Print Fashion

Creative Camouflage prints

2013-02-14T13:13:00.000+00:00

Camouflage is set to be big this year, its appeared on the catwalks in both the summer and winter shows and is beginning to appear on the high street again, retailers such as Next and Topshop have got camouflage prints instore across products.
Designers are being more creative with the prints and are mixing traditional camo with other prints such as leopard , and florals. Camouflage is also seen made up of different shapes creating a fresh conversational print. Abstract versions and pixerlated camouflage prints give a new look to traditional camouflage and bright recolours of traditional camo look new as seen in Michael Kors AW13 show below top right.

Fake Fur Fashion on trend for AW13-14

2013-01-15T21:30:00.001+00:00

Fake Fur is speculated to be even bigger for AW13-14 , The key to this trend is the fur has to have surface interest, the pile is long and is tipped with a contrast colour or clipped to form a pattern, Or even has an ombre effect. Bright coloured fur is going to be big and looks great in Short bomber styles. Topshop have got a new fur jacket in this week in bright multicoloured fur see below. Kate Moss has been pictured in fake fur over winter too , I love the monochrome coat she is wearing below. Short bomber styles look great in brights, and longer styles suit more natural and mulberry hues. Fur cossack hats are popular again and fur is also seen on collars and cuffs on knitwear and plaid woven coats. It will certainly be interesting to see what appears on this years AW13 catwalks.
Please note I do not endorse real fur, fake fur is always best.

Autumn Winter 13 Wild Crafted Trend

2013-01-10T22:03:00.000+00:00

Wild crafted AW13 capsule trend is a popular look for next winter , four Large UK high street stores have already asked me to produce ranges taking inspiration from hand crafts, including tapestry and cross stitch floral prints , which give a vintage feel ,sketchy animals appear in this trend too which appear in forest scenes and as quirky placements. The look has a very English heritage feel with traditional cord, checks and tweeds also playing a key part.

AW13-14 Trend Moscow Nomad

2012-12-29T11:26:00.005+00:00

Moscow Nomad

Over the next few weeks I will be posting capsule trends for Autumn winter 13-14. One of the new emergening trends for this season has an eastern european feel it is very much a folkloric inspired look. Floral Embroidery is plays a key role in this trend with lots of bright colours especially gold and rich turquoise hues.

Emerald Green the colour of 2013

2012-12-12T22:26:00.002+00:00

Source: sa.pantone.co.uk via Emma on Pinterest

Emerald Green 17-5641 has been announced by Pantone to be the colour of 2013. Often associated with precious gemstones , the perception of Emerald is sophisticated and luxurious it is the colour of beauty and new life in many cultures. Emerald brings a sense of renewal and rejuvenation which is much needed in today's world. The colour has been seen on the spring summer catwalks and works fantastically in sequin and embroidery embellishment as seen below , it is my personal favourite of all the shades of green.

Christmas Jumpers a bit of festive fun

2012-12-04T21:48:00.003+00:00

It's getting close to Christmas jumper time again and this year its bigger than ever, the high street is flooded with them and there is even some appearing on net-a-porter. They make a great gift even though they have the shortest shelf life. Here are some of the best of this kitsch christmas craze, my favourite is the stag jumper top left , would you dare to wear one?

above images from
http://www.asos.com
http://www.net-a-porter.com/
http://www.boohoo.com/
http://www.urbanoutfitters.co.uk/

Prints seen in Zara this week

2012-12-01T15:42:00.001+00:00

Spotted some fabulous prints in Zara today ,lots of tiger prints, paisley and jewel prints see below.

Check this out Tartan is back

2012-11-28T22:24:00.001+00:00

Its Winter and checks are here again, dogtooth checks are very popular on the high street at the moment but my prediction is we will see more classic traditional tartan back on the autumn winter 13 catwalks in authentic colours. This makes me wonder if the kilt will be back in fashion next Winter , I suppose we will just have to wait and see.

