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Posts Tagged ‘fashion inspiration’

Fashionable Quote of the Week by Flint J McDonald

Posted in Arts, Events, Fashion, Vintage, tagged , , , , , , , , , on February 6, 2023| 1 Comment »

Suit by Vivienne Westwood from the Anglomania Collection, 1993.

It’s the appreciation of the past for me, how she translates that to the now. I’ve always been into history and historical garments – the construction and cut of those clothes is so interesting to dissect and play with. Westwood triumphs at that. Playing with British heritage as she and Andres do is a real turn-on for me. And their appreciation of quality – I’m a sucker for luscious fabric.

Flint J McDonald – British fashion designer.

McDonald is speaking of British fashion designer Vivienne Westwood and her husband Andres (creative director of the Westwood brand) about how the couple influenced his work. I found this quote in the magazine AnOther, Autumn/Winter, 2021.

I was shocked and saddened to hear of the death of Vivienne Westwood on December 29, 2022.

Although she had no formal fashion design training, she had learned to sew at a young age and made all her own clothes. I was greatly impressed with her talent for construction and the ability to turn classic silhouettes and patterns into the unexpected.

Her skill and unique voice in the world will be missed.

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If I Were a Fashion Designer

Posted in Arts, Fashion, Uncategorized, Vintage, tagged , , , , , , , on August 24, 2022| 3 Comments »

Inspiration can be found anywhere at any time. I often stumble upon something that sets my imagination whirling into fashion mode, even though I’m not a designer.

Recently I was visiting Filoli Historic House and Garden in Woodside. While roaming the gardens I was taken with these bright and happy flowers. I commented to my partner that I could see these flowers on fabric. Then I started thinking – If I were a designer I would paint these flowers onto a medium weight cotton fabric in a repeated small print, perfect for a summer shirtwaist dress. An alternative would be to paint large, also on cotton fabric and make a caftan with a matching turban. Painted on silk, what fabulous lining for a lightweight coat. How about a silk quilted coat? Then I thought that if I were a fashion designer I would create a spring/summer line all based on the Filoli garden flowers.

I play this game – If I Were a Fashion Designer – whenever something sparks my fashionable imagination.

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Fashionable Quote of the Week by Issey Miyake

Posted in Arts, Fashion, Uncategorized, Vintage, tagged , , , , , , , , on May 10, 2021| 2 Comments »

Recycled plastic folded and formed into a wearable garment. Issey Miyake, 2010.

What I have been trying to do, and what I have probably done, is to make clothes that seem to have existed for a long, long time. In reality they never existed. I am not a designer who creates fashionable aesthetics. I make style out of life, not style out of style.

Issey Miyake – Japanese fashion designer.

May we all find inspiration for style from everyday life.

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A Conversation With Tyese Cooper

Posted in Arts, Events, Fashion, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on February 24, 2021| 5 Comments »

Several weeks ago a fashion colleague (and friend) of mine, Tyese Cooper contacted me and asked if she could interview me for her new blog post series. Of course I was happy to agree.

Based in Paris, Tyese is a sustainable fashion designer, business woman, and creative mentor/teacher. In her blog series, How to See, she talks to various artists and designers about creativity (I am honored to be included in this accomplished group).

On a certain day, Tyese and I successfully erased the time and miles between us by meeting on Zoom. Approaching the conversation in her own unique way, we began with the word start and what that word brings to mind. From there it was a wonderfully unexpected ride.

Click here to read my conversation with Tyese Cooper.

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Fashionable Quote of the Week by Pierpaolo Piccioli

Posted in Fashion, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , on October 19, 2020| Leave a Comment »

quoteBecause for me – always, but now more than ever – the human has to be at the center of the process. In these past decades, we’ve talked a lot about numbers – the first, the best. And in a way, this has created a kind of competition that I don’t think you really need. You can forget about creativity and the humanity because it’s all about money and marketing. And that’s not what fashion is for. Fashion is about dreaming, inspiring.

Pierpaolo Piccioli, Creative Director at Valentino.

This quote is from a discussion in Harper’s Bazaar  with designers about what’s important to them right now during these challenging times. (Summer, 2020)

The reason fashion has become more about numbers than people is because many of the houses are now owned by big corporations. It’s not a designer running his own house anymore, it’s a celebrity designer paid a lot of money to produce and produced and produced … until he’s used up and another one is put in place and so on. (Think Alexander McQueen, John Galliano, Alber Albaz).

Fashion cannot thrive without imagination and imagination needs time and space to develop.

 

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