Black and Mustard

With clients dresses ordered and other being amended for a national event in London mid November it's nice to have outfits that are great to wear for running to clients for fittings, traveling and comfy enough to continue with blogging, orders and emails etc. when home. For me it's black skinny jeans, a tee and staple black leather boots. I didn't want to look too moody today so I decided to add my mustard scarf!

Have a nice day! Ryan x

The look:

Tee / Topman / Jeans & boots / River Island / Scarf / New Look / Sunglasses / Vintage

 

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 "Worst"

Hello!

Last week was New York Fashion Week! Last time I took you through my picks of what I think are the best shows from NYFW day by day. If you missed the post click the link here to check it out: http://bit.ly/1qMaxgC. This time I'm going to reveal the collection that I thought should've had a longer life on the drawing board. I know I said "Worst" collection but that is such a strong word so I'll say my least favourite collection fro  NYFW.

10/09/14 - Jeremy Scott SS 15 - This collection isn't my cup of tea at all. But I also can't decide where it would be anyones cup of tea either honestly. This collection makes me think that Jeremy got a bunch of naughty little kids to draw the designs instead. Yes its fun, loud, wacky and youthful but its not exactly buyable, wearable or stylish (at least not in my eyes). Designers are known for having "out there" tastes when it come to style and fashion however i do think that there is a line where conceit's passed it becomes ridiculous. Its perfect for Miley Cyrus with her new crazy style and album but for us everyday people who love fashion its not. Incidentally Miley walked out with Jeremy at the end of the show.

Dont get me wrong, I like colour, fun and being adventurous with fashion. Just in fashionable ways. If you love the collection then fair play to you and I know that we all have our own opinions and views but this is not what I would ever design or ever buy.

Sorry Jeremy but I think this completely missed the mark…

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!

Etsy!

Hello guys!
 
Today was all about growing. Through out collage and university I collect loads of fabrics and they are all stored and forgotten about...Until now! Today I wanted to be proactive with these fabrics and put them to some use...

Iron, ironing board and load of fabrics ready I got my measuring tape, string and sheers to hand and started to create mixed patchwork fabric bundles that are now on sale on the Ryan Pilkington store now live on Etsy.com! Exciting! These bundles are perfect for quilting, patchwork, sewing, embroidery and anything else you like! each bundle comes with 16 9.5cm squares! A mix of prints and fabrics to ensure a great time and a little surprise!

I thoroughly enjoyed creating these bundles and I know everyone who buys them will be bound to have a great time with them! Be sure to check out the Etsy store today and always check back with more products from Ryan Pilkington coming soon!

Etsy Store: RPBespoke

Enjoy everyone! Until next time! Time to get some deseigns created and launched now!

Bye!

Hi everyone!

I know the posts have been a little sparse lately with the setting up and running of my new business so I thought I would give you all an update from the world of Ryan Pilkington!

Last week was a week full of production for the first official clients bespoke evening wear order. A blue silk crepe de chine and lace dress with a sweet heart neckline, bejewelled belt and sash. I have loved being able to pattern cut and produce one of my own official designs for a client instead of creating a garment for a university project that will never be actually worn by anyone. Knowing that this dress will be worn and loved by someone gives me a sense of pleasure. The dress will go from being loved and cared for every step in the production to being loved again by a client.

I've also started my Digital High Street Skills Training at The Source Meadowhall where I learn, in 3 modules, how to use the ever powerful social media for my business! The first module was last Wednesday and the next is tomorrow! All very exciting! The nerd in me loves the workbook and hand outs we get! (Actually to be fair I'm a complete nerd anyway)

Finishing off the other bits of the week was full of designing, promotion and the admin for the brand too. Its all go, go, go but It'll all be worth it!

Till next time guys! Ill be sure to keep you updated on the next steps for the Ryan Pilkington name! The highs and the lows! Join this journey with me!

Bye!

Sewing Bee

I loved the first series of The Great British Sewing Bee and even bought the first book, and made the men's pyjama bottoms from it on which I did a blog post on! So it came natural to watch series two and buy the Sew Your Own Wardrobe book!

Normally this book is £25 but at a Costco near me they had it for £13! Obviously I couldn't pass this opportunity up. All purchased and read this book is amazing. It gives amazing hints and tips for beginner and more experienced sewers and is jam packed with next and interesting sewing projects to do at home. I cant wait to start making a garment a week (my personal summer challenge) and make my own portfolio of garments made over summer. I am most excited about making the men's anorak! The book even comes with 5 large pieces of paper which hold about 3 different garment patterns each so if you don't know how to draft garment patterns then don't worry! I'll let you see each garment as its completed!

A must buy!

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.