Tartan Fashion

Street shots taken from

http://blog.stylesight.com/street/tartan-times

blue top, topshop

shoes christian louboutin

Prints Instore this week

2012-11-25T15:31:00.000+00:00

High Street Prints

I attempted to do some Christmas shopping yesterday and took a quick look in Primark , I spotted some really fun prints and some great animal conversational all over prints see below.

Love this cushion I spotted seen in Debenhams.

Animal Print Tutorial

2012-11-23T22:06:00.002+00:00

Following the animal prints in the last post I thought I would show you a quick tutorial as to how I go about producing such a design.

step 1

Take a picture of your animal or find a good copyright free high quality image and open this in adobe photoshop CS5.

step 2

select the filter gallery from the top menu bar and select the cutout filter, I then adjusted the settings number of levels 8 ,edge simplicity 0, edge fidelity 3, this then changed the picture from a photo print to more of a simple print with fewer colours and detail.

step 3

I then selected some photo's of a hat and a bow tie that I liked and and placed each one on a separate layer and added the same filter as in step 2.

step 4

I then deleted any background they had by selecting the magic wand on the area I wanted to delete and then pressed the delete button.

step 5

I then adjusted the size of the hat and bow tie by using the scale tool which is under the edit tab -transform-scale, I then used the rotate tool to get the right angle of each one,this is found in the free transform- rotate, under the edit tab at the top menu bar.

step 6

Then to change the colour of the hat and bowtie I selected a pink colour I liked from the swatches palette and then selected image tab from the top menu bar, adjust-hue and saturation , in this box I selected colourise and then moved each bar to get the desired colour.

step 7

Then before I placed my final print into illustrator I checked there was no white background in the layers palette highlighted, the background should look transparent. That part is now finished and

I then placed my image onto my vector design I had created in illustrator.

see below one finished Pyjama style.

Quirky Animal Realism Prints

2012-11-19T19:27:00.001+00:00

Animal Character prints are soon to be appearing on ladies tops,knitwear and nightwear. The trend is to make the prints look more life like as oppose to cute cartoons as seen in previous seasons. The animals themselves look more life like but then have a quirky edge by adding bow-tie's ,Hats ,glasses etc. Although there is already a few of these prints around at the moment the trend is defiantly going to be much bigger next year. I am currently working on a few Animal placement prints for the UK highstreet which will be in store next Autumn winter 13. Below are some pictures I used for inspiration when working on my designs.

Add caption

Free skull vector clipart

2012-11-17T17:16:00.001+00:00

To get you started on those skull designs here are some free downloadable vector clipart patterns and skull graphics enjoy x
download vector skulls here

Skull Feature

2012-11-16T19:40:00.000+00:00

The High street has been saturated with Skull Imagery over the last few seasons and it seems to be a trend that maybe around to stay a little longer as still some designers were still draw to skull prints for the spring summer 13 collections, Bright Mexican influenced skulls were seen at Mayan Hanson spring summer 13 catwalk shows. The newer take on this trend see's skulls bold and bright in geometric or tribal themes or the reverse and very feminine and subtle as seen in lace prints at Emilio Pucci. Personally am not sure if the skull thing has had its day what do you think? see below some more inspiring skulls Pictures.

Gypsy Nomad

2012-11-14T19:12:00.001+00:00

This Bohemian Spring Summer 13 look has very much a folk gypsy influence. It is more Luxurious than seen in previous seasons with Intricate Embroidery and cutwork being key. Paisley and foulard patterns are seen in bold colours and are mixed with geometrics to give them a up to date feel . See below some inspiring picture's along with some free ethnic floral and paisley vector clipart to download.

download free vector clip art here

My Top 5 Fashion Apps

2012-11-11T15:58:00.002+00:00

If your a smart phone lover or I Pad crazy then I am sure you will have a few fashion apps on your devices. Personally I would find it difficult now to do without my I-phone I just cant resist to check out my favorite sites and keep up-to date with all the latest fashion news.There is so many fashion apps available its can be hard deciding which ones to install So I have compiled a list of my personal favorites I would also love to know what your favorite apps are.

