Oh, Canada

This semester we were required to design a winter coat, and I decided it was about time to pay homage to my Canadian roots because really…Canada’s a pretty freakin’ awesome place. Enjoy and as always, let me know what you think!

Rebel Yell

I have finally completed my leather jacket design (see works in progress), and had some fun today making a bit of a photo essay. I suppose I could narrate it for you, but what fun would that be? ; )

Portrait of a Stranger

Today I saw a lovely girl on the street wearing the loveliest orange coat, and I could not help but scribble down a sketch of it between classes. Maybe I’ll even make my own at some point! I don’t know if it’s the type of art I’ve been consuming lately or what, but I find my sketches are getting increasingly juvenile in style. Maybe I should take a break from Tim Burton’s sketchbooks for a few weeks…than again, maybe not.

Art from The Royal Tenenbaums

Aside from Woody Allen (who is untouchable in my opinion), Wes Andersen is one of the most interesting film directors around today. Although I haven’t experienced much of his work yet, I love the quirky Royal Tenenbaums, and most specifically the unique art direction of the movie. My favourite scene in the film is in Eli Cash’s (Owen Wilson’s) home, in which he has these utterly bizarre paintings hanging on the wall that nobody seems to pay much attention to. The images are violent and almost a bit eerie, but they are displayed as if they were the most natural choice in the world. Needless to say, I adore them, and am considering producing some similar images for my condo (I cannot find prints online anywhere!) The original works are done by Miguel Calderon who photographed the scenes and then hired a painter to render them in a specific style. Are you a fan of these works? Know where I can scoop up some prints? Let me know!

‘Tis the Season

Hi all! Fall (one of my favourite times of year) has officially arrived, and with that comes the lovely tradition of Fall weddings. Over the summer I was asked to do a freelance bridesmaid dress for an October wedding with pretty strict guidelines: it must be peach, strapless, knee length, and not too fitted on the bottom. As you can see the design fits into those parameters pretty well! Working with Candice, my customer, was a really fun experience, and it was just so great to see how happy she was with the final product. I hope she enjoys herself, and of course feedback from you, readers, is always welcome

Vote for Me!

Hi everyone! My apologies for being so out-of-touch lately. As some of you know, I am in design school, and it can get quite hectic starting in September. One of the things that has been keeping me occupied is a new contest which I am a part of: the 2011 Danier Design Challenge. Danier is a huge Canadian leather jacket company, and this challenge is a huge opportunity. The winner will receive prize money, a paid internship with Danier, and have their jacket reproduced and sold across Canada. What I need right now is your support. In order to move on to the final 15 (narrowed down from 30) I need as many votes as I can get! You can watch and rate my video here:

http://danierdesignchallenge.com/Pages/ContestEntry.aspx?video=220

(Hopefully 5 star!) Please do take the time to vote and let any friends and family know as well. It would really mean the world to me. Also, expect new content soon!

How to Make a Leather Backpack

Hello readers! My apologies for the hiatus. I have been busy sending best friends off around the world, and welcoming others home. Aside from that, I have also been labouring away in my studio on a new project (my leather backpack!) I wanted to have something that could carry all of my essentials (like my laptop) but still look sophisticated and cool. There were a few trials and tribulations along the way (including a broken sewing machine!!) but all was well in the end and I am super happy with the results. Enter the process here:

The initial planning sketches. These are always done late at night when I get a jolt of inspiration.

Drafting the pattern to accomodate my laptop (which evidently could use some cleaning!)

Finalizing one of the pattern pieces.

Sewing the muslin (aka. rough copy). It’s much easier to sew cloth!

The final muslin, looking incredibly beaten up and minus a few zippers. Still gives a rough idea though!

Some design lines sewn onto the final product.

My final backpack looking spiffy! The top pocket is for my cellphone and the bottom is for my camera (trust me, I thought of everything).

I personally love the back way more than the front. Those straps took a lot of tender loving care, but I think they were definitely worth it in the end! The design lines add a nice touch as well.

The view from the top…looking good! So glad to finally have my dream backpack, and so glad that the construction process is over. What do you think? Did I pull it off? What should my next project be? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Brown Eyed Girl

 

Recently one of my very closest friends Van Wickiam, asked me to model for him as he needed to build up his portfolio. As you can see the results are lovely (all thanks to him, really!) It’s always interesting to see how you look through somebody else’s lens, and I think these photos do a great job of capturing that. The emphasis of the shoot was my big brown eyes (which I usually tend to hide in my own self portraits!), and my natural essence. I don’t know about you, but I think Van might have a future in the field!

Rhythm is a Dancer

There is something so stunning about the expressiveness of a dancer. Though I don’t often consider myself to be “tortured”, or “distraught”, this new H&M skirt gave me a reason to play a bit of a victim. I hope you enjoy the shots and let me know which ones are your favourites! Oh, and yes. I may have impulsively thrown some bubble gum pink into my hair yesterday!

Happy Father’s Day!

There are so many things I love about my Father: his intelligence, his broad interest in literature, the fact that he still plays video games, is always so caring, and still watches the Bachelorette with me every Monday night are favourites. Perhaps what I love most about my dear Father however is his sense of humour which is unmatched in my opinion. Recently he’s gotten in the habit of playing with silly putty during his working days, and has actually become quite the artiste! Of course there are also those moments when he is just plain silly. Have the happiest of Father’s Days everyone! I know I will (or at least the most hilarious!)