Street style

 

My own illustration of a hand coloured costume plate

Eco garment

Creating our own eco garment:

Using op-shop finds and old garments we had a pressure test in class to re-create our own wearable garment. Shannen and I started with a blue sleeved shirt, a pleated flowery skirt and a sheer maxi skirt with navy lining. Here's what we did with our daggy old garments to make them into something new, wearable and eco friendly!

We cut the sleeves and collar off the shirt and tucked the back up to the collar stand and sewed it down to create a back drape. To allow the sides to drape down we opened the front up and sewed two cute bottons on the front.

 We cut the skirt into panels and sewed them into the front v of the shirt. We then sewed the panels together so it had a beautiful centre drape. We did the same at the back with plain navy panels.

 

Not only did our dress turn out to be wearable, suitable for many sizes and nice and comfortable, it was also very versatile. There were numerous ways to wear the skirt to create different looks.

 The sides tied up

 The front buttoned up around the back

The front buttoned up at the top of the shirt opening.

Or just all draping down :)

A fun project that only took a couple of hours. The possibilities of changing a boring old wardrobe into something new are endless.

Eco Fashion

Gorman

These days fashion is all about sustainability, and being environmentally and economically friendly. Australian designer Lisa Gorman has done just that with her label 'Gorman'. Here's a little brief about the label and why she's leading the way in the fashion world by setting an example for others to follow. And a few pictures of the ranges as they are seriously cute!



































Lisa Gorman launched her label in 1999, in Fitzroy, Melbourne. Her first collection was titled ‘Less Than 12 Degrees’. This was the beginning of Gorman becoming an iconic Australian fashion label and she now has stores Australia wide, online and opening in NZ very soon.


Gorman Organic was introduced in 2007, in response to increasing environmental awareness, made possible by manufacturing innovations in fabric production. Blended throughout the main collection, Gorman Organic offers customers a sustainable choice without compromising good design and quality.

All garments in the Gorman Organic range are either certified organic yarns (such as bamboo and organic cotton), meaning that the materials used to create the garments are organically farmed and produced without pesticides; or the garments are sustainable, which means that the materials may not be specifically organic, but come from sustainable farming, non-chemical processing and/or closed loop production means.

Lisa Gorman is known as the 'Green Queen'. Here's a few reasons why:
Gorman reduced packaging by 90% and only use recyclable packaging materials, such as LDPE, when required. They use energy-efficient lighting and extensive recycling practices with 100% accredited green power. Gorman also hired an environmental consultant to work with the label, in both Australia and in its overseas manufacturing facilities to reduce the label’s environmental impact.

 

The brand’s shopping bags are made from 100 per cent recycled paper and if a customer refuses one, the bag’s value is donated to Friends of the Earth. A donation of $5 from every green and serene T-shirt sold also goes to the Friends of the Earth organisation. Gorman is a strong promoter of pedal power and as well as creating one-off Gorman bicycles annually, the brand is known to give discounts to customers who ride their bikes to the store.

  The Ship Shop is a ‘mini Gorman’ store within a giant recycled shipping container, stocking a great range of Gorman’s organic products. The Ship Shop tours around Australia, and visits all the major fashion festivals.

With the success of Gormans organic range, hopefully others will follow in Lisa's steps in creating a better future with environmentally eco friendly fashion :)

Fads, trends and Fashion classics

Fads, trends and fashion classics, what do they all mean? What’s the difference?

Well a fad is simply a trend that comes in one season and will be out the next. It never stays around for long and floods the market while it’s in. For example: a current fad being peplums. But will the peplums rise up to become a trend? They are starting to be seen on the streets so it’s a matter of seeing whether they last more than the one season!

 

The peplum dates back to the 19th century where it trickled down from designers and was featured in Godey’s Lady’s Book. The early peplum was usually a separate piece that attached around the waist. Peplums have re-emerged a few times over the years but have taken on new ideas this season featuring trailed peplums, peplums flaring off a fitted top and jackets with long peplums.

 Trends are the current styles that are seen on the catwalks and streets, whether it is a fad or a fashion classic and they’ve lasted more than a brief sneak peek at a season. The trends then render what’s publicized in magazines, blogs and other forms of media viewed by the target audience. A current trend is bold, bright, block colours and prints. Inspired by street art, graphic and textile design, interiors and nature, prints have become a standout on catwalks making designers rangers creative and unique. Having trickled down from the catwalks, the celebrities took it to the streets and now it has become a serious trend.

 

Electric colours and bold prints are definitely part of the fashion cycle and have re-emerged from 60’s and 70’s fashion. When fluro brights came in and flower power was the rage, the trends bubbled up to the catwalks and was a major trend of the decades. The fashion has come around again, but prints have become digitally enabled and a lot more detailed, and bright colours in bold blocks.

A fashion classic however, is a style that has been around for years and is continuously in fashion. A fashion classic is lace. Seen virtually every season on catwalks it just re-emerges in a new exciting way. Valentino and Dolce & Gabbana certainly know how to do a beautiful lace dress!

 

Lace has been around forever and first originated in the late 15th and 16th centuries, and was an economically viable way for people to make a living by hand. Traditionally used in tablecloths and doilies, lace began bubbling up onto the catwalks and emerging as wedding dresses then onto everyday garments. Still used for many of the same purposes today, lace has also changed into many different prints and details. It is now encrusted with jewels and used as a digital print, but thankfully also kept as a simple timeless lace garment.