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! 

NYFW Review - The Best!

Hello!

Blog time again and this time its all about one of the major events to happen this month (fashion month) which was New York Fashion Week! This is one of my favourite times of the year as it means you can fully immerse yourself in the world of fashion for four weeks and gain an unbearable amount of inspiration! Show after show, collection after collection, social media frenzies and  FROW (front row) buzz NYFW came to an end on the 11/09/14. A unfortunate day, however the show must go on. In this blog post I'll reveal my favourite collections! Next time: The "Worst" of NYFW!
Favourites:

4/09/14 - Nicolas K SS15 - This collection was all about effortless safari style. Adventure, drapery, tassels, silks and neutral tones such as khaki, black, white and camel. Beautiful.

05/09/14 - Jason Wu SS15 - A stunning collection. Modern, clean, elegant and soft. This collection to me showcases modern fashion but with classic ideas. Minimal with clean lines, mixtures of prints and textures with drapery, ease and a looser silhouette being key. A beautiful collection.

06/09/14 - Alexander Wang SS15 - Ultra modern with interesting cuts, lines and prints. With the world moving forward so fast and the future becoming ever more realistic Alexander Wang SS15 showcased looks that brought fashion into the modern age. Splashes of colour amongst black and white make for a fun, quite masculine and futuristic but wearable collection. Amazing!

07/09/14 - Diane Von Frustenburg SS15 - A very colourful, fun and lively collection. Gingham, floral, stripes and more prints combined in the collection. Feminine and innocent with a hint of sexy. A great collection. The looks showcased the female form and celebrated being girly and fun with fashion. Kendall Jenner also walked the runway fort he designer!

08/09/14 - Carolina Herrera SS15 - For this collection prints focused on two things. The ultra modern, clean shapes and gradients that can be created on computers and classic floral shapes and colours. Two contradicting concepts mashed together to create intriguing prints for Carolina Herrera's show. Clean and modern this was a lovely show. Elegant, feminine and sophisticated. All what I'd expect from the designer.

09/09/14 - Rodarte SS15 - When I think of this collection three words come to mind. Eclectic, soft and utility. This collection was a mix of utility jackets, drapery and a mix and match of prints, colours and textures. Navy, khaki and white were the main feature colours. Wow!

10/09/14 - Oscar De La Renta SS15 - Wow. Bright, feminine, classic and pretty. This collection showcased what the designer is known for. Being classic and feminine. Pinks, whites, lace, sheer and floral all combined to make a collection that is a must see. These are pieces worth saving up for ladies!

11/09/14 - J.Mendel SS15 - Clean, modern, panels, multicolour fur and drapery. Stunning and fun collection. I haven't viewed many collections by this designer before however that has changed as I can't wait to see what this designer will bring next season.

I think its fair to say that New York Fashion Week brought us amazing fashion for 8 full days! Wow! Stunning collections! What was your favourite collection from NYFW? Let me know! Come back next time to see what collection I  thought should've had a little longer on the drawing board! Follow the blog to keep up to date on the latest posts and more! Thank you! Remember to "Always Be Classic"! 

Bye!

Fashion Takes a Look On Society

Hi everyone!

In todays society everything is fast paced. Social media is the new, easiest and biggest way to connect to people and nowadays people are often juggling around 3 things at once. With money being tight meaning people purses and wallets are tighter than ever fashion needed to take a stand to keep people interested in buying products.

Since the 2000's branding on garments has been massive and designers have taken to this to make clothing sell. Back in the good old days garments didn't have large branded logo's on to make people pay attention. Back then clothing stood for itself. The pure beauty of the clothing made enough of a statement. However, I digress, times are different now and people love seeing brands. The world is full of them! Coca Cola is recognised by 98% of the worlds population! People love to show off what brands they have on, often these are the brands that have a little bigger price tags. This is the reason people love to show them off, show what they've paid and how much money they can afford to pay for luxuries such as fashion.

