An interesting day out...

Here's my tip for all you new graduates, newly unemployed and those with time and nothing to do: buy the Guardian on Saturday, sit with a pen and the Guide supplement, open to the exhibitions page and go through the galleries one by one, highlighting any you like the look of. Make a little gallery map and get going!

Apart from the big usual places (great as they are) there are so many small galleries in London that you can visit for free.

Exploring one of the coolest cities on earth and seeing new art - always an interesting day out.

P.S. I know this post is London specific but I'm sure you could do something similar wherever you are!

I only wanna shop in Dover Street Market!

Ok, well that's not strictly true...but nearly! I found myself sitting inside on a sunny day (so wrong), in need of stimulation, only able to tube travel given that the only money I had was on my oyster card (!) and wondering where to go. So the natural choice was Dover Street Market. (If you've never been there check it out at www.doverstreetmarket.com)

Amazing.

The cut of clothes is important, I'll concede that, but for me the feel and the fabric play such a big role (I'm a textile designer so I'm bound to think that). From now on I only want to wear things that feel soft and luxurious on my skin; clothes that are subtle and beautiful and elegant.

I could buy 100 H&M tshirts or 14 pairs of Topshop jeans , but I'd rather just one well cut, well designed, high quality, super soft, made-to-last piece from Dover Street Market. As my Dad's theory goes: it's so, so easy to dress much, much better.

Top of my wishlist today? A buttery soft black leather jacket by Hussein Chalayan and some of the super fine-chain jewellery in the DSM jewellery space.
Mmmmmm...

I love libraries

I went to the library this morning - flippin brilliant! I read newpapers, magazines, books, did some photocopies, worked a bit at a desk by the window, went online and brought a couple of books home - all for free! If you haven't been to your local library for a while, shame on you!

Day off

I'm not going out today. Here's why:



!

Menswear

I've been doing a LOT of research over the past few weeks so I'll keep my current project explanation short and sweet! I'm VERY inspired at the moment by contemporary mens clothing, and focusing on producing innovative fashion fabrics for menswear.

Look at these images (all from the current issue of Another Man Magazine) and tell me you're not into it too!

CHECK THIS OUT:

www.thecansfestival.com

I am SOOOOOO going this weekend!!

Photos

Here are some photos that Jose and I took on our trip to the Elan Valley in Mid Wales:



Pretty, ain't it?!

Kew Gardens

Paris

I was in Paris last week for a textiles trade fair called Premiere Vision. It was GREAT! Huge. Very business-like, which some people didn't get on with but which I personally love. I find it so exciting that so many textile designers are there trying to sell their wares to the industry at large...

For me, the two best parts were next years colours and trends, and the 'pulsation' area, "dedicated to creations for the sports, technical and performance universe...a close look at technological innovations". The fabrics just felt amazing and were so different from the usual silks, cottons etc. They had some great little "performance codes" symbols to show the properties and qualities of the fabrics:



We also went to a Christian Lacroix exhibition, to the Picasso Museum and to Galleries Lafayette - a huge department store with lots of high end fashion. It was amazing wandering round, getting my hands on these fabulous clothes. Another trip to Dover St Market is on the cards very soon I think!

We had a bit of time to ourselves so we explored the Marais district of Paris and found some small cafes, unusual shops, flea markets and great food!



The first time I went to Paris I did all the tourist sights and didn't especially like it but after this trip I feel like I could have spent another few days discovering the smaller parts of the city and taking pictures...all in all a great few days.

Wallpaper

Tonight I made some more 'wallpaper' - A2 sheets covered in all the magazine rippings, adverts, photography etc I want to keep for inspiration. I have somewhere near 40 pages now and eventually (when I have one!) I will paste them all over the walls of my art studio