Luxurious Licorice

I'm sure a lot of you fashion addicts out there will be familiar with Derek Lawlor's very loopy (literally) graduate collection, for those of you that aren't, don't worry, I won't miss a chance to post more pictures! Derek Lawlor is a contemporary knitwear designer who has received great praise for his innovative work since showcasing his first collection at London Fashion Week in 2009, the collection was dubbed 'fabulous knitwear' by Vogue.com's Sarah Mower (hier hier!). Each of his Haute Couture creations are entirely handmade and take between two to three weeks to complete. Whilst making his MA collection inspired by Japanese body armour, he accidently (??) developed a unique lace cord technique to create organic sculptural shapes on tight fitting cashmere dresses (there is a lot more technical stuff used to describe the technique, but all that just went over my head). This really is something else.

Derek Lawlor CSM MA gradute collection

His SS10 collection continues the monochromatic wax cord embellished theme in a more toned down manner in order to make his collection more wearable.

Derek Lawlor ss10 collection

I also thought I'd share these images of the illustrations Alex Strang did for Derek, cute.

Some of his stuff is available on Couture Lab, and even if you don't have £3,805 to spare, the zoom function on the website which allows you to get a closer look of the amazing craftsmanship is satisfying enough, for now. Go get loopy!

meet me at the zoo

You see me, you see me not

Oh dear lord, please tell me these 'The invisible shoe' by Andreia Chave will go into production and will eventually be mine! Just as I thought shoes couldn't possibly get any better, this is what I find...speechless.

Andreia Chaves is a Brazilian footwear/graphic designer, which probably best explains her visually overloading shoe designs. To sum up her designs, she says, 'If you grew up in a chaotic metropole like Sao Paulo, being in diary contact with different realities and exposed to thousands of visual inputs all the time, you can understand the why of my research of textures, particular forms, and visual effect, as the use of unusual materials.' Well, since I've never lived in Brazil, I guess I'll never understand...but who gives a fuck, surely knowing that I want them is enough of an understanding.

Her final collection will be presented in February 2010, I can't wait to see what wierd wonders she comes up with!



Images via Yatzer

Painfully Cool

For some reason, I have been wierdly attracted to stuff that is accident/pain/medical related recently, don't get me wrong, I'm not a sadist, but with people like London College of Fashion's Una Burke around, I'm starting to think that hurting myself might not be such a bad thing...only messing, but seriously, all these medical/trauma inspired fashion/art pieces are just too cool. It's slightly freaky, and kind of reminds me of Mason Verger in Hannibal, but in a nicer way. Una Burke's 'Re.treat' collection was based on the universal subject of human trauma, a number of pieces are reminiscent of medical braces used to heal broken bones and spinal injuries; signifying the potential for healing. There is a feeling of emptiness when the leather structures are removed from the model, almost as if something is missing and they belong on the body. I wouldn't say Burke's collection is practical as fashion really, but they are wonderful art pieces that definately deserve a mentioning, I'm really looking forward to what she'll be up to next!

Clownish

I recently discovered Jimmy Paul on I Don't Like Detours and although I try to refrain myself from obssessing over clothes that I can't wear out, I can't help myself. His 08 lookbook was what first caught my attention, I really like how the clothes are really fun yet the mood of the photos are really dark, it almost reminds me of the movie 'It' (Well, his collection was based on the idea of childhood fears, so it's pretty obvious I guess). Just the thought of that film gives me the shivers! Anyhoo, Jimmy Paul graduated from the Gerit Rietveld Academy Amsterdam in 2008 and I think he's one worth looking out for, his creations are definately editorial material more than your usual ready-to-wear, but who cares, I would be happy to wear his stuff! (For some reason, even though I might not ever get a chance to wear the hat, I really want one!)

His 09 collection 'Mary me' is somewhat more wearable and since I have a weakness for puffiness and all things balloon-like (I don't know, the idea of being to use your clothes as a cushion has always comforted me), I equally love it (forgive me, I'm a bit of a whore when it comes to fashion).

His illustrations for the 09 collection are also pretty awesome, I love how they all look pissed off, the actual outcome and the illustrations have a really different feel to them, the illustrations almost look Japanese-ee.

What do you think?

Jigsaw Puzzle

Just found another one to watch on I Don't Like Detours, which is a site similar to Not Just A Name, introducing new and upcoming designers/artists etc, his name is Maurice Vandestouwe. M.Vandestouwe is still a student at the Design Academy of Eindhoven, but there'll definately be a lot more coming from this shoemaker! In all honesty, I'm not sure about his shoes comfort-wise, but concept-wise, they are fantastic. His graduation shoe collection was constructed by assembling pieces of wood together, kinda like a jigsaw puzzle (hence the post name), and are attched to the foot using straps and strings! The profile of the shoes are very architectural, and I've always had a weakness for things building-like, don't ask why.

Break a leg

If breaking my legs meant being able to wear shoes like this, go ahead and break them, PLEASE! Gwendolyn Huskens graduated from the Eindhoven design academy in 2008, her final collection inspired by the medical world opened my eyes, I don't know, I just never imagined that twisting your ankle, breaking your leg, etc etc, to be a cool thing, I was always pissed off whenever I had to wear a bandage and the only reason I ever thought a cast was cool was cos my mates could write and draw stupid things all over it, just never pictured it as an accessory. She used medical materials like synthetic plaster, bandages and stainless steel in white and skin tones, to make these shoes. Now that I've seen Husken's collections though, it all makes sense, I need these shoes in my life (those bandaid wedges would do me just fine)!