ss17

Huzzah! We’ve reached the final instalment of my LFW Spring Summer 2017 illustrations series! I really hope you’ve enjoyed them. I’m quite exhausted as they do take a while to finish, and that’s without the write-up on top. Let me know which was your favourite in the comments! 

~ MARQUES’ALMEIDA SS17 ~

Another collection for LFW that is heavy on the brocade front, as well as the oversized front too. That’s actually something that has surprised me for this upcoming spring/summer season – there’s a lot of heavy weighted fabrics and fits. It’s more masculine in a sense, which perhaps stems from the idea of gender fluid collections.

Marques’Almeida, just like Richard Malone, is fairly new to me, even if it isn’t to others. I think it’s always exciting to discover something new to your own eyes, because you can get a fresh take on what everyone else is already in the know of, and I’m excited to see more of what they have to offer. This was one of my favourite looks, above.

~ TOGA SS17 ~

Something which I always find interesting is when collections are all about the structure and genuine design of the pieces. What I mean by that is; you can see the structure of how things are made. You can see what should be on the inside, on the outside. It’s like a construction drawing come to life; all the lines that were originally sketches, left and not touched.

A mix of influences made up Toga SS17, and once again, the textures and fabrics were unlike the usual spring/summer choices. Everything is tough and substantial, but frills and pleating add that touch of, well, femininity.

~ WHICH COLLECTION WAS YOUR FAVOURITE? ~
Day #1 // Day #2 // Day #3 // Day #4

I’m going to be taking a quick breather from blog posts for now (I have just worked my socks off with these illustrations), so I’ll be back soon! I guess my drawing tablet and I will see you next season?

The penultimate instalment of my LFW Spring Summer 2017 illustrations are here! Featuring Burberry, ASHISH and yes, you read that title correctly – Crocs; Christopher Kane Crocs to be exact, because the idea seems so novelty to me, I couldn’t miss out on discussing it. Make sure you’re caught up on the past three days here, here and here. 

~ BURBERRY SS17 ~

I think I’ve come to the conclusion that I’m quite a fan of Burberry and it’s menswear, but the great thing about this SS17 season is the fact that we don’t even have to label it menswear. It’s all a part of the whole see-now-buy-now collection (another new expectation for designer collections, I suppose) – gender fluidity; all the lines blurred.

It’s a collection of comfort and Georgian styles, with curtain tassels on velvet capes, as well as 1920s influences. It’s all very soft and flowing, but of course, not lacking in outerwear. Although as I said, we don’t need to class it as menswear specifically, I do tend to gravitate towards the usual Burberry’s menswear line in general – there’s just something much more satisfying in every piece.

~ ASHISH SS17 ~

I’ve always had more respect for ASHISH than other designers, mainly because every collection is always so bold and creative, yet cohesive and wearable from start to finish; but also because of the diversity within their models and the influences and inspirations behind the shows.

ASHISH SS17 is all about Ashish’s Indian roots, and the idea of how love, devotion and faith blend into today’s world and multi-culturalism. The staging was beautiful with coloured lights above head, and a blind traditional musician playing live. It was majestic and gripping and was a true and respectful look into Indian culture. There’s so much controversy around cultural appropriation, but when it comes from the knowledge of someone who is personally involved within the roots of where it all came from, it’s always so much more powerful.

If there’s one collection you click off and take a gander at – it should be ASHISH.

~ CHRISTOPHER KANE X CROCS SS17 ~

And now, of course, the Crocs. A small addition to my illustration series, because I genuinely wanted to discuss the concept and get some feedback from you. What are your thoughts? Is it a true design collaboration? Is it a publicity stunt? Will we be seeing DIY tutorials on how to recreate the look for next summer?

In my opinion, they don’t look terrible, and I am perfectly happy with anyone choosing to wear a pair. I’m just intrigued to see how they work themselves into high fashion organically, and whether we really will be seeing the concept go further than just the Christopher Kane line. Rip-offs (as much as I hate them) are bound to happen, right?

What do you think of the Christopher Kane Crocs? Do you believe in cultural appropriation? Let me know in the comments! 

If you didn’t read my last post, then you won’t know that for each day of LFW Spring Summer 2017, I’m going to be posting a couple of illustrations! It’s a more personal way of covering the shows which I, unfortunately, can’t attend this season, so I hope you enjoy taking a look as much as I do making them!

