A is for Architecture (in Oxford)

I recently visited Oxford for a graduation and found myself taking several photographs of fantastic architecture. Everywhere you look in the quaint town there is some historical aspect that has a lot of character in aid of attention and fame. I tried to capture some of these key pieces. 

Express through art illustration...Stina Persson

 

Stina Persson is an illustrator based in Stockholm, Sweden who creates beautifully colourful art with evidence of the liquid movement. Its the colours within the work that are central and brings it to life. I love her work because of the energy I get from it. It brings out my passion for art and  makes me want to get creative and draw. I am a huge fan of the combination of ink, pen and watercolour and certainly believe she does an excellent job. Her illustration style is relaxed, flowing, edgy, messy and youthful. This is my favourite type of illustration due to its unplanned and spontaneous. Stina has a huge range of clients ranging from Coca Cola to Bjorn Borg to DKNY to Bloomingdale's to NYLON magazine to Absolut Vodka.

If you are interested in finding more out about this great artist, take a look on her website:

http://www.stinapersson.com/

Project D by Dannii and Tabitha

Today I have become a proud owner of a Project D dress (thanks to my wonderful Paps and his generosity as an early birthday present) and I don't know why I haven't been sooner! I have to admit I was not keen about the style and image of Project D's dresses at the beginning, it mainly wasn't the design for me...BUT, today I took a trip to a beautifully decorative boutique in Cardiff called 'Body Basics' which stock admirable clothing for every woman, and I was outnumbered by the many options and especially by Project D's charming pieces. 

The one that caught mine and everyone else's attention, was a cream rose ribbon detailed Chloe dress from their latest s/s 2012 collection. It really compliments the body well with its perfect fitting as well as the colour, and feels absolutely amazing on! The texture of the rose ribbon tulles works really well with the 50s full skirt silhouette. This find spurred me on to investigate further into Project D's collections, and I am very impressed! The dresses are suitable to every woman as they offer many different styles. Not that I am an expert but I do fully praise Dannii and Tabitha for their wonderful skill in designing! And I really will continue to be on the lookout for their collections in the future.

Here are a few examples, out of very many, that I like:

Enyo

Artemis

Phoebe

Sydney

Athen

Claudia

H&M New Brand Name '& Other Stories'

The Swedish retailer is expanding their business and have been said to have registered a new brand name and logo which will be running along side their current worldwide popular brand H&M. This new brand is set to be released in 2013 and will be at a higher price range compared to their usual stock "but still stay within the framework of our business concept-fashion and quality at the best price." (press officer Camilla Emilsson at Swedish Newspaper Dagen's Nyheter).

It is clear that this creation has come from their many collaborations with higher-end fashion brands such as Jimmy Choo, Versace, Lanvin and most recently Marni, and their success and popularity from it. 

This will certainly be an new and exciting step for the brand! 

Ri-Ri Love!

River Island Mens

River Island

Topshop

There is a growing obsession with celebrity printed tees within fashion, where several famous faces have appeared on people's tops (and I'm not talking about their tour/fan merchandising). 

The main star on everyone's clothes appearing in shops now is the admirable beauty that is Rihanna.

A twist on the Folkloric Style

Dolce & Gabbana Fall 2012 

Dolce & Gabbana Fall 2012

Dolce & Gabbana Fall 2012

I have fallen in love with this recent collection by Dolce & Gabbana! There are influences from several cultures from their native Sicily to the Slavic such as Ukraine. The elegant embroidered floral patterns neatly placed over delicate lace fabrics juxtapose the other darker and lavish chandelier pieces of the collection. We shall see if these folkloric influences will be visible at the end of the year.

Amazing Artist!

This is an amazing self-taught artist from America called Xiaonan Sun. This is a video from his website where he uploads videos of him drawing http://www.theportraitart.com/

He quotes on his website "Creating Art is about being in the moment, using a medium to express life or imagination. It's about allowing the essence of the subject to shine through. It's about using a combination of creativity, knowledge and skill to create something timeless..."

He is certainly a very passionate and inspiring artist who truly loves creating art.