McQueen Brings Asia

Hello!

One of my favourite designers of all time is Alexander McQueen. After his passing the fashion world looked to Sarah Burton to see what she would accomplish with the label. Season after season I waited in anticipation to see what direction she will take the name.

Her collections have wowed me I have to say. I have loved the different styles she has shown from previous collections and this season brought Asia to the runway. The collection was inspired by a personal collection of antique kimono's. Floral prints and embellishment adored the looks in an array of array of fabrics including wool, silk, marquetry leather and even hand cut floral ruffles. Modern, feminine, dark but stunning all at the same time. Its a gorgeous collection. Full of floral influences from Asia with traditional styles with modern contemporary twists. This to me is the idea of classic with twists. This may become my choice for best collection of the season!

I abosoutley love this collection! It took a while but i've chosen 5 of my favourite looks from the show. Below is also an illustration i did of a look from the show also! Hope you enjoy! 

#AlexanderMcQueen #SS15 @WorldMcQueen

What do you think? Comment below! Remember to "Always Be Classic"! Until next time! Bye!

A Whole New Look

           

Hello!

New Look is British fashion brand that is known for its affordability and great women's wear. However, did you know that they also have menswear too? No? not surprising as this isn't a well known fact but that is about to change!

On a recent visit to a New Look store in Meadowhall in Sheffield I was shown around the new men's range and their new approach to men's fashion. The brand is predominantly a women's fashion retailer with a huge shoe range. I mean, its epic. After going around the range, learning and loving, it shocked me why people aren't aware of this and why it isn't as popular as I think it should be. Then I started to think back to when I used to visit New Look when I was around 13 and I can remember the range of men's fashion available being very mix matched. The yester year of fashion for the brand is gone now with a full on amazing collection of amazing fashion.

I was amazed be the growth of the men's department and I was so excited to see that the store has looked and dedicated time to the range. A real passion came through as we chatted about everything from the past, how men shop, my thoughts and their plans for the future. The thought of shop by trend and I love that each trend has a different guy name. Such as Alex for the Vinyl "fashion forward" trend, Jack for the Sports trend and Tom for Geek Chic. After plenty of notes being made it was time for the really fun bit! The try on! I asked Alex, the Men's wear Expert at New Look Meadowhall, to choose some pieces from the range that he liked and thought would look good together and I would then try them on and we could take some photos.

The rail of clothes emerged and it looked fab from the get go. We took the rail to the dressing room and the clothes really started to show themselves off. The quality and the fit of these clothes has really sky rocketed from my experience in the past. In a matter of fact I was originally wearing black super skinny jeans anyway that day and Alex had picked a pair out for me to try on and they fitted even better than mine did! Not to mention the stunning fit of everything else on that rail! I bought he two scarfs you see in the photo's. Worn them every day since!

I think I've covered the fantastic quality, fit and range that the store offers but what I would also like to day is the amazing, un-beatable customer service I was given during my visit. With big smiles, warm welcomes and a "nothing is too  much trouble" approach, the team made me feel so welcome and even part of the New Look family. All of them were also very stylish too. After being treated like a king for a good few hours and having a great chat with everyone I can see amazing things happening with the New Look men's range. I know where I'm going when pay day comes! Not to mention Christmas!

Here's the photos from the day. Check out the Meadowhall Sheffield store today! I can guarantee you'll be very happy you did. Remember, to "Always Be Classic".

#NewLook #Meadowhall #Sheffield

See you next time!

Head 2 Toe Knits

Hello!

It's fall and winter time again and that means it's time to start digging out your long lost knitted loves again! For many fall and winter 2014 collections designers focused on knitwear as their major texture and they didn't go about it shyly! Ill be showing you the designers that love wool this season and some top tips for wearing al wool!

                            "Love wool this season" 

Now, knitwear can be big, bulky and frankly quite unflattering but designers had created skirts, dresses and tailored trousers showing that head to toe wool is completely possible and even fashionable! Designers such as Céline, Acne and Sonia Rykiel have created look that really are lovely.

Top tip: Don't wear too many tick layers of wool. Look for a mixture of thicknesses, Tops and trousers want to be thinner wools and jackets etc want to be thicker. Mix them for a look that makes heads turn and is still flattering!

Top tip: Simple is key! Dont overdo on the wools. This will add bulk and make you look bigger. Wear key wool items such as a skirt, top and wool socks for a fun, wool look that simple, minimalist and stylish!

Top tip: Designers this season looked to keep all the rolls the same colour. My favourite being all black as its chic, flattering and mysterious. Keep the colours neutral for a more understated look. Khaki, cream and black being key choices.

What do you think to this trend for fall/winter? Love it or hate it? Comment below and let me know! Remember to follow the blog too and never miss a post again! Thank you! Remember to "Always Be Classic" ! 

Bye until next time! 

The First

Hello again!

Hope everyone has had a great weekend and that going back to work isn't too bad! With this blog post I want to give you all an update and a look in to the latest collection being designed here at Ryan Pilkington!

Recently with orders being placed for evening wear I have had opportunities to look more into one of my favourite parts of the fashion world. Evening wear and haute couture. Designers like Elie Saab are my favourites. Always stunning, feminine and classic. I love seeing the details, the silhouettes and fabrics. As you'll soon find out "classic is my favourite word".

 

"Classic is my favourite word"

I wanted to use this information and growing interest a little more and design a small capsule collection of 8 looks and this would become the first collection officially designed for the Ryan Pilkington brand/business! Very exciting! With the collection, that's in the works now, I wanted to design looks that are classic, unique and sexy. It's no secret that the colour black is like the sword in the stone for fashion. Loved by all, this colour is the main colour for the collection. Dark, mysterious, intriguing and sexy this colour said everything I wanted with this collection.

