Fashion Career Websites and Agencies...

What is it promoting?

Brief summary of content

What issues of fashion does it mostly relate to?

How can it help you?

Fashion Monitor

· The fashion and beauty industry and the latest news.

· The website offers information on fashion and beauty as well as up to date news and events also information on contacts and latest job opportunities

· The site is very wide ranging for example there’s information on the ‘Ideal Home Show’ as well as fashion shows.

· When looking at jobs available they were mostly jobs for the promotion side of fashion rather than design. In order to look into detail about specifics you have to become a member which is frustrating and a tad time consuming.

Mintel

· The site contains information and statistics on a wide range of business areas including fashion.

· Market research covering many aspects of the business world.

· Focuses on spotting new trends to enable businesses to be one step ahead.

· If intending to work as a buyer for example I think it would be a very useful research tool.

Companies house

· Primarily it is a list of registered companies in the UK.

· It affords the means to check information on existing companies and also to search and see if a proposed company name is available to use.

· The site does not specifically relate to any areas of fashion however you can check information regarding registered companies and their officers.

· This site is aimed at the business side of fashion and would only really be helpful if I were to start my own business.

Fashion index

· Suppliers, contractors and manufacturers for the fashion and accessories industry.

· Lists of fabric, trim and service suppliers and also has many different contractors and manufacturers details listed.

· Sourcing of any and all materials that could possibly be needed when manufacturing garments.

· Once again I feel this site is aimed at a person who is planning on setting up their own business. However if employed by a company as a buyer this would a good site to consider.

Drapers Record

· Fashion news, jobs and fashion trends.

· Drapers has all the latest information about fashion news, fashion jobs, international catwalks and key fashion trends.

· It deals with anything and everything relating to the fashion industry.

· As it has all the up to date news I can be sure that I will be aware of upcoming trends. It also has a wide range of jobs advertised to suit every aspect of the industry.

Ideal Job...

Company: Tom Ford

Position: Full Time

Annual Salary: £20,000 - 25,000

Location: London

Job Description: The company is looking to recruit a new junior member to the small team of seamstresses working with the pattern cutters and designers to deliver high end tailored garments.

Experience: 6 months to 1 year experience in garment making is essential however as a junior member of the team we would be looking for enthusiasm, keenness and willingness to learn and develop skills.

The requirements of the job may entail overseas travel.

Portfolio of work required and two references.

Givenchy...

Spring 2010 Ready to wear

I like the simple colour palette of this collection how at the start it is just simple black and whites and then towards the end various patterns have been introduced.

I also like the simple cuts and shapes that have been used at the start and then when the patterns are introduced it just blends in and its not about the cut its about the use of the pattern.

Suit the City...

I was looking through the Daily Mail when I went home and came across an article about franchises and there was a small section on a company called suit the city.

The franchise helps you to set up your own business supplying tailored suits to men and women. The franchisee is basically a style consultant to the clients and has samples of fabric and sample suits for them to choose from. They take all of the clients measurements and help them decide which suit to choose however disappointingly the suits are then made elsewhere mostly in Europe.

When I found this I thought it sounded really interesting as I would like to own my own business one day and as tailoring is what I'm interested in I thought this would be perfect! After learning that you don't make the suits yourself I decided that what initially looked promising was not what I was hoping for.

http://www.suitthecity.com/franchise.html

5 Year Plan...

Next year I plan to do a third year and finish university with a BA Honours as well as the Foundation Degree.

When I have finished university I will work until I have managed to get myself out of my overdraft and then continue working until I have enough money to go travelling. I would like to do this before I get a job as otherwise I may not go and may not have time.

Once I have returned from travelling it would be time to get serious and start looking for a job. Whilst looking for one I would also like to learn how to drive as I think it would be a major asset if I had to commute.

As there will probably be no jobs in the fashion industry in the south west I will probably have to make the move to London or outside London which scares me but it must be done in order for me to get where I want to go.

