Bryony Birkbeck

So happy to discover the wonderful bizarre costumes of Bryony Birkbeck. as well as her set designs and illustrations, everything Bryony does is fun and engaging and makes you want to see more.

Katherine Roberts Wood

Katherine Roberts Wood MA show at RCA has wonderfully complex, structured garments. Constructed without stitch, using tabs and slots with contrasting surfaces of colour to create an optical effect as the wearer of the garment moves. They were created with wool, felt and jersey bonded together to create form and flexibility as a response to the patterns in nature.

“I aim to balance complexity with a simple rule such as repetition, to create an aesthetic that engages the wearer or viewer, with a focus on creating texture through structure in a way that is intriguing, curious and plays with senses and perceptions.” Katherine Roberts Wood

Caitlin Charles-Jones

Caitlin Charles-Jone's MA graduate collection for RSA has a feeling of Armour. The balaclavas remind me of round headed helmets and the layered knitwear and lace used in the garments is very much like chainmail. Caitlin has been selected for the Muse X Vogue Talents Competition 2014.

Tommy Zhong

Tommy Zhong has just graduated in textiles from GSA.

"The silhouettes for this collection have evolved from the environmental works of Christo and Jean Claude; the raw photojournalistic works of Jackie Nickerson and the unsettling 'Hidden Mother' portraits of the Victorian era. Also photographs of sourced vintage clothes were collaged to create new shapes and forms.

Various means of covering the body were explored, including: wrapping, concealing, binding, draping layering and encasing. Ideas of finished and unfinished were also explored. Research was also undertaken into the textures of urban environments and these have been expressed through the bleached tonality of canvas, calico and horsehair." Tommy Zhong

Liga Lazdina I

Liga Lazdina has just completed her HND in Fashion at Fife College and is now going on to study further at Edinburgh College of Art. She created two very different collections in her final year.

Homeland - means Hawaii in Hawaiian, that is why I named my collection Homeland. I was looking at Hawaii as a whole- their culture and nature.
The designs are inspired by the mountains, water and flower lei's and also hula skirts (the colours,drape details and tassels). The gathered fabric details were inspired by pineapple- I was trying to recreate the texture of pineapples skin.

Ana Strumpf

Ana Strumpf a Brazilian designer based in New York has been re visiting magazine covers with sharpie pens and creating dynamic, colourful  changes and reinterpretation of classic magazine covers, the disposable icons of consumerism, and making them an art form of their own.

" The idea grew out of a principle that permeates all my work for a long time – to recreate, revisit, recompose – only now in the form of manual interventions on fashion magazine covers. In a moment in which the printed press goes through such a strong crisis, I find this a playful way to re-signify these publications that, usually, would end up discarded." Ana Strumpf 

Christine Thom

Inspired by the theme of paradise Christine Thom looked to exotic lands, flora and fauna to create her final garment for Fashion Design and Production with Retail HND at Fife College. The layered skirt and  hot pink and orange top reminded me of Commes de Garcon's A/W 2012 collection with its over-sized bold silhouette. I also liked the way Christine had such a dramatic and strong outfit on such a lovely shy model Tara Doherty, a perfect contrast and combination.

John Paul Gaultier II

I couldn't not include some of the wonderful corsets by John Paul Gaultier  including; Top: The corset made for Madonna's Blond ambition, Bottom: Satin Cage dress from the 'Around the world in 168 outfits' collection.

John Paul Gaultier I

It was wonderful to see a sample of John Paul Gaultier amazing creative output yesterday at the Barbican.
Great to see more than one hundred and sixty five of his creations in one place and to be able to go really close and see all of the detail and construction.
This is his 'Shield' Fan pleated Chiffon Gown 2005, from the Tribute to Africa Collection.
The exhibition is on until the 25th of August and is well worth a visit.

Orianne Lopes

Orianne Lopes is a young French artist who's work explores the body, its perceived, symbolic and mythical identity, using sculpture and costume to create photographs. (thank you)