SHOP REPORT Vivienne Westwood.

Vivienne Westwood, FH Mall, Nottingham. As a fan of Vivienne Westwood, i was excited to do a shop report on the nottingham store, firstly we are forced to notice the window display... the windows are very typical of Westwood, we can sense alot of english heritage, taken mostly from the anglo-mania range here, lots of rich fabrics, checks, tweeds, wools. the displays are clean cut, accessorised and enviable.The winter collection we see here in the window is iconic, playful and will last.
I also have to mention the staff, who were dressed head to toe in the label, good for advertising, shows versatility, what you could wear pieces with, how they look on.
The stores customer, target audience i would say was males and females, who were into trends , fashion forward, outgoing, stylish, early 20's and upwards, probably middle-class or well paid, (due to pricing) probably people who have an interest in the designer and kooky fashion. A young, casual customer.

The anglo-mania label, this year is full of prints, Westwood took inspiration from a central Sudanese tribe of the Nuba mountains, while the colour palette utilises the ethnic, vibrant colours of Tibetan monks. At the core of the label is the dynamic cut, which Vivienne Westwood has pioneered.
This year's Red Label collection is full of fun. Inspired by the uniforms of pupils and school mistresses, the collection is St Trinian's meets preppy, with a touch of school marm. There are also some sportswear elements to the label, with thermal long johns and chunky knitwear.

This store, has been open about 18months, and whilst not being very big stocks, menswear, womenswear, footwear, jewelry, handbags and accessories, allw hich are beautifully displayed either in solid glass cabinets or stainless steel rails, the store is decorated with a celebratory english vibe, old vintage looking chairs, chaise longe, union jack flags, rich wool rugs, very english heritage throughout.

Pricing, while everything here is obviously by Vivienne westwood, the collections vary in price, the red label collections seem to be more expensive, i looked at a red wool 'twisted cloud' cardigan which came in at £365 and then looked at a small head scarf with slogan print which came in at £20, so not all but some pieces are very affordable by all.

i think the pieces are very trend focused, but not typical trend, Vivienne westwood trend. this year weve seen heritage, high school preppiness, private school chic, rich fabrics, leathers, wools, tweeds...followed by a more outlandish tibetan tribe theme, loud colours, earthy prints, bold shapes etc. Key trends within the store i would recognise, for me would be a specific pair of pirate boots, all the members of staff had a pair on, they are soft leather, with numerous straps and buckles upon them, they come in a range of shades, black, brown, tan and look comfortable and versatile and more importantly very now.

The store merchandising, like i said before is fantasticly brithish, loved the union jack designs, although not in the typical red, white and blue, the old leather chairs, the wall art, the rugs,rich wood flooring, all screamed england.

(images all my own)

SHOP REPORT, John Lewis.

So first we visited John Lewis, which is in the Victoria centre, Nottingham.
the first thing i notice as we approach is obviously the window displays, not yet there Christmas display but a wintery one, very clean, simple, not fussy, to the point, classy and very buy-able, already i know the typical customer for a store like this one. id gather, from the window, the customer for John Lewis would be, predominantly female, an older woman mid-to late 20's and upwards, probably of middle class, a professional, well kept,with a chic, classical style.
Products- the store sells products from make-up and underwear to home wares and technology, but if we concentrate mainly on the clothing, bags and accessories, we notice that all the products are of a high standard, beautiful cashmere wools, leathers and suede's, this again gives us a sense of middle classes, professional social groups. within the store, there are also designer boutiques and stands, designers such as:
-Make up and beauty; Chanel, Clarins, Clinique, Dior, Estee Lauder, Guerlain, Lancome, Liz Earle, Sisley, Tom Ford, YSL.
-Lingerie; Calvin klien, Elle Macpherson, Fantasie, Freya, Gossard, Karen Millen, Panache, Sloggi, Triumph, Wonderbra, and they're own brand, John Lewis.
-Womens accessories;DKNY, Fatface, Fiorelli, Guess, Lulu Guiness, Mischa Barton, Mulberry, Osprey, Rdaley, Ted Baker, Tula.
Footwear; Birkenstock, Carvela, Converse, Dune, Gabor, Kurt Gieger, UGG, Van Dal.
Womens fashion; Barbour, Coast, Espirit, Four seasons, French Connection, Hobbs, Jaeger, Joules, Levi, LK Bennet, NW3, Oasis, Phase Eight, Warehouse.

As well as many designer brands, the store stocks most categories in a John Lewis brand also in women swear, menswear, children and baby wear, home and technology as well as sportswear and gifts.

Pricing, as there are both designer brands and store brands in the shop, the difference in pricing is major, so for an example i looked at handbags, firstly i saw a bag from DKNY, it was a black, snake skin tote, with silk scarf around it, it was made in Indonesia and came in at £180. I then looked at one of the leather bags in the 'John Lewis' range, it was similar, black leather, made in Italy, came in at £56. so we can see the price range is remarkably different when we move from designer labels to brand labels.

Trends- looking around the store i would say that trends are key, however not risky trends, i dont think that John Lewis follows trends directly, the piees throughout the store are up-to-date and fashionable, but still classic yet modern. i dont think they sell to a niche audeience like say, Topshop. I think the store is trend focused but trends that are timeless like the 'leather gloves' or the 'cashmere scarf'.

(images my own)

COMPARATIVE SHOPPING.

yesterday we went to nottingham to look around various shopping centres and museums, we looked at a few shops, looking at the window displays, the way they were set out, the decor allsorts, we also went nottingham contemporary to check out the new pieces and instalations.

heatherette...

the boys at heatherette really do an awesome job, wish i was a new york doll...



