60s Space Age - a few images from Evie's portfolio

Mui Mui, for Evie, was one of the Spring/Summer '10 collections that caught her eye, with a glorious array of patterns including birds, cats and dogs cut into shapes of circles and triangles. However structurally the cut outs bared subtle flesh next to sweet gathers creating a slight provocative feel on such niave, quirky garments. 

 I was already aware of the power-woman supernatural style apparant in the Versus collection and felt this was the direction I wanted to take but I wanted to widen my research of exisiting cut out dresses to see structurally how these dresses fitted to the womanly shape. The thing you have to be careful with this is of gaping gaps and lack of fit.

The draping circle and pleated skirts meant for me working with a laid-back cool jersey and the intricate cut-out pieces was complicated pattern-cutting that it seems I can't resist.



Above images from 70s film Logan's Run, 60s icon Jane Fonda as superhero Barberella, metallic structural garments and accessories, some photographs from David Bailey and archetural shoes.



The 1960s was the dawning of the sexual revolution and an extreme fascination with leather, metallic and the appearance of women having a bold yet glamorous persona. This concept of the future woman came frequently apparant in films, I especially looked at Jane Fonda in Barberella for inspiration.

Also I happened to find these amazing platforms of my mum's, which just seem out of this world.

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The True Shape of Beauty, we interview Caryn Franklin.

Flick through any Fashion magazine, and you're confronted by women that look as if they would break in two if you were to give them so much as a handshake. These models, the supposed epitome of beauty and perfection, are really nothing more than skin and bones. Yet many of us still envy them. We're the first to admit it, Evie wishes she had their height, and Harriet wants to steal their legs. But is it not all becoming a bit tiring? Who wants to read these magazines and see nothing but the unachievable? We already have to deal with not being able to fund the clothes themselves, but knowing we won't look like the skinny girls wearing them is an extra, unnecessary slap in the self-esteem.
When we went to Clothes Show Live, we were excited to see Caryn Franklin presenting on the Catwalk. We're fascinated by how rich and diverse Caryn's career in the Fashion Industry has been so far, she's been Co-Editor of i-D Magazine, presented shows such as The Clothes Show on BBC One, and runs a website with Fashion tips for every body shape. But perhaps most importantly, she campaigns for diversity in Fashion, and this fight is rooted in All Walks, the organisation Caryn set up with Erin O'Connor and Debra Bourne. Aiming to educate and inspire, All Walks is already making a difference to opinions on and off the catwalks, at Fashion Week SS11, a shoot with Rankin showed the many true shapes, sizes and colours of beauty, and we're looking forward to whatever may be in store this time around. We'd hoped to interview Caryn at the Clothes Show, but in the end, didn't get the chance. But we don't give up, and have since endeavoured to find out more from the lady herself about her work and views on diversity. 

Debra Bourne, Erin O'Connor and Caryn Franklin. Photograph by Kayt Jones.

Was there a defining moment that made you realise you wanted to make a difference to the women under Fashion's scrutiny? 
Since I was fronting a mainstream programme on the BBC 25 years ago, women would come up to me in the street and talk about how fashion imagery made them feel. I have written about it so many times. Then there was a recent chance to pitch for some funding to create a shoot with Debra Bourne and Erin O’Connor - we came up with All Walks.
We were shocked by the controversy sparked by Mark Fast sending Hayley Morley down the runway, do you think it will ever be deemed 'normal' to have a diverse range of figures represented in Fashion? 
Views are changing slowly. The controversy around Mark's show was mainly to do with a pretend drama, the stylist allegedly walking out was not true but was stoked up by the media. William Tempest one of our other designers also used a curvy model on the catwalk but no one got their knickers in a twist about that!

Why do you think Designers opt for such waif-like women to model their designs? There's always excuses about it looking better, but it quite obviously doesn't.
A thin body doesn’t make the same demands on a piece of design in the way that a curvy body does. More skill and understanding of the body is needed...perhaps designers just don’t feel confident or skilled enough to show exciting designs on curvaceous bodies? That’s where education comes in.

The media's constantly sending out messages of what is deemed to be beautiful, what is beauty to you? 
Confidence, sunshine in the eyes and passion in the heart!
What's your ultimate vision for All Walks, and how can everyday girls like our readers, many of them hopeful futures of Fashion, help to make a lasting difference? 
Each person can have a say. Can create a small shift, can move towards diversity. Small choices amount to a shift in thinking.

Rankin and the beautifully different ladies who were the other side of his lens at Fashion Week SS11, photograph by Alistair Guy.

Nyssa Presents Vintage Dolls

After having been involved with Nyssa Wheeler's Vintage Dolls fashionshow, we're really glad to be able to share these pictures from the accompanying photoshoot. Photographed by Robin Miller, model Claire Wilson looks stunning in Nyssa's creations on the most glamourous stroll in the park we've ever seen. Take not of how to finish off the Vintage Doll look: with a slick of timeless red lipstick.

If you'd like any of the Vintage Dolls Collection in your own wardrobe, get in touch with Nyssa for an order form by emailing her at nyssa_presents@live.co.uk. And as always, keep an eye on her Facebook page as it's often updated with news and teasers about what she's whipping up for the next show!

We're back! Published, representing, and on the scout...

It's been a short while since we've posted. The busy Christmas and exam period seemed to steal all of our time, but we're back with a vengeance are excited for the year ahead. So Happy New Year!

As we've said before, we are addicted to ILikeMyStyle, our favourite site for sharing and acknowledging great style. It's also is a sort of selection process for the first user generated magazine which bears the same name, so Harriet was really excited to be chosen for the current issue. With the colder months testing us all, many opt for a furry coat, and ILikeMyStyle were keen to explore people's opinions on the faux/real debate. Harriet was asked to write an article to accompany her photo sharing her views, and we were pleased when the issue arrived on the doorstep to see her photograph and writing had made it to the pages! It's a brilliant magazine, filled with photographs, interviews, articles and creative writing of fashion lovers from all over the globe, so get out and grab yourself a copy whilst they're hot off the press.

We've also got some exciting news about a new blogging venture, Nottingham's Hockley boutique Pink & Lilly have asked us to blog for them. So with regards to any new brands being stocked or fashion shows being organised, Fashion Strand is now the place to keep in the loop!

With the new year, we've decided to change a few things about Fashion Strand. One thing we're going to introduce is guest blogging, so if you'd like to contribute, get in touch with us by sending an email to gibson.hainsworth@live.co.uk. Tell us a bit about yourself and any ideas you've got, we'd like to be a creative platform for more people than just ourselves, and are looking forward to hearing from you!

So that's it, we're back, watch out xx