I Am a massive lover of Pinterest, If you haven't heard of it, its basically somewhere you can pin all your favorite pictures into categorized boards you create, you can search and follow other people and find some really inspiring pictures if you click on a picture it then gives you an option of repining it and if you then click it again it takes you to the original source where it came from, which is a great way of finding interesting blogs and sites. The only downside to pinning on your I- phone is you can't pin from websites like you can on your PC, well at least if you can I haven't worked out how to do it yet, but the app is still great for searching the site itself. You can follow me on Pinterest here and we can then begin sharing our inspiring images.

Shopstyle
I love this app, In my opinion its the best shopping app it has various categories women ,men, kids and home and you can search and look at thumbnail pictures of hundreds of items from over 300 outlets it allows you to customize the search so you can find the right colour, size and price range, its great for finding bargains.

Lookbook

This is an app where people upload there look its great for inspiring street wear pics each picture has a number rating depending on how many views it has had, so you can do a search for what's hot being the most popular.

Trendstop

This is a great site for keeping up-to date with up and coming trends fashion news and catwalks.

The only downside to this app is there is only so much that is free and some of the content can only be read if you subscribe, one month subscription is £1.99 , 12 months £8.99

Style.com

The best app for viewing the latest catwalk shows, it has full coverage of all the shows plus a great archive, it also has videos and photos from all the latest parties and a fantastic style blog

Free People Launches on-line in the UK

2012-11-07T21:52:00.002+00:00

1970's U.S fashion label Free People launches on-line in the UK, sister brand of Urban Outfitters and Anthroplogie. It has a boho, hippy, feminine feel many pieces are embellished and use a mix of fabrics.The collection not only covers ladies-wear but also overs footwear, a pet range and in the home section there is some beautiful printed skateboards , never thought I would want to own a skateboard again but would love one of those to hang on my wall.
The price range differs from the affordable dresses starting at £28 to the more pricey going up to £800.
See below some of my personal favourites that I would like on my Christmas wish list.

Visit Free people website

Source: freepeople.co.uk via Emma on Pinterest

Kitsch Comic book printed sweaters

2012-11-06T20:57:00.001+00:00

Think comic book, retro, pop art .This story is bold and fun with explosive prints. I love the nerdy printed star wars sweaters teamed with pretty girly skirts, here are some of my favourite inspiring pics along with some downloadable vector clip-art so you can start you own kitsch designs.

EPS vector clip-art below to get you started download link below http://www.2shared.com/file/_LsZDA2M/COMIC_POP_CLIPART.html

Black and white Monochrome trend

2012-11-05T13:24:00.002+00:00

Black and white will always be seen as chic and classic, and looks like it is still on trend this winter and into next spring summer, this time round it has moved on from simplistic,with complex geometrics and futuristic colour blocking . Marc Jacobs SS13 collection had a very strong mod feel with with lots of black and white stripe's and patterns. Channel's collection also had a black and white theme see below some of the best monochrome catwalk looks along with some of the best statement street shots enjoy ! x

Marc Jacobs Spring Summer 2013 above.

Geometric Pattern Update 2

2012-10-17T21:52:00.000+01:00

Some more inspirational geometrics from the SS13 catwalks, below from left to right Tibi, Tribune,Louise Gray and Mara Hoffman. Love the use of colour in these geometric patterns.

Gorgeous Illustration Below by Talita Carvalho

Source: behance.net via Emma on Pinterest

Inspirational print mix up

2012-10-16T18:29:00.006+01:00

I found these photo's below from the stylesite blog which originally came from a collaboration between paper mag and Emily Shur. They are really inspirational full of all over print ideas, I love the way the prints are mixed up, hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

Source: blog.stylesight.com via Emma on Pinterest

Matthew Williamson wellies for Havaianas

2012-10-12T21:33:00.000+01:00

Just got to show you these great Matthew Williamson Wellington boots for Havaianas in his signature prints. The boots are bright, Fun and stylish, Wellies are now much more than just wearing in the park, just think these would be great for a festival in the summer.Put them on the christmass wish list.