(images from google.com) October 2010.

GALLERY OF COSTUME, PLATT HALL.

so, we visited the gallery of costume in Manchester, really liked the bits on show here, especially a piece called 'widow' by Susie Macmurray, its a dress constructed from leather with around 100,000 silver pins attached to it, apparently its one of 4 structures made by the artist and the pieces explore aspects of female identity and vulnerability. I like the use of pins, i think they well represent the idea of vunerability, almost like a hedgehog putting their spikes on end when they feel threatened, the dress is like a coat of armour, i also like the use of leather, for me its representative of the skin, pierced with insecurities.

(images my own)

WOAHWOAHWOAHSWEETCHILDOFMINE.

so i was looking at some work of the late Alexander McQueen, came across this little number, im surprised i havnt seen it before. What an amazing piece, traditional prom-style dressin a summery yellow, then covered with what must be the finest lace, it looks as though it could have been tattooed on the skin, just amazing.
drew, you lucky thing you.



(image found on google.com) October 2010.

PLATT HALL, GALLERY OF COSTUME, MANCHESTER.

more bits and pieces from the trip to platt hall, i loved looking at the vintage pieces, especially the vivienne westwood shoes and handbags, iconic pieces. Also liked the vicorian looking costume and corsets.

(images my own)

A tattoo is a marking made by inserting indelible ink into the dermis layer of the skin to change the pigment for decorative or other reasons. Tattoos on humans are a type of decorative body modification, while tattoos on animals are most commonly used for identification or branding. The term "tattoo" or from Samoa, "Tatau" is first referred to by Joseph Banks, the naturalist aboard Cook's ship the "Endeavour" in 1769 where he mentions it in his journal. To paraphrase. he states, "I shall now mention the way they mark themselves indelibly, each of them is so marked by their humor or disposition".

Tattooing has been practiced for centuries worldwide. The Ainu, the indigenous people of Japan, traditionally wore facial tattoos. Today one can find Berbers of Tamazgha (North Africa), Māori of New Zealand, Arabic people in East-Turkey and Atayal of Taiwan with facial tattoos. Tattooing was widespread among Polynesian peoples and among certain tribal groups in the Taiwan, Philippines, Borneo, Mentawai Islands, Africa, North America, South America, Mesoamerica, Europe, Japan, Cambodia, New Zealand and Micronesia. Despite some taboos surrounding tattooing, the art continues to be popular in many parts of the world.



(information found on wikipedia.com) October 2010.

IT WINDS ME UP A LITTLE...

when people look at some one with lots of piercings or tattoos and instantly looks down on them, just because someone feels the need to express themself through a different type of media, namely on there skin in ink or with pieces of metal that lay beneath the skin, doesnt make them less intelligent, smart or useful.
i think people should probably learn to build a bridge and get over it...its the 21st century, keep up.

(image found on tumblr.com) October 2010.

melody eshani, nice work.



(images found on both google.com and the melody eshani official website) October 2010.

UNI...

HAVE GARGANTUATE AMOUNTS OF WORK TO DO FOR UNI!!
not keen particularly on the manufacturing side of my work, i have little patience with a sewing machine, which is a hidesou trait to have when your in my position...ill get used to it!
enjoyed the print screening and transferring yesterday though, its a good way of getting a print done, quick, easy, effective. LIKE.
need to start work on my influences file, which will be easy, i manage to find something in everything, i guess documenting that wont be too strenuos.

JUST BECAUSE

Im so tired, NO exhausted with having to look through magazines or across the net and see all these pretty talentless, un-imaginative celebrities trying to take on this new wave of glam-punk, gaga-inspired type of trend. If you weren't that creative dress wise last year why have you suddenly become CRAZY with your new outfits? No-one is impressed, amused, interested. If anything it shows a great lack of personality that you cant create a look of your own, representative of you.
BORING.

Grunge fashion was led by music, poverty, apathy and social alienation. And pretty Kurt. And scary Courtney. After a quick scoot through grunge music history we pile into the key elements of grunge fashion and how it applies today.

i wanted to look at a so called 'grunge' icon, that is the young and some what bratty Taylor Momsen, to be frank, it all seems to have happened quite fast, first she's this preppy, fresh faced american gracing our screens bitching in gossip girl, now shes a moody, spoilt brat, who has/wants everything and has now aparently re-defined what is cool and what is 'Grunge'. DONT MAKE ME LAUGH.

tiny bit of fame and suddenly shes a hardcore rock princess who's in some thrown together band that nobody had ever heard of. PLEASE.

the only thing this girl has re-defined is how to be a wannabe.






(images from google.com) October 2010.

OH, Courtney.

MESSY HAIRED SMEARED LIPSTICK PERFECTION.





(images from google.com) October 2010.

'GRUNGE'
Clothing commonly worn by grunge musicians in Washington consisted of thrift store items and the typical outdoor clothing (most notably flannel shirts) of the region, as well as a general unkempt appearance. The style did not evolve out of a conscious attempt to create an appealing fashion.This clothing is cheap, it's durable, and it's kind of timeless. It also runs against the grain of the whole flashy aesthetic that existed in the 80's.

A BASIC connotation of what it is to be grunge, in my opinion grunge is more than a way of dressing, its more about an attitude, an aura even. You can rip your clothes, dress cheapily, messily and throw on as many layers as you like but we still recognise who it comes to naturally and who's tried extra hard, its an art really.