As my main interests lie in sewing and tailoring I would very much like to improve my skills to the best of my ability in order to have a career in either of these.

In 5 years’ time I plan to have settled into a job that I am happy with and look forward to each day otherwise there would be no point.

PPRD - Work Placement...

For last year’s work placement I was originally supposed to do it with a graduate from AUCB who was setting up their own menswear business it however fell through and so I had to look for a last minute placement which I ended up doing at Goulds which is a department store in Dorchester.

I really enjoyed the week that I was there as I had never worked in a retail shop before however I felt as though I learnt nothing new and it wasn’t very interesting.

Although whilst I was there Goulds were putting on a fashion show to showcase all the new lines they had coming in and so I was able to help out with that by styling the outfits and getting the outfits together and then on the night dressing the models. So that was definitely a fun experience for me.

As I handed this project in after the deadline I was only given 40% but this is all my own fault as I only found a placement at the last minute and didn’t organise anything beforehand so I have only myself to blame.

Rodarte...

I have found a new love and that is Rodarte started by the Mulleavy sisters. I love that when you look at them you wouldn't think they were fashion designers and that they make such beautiful clothes. I'm a fan.

Kate and Laura Mulleavy

Fall 2011 Ready to wear

Spring 2010 Ready to wear

Spring 2010 Ready to wear

Spring 2009 Ready to wear

Fall 2008 Ready to wear

Let's Hope...

Pretty certain I need these in my life. But at $168 for a pair can't really be forking out that kind of cash for earrings. Hopefully someday...



Owlita Earrings.

Alexander McQueen...

Fall 2010 Ready to wear. STUNNING.

I love the shapes and patterns that have been used in this collection. The jacket in the last image is beautiful and I want it for myself.

Jean Paul Gaultier...

This fits right in with my theme.

I think that its such an interesting idea to use the same model for both the men and women's wear. Genius!

Vintage Circus Posters...

As my inspiration for the professional project is the circus I decided to look at other forms of inspiration and came across some great vintage circus posters.

I love the type they have used in this last poster and also the different shapes on the carriage, loving this source of inspiration!

Andrej Pejic...

My mum told me about Andrej Pejic walking down the runway in a Jean Paul Gaultier wedding dress which is slightly embarrassing that my mum is more up to date on fashion than I am.

But I was stunned because this man is BEAUtiful you would not know it was a man unless he took his shirt off. He is the perfect shape as most designers are designing for women with no hips and no chest which this man definitely doesn't have. And he can also model menswear as he obviously is one.

GSK Contemporary...

Whilst we were in London we saw another exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts about Fashion Identity. This was also very interesting my favourite piece being this stunner of a dress...

This dress was created by Susie Macmurray and is made from leather (symbolising skin) and 100,000 pins which she pierced through by hand.

The idea behind the dress is that the pins will entice you in but when you get closer you realise the violence within it. It was created in grief after the death of her husband.

Barbican...

I recently went to see Future Beauty: 30 years of Japanese fashion at the Barbrican Art Gallery and I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it.

There also happened to be a small section about androgyny which I found especially interesting as it relates to my professional project. It looked at 3 Japanese designers; Issey Miyake, Yohji Yamamoto and Rei Kawakubo and how their garments 'conceals the male and female figure in flat lengths of fabric...designers dismantle notions of gender'.

Yohji Yamamoto Autumn/Winter 2006-07

FFW...

I found this great shoot photographed by Fábio Bartelt for FFW magazine. It has a very dark, gothic feel to it and has given an interesting and creative twist to the men's suit.

T-shirt Time...

Again I found this on stumbleupon and loved the idea so tried it myself...

P.S - I love this...

Using stumbleupon I stumbled upon this book...

...and now I must own it.

Stumble Upon...

I was introduced to this great site called Stumbleupon where you simply select the topics you want to search for and this website will basically search the internet for sites relevant to the topics you selected.

This is great for research as it finds things that you would never in a million years find yourself on the internet or never think to search for.

I am in love.