Wednesday 8 October 2014

The Trends on Wednesday: What to make of the Spring 2015 Fashion Weekshows




This week, I felt that the time was right not to focus on trends but to catalogue, through my own purely emotional filter, what caught my eye during the spring/summer 2015 shows. The shows might be over in the big fashion capitals but rather than being bogged down by the bitter sweet lull after the storm, I thought I'd draw out the excitement of the shows by re-living the highlights that spurred me on to reach for my scissors and glue gun with a frisson of aesthetic delight, or - as a sane person might put it - I thought I'd milk it with another collection of pretty pictures and inane ramblings that might r might not have something to do with DIY fashion! So, here are my top ten must-make items.

Symphony of deconstruction

Image: Style.com
One of the more outré and complex DIY project types on the list, I thought, but this is nonetheless worth the outing in the name of sustainability. Think about it - instead of buying a handful of disposable items on the cheap in the hope of breathing some life into your wardrobe, you can make do and amend not one but two garments for a totally unique look!

Make mine a macramé


Image: Style.com

This slouchy Giorgio Armani bag is a brilliant exercise in monochrome macramé chic that made me want to maul a t-shirt like a psychopath so I could knit, knot or crochet a version of my very own!

Customising candy


Image: Style.com


You know that excruciatingly jarring feeling you get when a brilliant cartoon motif or a vibrant kooky repeat print just isn't enough? That urge that overwhelms you to dive sleeves-and-bag-first into a drawer of Mod Podge and diamantés? Come on, we've all been there. Rocking lolcore doesn't mean slacking off!

Landing in a tub of buttons


Images: Theguardian.co.uk

Some of the most devastatingly-good argument winners are the phrases that just confuse people. As an example, when I used the word "So?" during my stroppier teenage moments, my mum would put me in my place and come right back with "Sew...buttons on your nose." To this day I haven't the foggiest idea what that phrase was supposed to mean, so what kind of a chance did I stand then, when such a statement stopped me in my tracks? And now it seems the buttons are back to haunt me, making an equally random but this time much more enjoyable appearance as the fastening-du-jour at the Paris spring 2015 shows, with brilliant contrast and diagonal lines added into the mix.


Watercolour my world

Image: Style.com

These images transcended me to the whimsical days of school art class (note how I said 'whimsical' and most definitely not 'doss'!) when I would get lost in a haze of watercolours. With the above images, I'm met with the urge to relive those moments with Pebeo silk paints.

Flowers in my hair


Image: Style.com

With big corsages already making an appearance as a trend this past season, it surely makes perfect sense to carry on the craze with a clip and a cut out corsage.


Eye, eye

Images: Style.com, Barneys.com



Who could not love that jacket? The eyes definitely have it and, considering you only need some fabric or PVC offcuts (depending on what you're making) and some glue or a sewing machine, this kooky acquired taste might not be a trend for everyone to fall in love with but it's nonetheless worth copping an eyeful!


Pushing the envelope


Image: Style.com



So great is the temptation to nonchalantly pick up an envelope folder, douse it in craft mount and cover it with brocade fabric, as if you got it from Dries Van Noten, just like that. We won't tell if you don't!

Appliqué bouquet


Image: Style.com

A great one for experimenting with textured ribbons or chunky threads and glue to make an old, abandoned handbag bloomin' marvellous!


Now and denim


Image; Vogue.co.uk, Theguardian.co.uk


I love working with denim because if you invest in good quality fabric and sew it well, it can look totally professional and in no way amateurish, cheap or off-the-wall, all while still done on a shoestring budget. So, who said a DIY fashion project can never be a patch on the rather gorgeous Burberry Prorsum coat, pictured above on the left?




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