Y O H J I_Y A M A M O T O : PARIS FASHION WEEK

Since I decided to change the way I blog and what I blog about I have been unable to post quite as much as I would like to. As I am now illustrating, it takes me quite a while to actually create something, therefore is makes it difficult as I work full time and also have to fit time in for my friends and boyfriend. I generally do something with my friends once or twice a week and normally see my boyfriend every other night I don't see them, so it can become quite difficult to actually sit down and complete a sketch. I find that I am currently having to fit little bits in here and there. However, I have never felt so much happier doing this. I am so sooooo happy that I actually started to draw again. I love it and it is such an escape for me from everything. I love nothing more than having a brew by my side, radio on and just sketching away. It always feels like such an accomplishment when I have done something I am proud of. 

As always, I have been keeping up to date with all of my favourite collections from New York, Milan, London and Paris but there was one collection that when I saw made my heart beat a little crazily and sent me mad with excitement. I loveeeeeee Yohji Yamamoto, and as one of my favourite designers I always expect something spectacular and this collection was absolute perfection! 

I feel quite happy with this illustration, I haven't done anything this challenging for a lonnnnnnnnnng time so I sort of wanted to throw myself in the deep end and just really push myself a little more. It is expectationally hard to make the folds of the fabric look realistic and I can see myself problem areas where there isn't enough or there is too much shading. I feel some areas still look a little flat and I haven't got some of the shaping quite right but I am hoping I will get better at that. I used a HB, 2H, 3H and a 5B to do the shading as well as a putty rubber to pick out slightly lighter parts. Where it was more highlighted, I cut the corner off of my rubber so I had a sharp edge to pick out some of the lighter parts within the fabric. 

Yohji Yamamoto Fall Ready-to-Wear 2015.

What do you think to think of Yohji's Fall 2015 collection? What were your favourite collections this season?

Charlotte

Kiss.

Hellooooo Wig Slash!

Today I took the brave step of changing my hair. I have been dying to do something with it for so long but my boyfriend continued to tell me that he liked it how it was, I however, was just never satisfied.

 It was on Valentines Day that we went to see 50 Shades of Grey and I loved it! I have become quite obsessed by it lately but even more so; I have developed a bit of a girl crush on Dakota Johnson! She is just the ultimate babe! Since seeing her in this film I just had it in my head that I wanted to cut my hair. I was toying with it for so long and then I literally woke up this morning and thought sod it, I am just going to go do this. So I drove to town and picked my friend up on the way, walked into the hairdressers and asked if they could fit me in and just did it. 

I took  a photo with me that I had saved on my phone and asked her to cut it similar to the photo. 

I am surprised that I like this hairstyle so much as I HATE ombre. I am so over that look now but I think as the colour is only very slightly different it doesn't feel quite as bold as ombre does. It is mainly the fringe though. I have always been quite a fan of the fringe as I have a real love for Alexa Chung and her hair is always on point. 

 I love how the fringe isn't to thick and parts slightly in places. It just looks so effortless. 

What hairstyles have you guys been taking inspiration from lately? 

Charlotte

Kiss.

Back to Basics!

So if you all saw my last post you will have read that I am starting my blog again.... almost. Originally I was planning to create a whole new blog, however I just have not been able to find the time to redesign and make a new blog right now, so I am going to continue my new ideas on this blog for now and look at recoding the HTML if my brain can tackle all of those codes. I am certainly not gifted with technology skills! 

As I explained before, I needed a niche for my blog; something that would make mine a little different to most other fashion bloggers. Me and my friend sat down and decided to come up with some ideas on how to do that and the one thing we could think of was illustrations. Illustration has always been a love of mine and something I have always wanted to get back into so it  made perfect sense for me to do so by combining it with my blogging. The way in which I will do this is to illustrate my wishlists and favourite designer collections and everything else to do with fashion that I love. I will still incorporate my own photos but mostly it will be illustrations of my favourite fashion looks and picks.

