JANE MAXWELL

Recently during some research on artists and designers I came across american artist, Jane Maxwell.

Jane Maxwell is a mixed media artist from Boston. Maxwell’s artistic voice grew out of a passion for vintage materials, modern fashion and design mingled with a deep fascination for pop culture and female icons. The issues of body image and perfectionism that pervade her work, have been informed by her own experiences, ambivalence and frustration, chasing the elusive myth of beauty. I am definitely a fan of Maxwell's work as I think the femininity in the models used is realistic as well as aesthetically appealing.

Here are a couple of pages of my research on Jane Maxwell..

Jane Maxwell's work..

JAMES DEAN

James Dean, who himself was a man of few words, requires little explanation when it comes to discussing his status as a style icon.  His immortal sense of style is easy to infuse into your wardrobe, and the truth is, you’re probably already halfway there (everyone has a T-shirt and jeans; they just have to be cut right). Dean’s look comes from an era when clothes fit properly by hugging the body rather than hanging and bunching with enough extra fabric to outfit a family of four.

Try taking your staple white shirt and pairing it with your best jeans. To me, this look is simple yet timeless.

 "The harvest and homespun crafts inspire the collection.. not the literalness of 'country' but the modern mix of taking such a rustic start and making it relevant, modern and simple."

UNIVERISTY

I've recently applied to The University of the Arts London and Manchester Metropolitan to study Fashion Design and Buying. I'm excited to move away from Sheffield, I feel I've outgrown this place now and am ready for bigger and better things. I am also excited with what these Universities have to offer me in terms of education and experience. If anyone is thinking of going to University to study a fashion related degree, I would definitely recommend taking a look at what UAL have to offer. They specialise in a wide range of areas within fashion. From fashion photography to fashion garment technology. 

Here is a link to UAL's website: http://www.arts.ac.uk/

TUMBLR FASHION

Today I've been scouting through my Tumblr dashboard for the best fashion posts I could find. I was quite surprised as to how many fashion blogs were on Tumblr, and how good they were.

For those of you who don't know, Tumblr is a social networking site where (similar to this) you have your own blog page, however the main characteristic of Tumblr is photo posts. Everyone seems to connect via photo communication. Which is what I love about it.

I thought I'd share with you a few of the images I found amongst tumblr, and what seems to be trending at the moment. Enjoy..

All the images I have chosen to post are all street fashion. These images will most probably be of models/people who work within the fashion business. Although it's essentially "street fashion" it's street fashion of the fashionista's!

Street fashion photography is probably my favourite style of fashion photography as I get much more inspired by what people are wearing as every day wear rather than one off couture garments. I like to see what, realistically people can wear. And what better people to catch on the streets than the people of the fashion world!

NABIL NAYAL

A friend I used to work with got chatting to me the other day about what I'm studying etc.. When I told her 'fashion', she immediately directed me to her brother 'Nabil Nayal'. I researched a little on him and found some amazing work of his, so thought I'd do a post on him.

Nayal is a young upcoming fashion designer who I've found to be really inspiring. The work he is currently doing, and the stage he has got to has just empowered me more so to believe in myself.

"Nabil Nayal draws on the Elizabethan era, couture techniques and unexpected garment juxtapositions to evoke a modern strength, femininity and empowerment with timeless elegance."

Nayal continues in his progress, as Lady Gaga was seen to be wearing a piece from his SS12 Collection for Fashion Fringe “All The Riches She Deserves” - where the female protagonist is dramatically carried to safety as her opulent mansion house burns to the ground around her at dawn.

Here is the SS12 Collection "All The Riches She Deserves"..

TIM WALKER PHOTOGRAPHY

Tim Walker is one of my favourite photographers, and not only for fashion. He seems to have the ability to turn photos into incredible fairytale-like stories. I personally love pastel, ice cream colours (much of my wardrobe contains colours from these palettes), and Walker often uses a lot of these within his photos. The softness of them, along with the quirkiness works so well.

Tim Walker's work has been seen throughout many issues of Vogue for over a decade now. Extravagant staging and romantic motifs characterise his unmistakable style. After concentrating on photographic stills for 15 years Tim Walker is now also making moving film.

The images shown above are from Walker's fashion photography that he has done. It's interesting how he has managed to show off the garments in such powerful ways, yet not obvious. Although, you could say some of the props used in the shoots could be distracting from the garment itself. Personally, I think this adds atmosphere and uniqueness, not only to the photo but the garment itself.

Here is some more of his work..

one of my favourites