NCAD Grad Show #5

My final post in my series on the NCAD grad show. I can’t believe it has been down a week already, time is flying! On the upside though, some of my drawings and photographs are going to be exhibited in the Jam Art Factory, which is a gallery on Patrick Street. And speaking of having things in galleries, watch out for this lot, as I have no doubt they are all going on to great things.

Terri McInerney

Sarah Gordon, Fine Art Print

Sarah has a wonderful blog full of delightful illustrations and stories to make you chuckle, check it here

Joanne Byrne, Fine Art Print

Esther Breslin, Fine Art Print

Esther Breslin, Fine Art Print - close up

John Ryan, Painting

Jane Carter, Painting

Fine Art Print. Rolling in it.

Next thing I want to show you is a video, as a picture just doesn’t properly describe Cian Corcoran’s Industrial Design Product, the Sol. It’s an amazing sampler/looper for djs, musicians, etc. Just watch it.

<iframe src=”http://player.vimeo.com/video/24894367?title=0&amp;byline=0&amp;portrait=0&#8243; width=”400″ height=”300″ frameborder=”0″></iframe><p><a href=”http://vimeo.com/24894367″>Sol Live Music Interface</a> from <a href=”http://vimeo.com/designingmusic”>Cian Corcoran</a> on <a href=”http://vimeo.com”>Vimeo</a&gt;.</p>

Cool, right? To read more about it, hop on over to his website, DesignGoat, where he and fellow super talented ID head Acky are already on their way to being hot shot industrial designers.

Finally, I am going to leave you with another link, to the VisComm website, designed by Shane Kenna as part of his final project. It’s slick AS, and features all of their work! Boom! Also, I love the class photos on the main page, such a cute idea!

Right, well that’s it! Hope you are all having a sunny Sunday!

NCAD Grad Show #4

TEXTILES TIME!!!

I should have done this first, really, what with me being in textiles and stuff. But I’m doing it now. So enjoy. Here are my favs (in no particular order) from Textiles this year, across embroidery, weave and print.

Ingrid Bowen

Julie Flynn

Trudy Feighery

Carol O'Brien

Blaithin Ennis

Meabh DeBurca

Triona O'Neill

Clodagh Kelly

Aisling Duffy

Carrie Kinnehan

Rachel Platt

Julie Nolan

Fiona McDonald

Ciara Harrison

 

Zara McGonigle

Honor Scanlon

ME! aka Jane Alexandra

I’m so proud of all the ladies from Textile Design, the show was amazing. I have been very lucky to be part of a really amazing class, and I wish everyone the best of luck in the future, but with work like theirs, luck will have very little to do with their success! xxx

That’s that new Sh*t

Yesterday I was too busy to blog. And the day before. Soz. Sooooooooo….right. Wednesday’s challenge was “your latest purchase”. Yesterday’s is “you and someone wearing matching clothes”. I am not going to trawl through facebook to find a pic of a clothes twin, and I am defo not gonna take a new one. Instead, it’s gonna be a bumper “newest purchase” and “newest made” post instead. (Today’s challenge is “an article of clothing you made or altered” – perfect timing!!)

I mentioned a while back that I was going to try dip dye stuff, so I did a lil tank and a shirt – the shirt, being polycotton, didn’t work as well as the tank but I am pleased with the results. I had a bit of a dye disaster earlier in the week, but seeing as I’m an old pro at dealing with dye-lab disasters, I totally sorted it, and the results are no longer blotchy stains! While I was fixing my dye-saster (groan), I rooted through my box of leftover/I-promise-I’l-do-something-with-these-someday fabrics, and tie dyed some jersey. Then I watched some more Breaking Bad…..uhoh….i’m in danger of describing what I had for dinner here…

SYNOPSIS: I made three tops from scratch on Wednesday, customised two, spray painted a pair of shoes and made an apple crumble. You don’t care about the apple crumble, but it sounds impressive.

Dip dye tank. I bought tank ages ago

I make the tie dye. I make the tshirt!

Stripey tank fun. I make this too

It has shirt tail back detail. I have funny face

 

I also went SHOPPING last week. IN A SHOP!!!! I couldn’t even believe it myself, the whole experience was so foreign and surreal, it has been that long. However, the lovely folks at Forever 21 had sent me a giftcard to get something nice, and I did just that. The shop still terrifies me a lil bit, it’s so big – I didn’t do myself any favours by visiting on a Saturday afternoon mind – I am not sure the floor plan shows the stock clearly. I also got the impression that some of the stuff I was admiring on the website wasn’t in store, but I have a feeling that they have targeted a certain Dublin market, so I guess man repeller pants are probably not gonna sell so well.

Nevertheless, I sifted through and soon had my hands full of things I wanted to try on. I settled on a lace-backed tribal-print-front tshirt, and a stripey shirt. I was also taken with another navy long sleeved number, and a red, scalloped edged skirt (that didn’t have my size, sob….note to self – never try on a really teeny size small for the gas. Gas will not be had).

Forever 21 shirt, I couldn’t decide to have it out or in, kinda like it halfsies. Urban Outfitters vintage skirt. Silly face, stylists own.