I haven't illustrated in such a long time and I was pretty nervous to do so. I am far from perfect right now and there are a lot of great artists out there so I knew that to do this I was literally going to have to strip everything back to basics and start again for me to rebuild and reteach myself. This blog from now on will not only be a fashion blog, but a diary of my illustration progression.

My first illustration is of a few of the basics which I bought. I have used the leather Zara skirt with a basic long sleeve Primark top combined with a coat that I picked up in H&M a little while ago. As I said, I haven't drawn properly in about a year and a half, perhaps even longer, so to ease myself back into it I have stripped everything back and kept it to a basic pencil drawing with minimal shading.

You will also have to bare with me whilst I figure the best way to photograph or scan these illustrations. So hard so if anyone has any suggestions pleaaaaaase let me know?? 

Back to basics. 

As we are talking about basics, I thought what better to post about than some basics which I picked up from the high street this week. 

Pay day came and it is pretty much going as fast as it came in! I have so many clothes already but as my style has gradually changed and matured, many of the items that I do own are pretty much no longer wearable now. I have tried to get rid of most of it but I still have a lot that I cant part with 'just incase'. However, right now I am trying to build more on my basics; items that I can keep in my wardrobe and combine to make numerous outfits.

The first item which I bought was a basic knitted cami vest top. This top is perfect for many occasions. It is slightly cropped but will look super nice with a pair of black or grey high waisted jeans for a really casual look; but also a high waisted skirt or tailored trousers for an evening occasion.

Primark £5.00

My next basic was a crew neck grey long sleeved top with a small pocket. This is perfect for any wardrobe and can put with so many different outfits as it is just so simple and neutral.

Primark £2.50

Now every wardrobe needs some sort of blazer. It is just a real chic piece that can be used in any season or occasion. I got an absolute steel with this item. What I love about this blazer is the cut of it. It has been cut with a raglan sleeve which makes it quite unusual to many other blazers currently on the high street. I am normally a size 10 but I bought this blazer in a size 14 as it really suited the shape of the blazer to be quite oversized.

Primark £7.00

I picked up this V-Neck jumper from H&M today. I really love V-Neck as I find it quite a flattering shape on me. The thinnest part of my body is my collar bones and chest so I find that this type of neckline makes it quite elegant by softening the shape. This style of jumper is a little grungy which is perfect for my boyish style.

H&M £12.99

My last little treat was this BEAUTIFUL Zara skirt! I have been after a leather skirt for a little while now but never found one I loved, but this is just perfect. I love the A-line cut as it is super on trend. I tried the skirt on in-store but wanted to show my boyfriend before I bought it; however when I went back to buy it they had all sold out so I have ordered this online and have put the link for this below.

Zara £25.99

What basics have you guys picked up lately?

Charlotte.
Kiss.

So, what is your Niche?

Recently I have been getting a little...ermmm... fed up? Is that the right word.. I aren't to sure. All I know is, that I am unhappy with how my blog currently is. All of you fashion bloggers who will read this post may understand? I will try to explain how I feel. 

Every day I wake up, check twitter, check my blog, check pretty much all of my social media. I then spend my evenings writing posts that I sometimes feel are a little forced. I then spend my late evenings trying to promote them posts in a ridiculously saturated pool of fashion blogs. Everyone of them repeats or copies of one another. Nothing is different? 

I am fed up of just looking at photos of the same stuff, reviews of the same products and just pretty much having to like posts that I have read on someone else's blog previous to them.

I have been working with one of my most creative friends a couple of evenings and we have been researching and jotting down ideas and decided that we need a NICHE. Something that makes us different to every other fashion blog. There are some great blogs that are succeeding well, but there are also THOUSANDS that really aren't and are receiving followers for the sheer fact that they are following other people back. 

I made a note of the things that I love. I then made a list of the things I was actually GOOD at, and the things I was BAD at. There is a difference between enjoying something and actually being good at it at the same time. I see a lot of blogs where it is obviously a passion for them, but generally not very good. I have the same problem. I have a great eye for clothes, style, trend; anything like that. My down fall is that, I don't have a supermodel body, which is 100% totally fine! You don't need to at all, but for me, my lack of confidence holds me back in a lot of ways and I find it a huge thing to post photos of me like I currently am. I also don't have a great backdrop, I don't have photoshop and I don't have everything else that makes my OOTD shots good. Some people can absolutely nail it, I really can't and I feel like my passion is getting lost in my communication. 

