'Making Connections' E/P Project - Kathryn MacKonochie

Sunday, 11 May 2008

Operation Parsons – operation complete

New York is a hell of a town, and seven days is just not enough time to take it all in, you need at least a week to recover from the jet lag, a second to walk all the way round Central Park and a third to make sure you take in every single rail of clothes in Bloomingdales!!
The partnership with Parson’s was extremely useful, and I only wish it had been put in place sooner, I so enjoyed learning about the design process it would have been interesting to start the partnership at the beginning of the summer, just as the designers were setting out on the start of their work and follow their journey to the finished collection. It would have been nicer to spend longer with the students, perhaps to stay a week later and catch up with them after the panic of the thesis review was over, it felt a little mean to keep them any longer than was necessary to get a few good quotes after they’d worked so hard.
My one piece of advice to the next lot of Epsom travellers – it’s not fun to stay at the YMCA, so save a little money and go stay where there are a few more stars, Trump Towers looked quite nice…(nod nod wink wink!)

P.S I Love New York

I can see why they call it the city that never sleeps, why would you want to close your eyes when there is so much to see and do? Unlike our own London town, whose murky streets and fume-filled air tires you out after just a few hours, the only tiring part of New York is being able to fit it all in.
I always thought that New York fashion would be very contemporary, but the collections at the Parson’s thesis reviews were surprisingly reflective and classic. Many of the designers used memories of their childhood as inspiration and their creations had a retrospective feel.
In a world concerned with the sustainable, it was a relief to see design collections which had longevity.
It interested me to see how the Parson’s students had used and interpreted the inspiration for their collections. Abstract architecture, artist work and family members all transposed into delightful, well thought-out pieces. I found it particularly interesting to learn about the designer’s themselves alongside their clothes. As their back stories unfolded, the collection’s impact grew, as visually impressive as each piece was individually; the impact grew as the meaning behind each one was discovered.
Unlike the reaction to our work, which remains something of a mystery until written up on a feedback sheet, it was extremely refreshing to experience the response first hand and to watch as the designer’s revelled in the applause.

Wednesday, 2 April 2008

Maybe it's because i'm not a Londoner...!

Anybody can storm Dover Street Market for designer goodies, or drool over the tasty delights at the Hummingbird bakery, but what should you do when visiting the capital?

1. A top tip for any London tourist is getting off the tube. The best way to see London is above-ground and on two feet, who wants to look at peeling posters and breathe in day-old deodorant? Get out from underground, get out a map and do some walking.

2. Topshop on Oxford Street – bit of a no-brainer really. Great place to celeb spot, clothes-rail-cruise and just generally feel very fashionable. Be aware though, as soon as any ex-big brother contestant or failing pop star walks through the door, be prepared for hundreds of camera phone-wielding teenage girls to follow.

3. Madame Tussaud’s is a truly fashionable experience. If you weren’t lucky enough to spot any Z-listers in Topshop, all the greats are here, and made of plastic. Great for some holiday snaps you can stick on Facebook!

4. Hungry? Around the corner from the flashing Piccadilly Circus advert board is the Rain-Forest Café, enjoy some foreign-sounding food (the jungle burger is immense!), amongst the sights and sounds of a rain forest. A little expensive if you just want a sandwich, but the thunder storm which takes place every 15 minutes is a sight to be hold. You can then spend your loose change on animal themed delights in the gift shop above.

5. Hold on to your lunch at The London Eye – doesn’t really go fast enough for my speed-junky liking, but it’s a pretty cool way to see London from the air!

6. Buckingham Pal – wave at Queenie and watch the changing of the guards; you can’t really step foot on London soil without paying her maj’ a visit. Don’t be fooled, she’s probably not in, but it is always amusing to see countless tourists pointing excitedly when they assure you a curtain just moved!

7. Harrods - Enough said really! The wedding dress department, curtained off from the rest of the fashion is an amazing sight to see, especially if there's someone having a fitting (Champagne and nibbles galore) Don’t just stand in the food hall and haggle over shortbread, you could spend a whole day getting lost amongst the departments, you can always go back to the gifts and take home a London bus or red phone box as a souvenir.

8. Any street seller - you can’t go back to New York without a ‘my friend went to London and all I got was this lousy t-shirt’ t-shirt, or a union jack thong!

9. The South bank - wave at anyone with a camera, you might just appear in the background of Britain’s most favourite morning show!

10. The Millennium Bridge - it doesn’t wobble anymore!

11. An open-top bus - really the only fashionable way to travel!

12. The Tate Modern gift shop - the art might not be very inspiring, but the gift shop is a tresure trove, the escalator inside is pretty awesome too!

13. The stairs at Covent Garden Tube station - The hidden gem in London's keep-fit crown! Honestly there is no greater exercise than walking up these, you have to ignore the health warning on the walls, but you’ll feel much better after reaching the top!