Along the silhouette lines fort he collection I wanted simple elegance. No fussiness, nothing that was overworked or too flashy. This collection is more a celebration and a look into simplicity. The form of the female body and the classic chicness of letting just the shape of the woman and the fall of the fabric  do the talking. No distractions. Following along with those key points for the collection in mind I thought of fabrics. Silk is classic, falls beautifully and slides on the skin. This was the first obvious choice and then came lace. Lace is a cheeky fabric I find. The idea that your still wearing a piece of fabric however around 80% of it is sheer. Covered but exposed at the same time. Add black, silk and lace together and this is the foundations for the Black Classics Collection by Ryan Pilkington.

Check out the looks so far and find out more information along with new looks and more on the official Facebook page for Ryan Pilkington

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ryan-Pilkington/1586243024937075

Pencil It In

I need to be more organised and as a matter of fact it's one of my things to do for 2014! Last year I got a Filofax as a gift and lately I have used it religiously in an attempt to be really organised with day to day life in general. It is working too! I feel more organised now I'm using it. A very functional, personal accessory!

One good tip for keeping organised that I learned at a training session was to make a list of the things you want to do the next day. Just take 15 minutes to jot them down. Then put times next to them, when to start and when to finish. This makes you more motivated to get them finished so you stay on schedule! 

Happy organising! 

                     

                     

                      

Julien Macdonald

Matalan have teamed up with British fashion designer Julian Macdonald to launch a new formal line! W10 shows us classic tailoring in greys and blacks. Each piece a classic. Now for me the items that stood out for me was the shoe range!

I love a good pair of shoes (my shoe rack proves this!) and I have to say that you cant beat a good pair of classic formal shoes. I am quite particular with this however but the footwear that Julian and Matalan have created is great! Matte, Gloss, pointed and brogue styles all available! My favourite was the glossy pair you see here. Pair these with a classic tailored black suit for a dinner and you'll be the man who's on everyone's mind!

Moulage & Betty Jackson!

One of my latest creations came in form of a university project. This was Moulage. The idea of this is to work directly on the stand with the fabric instead of creating paper patterns at the beginning. This was exciting. Prior to this I have never worked in this way. We had a session on the basics and then we ran with it. The garment that I created was the product of a few weeks practise and some quick designing. 



I finished the garment 3 week prior to the deadline so needless to say I was very happy. I had found the best way for me to make garments. I was quick and easily motivated by this process, more hands on to start with instead of taking endless measurements. This meant I could add finishing touches and details to the garment. This soon became my best garment to date in my opinion. Still is.

The best part of this project was that we had a visit form Betty Jackson! yes the Betty Jackson! After being nervous all day I tried to keep my cool as she walked through the room. Trying to make myself look busy with my garment when she stopped right next to me! "This is nice how are you going to do this?" that's when I realised she was talking to me! I answered her with how I would attach the details. My tutor was also there with her and she began explaining that I had found Moulage easy and I had found my feet with the process to which Betty Jackson said she also liked to work this way. "You know the first garment I made I completely forgot someone had to get their head into it, don't tell anyone that" she laughed smiled and walked off. Wow. A designer had praised my dress.

My week was complete with that. Here is the garment made out of white felt and paper nylon.

My Favourite Collection

Recently I had a project at university set for me called Whimsical Wings. This project was based around the theme of anything that flies, from man made machines to natural animals. Although this project at first presented a challenge with design, I have to say that its my favourite collection I've ever designed for a project!


The original idea was to have the collection based on the theme of Leonardo Da Vinci. One of the most influential men of science in history. Artist, inventor mathematician and scientist this man was a master of all trades. However I wanted to make this project more quirky and fun. I instantly thought of one thing I was addicted to as a child. Dinosaurs! Feathered dinosaurs to be exact to be specific. this was the starting point.


I looked at colour, shape and species for my collection. After researching various species I finally chose the "missing link" in evolution. The Archaeopteryx. After extensive research I looked at WGSN for S/S 15 predicted trends and after drafting out designs my collection was born.


This is my Spring and Summer 2015 Collection: Archaeopteryx.   

Back To Basics

With fashion ever evolving and styles changing more than your underwear it's hard to keep up. Men's and women's fashion is getting more and more eclectic as time goes on. Jewellery and prints are taking over the stores and I think it's time for a chill pill. 

Months ago I was the type of person that had jewellery from Topman falling out of my ears. Spikes, knuckle dusters and chains earings were everywhere. No day without an eccentric accessory on. Nowadays it's easier. Calmer. More manly in a way. Men's fashion has turned quite feminine over the years and it's nice to see stores like H&M still fightin the fashion front with basic manly pieces. It seems I've replaced my jewellery with joggers, which are now one of my favourite pieces of clothing to wear ever, and it's great to be able to just throw something on and for it to fit well together without having to have an hour plannnng it before hand. 

H&M have created the Basic range for men. Simple colours such as grey, black and burgundy. Warm colours that suit any body. Easy. The key pieces include joggers, sweaters, vests and hoodies as well as the ver classic t-shirt. Every bit of this collection works together, no clashing and no working out to do about the matching colour scene. It's all done for you. This style will never clash with trends either. It's timeless and classic. 

So chill out, relax. Be simple and calm in what you wear. Be comfy in your clothes not suffering from dangerous looking accessories that could potentially take someone's eye out. Be a man.