For that reason I am going to try something new. I may not delete this one, I might even keep running them both as I aren't sure if this idea will even work. I will still have outfit posts, I will still have my favourite picks. I will still have my favourite designers and I will continue to promote my love for fashion. But the way in which I communicate is going to change. I am going to do it in a way where I know I can do it and do it well. 

Bare with my guys and follow my new blog when it is ready. 

Won't be long I promise. 

Charlotte.

Kiss.

Zara Purchases. Spring 15.

I am ridiculously broke right now but there are some things in life a girl has just got to have! 

I went to Zara the other day just to see what the new collection was like. Bit of a bad idea as of course it was all going to be beautiful, and I now want it all! 

I have to admit that my boyfriend is far to generous for his own good; and after seeing how much I loved this dress he went back and bought it for me!

Dress - Zara £25.99

In this photo the dress looks very green but in the flesh it is more of a grey/green colour. Normally always going for black I wanted to mix it up with something a little different and this was perfect. 

I immediately loved it. It is quite heavy fabric so it hung beautifully. Dressed up or dressed down you could wear this dress in many occasions. 

My next buy was actually in the sale. Reduced from £35.99 to an amazing £5.99! They are unfortunately out of stock online now. 

Trousers - Zara £5.99

These trousers need a bit of imagination, but they are perfect for a minimal sort of look. I have mixed days; some days I want to be a bit more free and sort of play around with stuff, and other days I like the whole sleek minimal sort of look. I have always appreciated minimal fashion. People always think minimal fashion is easy, but its probably one of the hardest to get right! Everything has to be so in sync and just flow perfectly. Much harder than it looks, but I am hoping that with a basic white shirt and sliders, I can make these trousers look effortlessly chic. 

Have you guys seen Alexa Chung's range for AG? If you haven't check it out! Having seen the collection I am currently loving denim and have seen this beautiful playsuit that I need to have! 

We are going to London in only 3 weeks and I cannot wait to hit the Oxford Street store and snap up the new collection! 

What do you think of Zara new collection?

Charlotte

Kiss.

Evening Meal Outfit.

So as I said, I wanted to do an outfit post talking about what I wore on the night of my birthday when my boyfriend took me for an evening meal.

Danny took me to a beautiful Italian restaurant in Beverley called Lucia's. I had never heard about it until it was recommended to us by one of his parents friends. The only way I can describe it is a true little piece of Italy. From the very entrance to the end of the evening, it was perfect. To get to the restaurant you have to walk through a small alley, you could easily miss it! The alley was lit with small fairy lights, leading your aye to the small restaurant with candle lit tables. I opted for a delicious pasta dish and Danny had chicken with a risotto side. The food was amazing! If you are looking for a super cosy place with a strong romantic ambience, than I would 100% recommend this. We tend to eat out quite often but this place just had that extra magic to make it so special. 

As I am sure you have come to know, I love black. I do enjoy other colours but I always stick to black in most occasions. When I wear black I feel so much happier; I know that black is meant to be a mourning colour but for me it is just effortless. It is classic, flattering, versatile; the list is endless.

Dress - Next £45.00
Coat - H&M - £25.99
Boots - Topshop £75.00

As we were going somewhere quite formal, I wanted to wear a nice dress; so I decided to pick my black tailored dress which I got from Next as a Christmas present. Every wardrobe needs a tailored dress and this is just my absolute favourite thing to wear. I would wear this dress every day if I could. It fits so well and because it does, it makes me feel better. 

I wore tights as it was an incredibly cold night, had it not been I would have more than likely worn it without tights and teamed the dress with a pair of barely there heels. 

I wanted to wear my new boots as I was just super excited to have them. It made the dress a bit more casual, but it was also nice because it was so cold, to be able to wear boots whilst still looking like I was going out for the evening. 

