Hakuna Ma 'Tata-naka!'

So as i promised, here is my next post followed on about our wonderful London Fashion Week 13. Ive been scouring the internet and magazine pages to spot a designer (or designers) with an edge and i came across a duo that have made a big impression. 'Tata-naka'. There are so many amazing little facts about this duo, here's just a few!

1) They are identical twin sisters! 
2) They moved to London in 1996 and went on to study at Central St Martins.
3) Their collections were regularly worn in 'Sex and the City' and even starred on the cover of the book.
4) They also featured in an exhibition in the V&A in 2010 for their 10th anniversary of their fashion house.
5) They won the 'New generation' award at LFW.

They have been around for over ten years and to have such a 'wow' effect on myself and others for their new spring/summer 13 collection. they are clearly doing something right.

Here's some of my absolute favourites:

Cut out polka dot shirt dresses, illustration prints, rich colours and pastel play-suits.
Heaven.
Is it even possible to have such an enormous love for all of these outfits? In a dream world i'd just swan on down to the Tata-naka house and order one of every colour, but reality has set in that this will never happen. (Cry.) SO the next best thing about all of this is that it is do-able without breaking the bank. A lot of these influences are around right now, and i think it might be even worth a try by creating some cut out midi skirts. I think that will be my next venture. Charity shops are amazing places to find printed midi skirts or even old shirts. All that would be needed is a pair of very sharp textile scissors, and a needle & thread, i really think it could all be recreated from old garm's.

What i really love is that it's all about the silhouette that the clothes make, it screams 60's but with a flash of flesh. Even when looking through their entire Autumn/Winter 13 preview its all about definitive shape, block colour and artistic patterns. 

It has a similar feel to the Lazy Oaf brand, because of the bright colour's and symmetrical shapes. But i think it's a brand that we will always realize that its 'Tata-naka' straight away.

 If Autumn/Winter 13 is going to look like this than i think i am in for a very dressy season indeed. I do hate how the cold weather can sometimes ruin our natural styles, i think may have to invest in a fair few pairs of woolly tights because i absolutely love wearing skirts and dresses in the summer, i believe if you can brave the weather then don't automatically switch to leggings and boots. 

All we need is courage people!

Not to get off course here though, lets go on. I am now infatuated with these people. They clearly love collars and decorative necklines, i love collars and decorative necklines too.

Big. Time. 

Here's a sneaky peek from their Autumn range,    
 beautiful isn't it? It's like looking at a screen shot from bejeweled, it's just amazing. The contrast of all the colour is what makes it stand out, some people would say its garish, i have to strongly disagree. It's oddly comforting, possibly because it's the kind of thing that our nan's wore when we were toddlers growing up. Either way I am a HUGE fan. 

 

To sum up, I am now a converted follower & lover of Tata-naka and I'm so annoyed at myself for not finding them sooner. I love the colour schemes and silhouette shapes they have created for this season. It isn't necessarily on trend in the mainstream world but i love, love, love it. It really has inspired me to go out and find some crazy midi skirts and shirts to cut up and make my own.

 I hope you have enjoyed my little adventure in discovering Tata-naka for myself and if you had already found them, i am jealous. 

Lots of Love, Maddy x

So a little birdy told me it's fashion week...

So seeing as i couldn't physically be at Fashion Week 2013 (SOB!) I've been doing a lot of catching up online on the official London Fashion Week website and majority of the high-lights are now flooding the pages of my most loved magazines, Company, Vogue and Elle. It's amazing how different each catwalk show can be and   to see which direction our spring/summer trends will be heading in the high-street any day now. So if you're like myself, and want to know a heads up but couldn't quite make it to the front rows of LFW (joke, as if i could be in that hot seat) then these posts will just be a brief flash of my favourite shows and trends that I've seen on my screen! I'm gonna be doing a few posts about the week as there's SO much to cram in.

To kick this all off, 'Moschino Cheap And Chic' show really caught my eye, with it's wild colours and strong 70's vibe. Throughout the entire collection we see bright oranges, mini dresses and oddly enough, A LOT of pineapple prints. It's quirky and has steered from the typical neutral pastels that are still on trend from last spring. Platforms are making a come back, from Brothal creepers to almost  ridiculous Austin Powers-esque boots, we can see that it's here to stay.

Moschino does allow a few pastels in the collection though, with soft sheer 3/4 length blouses and floaty midi skirts with a floral twist. But adding an edge to the Downton abbey vibe, throw in a chunky pair of orange lace up leather platforms. This is one of my personal faves from the spring/summer collection because it's so fresh and crisp compared to all the coats and scarves everybody still wears at the moment, i cannot wait for spring and this outfit sums it all up for me.