~ MOLLY GODDARD SS17 ~

I’m always in awe of what Molly brings to the table just because she is such a genuine talent and has so much potential and opportunity waiting for her at only 27, and this season definitely didn’t disappoint. It was slightly more wearable than previous seasons in my opinion, with patchwork style hoodies included. It was also a catwalk rather than a presentation like her previous collections have been, which brought to life certain pieces and textures used throughout, like the knitwear and graphic tees.

Although as I said, the collection is more wearable (which I prefer), there were some really eye-catching pieces like this tulle number. The hair and make-up was also really beautiful, so I thought it made for an excellent illustration. Hats off to Molly once again!

~ RICHARD MALONE SS17 ~

As I mentioned in my AW16 LFW review, Richard Malone is a relatively new discovery for me, but a great one nonetheless. Inspired by uniforms across different industries, specifically nursing (notice the NHS blues?), it’s full of simple cuts and tailoring, and lots of small details like easy to access popper closures, as well as the striking Malone stripes and fitting figures.

It was bright and colourful, but in a minimalistic and themed way, and I can’t scratch away that feeling that there’s an underlying hint of Bowie throughout too (or maybe that’s just the makeup)? I’m actually genuinely interested in seeing how many collections pay tribute to him in some way… I guess we’ll have to wait and see!

What are your thoughts on LFW so far? Which illustration is your favourite? Let me know in the comments!

Recently I’ve been getting into digital illustration through Adobe Illustrator. I’m much more of a Photoshop kind of gal at heart, but the smooth and silky fluidity of all the tools on Illustrator has partly won me over. I can create lovely effects and much lovelier strokes and lines than I was able to do before (sort of sketchy and imperfect)… I’ve only been practicing on designer imagery so far, but I definitely want to take this style into my own work and designs sometime soon. So for now, I’ll leave you with a couple of my favourite Pre-Spring Summer 2017 collections that I’ve seen so far… in illustrated form of course 😉 I’ve also posted a couple of other illustrations over on my Tumblr, so do take a peep!

~ FENDI PRE-SS17 ~

Fendi is definitely one of my favourite modern designers and the SS17 has so much to prove as to why they should be one of your favourites too! With influences from antique Japanese prints and American flag inspired motifs, it might seem like an odd combination but it blends perfectly. It almost has a fairytale, Alice In Wonderland theme to it, especially with the collection shots. The checkered skirts meet woodland creature like furs (I can’t say it’s faux) and oversized coats. It’s several different things colliding at once but it works well because it shows Fendi’s talent for merging innovation and classic techniques all into one.

~ CHANEL PRE-SS17 ~

Over the past few years I think Chanel has become a much more relatable name and power house, mainly because of what Karl Lagerfeld has started to do with the collections becoming more of a statement to do with topics of the time. This time it was all about Cuba. Not only was the setting an important one, but so was the collection itself. It’s full of texture and depth but in a simplistic way, and I think that’s what you need for a pre-collection. You can read more about it here… it’s quite an interesting one.

~ LOUIS VUITTON PRE-SS17 ~

As pre-collections usually do these days, this collection was off on a travel to Rio, in celebration of the Olympics which are right around the corner. Inspired by athleticism and sports… a display of a young woman who has an edge about her, but might also be straight from the 1980s with her neon coat and a boombox in hand (well, a bag which has bluetooth and can play music, at least).

Where most sporty collections fall short of actually being ‘fashionable’, this collection picks it back up again with ruffled leather and suede paneled shirt dresses. I’m not usually one to gravitate to Louis Vuitton, but I’m certainly intrigued for what’s to come in the main, SS17 collection.

~ BOTTEGA VENETA PRE-SS17 ~

I’m not going to deny the fact I only recently discovered Bottega Veneta through the interwebs (actually an actress from *cough* a certain TV show which we shall not mention because you’ve probably already heard enough about it from me on Twitter or Instagram), but I’m in love with their elegant minimalism.

I love seeing designers who blend modern techniques with old ones, which I suppose is one of the main reasons I’ve chosen all of the designers I have… Bottega has a great way of doing this though, because it’s all on the surface. Their are frills and exciting elements, but they’re obvious ones which make each piece bolder. All of the fabrics look almost edible, especially with the candy colours, which we saw a lot of on the AW16 runways. They’re a nice new discovery, for me, anyway.

What do you think of the Pre-Spring Summer 2017 collections coming in so far? Which are your favourites?