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Posted: 02.08.09

So last night I hopped down with old man to see the Chanel film starring Audrey Tautou, naturally a film like this could only deal with a small segment of Chanel’s long life and career, it naturally deals with her early life and how she goes from an orphan to the becoming the world famous fashion designer.

Cleverly researched and even for all of the slightly cringe moments. The film still manages to deliver what you would expect,  this is no SITC fashion film. What comes across is how Chanel, saw through the fuddy fashion of the days, and adopted and borrowed so much for menswear to cut a modern look in an other wise restricted world.

For those who have read the story of Chanel life the death that occurs in the film comes as no shock, but for those who don’t, like Marcus who was sat next to me causing him to shout out “Noooooooo.” Adds to the films appeal, sad to think that this was all true.

Posted: 12.07.09

As we live through what we are told is an obesity epidemic, its amusing to find this page on my research, of course fatness is not a new thing, but with more and more people super sizing themselves into blimps it surely must be a practical question to ask, but how does the industry act, does it endorse larger sizes by making a wider range available to the fuller figure, or should it be socially aware and cater for a more healthy figure, thus making it less acceptable and easy to be deadly heavy.

Banksy V Bristol Museum.

Posted: 28.06.09

Bristol, England. The new museum of Bristol is due to open showcasing the city’s heritage, past glory etc etc, it will be based in a former warehouse on the dockside in the city. But atop Park Street sits the grand Dame of Bristol, the old museum which is as classic cut as they come, marble staircases leading to rooms with cases upon cases of stuffed animals and stuffed former Egyptians. I was dragged around that museum by my Gran on many occasions to escape the rain and always got forced to look at the Mummies even thought I was scared of Mumra from Thundercats…oh the nightmares.  

So with the oh so popular Banksy taking the keys to this forgotten city attraction he has turned the empty rooms full of visitors from the city and much further a field. I thought I would share a few highlights with you. I certainly enjoyed my visit but was left with the question, why is Bansky so popular, is it the kind of popularity that will carry on growing, is it that he opts out of the public glare that gives him the edge over his peers?

Posted: 16.06.09

"Will you be able to work up in till the show in February?" was a questioned posed by Carolyn Massey in an email shortly after I had interviewed with her, well I thought to myself, I don't know will I be able to stay that long. This was back in autumn 08 and here we are Summer 09 and I've just departed from working in studio Massey.

A day in the studio is never the same, a small group of people, enough to fit around the table for lunch and with one of the hardest working kettles in fashion, provided me with one of my most informative working environments to date.

Carolyn as a young menswear designer has been growing steady as only one can really be allowed to in her field, no jet setting peroxide model friends to raise her profile, no no, but a talent and eye that menswear demands and time will not wither.

If the devils in the detail then Carolyn surely has 666 on her crown, for beautiful fabrics and gros grain ribbon all add that quality to her collections. Carolyn will be again, rightly showing as part of LFW and with all the added fun of being in Somerset House, apt really for a West Country gal.

As for me, I'm sending myself back to school to do a Post Grad in pattern cutting at Central Saint Martins, but without the investment made in me by Carolyn and Production Manger Colette I wouldn’t be going.

AW09 Carolyn Massey. www.carolynmassey.com

For all you new graduates of 2009, your skills and talent are primed, and I started working even before graduation, but you’re going to take some knocks over your first year out. I lost countless hours of sleep, I've struggled, and maybe now I've entered the tunnel, in search of the light at the end, because before now, I wasn’t even sure if I could get into that tunnel. No sniggering at back!

So I hope to you up to date about my time on my PGC.

Your Wardrobe Needs you!

Posted: 15.06.09

Now not to long ago I was talking to a blogger who was having a natter about all manner of subjects, one of which is the main focus of this first blog, but more on that story later....

She questioned me as to me being a blogger, of which I retorted that I didn’t feel I had anything new to offer the public that wasn’t already out there. She seemed to think that didn’t matter and well I pay for this website and thought it should give more for its money and for some insane reason people seem to like dropping by to sprackles.co.uk

Now after a turbulent time for the UK's ruling classes and the rollercoaster that is the British economy at this time of dole queues, we now face looking at ourselves as a nation that wishes to send BNP MEPs to Europe, we surely need to address the bad things, but surely we should not lose focus on the good.

'I'm Backing Britain" was a brief patriotic campaign aimed at boosting the British economy which flourished in early 1968. The campaign started spontaneously when five Surbiton secretaries volunteered to work an extra half an hour each day without pay in order to boost productivity, and urged others to do the same. This invitation received an enormous response and a campaign took off spectacularly, becoming a nationwide movement within a week.

Now' I'm Backing Britain' was short lived mostly likely because too many cooks apoiled the broth, by many trying to turn the campaign to suit their cause, the usual suspects.

Queen at Singer.

Badge from 60s.

But surely creative industries should get some backing, often ridiculed by the press but a flag waver for the countries identity, surely industries like , fashion could do with a backing more than ever?

Think of the major issues or movements that the public are taking more and more interest in.

Sustainability.

Recycling.

Carbon footprints (air miles of transporting goods.)

Fair trade and ethical treatment.

As a nation we think British industry is dead but British manufacturing is about 18% of our GDP and that is higher than the US and Germany in terms of GDP. So it still is very much alive, the volume and mass of what we make is so much lower than when the country was dubbed 'The workshop of the world.' But what we do produce can often blast out the cheap rubbish made overseas. Because we are great, designers, technicians, skilled workers and engineers. And if one industry is a beacon of all that is great about Britain, then it is of course our fashion. Clearly much is made aboard but so much talent and skill still resided back here in blighty.

We should surely look at what we have here at home to address the above points above which the public have much interest in. It all can be often be found on our own doorstep, so next time you go to spend your money on some new shoes or trousers, ask what your paying for, its flight, or its quality? What is it worth compared to what its costs, a good English made traditional gentleman's shoe is going to last, it might cost more, but its worth it.  So we should  Back British fashion, when its the best of course.

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