Without letting you guys miss out on what i meant by a few pineapples thrown here and there, this AMAZING bag is just what I'm talking about, matched up with a dip dye style tea dress with a neat white collar and cuffs, this dress is almost perfect for the winter to spring cross over. The only criticism i have with this piece (sorry) is trainers with dresses. Lily Allen did it a few years ago and everybody thought it was the new BIG thing, i think personally if you're going to make an effort to wear a lovely dress and a pineapple then you should really just throw on a pair of dainty brogues or at a push, Dr Martens. 

To sum up this amazing collection, i find the colour combinations exhilarating, it was better than what i expected from Moschino. I'm happy to see that classics such as the midi skirt and tea dress are still hitting the catwalks this spring/summer. I love the absolute randomness of the pineapple inserts into the entire collection, it really is worth checking out. Like i said, my only criticism is the trainers on the catwalk, not a fan.

Hope you found it an interesting read and carry on following to see what other high-lights i stumble upon. 

Thanks my darlings.

   

Dear little Madison Clair...

My darling little Madison Clair,

 First, please pull your ever growing, wavy brown hair from your face. You will come to realize that people can still see you even though you think you're hiding. Secondly, look up, you are missing so much of what's around you because you like to watch your feet walk, you will end up walking into a lamp-post, sorry to tell you sweetheart but this happens and it hurts.There we go. Now we can start. You are scared, you have always thought about your future and I'm here at 21 to tell you, its all going to be fine. Its a bumpy ride but you feel and learn so much. This is hard for me to tell you but mom and dad don't stay together like in the fairy tales  they fell out of love but in no way is it your fault or our siblings, it will be a horrible few years ahead but don't take sides and spend time with them both.

  They love you.

Speak up when you go secondary school, your so quiet in the beginning. You're scared you wont make friends, you do and their wonderful. They show you your inner (and very much goth-ier self) you develop a passion for music and going to gigs because of these wonderful girls. Dad wont approve of how you dress, which will be A LOT of black, mom will wonder where her shy little girls gone but stick with it. My advice though, don't go over board with the white makeup and black eye-shadow  You will face so many people who will be nasty about how you dress, even to the extent of physical fights but you must walk away from it and if you can't, 

please fight back. Don't stand and take it. 

Now were getting into your teen years, your going to cut your hair, short, mom goes mental but you feel amazing about it. You will dye it too. A lot.You will meet one boy, who defines your teen years. He will cause you so much heartbreak and the world will feel like its coming to an end. Its really not. Just stick with your friends, they were there through it all, just make sure you thank them because i don't think i did. After all this boy drama you will carry on through school and onto sixth form. Please try and do your best in school, i know its boring but you will need all these silly qualifications later on.

During your sixth form years and after, dad will get very sick, there's nothing you can do about it, sorry little one, my advice is to ask him to go the doctors sooner and pester him to stop smoking. Oddly though it brings him and mom together again, briefly. You see him change, physically and mentally. Just hold his hand through it, i know he doesn't show it a lot at this point but he's grateful.

 Now this is even harder to tell you, mom gets sick too. Its okay though because she is tough. You know this because at this point you will be tough too. She will need you though, she won't say she will but she will. She has an incredible journey through it and just as it seems like its getting worse, it does get better, she still smiles. It seems so unfair that they both get poorly but don't worry little one, they are both still here today. It will help you to grow and see some perspective on the world but don't let it dampen it.

This is the bit where i should tell you, you must go to university and get that degree you so want right now but don't. Move to Leicester with your best friend Steph. You will meet the most incredible group of friends. They are all so different, just like you. These are the people you need to keep in your life, they will be your rock. This is where all the possible life lessons you will learn happens. Some are good, some aren't so good. You will face a very dark year but there is nothing you can do to help this, it brings you and all our friends together. You will miss her but just treasure that time together. You will also meet someone very special, he is literally you, in male form. He's amazing Mads, you just don't tell him enough. All these people are around right now and you'll be 21 (nearly 22). Life's not perfect right now but the people around are. You need to tell them more how great they are, start alphabetically if you have to, just get it done.

So to sum up this incredibly long letter to you. You need to look around more otherwise you'll miss it. Stand up for yourself. Let yourself fall for people and let them hurt you. If you don't you won't be as tough as i am. Don't blame yourself for the events that unravel which will be out of your hands. Draw more, create more and sew more. Maybe find Joe and your friend sooner than the age of 19. You now love anything from the 50's so get collecting. Smile little one, its a lot to take on but you give yourself such a hard time. 

You are brave, special and you are me.

Love Madison Clair, age 21.

P.S This is Joe, go find him Mads  ♥

Paintings & the like.

I'm into art and illustration in a big way, i studied it at school from when i started till when i finished sixth form then went on to do my art foundation year. Unfortunately me and art took a bit of a tumble and i lost my passion for doing it, also time was an issue. A busy working life got in the way and i moved to Leicester and went out. A LOT. Its only in this last year I'm trying really hard to get back into painting and sketching again. So as some self encouragement I'm gonna put some old work I've done and some work I'm progressing on at the minute. I think it's always good to look back on work so to improve or just to remind yourself that you can do it! 

