EBAY EBAY EBAY

Theres more stuff going onto ebay at my shop khwalker! Exciting! I run it with my sister Helen, so I source and model the items and she does all the computer and postage side :) We have lots of vintage pieces being sold ranging from shirts, dresses, shoes, bags...  We are doing a massive shoe sale soon where we are putting all the shoes we have, which are vintage and high street mostly size 5 &6, so I'll update you guys when thats happening.. Heres the best of what we currently have, thats either already up or will be within the next week or two..

 Vintage oversized cream blouse size 8 (currently up for sale)

Vintage black bustier with boning and low open back 32B

Vintage oversized summer beach shirt S/M

Vintage navy thick wool cardigan with red and gold detailing XS 6 (currently up for sale)

Vintage batwing 80's dress with abstract print S/M
Vintage coral 60's/70's a-line dress 12/14 (up for sale)
Laura ashley floral blue pencil skirt 8 (up for sale)
Vintage beige day dress with a cute apple pattern 10 (up for sale)

Thanks for reading, If you have any questions about any of the items you can either comment below or email us on ebay

Kate xxx

If only I had somewhere to wear this....

I found this vintage slip a while back, I think its a night slip, but gets away with looking like a summer dress due to it not being the typical cream/white or black that they usually are (just need to make sure I do wear a slip under as its a little see through!)

Hung up it has little shape, just a bias cut skirt and darts, but once its on, the bias creates a nice curve on the hips and the satin top hangs beautifully over a belt. I added on the brooch on the neckline to transform it from a unflattering scoop to a gathered V-neck. Again I've created a belted look but its always good to show off the waist :)

Thanks for reading,

Would love to hear any comments you have,

Kate xxx

Ebay items.

Tonight I'll be listing a few vintage and high street items that my sister and I have sourced onto Ebay, so If you like them you know where to bid :) Heres a few....

ST MICHEAL BLUE AND WHITE CHECK SKIRT SZ XS/S 

BLACK LACE MIDI PENCIL SKIRT WITH THIGH SPLIT SZ 6

RED PLEATED MIDI SKIRT WITH BUTTON DETAILED FRONT SZ 12-14

VINTAGE LIZ CLAIBORNE SANDAL BAG BLACK&BROWN WITH DETACHABLE STRAP

Thanks for reading, We are posting new stuff weekly so keep checking...

Our ebay name is Khwalker,

Thanks Kate xxx

Sale shopping.

Sooo I went shopping last week to try and find some bargains in the mid-season sales! We started with the charity shops, which always hold something brilliant, I found this silky shirt for £2, we then hit the high street shops. I went to my favourite shop H&M first and found this gorgeous mint green cardigan in the sale £7. The skirt is from primark, I don't shop in Primark usually as I found the stitching and fabric is a little rubbish, but I was really impressed with this burnt orange stretch skirt in the sale for £3. Here the final £12 outfit...

Cheated slightly as I already had the shoes! but everything else was in the sale.

Below are a few looks from Fendi Spring/Summer 11 collection. The colours reminded me of my sale look, the bright mint green with a subtle peachy beige and a orange shade to pull the look together.

Thanks for reading,

Kate xxx

Sketches.

 A few sketches drawn a while ago when I was in Brighton but I thought I'd share them! 


I looked at photographs I liked and drew them in a way to emphasise the 40's style within them. The top two are drawn in pencil, in a realistic style and the bottom two started to look more stylised as I drew them, so I decided to make them represent the style of fashion illustration from the 40's. I scanned in the sketches but a few areas haven't come up very well!...

I loved the finger waved hair, very simple hair style but its very striking!
A4 size.

This scanned in a little weirdly, the pencil is more subtle in person but this is a modern version of the 40's hair.
A4 size.

I loved this faux fringe, I kept her figure very basic but added all the detail to the face and hair.
A4 size.

I drew the eyes with thick line to represent the classic black eyeliner, I think drawing an actual eye wouldn't work.
A4 size.

 I drew these with a normal graphics pen, but left blank areas where the highlighting areas are, to later go over with a wet paintbrush to add subtle shading, a little bit like watercolour paints. Make sure you try out the pen before you draw as some pens don't fade like this, they can turn greeny/brown or just don't work at all.

The best fashion illustrator from the 1940's (In my opinion!) Rene Gruau. He literally dominated the 40's and 50's illustration world and was in constant demand at Dior, documented Dior's new look in 1947. I love how bold and simplistic the brush strokes are but they are able to really show the form, and how elegant the female subjects are. 

Thanks for reading,

Kate xxx

College Collection.

EXHIBITION

I set up my exhibition to look a bit like a dressing up box, so I showed what bag, jewellery and shoes I'd style it with. I'll be uploading more photos from this project after its been marked, so it will show how I got to this point.

Abit of a blurry photo, but these are my final illustrations.

Helen again! They were printed of A3, I think they helped to show the mood and styling I  intended for the collection.

Backstage before the fashion show.

FASHION SHOW

14-06-12

India wearing my first look, I hadn't had a fitting with her before the show so I just had to hope it fitted!  The dress really suited her, I was so glad! 

Katie wore my second look, I'd had a few fittings with her, but it turned out she had the same measurements as me so that was easy to check when I was sewing, This silhouette complements most figures so it would be 2 of my key pieces if I had my own line :)

Georgia in my third look, Again I was very happy with the fit and the skirt moved beautifully on her, I wasn't going to use a bandeau top under the jacket but just wearing a bra looked a little cheap.

I modelled for my fourth look, I made this look after the others as I wanted the last look to fit in with the others. It's a cross over top and pencil skirt but looks like a dress!

Finale.

Thanks for reading, Kate xxx

Photoshoot time!

As promised here is my latest work, Ive been working on a collection at college thats based on the 1940's (Even though certain looks got a little influenced by 50's/60's ) I hope I managed to maintain the style of the 40's. My muse for this project was the gorgeous Hedy Lamarr, it's not surprising that she was known for being 'the most beautiful woman on film' but also she had a unique style which set her apart.

Below are my final shots from the photoshoot! We went to the Needle Muesum in Redditch last week just before the heavens opened! My beautiful sister Helen modelled for me, We decided to go for a classic hair and make-up look, I wanted to throw in a few rolls but they just wouldn't stay. All of the looks are made up of 2 garments, which allows the collection to be mix & matched. Let me know what you guys think :)

With this look I decided to add a PVC panel at the bottom to give it an contempory feel and its printed with 40's style netting. The top is a simple crepe cross over with pleats so it hangs beautifully:)

Now this look turned a little 60's but i really wanted to create a fully PVC top with the print designed by me. I feel it keeps the modesty of the 40's.

This top is from the same pattern as the top above just without the sleeves and i created a tight long pencil skirt. I Really love this look and looks very effective in person.

For this look I used this check salmon fabric, it isn't as dull as this in person, I added a plastic collar to keep the PVC looking cohesive.


These garments and photos will be exhibited at the Artrix in Bromsgrove for all of next week along with other students final major projects. 




 


"I'd rather wear jewels in my hair than anywhere else. The face should have the advantage of this brilliance."
Hedy Lamarr

"I'm a sworn enemy of convention. I despise the conventional in anything, even the arts."
Hedy Lamarr




Thanks for reading,

Kate xxx