The Nicolette skirt

One of my all time favourite bands is Massive Attack. I listened to them from around 1991 onwards and still can't get enough of Blue Lines. But it was Nicolette's (pictured below) voice that I really loved when I heard her on their second album, 'Protection'. I subsequently bought her album 'Let No-One Live Rent Free in Your Head' when it came out a couple of years later - which is an amazing, slightly bonkers CD which sounds as fresh to me now as it did when it was released.

The Nicolette skirt is the star piece of the Autumn/Winter 2013 collection. A ribbed panel wraps the waist and hips and supports more panels which are heavy, intricate layers of hand crocheted lurex, cashmere and brass chain. It took around 60 painstaking hours to make and the image below does not do it justice! For the time being, you will have to take my word for it that it feels amazing to wear. 

WSP Future Cities: how the Regeneration gown came to be

This is the last of three posts where I explain how I came to create each of my pieces for WSP's Future Cities project. 

The third theme I was set was Regeneration.  It was the one that excited me the most, as my mind instantly went to recycling, which is important both in my work and my life. This became the basis for the piece before I even knew what the design would be - to me, it was crucial that the yarns used to create this piece were recycled, or reclaimed.

I started out with a chunky jersey yarn, which is salvaged from the floors of t-shirt factories.  Before sheets of jersey are cut for garments they automatically trim 1cm strips from the edges. This would be thrown away, but some clever person realised that it could be collected up and stitched together to create cones of yarn. I then asked a talented recent Central Saint Martins graduate, Irem Arig, to hand spin the yarns with some home-dyed British mohair.  What she came up with was an incredibly chunky and unusual yarn with which to build a textured, structured garment.

Having done some extensive research into the origin of the word 'regeneration', the concept that came up over and over was rebirth. I wanted to create a silhouette where one part of the garment emerged from something else - one being born from another. From there, I crocheted some swatches and realised I could make a heavy, sculpted bodice in one piece which would envelop the torso, with a long flowing skirt emerging from the bottom, to create a gown.  The yarn I used to knit the skirt is from British yarn company Rowan and is made from recycled silk and cotton. It has a beautiful drape, so compliments the armour-like quality of the bodice beautifully.

New crush: Celia B

I love it when I meet people randomly.  I complimented someone on their necklace the other day and that person turned out to be Celia, a lovely Spanish girl who makes accessories, bright dresses and hand-knitted & crocheted clothes and other pieces for her own label, Celia B.  I am now the proud owner of one of the aforementioned necklaces and if you know me, you will see me wearing it for the rest of the (rainy) summer. I absolutely love it. They're available to buy here.

Celia has gone from designing accessories for Zara to working in China for a knitwear company part-time and running her label the rest of the time.  She recently hosted her very own solo pop-up store in Shanghai, where she currently lives.  Everything she does is bright, sunny and fun. She is currently working on a website, launching here soon, but in the meantime you can keep up to date with her (and her creations) on her blog.
[All images by Celia B]

Crochet chic

Who knew crocheted granny squares could be elevated to such glamorous heights? This Dolce & Gabbana crochet and leather handbag is a whopping £1,540.

[Image taken from Dolce & Gabbana website]

Cool crochet for Dolce and Gabbana

Normally I tire slightly (but not entirely) of flicking through the pages and pages of adverts in Vogue before you get to the juicy stuff, but this morning I got quite excited by an ad for Dolce & Gabbana SS11 - an absolutely beautiful crocheted black cardigan and skirt 'suit', that while looking like something my great grandmother might have made, manages to exude class and sophistication while simultaneously looking.... wearable!

I absolutely love the whole old school 'famiglia Italiana' vibe of the whole campaign.

[Image taken from Dolce and Gabbana wesbite]