This is Raquel Reed, she's an alternative model for New York Couture. One of my favourite models as you can see, she has the most amazing coloured hair! This painting was fairly recently and i used acrylic paint.

This is a copy of an artist named D*Face, this is his interpretation of a Roy Lichtenstein piece. I just loved how D*Face changed the mans face in the photo and made it skeletal, adding a bit of creepiness to such a famous picture. A lot of his work has a similar feel to this, i guess its like his own trademark.  I originally did this copy as a present to my boyfriend (i was blonde at the time so i thought it suited) Again, I'm a huge fan of acrylics and think you can never go too wrong with something that you're so comfortable with. Pop art was hugely popular in the 60's and it still has a huge influence in a lot of illustrations now. 

This is my own portrait painting of Lana Del Rey, a huge fashion icon to me. I worked from a similar image from a Vogue photo-shoot she did with them last year, i added the flowers round her neck and the little bee. Its not complete yet and I'm always jumping from one project to another. I really need to experiment more with different media but i just trust myself with acrylic paint so much more! I've done pieces (back in school a million years ago) in chalk pastels which was fun but i think there's more freedom in painting (plus chalk gets EVERYWHERE). 

I'm easily inspired by other artists work, or just by listening to Bon Iver on repeat for 10 hours. What really helps me get to work is the biggest mug of coffee and some sunshine. What else more could motivate someone to do anything. 

I love sunshine :3

♥

So moral of the story here, practice makes perfect. Wait. That doesn't quite cut the mustard here. Practice till you like what you see and just do it for the hell of it. That's better.

♥

I'm really glad I've finally do a little blog post about my little  paintings and hopefully this will encourage me to actually do some more. Practice genuinely does improve how you see your work, and made it my very belated new years resolution to draw more and experiment. If anybody has any tips or ideas for some fun illustration projects, I'd love to hear them.

Thanks for reading guys, hope you've enjoyed it,

  Love Madison ♥

'Something old, something new.'

SO. It's got to that time of year again when I'm reviewing ever single item that has passed through my hands and onto my clothes rail. Every scrap of fabric that has graced my over flowing drawers and even more impressively, the pile on the floor in the corner. I start off really well, with every intention of brutally throwing away skirts that are now too big (thanks to moving away from home and having to cook meals for myself, i lost a lot of weight, two dress sizes in fact, that i have no desire to gain back) discarding dresses that are way too radically patterned to be even considered kitsch. But when i get down to it the pile of 'I will wear it again someday, somewhere' gets increasingly bigger. In the end, I did get down to it and i was brutal. It left my clothes rail full still and my room a lot tidier. I have sold majority of these items on Ebay but some i have kept because i seen potential in changing them into something new and wearable. So here it is, my first post on how to alter a boring piece of clobber into something new. 

I chose to alter a dress i had that i never worn because it didn't suit me, but the colour was beautiful. I am going to change it into an elasticated waistband circle skirt. 

Much more my style.

What you will need to magic your old dresses into something wearable again:

      1. An old dress to alter     

      2. A needle and cotton (or preferably a sewing machine)

      3. A pair of sharp fabric scissors

      4. A strip of elastic (about 4cm thick)

      5. Sewing pins

Step one: Get the dress.

So this is my old dress which is going to be the basis of this little project. Lie on a flat surface, using sharp textile scissors, cut across the middle section of the dress, 

<-------  which is here


You will end up with what looks like a square of fabric, if careful you will end up with what is a cylinder of material. So no need to sew in any side seams for the skirt.

Step two: Pinning the waist band.

We want to create a hem that is big enough to accommodate your elastic, mine was around 4cm wide, i folded the waist inwards and began to pin along the seams edge. I pin side-ways as not to catch the hems material in the middle, so its like a small tunnel for the elastic to sit in. Once its pinned all along the edge we can sew! I had to hand-stitch mine with a pale blue cotton to match the fabric colour but using different colour cottons can make it look   quirky so experiment! Once sewn all along the edge i left a small opening in the natural seam of my dress to thread the elastic through.



Step three: Get threading!

I learnt this handy trick years ago in my textiles class at school, you fasten a safety pin horizontally along the elastic. This then acts as a 'guidance' for when the elastic is out of sight and in the created hem pocket.
*Little tip, don't accidentally let the pin unfasten whilst   threading. Ouch!


Step four: Finishing touches!

Once the elastic is threaded through, stretch it to the desired length, this will then create the 'paper-bag' waist effect on the waistband of the skirt. Snip off any extra elastic that isn't needed and the sew together, then finally tuck in the seam and sew along the edge to neaten up. 

You can pretty much do this with any old dress, preferably dresses that aren't extremely fitted otherwise you wont have enough 'spare' fabric to create a ruched edge :) Hope this all was helpful and made sense. I'd love to see if any others use this to create a 'paper-bag' waist skirt.



                           

                           Love, Madison