14. Covent Garden - after that steep climb you'll need a few calories to re-energise you, try the Rock café, delicious food, intriguing Itailian-esqu decoration and always a meal offer on.

15. The Globe - celebrating the second best thing to come out of England (after Victoria Beckham that is!) Shakespeare! Amazing view of the Thames, and you might just catch some world-renowned theatre at the same time.

16. The Natural History Museum – follow the footsteps of the fashion greats that have congregated there during London fashion week, stand on the steps in big aviator sunglasses and towering heels and take it all in.

17. Notting Hill – try finding the house with the blue door, it is very unlikely Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts will be inside, or that Rhys Ifans will answer the door in his pants…but it’s worth a try!

18. The 02 arena (the old Millennium dome) - not such a waste of space anymore! Celine Dion’s touring there in May, as are Backstreet Boys, and Dolly Parton in July, who would want to miss that!!

19. 430 Kings Road, Kensington - if you’ve been to Buckingham Palace, you can’t really leave London until you’ve visited the other queen – Vivienne Westwood!

20. Finally - If you fancy a trip away from the hustle and bustle of London town, just a short train journey from Waterloo (The platform next to the Krispy Kreme stand) is Epsom, home of the University for the Creative Arts! It’s not quite the big apple, but the fruit and veg market is pretty cheap on a Friday!

Or just do London like everybody else - take a map, some money and an all day travel-card and take it all in. You can't really go anywhere in London without stumbling on a designer boutique, a high-street giant, or a decent fast-food takeaway...

Sunday, 9 March 2008

A slice at the Big Apple

The Big Apple – sounds fruity, but New York does not count as part of your five a day. The city famed for its fad-diets and extreme exercise regimes should probably be seen as more of an indulgent snack, every now and then, rather than on a daily basis.
They say you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, so it feels slightly inconsiderate to describe this fashion capital without us actually meeting first. I’ve spied it from afar, on TV and in films of course, but I am sure they don’t all ask for ‘Cwoffee’, in that cartoon New York drawl, or eat out every night in restaurants serving only raw food. I will hold judgement on this classy city until I’ve seen it in the flesh.
New York has always formed a shiny, silver-lined image in my head, from the glossy silhouette cast across the sky, to the rows of canary yellow taxis; the city is just the perfect pin-up for urban living. London may be on my doorstep, but when it comes to impressive locations, for me it’s more of a noisy neighbour than a glamorous acquaintance like New York.
Like the city, I imagine that New York fashion is BIG, big hair, big labels and high-heels. Glamour and sophistication oozes from the Fashion Week schedule, only the cream of the crop are allowed to flaunt their wares on this stage. London may boast exciting newcomers to Fashion’s top table, but New York is the place for Fashion nobility. New York is plastered with designer labels, the bigger the price tag the better. Rather like an exclusive nightclub I imagine New York has a similar strict dress-code, if it’s not Manolo Blahnik or Calvin Klein, it’s not coming in.

Wednesday, 20 February 2008

Fashion from the not-so-big smoke

London is always placed second-best to its fashion capital rivals. Almost as a last resort do they add London-town to the list of the fashion high-flyers, but the little sister of the fashion world provides the perfect arena for new, up-and-coming designers to flourish. New York, Paris and Milan may have laughed Gareth Pugh’s horse-hair covered gimp masks back down the runway, but London said ‘walk on’.
British designers like you to know where they’ve come from, the designers may not plaster I ♥ London onto their t-shirts but it’s clear to see where their loyalty lies.
London fashion is not afraid to stand out. So you may not actually want to wear any of the clothes down to Tesco for your Saturday shop, but hey, it’s still nice to look at them hanging in the wardrobe!

The shy kid in the fashionable playground is slowly coming out of its shell, and the well-documented return of Britain’s other queen Vivienne Westwood will certainly boost its confidence.

Thursday, 31 January 2008

The unlikely Fashionista

One look at this Dorset Darling and fashion journalist might not be the words that first spring to mind. The wardrobe says more high-street than Haute Couture, but don’t be fooled by the initial appearance, this fashion forgoer knows more than she lets on…

Trying to write about your Journalistic aspirations is immensely difficult when you don’t exactly know what you want to do with yourself. I know I want to write, but where, for whom and about what, I am totally open to suggestions. There isn’t one designer or one style that influences my work, its a little mish-mash of everything a little like my wardrobe. I take inspiration from things I read, hear and see, always jotting things down, when they pop mysteriously into my head. As to the future, as ridiculous as an un-stable salary and sporadic working hours sound, I think freelancing is where my journalistic career will go, unless, by some miraculous occurrence I end up being snapped up by This Morning to be their regular fashion correspondent!

The closest I’ve got to New York, apart from a brief trip to Atlanta Georgia which I’m told is a million miles away, is my regular visit to Manhattan and Carrie Bradshaw’s apartment, but I think it is probably time to switch off Sex and the City, and try the Big Apple on for myself!

Kat

Tuesday, 22 January 2008

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