Pinterest

'Pinterest', is a content sharing service that allows members to "pin" images, videos and other objects to their pinboard.


Pinterest is like a virtual pin-board. When you sign up, you'll be put on a waiting list for a little while. Then you'll got an invite e-mail to set up your profile.
You can make lots of boards, and 'pin' images onto them either from the internet, other people's boards, or you can upload your own images.
You can follow other member pins, or you can just follow one of their pin boards. These will appear on your home page when you log in.

Pinterest is full of inspirational images that can help you with design work.
It is also a good way to get your work out there.

You can find out more about how to use Pinterest at:
http://pinterest.com/about/help/

Primark: Inspiration or Stealing?

As a darling of the New York fashion scene, Prabal Gurung has a high-profile fan club that includes Lana Del Rey, Mila Kunis Sarah Jessica Parker - and, it appears, the designers at popular budget retailer, Primark.

The chain, which has stores in the UK, Ireland and across the rest of Europe, seems to have paid extensive tribute to the much-loved label's resort 2012 collection.

While the Primark garments are not copies - there are enough significant differences to prevent such a claim - there are some distinctive hallmarks shared by the two lines.

The similarities between the two collections don't end there. A white sleeveless shirt with statement Peter Pan collar also seems to have taken a style lead from the Prabal line, as does a dress, which shares the almost exact shade of green in the skirt.

Mr Gurung was alerted to the likeness via Twitter yesterday, when a fan sent him an Instagram snap of the Primark window display at its flagship store on London's Oxford Street

The original tweet from user Nickgfromdc read: 'Wow is that primark ripping off @prabalgurung?'

The designer replied: 'Oh boy looks like it TY 4 lettin us know.'

So, what's your opinion?

Is this stealing or just taking inspiration?

Personally, I think that Primark are a good cheap alternative than some of the designer clothes that the vast majority of us can't afford to buy.

Yes, you can see the blatant similarities between the 2 dresses, but they're not completely the same.

As for the other 2 examples, you can't copyright a peter pan collar shirt and the colour green.

At the end of the day, Primark are hardly going to make designers go bust.

You can view the full article at:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2112882/A-fashion-tribute-gone-far-Primark-accused-taking-excessive-inspiration-New-York-designer-Prabal-Gurung.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

Fashion Quotes

Who's Your Favorite Fashion Designer?

My favorite fashion designer is Alexander McQueen.

I love his designs because they're really unusual & amazing. He uses really nice patterns and fabrics. I love his inspiration and his fashion shows, as they're inventive & theatrical.

Here are some random facts about Alexander:

• His real name is Lee Alexander McQueen

• He was born in the East End of London, the son of a taxi driver

• Alexander is famous for his shock tactics, for example, his collection entitled 'Highland Rape' and his 'bumsters' trousers

• He is one of the youngest designers to achieve the title 'British Designer of the Year', which he has won 4 times between 1996 &2003

• One of Alexander's passion outside of work is scuba diving and he has described it as one of his greatest pleasures as well as a source of inspiration.

• Despite his wacky designs, Alexander was trained as a Savile Row tailor.

• Celebrity clients include Meg Mathews, David Furnish, Fran Cutler and David Bowie.

• Alexander left school at 16 with one O-level, and went on to study A-level art at an East Ham evening class.

• She may be the most celebrated Brazilian of the moment but supermodel Gisele Bundchen got her big break on Alexander McQueen's runway two and a half years ago.

• Alexander made headline news in 1998 when he used American model Aimee Mullins, who had her lower legs amputated, to strut the catwalk with prosthetic legs (which cost £4,400 to make).

• Alexander designed Kate Winslet's lush green gown she wore to the 1997 Oscars, when Titanic swept the board.

• He may be based in Paris but McQueen refuses to learn French and communicates with his Givenchy seamstresses in a series of grunts.

• One of his most unlikely fans is Pauline Prescott, wife of the Deputy Prime Minister John, 'He's an absolute genius,' she said after attending one of his shows.

• Alexander once held a catwalk show in a Victoria bus depot. It cost a reputed £70,000 and saw Kate Moss, Jodie Kidd and Stella Tennant getting drenched by an in-built sprinkler system.

So who is your favourite designer? If you post their name as a comment, I'll do a post on them for you!

Be Inspired: Art

Art can be a good source of inspiration, for subject matter, shapes, colours and patterns. The more interesting and unusual the piece, the more original your piece (e.g. dress) is likely to be.

Here are some inspiring pieces:

The Persistence of Memory by Salvador Dali


Still Life Moving Fast by Salvador Dali

The Circus by Georges Seurat

Ozone's Angel by Banksy

Be Inspired: Architecture

Another good source of inspiration is from architecture. There's lots of things you can find inspiring about buildings, the shape, the decor, etc. It's nice to see the differences between modern & old fashioned building.



























































































































































It's good to take a sketch book out with you anywhere, just in case you see a pattern you quite like or a shape you think would make a good dress. There's nothing worse than getting a great idea, and then when you get round to writing it down or sketching it, you've forgotten what your idea was (how many times has that happened to me!).
It can also inspire you in the way it makes you feel (e.g. Gothic and dark and mysterious) or what it reminds you of.

Be Inspired: Plants

Fashion designers and artists can find inspiration in almost everything, all you have to do is have a good look around you. You may find something inspiring because of the shape, the colours and patterns or the texture.

Plants

Plants are a good source of inspiration.
Here are a few pictures of interesting plants:

Remembering those who died in the war on Remembrance Day