Kashpoint, to the set of The Jonathon Ross show, to a solo sitar recital on the staircase at the V&R Barbican exhibition, to an alfresco summer acoustic birthday duo with Patrick Wolf....................what is next on the horizon?............South by Southwest in Texas?...........(that could be me spreading an incorrect rumour, I get confused who is doing what so check her myspace for gig updates!)

Mon 9th March: Colorize

On Thurs eve Esser's stylist Kim Howells took me down into the depths of Selfridges to the Ultralounge for the launch of the recent Ray Ban project "Colorize". The newly coined covetable classic sunglasses label have introduced an idea similar to that of previous Adidas and Fendi popular DIY products. A pair of white Wayfarers come complete with a pack of felt tips to "colorize" your own pair. To introduce the limited edition line to the UK, Ray Ban commissioned 10 musicians/designers to customize a pair of specs and a Fender guitar to exhibit at Selfridges. Amongst the names asked were Biffy Clyro, New Young Pony Club, PPQ and the Mystery Jets and our friends Esser who performed live on the night. The Esser design was a collaboration with the band's art-director Elisha Smith-Leverock and illustrator Omar Hraib. Thanks to Kim for a snap from the night where you can see some of her canny styling in the form of a heavily embroidered pearly king jacket made for Ben by Judy Blame. Better detail can be seen in this backstage video from their recent stadium tour supporting The Kaiser Chiefs which came to an end the following night at Wembley.







Arena Tour Diary day 1



(Colorize snap courtesy of : http://fashionslant.blogspot.com/)