Molly, a girl called Purple…

For our final project our brand revolves around elements from pop culture. Our line of accessories is inspired by different upcoming music, movies and events that everyone is talking about. Our inspiration for this comes from stores such as Banana Republic that recently collaborated with Mad Men and Anna Karenina. H&M also does collaborations with celebrities and pop culture icons like Lana Del Rey and Versace. Collaborations like these get people excited, and the pop culture elements give people a personal attachment to the collection which is a great promotional technique.

As we are slowly starting to work more on our final brand project I have been doing some research on look books since part of this project is creating one for our brand. Nasty Gal is my favorite online clothing store and each week they post a new look book for their new weekly collection, which is a similar concept to what our brand is going to be like. The focus of our brand is on accessories and I like how Nasty Gal shot some of their accessories in their ‘Wild Child’ look book. They focused in on the accessories without being too obvious, but the models face and garment didn’t take away from the accessories which is what I liked about it. I will definitely keep their look books in mind when shooting for ours.

Nothing like a pretty face to make you want to shop! Lana for H&M!

trendy, sweet & sexy

My favorite trend on the runway for SS 2013 was definitely the use of unique textiles especially transparencies. There were a lot of transparent and translucent fabrics used on top of colorful garments to create a sense of haze in the color and volume on the body. Stella McCartney, Christopher Kane and Ports 1961 were my favorite examples of this trend. It embodies the idea of simplicity and elegance coexisting to create a trendy but wearable everyday outfit.

Branding is everywhere in everything from cars to clothes. We recognize everything daily by the specific images or ideas that different designers use to promote their products. Certain images or concepts come to mind when someone mentions a really well branded company or designer. Branding impresses and influences the customer’s perception of the brand. Well-branded stores and merchandise are not easily forgettable. Obviously well branded is the Burberry plaid and the Louis Vuitton ‘LV’ pattern. There are private label brands, national brands, global brands, designer brands and luxury brands. Branding has a lot to do with customer loyalty and satisfaction, and in turn the customer ultimately keeps the brand alive.

One great example of branding in my opinion is the everlasting Chanel logo. The simplicity and timeless logo itself reminds people of the classic and luxury clothing brand that is known worldwide.

Another great example of branding is Urban Outfitters. They rebrand every six years completely changing their logos and shopping bags and store environment, but they always remain true to their trendy urban lifestyle, which is always reflected in their branding. When you walk into an Urban Outfitters store you know what to expect and they cater directly to a specific lifestyle, and are very focused on their target consumer.

While fashion changes and evolves throughout time, the one staple favorite that always remains true is the little black dress. This exhibit traced the evolution of the little black throughout history displaying dresses designed from anyone from Marc Jacobs to Chanel. The drape and silhouette and type of fabric changes throughout the exhibit from dress to dress, and while each is original in design they all fall under the little black dress category. The unique selection and array of designers and types of dresses made the exhibit very informative and it was interesting to see how the styles change over time. I really like how they included dresses designed by SCAD graduates as well. It is wonderful to be able to see so many iconic designs all in one place.

The incredibly influential pres 21^st century designer, Madeleine Vionnet, was the queen of the bias cut and fabric draping extraordinaire. After doing a project about her one of the things I found most interesting is how her design aesthetic still lives on today under the Vionnet name. The flowing and clingy garments that she was so well known for are still seen in Vionnet designs today on the runway.

The 1920s quintessential flapper girl is rebellious and high-spirited. Fringed short dresses, bobbed haircuts and sexy makeup.  The Roaring 20s proved to be a very innovative time for fashion design. The style is seen over and over again and has influenced many designers of our time. Personally my favorite example is in Marchesa’s Spring 2012 RTW collection. The collection is full of glamorous fringed gowns in gold and silver and white with similar tubular and straight silhouettes that were seen in the Roaring 20s era. I am not usually drawn to glamour and glitz and gowns, but I think that this collection was put together so beautifully…I love fringe

I have a love for all things old. There is a story behind every old photograph or piece of clothing…whether its vintage or not…whether its 20 years old or made to look so…the muted colors and haze that make it look so far away. One of these photos IS older than me…

Whatever suits my mood…classic Rock ‘n’ Roll vibe…a little bad a little bold…