Woodblock floral

 It's been a while since I joined in on the The Tuesday Collective drawing challenge on Instagram, but last week I was inspired to get involved. The prompt word was 'chrysanthemums' and I decided to create a woodblock-effect repeat pattern which included several types of stylised chrysanthemums as well as other flowers.

I decided to use a bight colour palette of reds and pinks with a touch of turquoise and green. The background became a rich dark teal colour which really shows off the colours nicely. I'm looking forward to adding this print to my Spoonflower shop.

Jewel tones

The prompt word for last week's drawing challenge from The Tuesday Collective on Instagram was 'Jewel Tones' so I decided to draw this stunning printed dress, inspired by a dress from Farm Rio. I loved the colour palette and the bold print, and the teal background really sets off the vibrant colours.

The colour palette I chose to use included reds and oranges with a touch of purple and pink.

Bright colours

 I love participating in drawing challenges and try to do one a week. Last week's prompt for the Tuesday Collective drawing challenge on Instagram was 'bright colours'. With most drawing challenges I love to do something fashion-related so I chose to draw this vibrant pose using a coat and wide-legged trousers and made it quite stylised and colour-blocked.

We were given a suggested colour palette which was really pleasing to work with. I loved the hot pink and knew instantly that the coat should be in that colour. The mustard trousers look great paired with the hot pink coat and a touch of red and orange in the handbag finished it off. The dark teal was the perfect colour for the background as it showed off all the bright colours perfectly.

DKNY Fall 2015

I do love a bit of colour and always home in on that when I look at the collections.

NY fashion week is in full swing right now and the DKNY collection stuck out for me with its strong, vibrant colours and menswear-inspired cuts. In some cases the colour was very bold, mixing a vibrant red with a stunning turquoise. In other cases, the colour was used as a pop of colour such as an electric blue v-neck peeking out from under a grey coat. Mixing a bright colour with a grey or a black almost enhances its vibrancy.

There was a heavy menswear influence with strong tailoring and simple cuts, but these were feminised with the use of gems and sequins as embellishment.

The perfect sweater for a cold New York day!

I love this red and turquoise combination.

The sequins add glam and I love the touch of it on just one lapel.

These gem-encrusted sections enhance the colour of the sweater.

New fabric stash

Oh my goodness, I appear to have been fabric shopping again! I told myself I would do no more after my trip to the Oedo market on Sunday, but I was in Nippori this afternoon (an area of Tokyo that is full of fabric stores) and some obi fabrics were calling my name! Look at these beauties! As you can see, I gravitate towards the bright colours. Now I just need to sell a load of bags at the International Bazaar to pay for them all....

I will be setting up my stall tomorrow, which is very exciting. Looking forward to bumping into some old friends.

Roksanda rocks

London fashion week is now in full force. I am sadly not attending any of the fashion shows, but I do like to keep an eye on what's going on. Roksanda's show was held yesterday and I am always stunned by her use of colour as well as the structure that she gives her garments. They push the boundaries but still manage to remain feminine and wearable. If only I had the lifestyle (and money) to be able to wear one of these gorgeous outfits!

Skulls!

I bought this fab multi colour skull print recently and have just made it up into a coin purse. I love the mix of colours on the blue ground, and the bright yellow polka dot lining. I may have to make one for myself...

You can check out more coin purses here.

Sexy Specs

I just added this juicy pair to my Etsy store - I love the vibrant colours and have added a shot of colour to the linings too. You can find them here.

Juicy!

I'm loving the juicy colours used in Jonathan Saunders' fall 2011 collection. They're juicy, bright, but unexpected and the shot of print adds to the juicyness. Colour-blocking is a big trend right now and he seems to have nailed it in a quirky and interesting way.