I only wear jewellery when I am going out, I would like to wear more during the day but with my job being so physical, rings would just be wasted on me, but this evening I selected a few different rings, I just HAD to wear my skull ring. This my favourite ring by far and was given to me as a gift by my best friend for my 21st birthday. It looks just like McQueen, but where it is from may just surprise you. It is actually Disney!! She got it online from this Disney jewellery store. I have posted a link at the bottom of the picture. It is available in gold and silver, but I will always opt for gold.

I really aren't a Disney fan at all, but this ring defines my style in so many ways! I love skulls, always have. The smaller rings around it were just a multipack which I got from Primark for £1.50.

Skull Ring - Disney Couture -$49

Charlotte

Kiss.

Birthday Treats!

So it was my birthday last Wednesday and I have just been so busy since, that I have had absolutely zero time to post! I have so many things I want to talk about and so little time to actually do it all. So here is my first one and I am going to talk about my birthday and the lovely gifts I got.

I share my birthday with my boyfriend... Whether it's a good thing or not I am still trying to figure out; some people say that it was fate, but I can see the days in the not so distant future when presents and cards will no longer be to just me or Danny, but joint and addressed to us both! Saying that though I had one of the best birthdays I have ever had!

Danny came round in the morning and we exchanged gifts. I was more excited to give him his gifts than I was to receive my own! He had been nagging for this for such a long time and just knew how happy he would be to have them. I bought him the Dr Marten Adrian loafers. 

 

Loafers - ASOS £105.00

So here's a little bit for the guys now. 

These shoes are just so effortlessly cool; he wears nothing but Dr Martens now as he just loves the brand. For me, shoes are sooo important for a guy, so I always think that it is good to invest in a few decent pairs rather than just a lot of not so nice ones. I remember on our first date, Danny turned up wearing some tatty brown Vans. I mean, I know there are worse shoes, and he did well as he wore them with a Fred Perry shirt, but he just needed a bit of guidance and maturing. For me Vans are just a little young. He often used to wear them with band t-shirts and go for that kinda skater look; but now he has a much more refined style with his Dr Martens and a lot more tailoring and some classic knit jumpers. Being in a band he still wanted to keep it quite cool so he keeps the whole look a little more punk; something a bit more mature than american skater guy.

As well as those, I bought him a snowboarding lesson at Xscape in Castleford. he has always wonted to do it and its just a great experience. If you are looking for a gift idea for a guy that is a little different, then this is perfect. It was only £32.49 and can be booked HERE.

Now my gifts from him. He bought for me some boots which I have been admiring for such a long time. Every time I went into Topshop, I would pick these boots up.

Boots - Topshop £75

So on trend with the pointed toe, I was helpless to them. They can be paired with so many different things; skinny jeans, culottes, skirt or dress. They are just the ideal boot to take me through to spring! 

Dress - Missguided £30.00

The next present was really nice. Danny always reads my posts on my blog and had obviously read my wish list. He bought me the oversized shirt dress from Missguided that I had been longing for. I admit it's a little 'Wednesday Addams' but I love it. And he loves me dressed like that. 

This dress would look great on it's own with my new Topshop boots which he had just bought me but also can be taken through to spring with a pair of sliders for a more minimal look. It's one of those items that is likely to just be a timeless piece because of its simplicity and colour. 

After exchanging gifts, I did the good deed of cooking him breakfast; top girlfriend I reckon. We had such a lovely morning before going ice skating! 

Originally we were going to go to an indoor water park in York, but we then realised that it was half term and it would just be a nightmare. So instead we went to Hull Ice Arena and spent the afternoon ice skating. I pictured this as a super romantic thing to do... Oh no. When your boyfriend is an ex ice hockey player and I was more like a lanky deer trying desperately to reach for the side every 2 seconds then proceeding to fall flat on my arse, it wasn't the most romantic idea I have ever had, but it was hilarious. Looking for something a bit different to do.. Totally recommend ice skating!

Now if you live local to Hull, I am totally going to tell you to go to a place called Thieving Harry's. Danny had planned to take me out for tea so I returned the gesture by taking him for lunch. 