NCAD Grad Show #3

Following on from yesterday’s post, next up on my highlights from the show is Fashion design and the MFA (Masters in Fine Art). Fashion’s offering was assured, varied and cut to perfection. No doubt these guys are headed to great things. The MFA had some really remarkable work, with some seriously accomplished painting and some great installation work. Shane O’Connor’s photography and Louise Peat’s paintings grabbed me the most, with their colour and composition just right.

You can catch full details of all the Fashion Graduates over on their website, here.

Shane O’Connor, MFA

Louise Peat, MFA

NCAD Grad Show #2

I made it around the whole exhibition with half an hour to spare in the end (pretty dismal timing considering it had been up for 10 days…), and I would like to share with you some of my personal highlights. It was amazing to see everyone’s work, as although I have known many of my classmates for three years, I had no idea what a lot of their work was like. So, it was kind of like, seeing the inside of their head for the first time. I am design4life, but there is a strong and proud tradition of fine art in NCAD, and this year’s graduates did not disappoint. The work was outstanding, especially in Print. And seeing the amount of red stickers underneath the works, I was not alone in my opinion!

It was really sad taking the exhibition down today, as it marked the end of my time at NCAD. While I am excited about moving on to the next stage, I will miss the banter of our lil Thomas Street bubble. So on that note, here are my standout pieces from the 2011 Degree Show, in order of how I went around the show (i.e. the order they are on my camera)

Sarah McNamara

I don’t actually know Sarah, but her work was beautiful. I don’t think I’ve seen a ceramic chandelier before, and these are such a wonderful balance of modern, traditional, clean and textured. Ticking all the boxes, if you will!

Ciara Cuddihy

I love Ciara’s work, and the way it combines glass with textiles – she studied Fibre Art in Ballyfermot before entering NCAD, and this experience of textile fine art comes through in her pieces.

Anna West

Conor O’Toole

Conor’s work is amazing! And they are made of glass! I feel like he has a very bright future in fashion ahead of him if he so chooses though. And despite them looking so modern, they are based on the bog, and the way the lumps of turf curl and other bog related stuff that I am not familiar with, but basically, they are a modern take on Irish tradition, which makes them even better. I really really appreciate people who rework the notion of Irishness into a 21st century language.

Ella Reilly

Charlene McFarland

Miriam Wade

Daniela Cardelo

AAAAh, this post is ridiculously long already, so I am going to leave it at that for now. These have been the highlight of the Ceramic Glass and Metals show. I’ll be back soon with the rest! x

Can I Have It?

Today’s challenge of “an outfit you wish you had” ties nicely in with my desire to share my thoughts on the Resort 2012 collections. I really enjoyed looking through all the collections, as I felt like recently despite being totally immersed in the creation of fashion things, that I was totally divorced from what was going on outside my little bubble. So, since I last checked, I realise that I have developed a penchant for massive trousers, and more print than usual. I still like shirts, although I could have told you anyway, seeing as I bought three of them the other day…So here are the outfits I wish I had from the latest collections…

3.1 Philip Lim Resort 2012

Alexander Wang Resort 2012

Celine Resort 2012

Celine Resort 2012

Chloe Resort 2012

Erdem Resort 2012

Givenchy Resort 2012

Jason Wu Resort 2012

J Mendel Resort 2012

Jonathan Saunders Resort 2012

Preen Resort 2012

Proenza Schouler Resort 2012

 

It’s quite a varied selection, granted, but I think the overall feel is a sort of relaxed glamour, luxe sportswear, classic shapes with a twist. I am continuing my love affair with shirts in all variations. Leather and print feature heavily in my favourites, although I don’t think it’s indicative of the general mood of the season, but rather my own preferences. If I was severely loaded…I think I’ll play the lotto tomorrow…

PS Full review of the NCAD Grad Show to follow, either this eve or tomorrow.

PPS This is where I got the post title from, they have disabled embedding, but click the link it’s fierce funny!

MAD TV – Can I Have Your Number

 

My face is ACE!

Today’s challenge is a “piece of jewellery that everyone compliments you on”. Easy peasy, my face is the clear winner. Huh? My face necklace that is. I literally can’t wear it anywhere without people remarking on it, and in many cases, start touching my neck/decolletage…erk….

I notice myself doing the same to others. Feature pieces (note i did not use the word statement*) are such a good way to make small talk. I am quick to compliment or converse about a design detail or an amazing piece of jewellery/shoes/bags. It’s like a really visible common ground or something. Despite the fact that I wear strong looks or fierce jewellery, I can be quite shy, so having something I am comfortable talking about with strangers is a definite plus, and far less awkward than being all like, “soooooo………….what music do you like”.

I almost always have a million giant rings (just so we are clear, this is hyperbole. Usually the number is closer to five) and some form of large necklace on me. I recently got asked out by a guy who nicknamed me Don King. I’m pretty sure it’s not a compliment, but stinger for him for asking me out anyway?? So why do I feel the need to be a pasty white girl version of Mr. T? All lion head rings and gigantic necklaces? Or rather, why do I wear attention seeking things, when I really don’t want all the comments and the attention they invariably bring?