They are priced at £85 you can grab yourself a pair here before they all go.

http://www.matthewwilliamson.com/shop/uk/spring-summer-collection/rain-boots.html

The new Animal Prints

2012-10-11T19:42:00.000+01:00

Animal Print was seen again in the SS13 shows, below Mcqueen showed bee keeper inspired designs with honeycomb prints. At Preen Snakeskin prints were mixed with geometrics and colour blocking giving them a really fresh look.

some of the best designer animal prints from AW 12 readywear collections

The best from the high street, I love the coloured leopard print in Topshop at the moment

Job Advice for Wannabe fashion designers

2012-10-06T18:43:00.003+01:00

I am Quite Often asked by wannabe Designers how do you go about getting your first job. The competition is so high and unfortunately many students have to go into other areas when leaving university, I think its generally because they just don't know how to go about getting their foot in the door. So I thought I would list a few tips to help you get your first break.

Keep your portfolio up to date and relevant , this is obvious but surprising how many people don't have Current work to show in a interview specially if they may of been out of work for a while. Also tailor your portfolio to the job you are going to, if you don't have designs to show that are not similar to what the company is looking for then you must do some specially. For the first couple of jobs I got I produced work specially for that interview it then led to second interviews and eventually the job, it shows commitment from the beginning also shows the employer you are hard working and you understand the product.
Join local Fashion Industry agencies, there is a number of them not far away from where I live. In the UK most are Manchester or London based, I'm sure if you goggle it, you can find phone numbers. Join as many as you can and keep ringing them for updates, that way when a junior position comes up you will be the fist they think of.
go on to yell.com and look up fashion importers and designers, send out hard copies of your CV to Head of design with a good covering letter stated what you have to offer. I managed to get my first two jobs this way, I sent out about 50 letters when I left university and within 2 months I was asked to go for an interview, this is a much better way of getting a interview as you may find you are the only person they interview, it saves the company having to pay agency fee's. If you don't want to send hard copies give them a ring and try and find out there email address while your on ask them if they have any vacancies.It may be an idea to send a copy of your best work to gain some interest.
Work for free, sounds crazy but if all else fails get a work placement some where you would like to work but for around 3 months, by the end of it the company will be so used to all hard work you have put in they wont want to see you go. We have had a few work experience students and once they have proved themselves we offered them a job.
look presentable, you don't need to wear a suit, but I think its important to show creativity in your choice of clothes and maybe wear something that is a current trend, sounds terrible that people judge you by what you wear but unfortunately seems to be the case in this industry, I have been frustrated myself in the past when I have seen designer's who look the part in head to toe in designer gear get the job and then turn out to be not all they seem, it does annoy me but I still believe looking the part still has a part to play in the employee making there decision.
Join Twitter,linkedin and other social networking sites, promote your self on your pages and follow people and company;s who may have vacancies and advise. set up a tumbler, flicker or blog promoting your work.

I hope this advise may help one of you if you have any questions regarding getting a design job just comment below, or send me a message and I will try to help.

Paint Print Trend

2012-10-04T21:58:00.001+01:00

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I have spotted a few designers using painted brush stroke prints in there SS13 collections.
See below some pictures from Antoni and alison's show, colourful silk shift dresses were created using black felt tips, ink drawings,spray can's and painted brush stroke's . Paint prints were also featured on the Givenchy Menswear collection see below printed shirt.

Landscape Print Trend

2012-09-30T22:14:00.007+01:00

Loving all the Landscape printed Fashion Item's on both Ladies and Men's Fashion below are my favourites.

1:River island 2: Anthropologie 3: TopShop 4: Laurustinus 5: 6: 7: Marios 8:ASOS 9: Student collection 10: Marios 11: Marios 12: Topshop 13:Mytheresa.com 14:ASOS 15:Urban Outfitters