Thieving Harry's is on Humber Street near Hull Marina. It was the most beautiful day so we were really lucky. We sat upstairs and had such an amazing view over the marina. It is a real quirky place with old fixtures and a mix and match decore. With a reasonable price tag it's a lovely place to go for a weekend lunch. 

We later went shopping before returning home and to get changed to go out for tea. We went to a beautiful place in Beverley which I will talk more about in my next post as I am planning to do an outfit post. 

Keep your eye out for it!

Charlotte

Kiss.

Laura Laine... Fashion Illustration

I made this blog for all things fashion and everything else inspiring to me. When I say that I love fashion; I mean it. I live and breathe it. Everything bit of it. I have a great appreciation for anything a little unusual and anything artistic. One thing that I really love is to draw. I continued to sketch after I had left university, but since finding employment and in-between seeing my boyfriend and friends, I very rarely seem to have time to myself to actually sit down and really focus on something to draw. 

I am one of these people that is very impatient and I want to do everything at once. I want to write a blog, I want to start drawing, I want to do this and I want to do that. And the reality is that I can't. I currently have 2 weeks off of work and I am determined to get some things together and just start off slowly. 

For me, I find it very inspiring to look at other peoples work. For example if I am wanting to design a coat, I will look at my favourite designers and feel inspired by that. Same as fashion illustration, I will look at illustrators work to remind myself and feel excited to draw again. 

I often wish I had done fine art and become an illustrator but my love for fashion was so strong that I felt I was better to have done a degree that combines everything and from that allow myself to see every aspect. 

One illustrator that I find just incredible is Laura Laine. Her work is phenomenal. For me, I find fine art to more beautiful. Art that has great detail and character; although I appreciate things much more abstract, for me, the beauty is in the detail and the skill. 

Lauras work has featured in many publications and has many illustrations of designers work. 

Here are a few examples of Laura Laine's work. 

Givenchy

Vogue Japan.

The Telegraph

I just find her work so beautiful. I love how she plays with proportions in her figure drawing. So clean it almost looks effortless, but she has such a beautiful technique. 

You can find her online portfolio HERE.

What do you think to her work? 

Who are your favourite illustrators?

Charlotte

Kiss.

IStyleMyself... What a REVOLUTION!!!!

Ohhhhhhh my! THERE IS A GOD!! In this post I am going to talk about something which I have only found myself today. I am talking about an app called 'I styled myself'. It is being described as Tinder for your style and your very own virtual wardrobe. LITERALLY. 

I am so in love with this app right now, I haven't been off of it since I got it. Taking photos of all the things in my wardrobe and uploading it all onto this crazy thing. The only way people are describing it is; remember that amazing film 'Clueless'.. every fashion lover will understand the immense addiction to this. In the film she had a computer as part of her wardrobe and from that computer she could build her outfit and see it visually on her screen. Well you now have that.. in the app!! Can this thing be any better?!

There are a few different features to this app. The first is the 'Looks' feature. The way in which this works is very similar to Tinder in terms of you swipe left if you don't like a look, or swipe right if you do! From this you can build a collection of looks which you find inspiring, so when you are having a bit of a headache on what look you want to go for or what might go with a particular item, you can go back to you saved favourites for a bit of inspiration. 

The absolute beauty about this app though is the 'wardrobe' section on this app. Basically in this part of the app, you can upload images of the clothes in your wardrobe and create you very own look with items in your own wardrobe. 

As you upload an item to your 'wardrobe', you click on a part of the item and it will detect the colour. You can then enter details such as, is it casual? What season can it be worn in? It is just fantastic. So say one night you are struggling to find an outfit for a date, type in the top search bar, 'Date' and it will bring up all of the outfits and garments that you have listed under this section! Literally genius because I don't know about you, but I have that many clothes that I can't even remember half of what I have, or often overlook things. 

I love fashion apps. They keep me up to date with all of the latest news and trends in fashion. But this is in a legue of its own. I think that this app is just going to be so so helpful. 