Well, I have always been hopelessly naive when I dress. In true man-repelling form, I dress for myself, (and, psychologists and academics would argue, for the approval of my fashion and design loving peers), rather than for attention from the general world. I wear things that I think have interesting design, things that flatter me, or have interesting colour combinations, rather than the traditional messages or signals that they might send. However, to the rest of the world, I dress loud. To them, I dress for attention, which is not the case, but short of wearing a sign around my neck, there is no way of other people knowing this. An acute example of this is my red disco pants, which I can’t wear without being literally heckled by lads all the way down the street….Who knew shiny red trousers were controversial? I thought they were just a big of fun…..But let’s be honest, I’d rather fend off a few unwanted remarks than wear crappy clothes, am I right?

So without further ado, or indeed analysis of cultural meaning, here is my face necklace. And my face. And my buddy Christine’s face. Taken on my Lego camera a while back.

*AND ANOTHER THING…..I don’t know if I have mentioned this before, but DEAR GOD….magazine world, pleeeeease, please please STOP referring to large or outlandish things as “statement pieces”. What statement? Seriously? A statement piece implies there is some very lucid reason for wearing that particular thing, to convey a message, it implies that you are saying something. If the only thing you wish to say is that you have a most unusual piece of jewellery or fashion that you would like others to admire, then it is a FEATURE. Jeeeeez.

Thanks for Calling!

Today’s challenge is a piece of jewellery that a grandparent gave you. I am not doing it, because some things are private, and my grandparents and their gifts are off limits!! I will tell you however, that the three of them I had the privilege to know were (and one of them still is) inspiring, amazing people. My grandparents have taught me, by example, so many things that are ingrained in my personality; a sense of mischief, a love of clothes, craft and the benefits of studying hard (and playing hard too!). My nana, for example, always finishes phone conversations with “thanks for calling”. It’s such a small thing, but it shows a warmth and respect that is so often lacking in our times.

So, instead of the jewellery, here are some pretty impressive images from two photographers I quite admire, Zoe Zimmer, and Tom Blachford.

Tom Blachford

Tom Blachford

Tom Blachford

Zoe Zimmer

Zoe Zimmer

Zoe Zimmer

images via behance.net and Dazeddigital

NCAD Degree Show #1

The NCAD Degree show goes on til Sunday. Opening Hours are until 8pm this evening (Friday) and then 10-5 tomoro (Saturday) and 2-5 on Sunday. I have yet to see all of it, as I have mostly been invigilating the textiles section, but I can’t wait to see the rest and report back. Gonna keep it quick today, the challenge is “an outfit you wore to a special occasion”. Last Friday was the opening of the show/results night, which was special enough. I got a first in my thesis, which was on blogging, so I was really delighted with that, as there is so little academic research on fashion blogging and how it is tied into identity, DIY culture, and all sorts of other nerdy things that I can never get enough of. And so here is what I wore, what some of my friends wore, and also a bit of the exhibition itself. I settled on the dress I bought for my friend’s wedding back in February, and my trusty American Apparel sheer oversize blouse, and of course, the Kirkwoods….I’m going to have to stop wearing them so much! Happy Friday!!!

bottom two pics robbed from Triona’s facebook. Thanks Tri

7 Days and 1 week….late!

Second time I am late on this challenge….My blog my rules!! Day 7′s challenge was “a cute outfit of yours”. Honestly though, I would rather show you several cute outfits from Givenchy’s Resort collection? Have you SEEN IT? Swooon. Divine prints, and glorious shapes. Oh Ricardo. How badly I want to work for you. And, clearly, win the lotto and wear all the clothes! Also, Preen’s collection was printy-licious.

Part of the reason I was so reticent to post a Cute Outfit is because I don’t do cute. I do fun, I do functional, I do short skirts and I do lace, but cute is not really part of my repertoire. I’m not entirely sure how to define it, but I know that I am not it. I suppose cute has connotations of being friendly, non-threatening, diminutive. It’s hard to be tall and diminutive. Even as a kid, I felt weird when my mum dressed me up all cute.

But nevertheless, here is my interpretation of a cute outfit.

Then, yesterday’s picture was supposed to be my most expensive article of clothing….The most expensive thing I own (or rather bought full price) is my Christian Dior saddle bag, that I am patiently waiting to be old enough to wear again…but that’s another matter. The thing in my wardrobe that has the highest RRP are probably my Nicholas Kirkwood shoes. And really, I look for any excuse to talk about them. WOWOWOWOWOW. THEY ARE HOT. The heeeeel. The architecture in his shoes. They are so high, like so so high, they can only be worn in small amounts (I’m not normally bad at heels, so that lets you know). Still tho. Totally worth it.

Nicholas Kirkwood baby!

Then TODAY’S photo is supposed to be a cute skirt/dress. What’s the story with these people’s obsession with cute?!! It’s almost as bad as NICE, which everyone knows is the blandest compliment you can give. Instead I’m going to show you some of Givenchy’s Resort 2012 dresses, because they are TOO CUTE, LOLZ BBZ (in normal speak, that means they are out of this world amazing).

Givenchy Resort 2012