This season Jeremy Scott for Moschino took this to another level with branded fashion. For their Fall 2014 show the brand took inspirations from major recognised brands such as McDonalds and SpongeBob! Fun, loud and wacky all spring to mind when I think of this show. The looks literally spoke for themselves, colours, logos and accessories all shouting what brand the looks inspiration was. Dresses with the McDonalds Golden Arch on them, black boots, skirts etc with large gold Moschino straps and even coats with a big Spongebob face smiling at you! This has to be the most fun fashion show I've seen for a long time! Definitely check this out! The looks may seem very loud but if we look at the pieces separately then these could look stunning paired with simple garments.

This was the brands way to look at hat society is. Since life is so branded we may as well dress as the brands we love. Fast fashion. Fast and branded just like life.


Check out the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6FDYGNOXtQ

See you 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

A Roaring Classic

The 1920’s.  Style had meaning in those days. Women were feminine and men were masculine. Silhouettes were curvy and classy. Not boxy and shapeless. The hips, the skirts, the bust and the fit. Each as important as the last. Making the woman. Making the icon.

Tailored garments were simple. Easy to wear. Timeless and chic. Eaton collars, scalloped hems and accentuated waists, fundamentals in the silhouette of the 1920’s jacket. I liked the idea that women made an effort in those day. Each day was a runway.  They made an effort for their husbands and worked hard to stay chic and fashionable. The classic two piece suit had been born in those days. Chanel and Dior had come in to their own. Making their names over the famous tweed suits and tiny waists. Contrasting piping was a nice touch I saw in old fashion photographs from the 1920’s.  White jackets with black piping. A simple detail that worked so well.  

Accessories such as hats and gloves were the finishing touches. Romantic and stunning these were the days off chic. The days of the woman. When men were gentlemen.  Men’s fashion followed the same ideas of being classic, simple and chic. Two piece and three piece suits were key. The men new how to dapper.  The term dapper was born in these days. Again nothing was too much effort. They made an effort for their wives. Timeless style. Walking canes, brief cases, hats, gloves and moustaches were staples in the gentle-man’s wardrobe. 

Let's revive the vintage. Let's revive the roaring 20's! 

Cut It Out!

This Spring and Summer fashion is being a little naughty. Play peek-a-boo with your clothes this season with cut out dresses! For those of you thinking the trend is hard to pull of or that you have to have a certain body to wear this trend then your wrong. This trend isn't as hard to pull off as you think.

The key is to think about where the cut outs are! If you insecure about your stomach the last thing you want to do is draw attention to it so try going for dresses with cut outs on the chest or the arms. This will then detract the attention from your stomach to the peek-a-boo cut outs! This method works in any part of the body! Just have the cut outs on your favourite part of your body and none on your most insecure part. Simple. 

Keep this trend minimal with the accessories. Let the dress do the talking and pair with a pair of statement heels. Done and ready for the night. Remember, you can wear what you want if you wear it the right way! 

Pyjama Party!

After my menswear t-shirt success last week I decided that I wanted to continue practising with my sewing machines by making other mens garments. I have all week at home so that means I have nearly all day everyday this week to be sewing. Creating garments isn't my strongest point so I wanted my little 'projects' as I'm calling them, to be simple meaning that I could get better at the basics of sewing then develop further into the more intricate techniques later on. This resulted in me deciding to make mens pyjama pants! 

I looked in my collection of sewing books that I have stacked in my bedroom and tried to find out as much as I can about simple sewing clothing projects and found that in The Great British Sewing Bee book (that I forgot I own) there is a pair of mens pyjama pants with step by step instructions on how to make them. The next day I decided to go to the town market to buy three different fabrics so that I could make a mini collection of pyjama bottoms! I wanted cotton fabrics that had a beach vibe and a warm look to them. I purchased two gingham fabrics, 1 red and black and the other navy blue and dark green. The third is a very deep blue and black dog tooth print fabric. Each very soft and easy to work with. Easily my favourite fabric I've ever used. 