Get it downloaded fashionitas!!!! 

Click HERE to download. 

Charlotte

Kiss.

Valentines... Venetian Murano Glass.

So it was that time of year again... Valentines. I never really get that hung up over valentines. I am a true romantic but Valentines just always seem super cheesy and just a money making scheme, but this year was my first Valentines with my boyfriend. He is always so romantic so I expected him to have done something.

I had been at work all day; as was are saving for our house I have a Saturday job working in a bridal store doing sales and designing. It was such a lovely day at work. Everyone was so loved up because they were looking for their wedding dress on Valentines day. I had one of the best days at work ever, I couldn't have loved it any more; but I was so excited to just get home and see my boyfriend. 

We share our birthday which is the 18th of February; only 4 days after Valentines, we also went for a meal only the night before so to go out 3 times in 1 week would have been just to much so instead we decided to see Fifty Shades of Grey! 

I got home from work and started to get ready and arranged for my boyfriend to come round to my house and we would have takeaway before we went out. He turned up at my door with 18 red roses and a small gift in his hand. I had never been bought roses before so it was just such a lovely gesture. BUT the best part was what he got me, and it is this which I want to really talk about. 

A little while ago I saw a necklace which was a Murano glass love heart. I love Murano glass, it is such a beautiful thing. I asked for it for Christmas however he bought me some other things that I wanted instead. Not thinking much of it, I opened my present to find not just the necklace that I wanted, but to find out he had it made especially for me. 

It was a one of kind with no other the identical in the world. I literally couldn't have wished or hoped for anything more special. 

Normally I aren't a jewellery person at all. I never wear necklaces or bracelets. I wear rings that are from places such as Topshop and other various high street stores and I have a few piercings which I will wear jewellery in but I generally like to keep everything pretty minimal and clean. But I wanted something which I could wear daily and this necklace is just so perfect. 

If you are thinking of designing or making your own, have a look on this website below. 

myjewellerydesigner.co.uk

You can get any colour that you like, they make such beautiful and personal gifts as well as a lovely treat to yourself. 

What did you guys get for Valentines this year?

Charlotte

Kiss.

Outfit of the day... Grunge.

When I got a blog, I expected blogging to be much more different to this. I expected to meet lots of bloggers who would share a passion like I do; I wanted to meet people who I could have creative conversation with, but I have found that so many really aren't. I find myself trailing through blogs that are really nothing more than an account with hundreds of followers and terrible or no content. Most of what contains 'Follow for follow'. I just cannot get my head around it frankly? Why follow for follow? Or if I don't follow back, delete me. Blogging is about expressing your creativity and being proud of what you are doing... not the number of followers you can say you have. Ultimately that is the goal....of course... But people should want to follow a blog for its quality and content. Not to boast followers... that doesn't make you a good blogger? 

Don't get me wrong I have found some amazing blogs, and people that really are inspiring. But the majority isn't and it really is frustrating for me to see so many bloggers with such a lack of love or passion. Just an outfit with 1 sentence then an #OOTD... that doesn't make you a blogger?

I just feel blogging isn't a world which I want to get too deep into if this is all it is.

Enough of the rant anyway. This is my outfit of the day. And a little pre-warning... its a little goth. But what can I say, I just love that shit.

This dress that I am wearing is one which I got from Zara in the sale for the bargain price of £9.99. It is no longer available, however I have found a really nice one which is almost identical on ASOS.

Dress - ASOS £20

I styled mine in a very similar way as to how they had styled this dress on ASOS. I really love that grungy/gothic look some days and today was one of them.

The boots in this outfit are from Primark but again I got these as a present form my boyfriend almost a year ago now and haven't seen them in store for a while. I wanted them so bad because they reminded me of a pair of Balenciaga boots I was lusting over for such a long time!

Expensive taste...Primark budget.

I have seen these boots below which I have fallen in love with which would go really well. They are a Chelsea boot brogue style from ASOS. In the sale for only £33!

Boots - ASOS £33

I hope that you enjoyed my outfit of the day even if it was a simple one.

Charlotte

Kiss.