"Chromat!"

In around April time I came across this image of a model wearing a really cool sculptural neckpiece and it really inspired me in my studio practice at Gray's. I could not for the life of me find the name of the designer and it has been killing me slowly inside ever since. Until yesterday I had a eureka moment! 'Why don't I just mail the model wearing it and ask?' So I did and within a few hours I had a reply with the name 'Chromat!'. 

I am in awe at every single one of their pieces. I say pieces because truly each structural cage design is such an art piece. Based in the US, the creator of the Brand Becca McCharen takes inspirations from architecture and scaffolding structures and creates these beautifully intricate exoskeleton undergarments. Her most recent collection I can really relate to, as she looks at disney characters, and for the Minnie Mouse inspired designs I can almost see the character deconstructed back to the initial sketched outline of the character. 

Disney Illustrations

Chromat Designs

Some of Chromat's designs are very exaggerated, aside from the cutesy feminine Disney inspired, and often resemble burlesque style. 

I just contacted Becca on Twitter and found out her new collection will be available for pre order in two weeks, which is very exciting! I will be taking a whole lot of overtime at work to make sure I can get my paws on something!

Aymee

Back to reailty

Home now from working down in London the past few weeks and just getting used to being not so busy and hectic as the past few weeks have been pretty full on long hours!
I loved every minute of it and would do it again and again, working on a film set was really interesting. Met some really sweet people too!
Here are some of my most favourite moments from the shoot:

Wendy and Peter on our first night shoot (Mat Staton and Jordon Stevens)

Dream sequence Peter and Wendy

Disco ball lighting on set

On set party scene

Tink and Jim Hook (Rebecca Birch and Scott Ironside)

Sophie, Momo and Adam (Director/Writer of The Lost Boy)

Sj and myself wearing the feather headdresses I made

Wendy wearing my favourite of all the outfits - Edwardian top and fringed skirt

Now that all this is over and I am back up in Aberdeen (After an AWESOME four hour flight delay, thanks BA), I have to begin working to earn enough to make more tights and get started on the next collection inspired by crazy cat ladies. Off to buy a cat magazine. Shall post again very soon!

Aymee

The Lost Boy Film

I have been down in London since Saturday morning, and so far we have shot two days filming. London is way warmer than Aberdeen and on the first day here I barely wore anything. Me and my friend Sarah Jane Pirie (Sj), a make up artist with whom I am staying with and working alongside in the film, went along Portobello Road Market and found some amazing things! I found a stall that had original prints from old Mickey Mouse cartoons in the 1940's. They also had prints of Tin Tin, Winnie the Pooh and Alice in Wonderland. I bought a print, because I thought it would look lovely in my newly decorated bedroom and I kind of like old quirky stuff like that.
The main highlight from this day was finding a shop that housed a black cat duo. Two adorable little fluff balls sleeping on selves on top of tshirt piles. I instantly HAD to go in! And we played. And I took photographs.

The first shooting was a night shot which began around 7pm and finished around 3.30am. It was quite exciting to be out working at this time as it was very quiet and ambient with all the street lighting. I was pretty shattered by the end of it, but really enjoyed it!
Just finished day two today and it was a great day. The actress playing Wendy Darling wore this beautiful edwardian styled blouse that I found in a shop on Portobello Road. Teamed with a fringed skirt, it looked pretty adorable.

Actress Jordon Stevens playing Wendy Darling

Headdresses I made for the Red Indian themed night club event

The cat in the shop on Portobello Road

I will be updating again after a few more days on set!

Exciting!

Aymee

I Did Not Fall Down A Well

I have been neglecting this for a fair while now as I have been a super busy bee! I have been working on costume for The Lost Boy film, which successfully met its target of funding last friday! Been sourcing a lot of outfits and now is the time to buy everything in. It's great for me because shopping is something I adore, and this time its not putting me in debt for once!

I have also been doing a lot of tights this past month. The website still isn't ready but it will be running soon.

I have exciting news regarding a studio! I have miraculously been accepted by Wasps studios in Aberdeen onto their waiting list for a studio to hire. So happy! It could be a long wait till one comes up, but really happy that I am now in line to eventually get some space to make arts!

I will keep this updated when I am working on the film over the next few weeks including looks I put together for the actors/actresses and hair and make up by my beautifully talented friend and co-worker on the film Sarah Jane Pirie!

Aymee

Another shoot with a brilliant photographer

A local photographer contacted me last week and asked to borrow my collection for a photo shoot that will be published in a magazine in the near future. How could I decline this awesome opportunity! I got the photo's back last night and just have to share how beautiful they are!

The photographer, Louise Carnegie, is definitely one to watch as she has only been focusing on fashion photography since November last year and is already creating images that are adorning web pages such as Vogue Italia! I feel lucky enough to have worked with her to get these stunning images of model Lynsey Scott wearing my collection.

Graduation day tomorrow, I am pretty excited! Fingers crossed I don't fall off the stage in my heels!

Aymee

Busy bee

I have only been back from London a few days and already I am planning projects and trying to find a studio to set up camp in. Although the fashion course was hellish at times (pretty much all of the time), I still enjoy designing and really want to carry on with this! I never got round to uploading images of the fashion show, or my favourite image from the photoshoot with Michal Wachucik. I will include the images below.

                                 

Photo's from the fashion show at Gray's School of Art

Michal Wachucik Photography

Just now I have to organise my life a bit. With graduation THIS Friday (It's friday the 13th and I better not fall) I will soon have zero ties with uni and be completely independent. Terrifying but also so exciting!!

I have already had one collaboration with a photographer and make up artist since finishing, but cannot show the photo's yet as they are being published in a magazine!! But once its released I will share them on this blog. I also am going to London for August to work on set of a film called The Lost boy by Adam Hales, as the costume designer. But I will tell all nearer the time!! I am in the midst of setting up a website for selling garments, and also designing my next collection. Busy exciting times!

Aymee

Damien Hirst Exhibition

New Designers is now over and everyone has gone back up to Aberdeen, however I decided to stay a few extra days to venture around London and see cool things.
Myself and my friend Natalie went to see the Damien Hirst exhibition at the Tate Modern. I really wasn't sure what to expect. I had heard little previews of what to expect but was still very curious to see it for myself. Having previously known Hirst only for his most famous works such as the diamond encrusted skull and the formaldehyde tanks with various animals inside, I really wanted to see more.
From entering the Tate I immediately had low expectations. The most unsightly art gallery entrance interior I have ever seen. I felt like I was in a warehouse. However once in the exhibition i forgot about the downstairs ugliness and was finding myself staring at a collective of brightly coloured sauce pans hung on the wall. Conceptual? But next to this was a photograph of Hirst himself with the head of a cadaver he had been studying when he used to visit anatomy departments. I enjoyed this piece as it showed even as a young budding artist he was not afraid to work with unusual subjects, in this case a human head. Another art piece I saw, but did not particularly have an opinion on was the cows head piece, A Thousand Years. It really did give me the heebie jeebies. Though I found myself unable to look away at the flies surrounding the head. Tucking into it. I could swear I smelt it through the glass case, but that was probably just my brain and even Hirst playing mind games with me. I did enjoy the exhibit, I have never been to one like it before, and I am glad I went. Even if it did make me slightly nauseous.
Aymee