Before making the pyjamas I washed each fabric individually to make sure that when the finished garments are washed in the future that no colour will run and it also ensures that when the garments are washed in the future that the fabrics won't loose any shape. These have been my favourite mini project ever. Simple and I've ended up with something that I can actually wear afterwards! I think menswear may be the way forward for me! 

Ta Da! I present the Ryan Pilkington Sleep Tight range! 

The First Stitch

Earlier this week I had decided that with the spare time I have now that I want to practice my sewing as this is my weakest part. I want to return to university more confident about making garments. One day I was out and about and thought I would pop in to the market to see what cheap and cheerful fabric was for sale and as luck would have it there were multiple colours of t shirt fabric such as cotton jersey. This was the same market that I bought cheap fabric from for college projects so the sales man was happy to give me an even cheaper price for the fabrics! I then set off home where the designing and creating would start!

My partner has been wanting me to make them something for a while now but I've never had the motivation or the skill to be able to, so I decided to make them a cowl neck t shirt. I used a grey cotton jersey for the cool neck and draw strings (added extra) and a deep berry purple for the main bodice and sleeves of the top. Sewing the shirt was great, no hiccups (apart from me sewing the cowl neck inside out by accident but no worries it's sorted now) and it became a success! I had drafted my own custom menswear bodice and sleeve blocks and made the top from scratch in an afternoon. Very happy with the final outcome. It made me very happy to see my partner wear my creation that night and the day after. It was a "I did that" moment for sure. I have even started a new t shirt for them yesterday! There's nothing stopping my now! 

Could this be the beginning of a new t shirt brand? Ryan Pilkington Creations? 

A Nude Summer

Nude is a trend that comes and goes every year but never fails to become a major hit. It's easily wearable and simple to do. No fuss. Nude has been seen at the Burberry S/S 2013 show in garments such as crop jackets and dresses. It's a classic trend. Easily worn from day to night, from office to drinks. Tones such as blush, pinks and skin tone colours are key for this trend. Wear form fitting dresses to give the illusion of wearing nothing at all. Cheeky. It's easy wear because nude doesn't need a lot of work. The idea is that your supposed to be as naked as possible with out at illy being naked so minimal accessories are needed.

If your not wanting to wear nude coloured garments then why not try having a nude bag or an amazing pair of nude coloured shoes. For shoes, a high court shoe is best. If you can walk in platforms then this is also best. This is because the nude court shoe will give the illusion of longer legs with them being a close colour to your natural skin tone and because of the style of shoe. Perfect. If your wanting a very sophisticated look then try wearing a pair of nude leather gloves. Short or long these will look stunning. These are also practical too, just in case the rain makes a visit to the good old British summer.

I See You

Sheer. It's cheeky, tempting and sexy. Designers love using daring materials in clothing so sheer fabric is often used in many collections. Erdem didn't disappoint this season with their usage. They designed sheer beaded dressed with white garments underneath to hide the models dignity. With sheer being thin and obviously see through its the perfect summer fabric. If your going on a hot summer holiday this year then sheer garments are the way to go. Now, not all women are likely to walk out of their houses with just their pants, bra and a sheer dress on so here are some high street ideas so you can still wear sheer, but a little more conservatively.

Wear a black sheer blouses over a black vest. This is a good idea if your quite modest but still like the see through idea. A good tip is a black form fitting vest with a black sheer blouse. This would also work for the office so you know you can still be sexy in the work place. If you want to be a little more daring then why not place your black sheer blouse over a plain black bra. This look has been seen before and never disappoints. Daring and sexy. If your wanting to wear a sheer dress this season but aren't very daring then don't worry. On the high street there are dresses that have sheer panels and dresses that have sheer material continuing on from the dress. Perfect if you want a little more peek a boo to your outfits.

I love this trend, it's daring, sexy but also wearable and available on the hi street. Looks like summer gonna be a sheer one !