DRAWING INSPIRATION / 03

I've been trying to make better use of my drawing tablet lately, so this is the result of a little bit of doodling and experimenting with different brushes in Illustrator.

Photo via Harper's Bazaar

DOODLE / 06

Here's another quick sketch done in ink. I love the way the faint pencil lines peak through to add a bit of depth beneath the black lines. I experimented with bigger, exaggerated eyes - and I feel like it creates a very kind of sad, 1920s-esque expression.

Also, I should mention that the fact that I started playing around with ink as a medium in late October, is actually a pretty funny coincidence.. considering that #inktober is actually a month long thing people do to improve their inking skills. I realised this a little too late in the month, but that's definitely something to look forward to next year. 

09/ INKLING FOR COATS

When I start reading about snow, I suppose it's officially winter. While I'm definitely not jealous of that winter weather,  the lack of cold weather where I live doesn't mean I'm not drooling over the amazing coats available right now - especially when they're simplistic, long and camel coloured!

I decided to experiment a bit with this drawing after watching a few youtube videos about ink and how it's used in more traditional illustration.

I had never used ink and gouache together in a fashion illustration before, as the ink I had was primarily used for silk screening. After looking at the videos, I was excited about the permanency of the ink - the idea of being able to ink a drawing, erase all the pencil marks and then paint over without the black lines spreading was fascinating. 

Personally, I love the results. It's going to take a while for me to adjust to and perfect outlining with a brush, versus a marker, but I'm definitely excited to experiment more with ink!

DOODLE/ 05

A super quick sketch trying to capture the exaggerated silhouette - done with pen and marker.

COLLECTION / NYFW SS 2015

New York Fashion Week Spring Summer 2015 /////// Sheer Skirts, Cool Shirts, Long Coats, Wrap Skirts 

Looking through the photos for NYFW, I decided to sum up what I found interesting in a trend type post rather than a post about my favourite collections - mostly because New York isn't my favourite of all the fashion weeks, and because I spotted quite a few interesting things recurring on the runways this season.

Here's what I saw trending:

L-R: Delpozo, Hood by Air, Rosie Assoulin, The Row, (Bottom) J. Crew, 10 Crosby by Derek Lam

COOL SHIRTS /  If I had to choose one garment to wear every day for the rest of my life, it would probably be a shirt, so I was extra excited to see new and interesting takes on the shirt - mostly over sized or draped coolly - trending for 2015. Shirt dresses are already a big trend right now, so I love that the trend is continuing but evolving for the new season.

L-R: Michael Kors, Isa Arfen, Elizabeth and James, Tome, (Bottom) DKNY, Peter Som

SHEER SKIRTS /  Lace, mesh, laser cut or perforated, sheer skirts were all over the runway, or should i say under. I loved that designers played with the idea of styling sheer skirts under longer shirts or jackets, or layered over long shirt dresses. The juxtaposition of opaque and transparent is always visually appealing, but the sheer fabrics are also cool (in a  practical for the hot weather, I mean ha).

L-R: Hellessy, Rosetta Getty, Wes Gordon, Tracy Reese, (Bottom) The Row, Chadwick Bell

LONG COATS /  I find the proportions and drama a long coat creates very appealing, while it may not be appropriate for my little island's hot climate, I know I'll definitely be wishing I was somewhere where I could wear one. A long, almost floor grazing, coat is the perfect simplistic statement piece, fashion forward but functional!

 

 

L-R: Rosetta Getty, BCBG, Peter Som, Dion Lee, (Bottom) Chadwick Bell, The Row

WRAP SKIRTS /  The idea of a wrap skirt is one that could work with every body type - adjustable, layered and interesting enough to be fashionable every time. A wrap skirt is also a piece that works for any occasion from work to play, I think it's a wardrobe staple, and am glad to see it popping up in every fabric possible for 2015.

 

 Photos via style.com

DRAWING INSPIRATION/ 02

DRAWING INSPIRATION from ///////

Sass & Bide Spring/Summer 2015 

Here's a quick sketch and painting of a design from the ever captivating Sass & Bide, which caught my attention with it's clearly Japanese inspired look.

Japanese inspiration was popping up all throughout New York Fashion Week, where a lot of obi belts, structured layers and angular lines were seen - just the kinds of things I love!

More of my thoughts on NYFW coming soon.

08/ BLNDBOARD

If that last post wasn't enough inspiration for you, check out poly-cottonblnd's BLNDBOARD. 

It's a digital inspiration board / mood board / colour board all wrapped into one blog. 

The blog is a curated space where I mostly reblog / post images that I find inspiration in for garments, styling, illustration or just design in general - for my work and poly-cottonBLND. 

In university, I remember one of our assignments was to create a 'fashion bible' of images - mostly magazine clippings or print outs - for different categories which we could refer to easily when we were designing/illustrating for classes. The binders which we filled were huge and heavy to lug about. As well as, I found the assignment annoying - because when you're the type of person who has their beloved magazine organised neatly on a shelf, it's hard to tear pages out and such.

So, the BLNDBOARD blog is an easy alternative because it's digital and I can easily search by tags under which the images are organised - such as "menswear" or "pose" for example - and quickly find what I'm looking for. 

The BLNDBOARD started off more so a resource I created for my person use, especially when I converted poly-cottonBLND's tumblr into a blog for my original posts. 

Its taken a while to move all my inspiration images from polycottonBLND to the BLNDBOARD but I've finally separated the content. 

I find inspiration in the process of the selection and organisation of content for the BLNDBOARD and I hope others find inspiration in the BLNDBOARD as well. Check it out here - blndboard.tumblr.com

07/ PROCRASTINATION INSPIRATION

It's pretty funny to think that the last real post I wrote was entitled 'Back to... Life?'... because that's kind of what happened and the explanation for why there has been a lack of blog posts lately - Life happened.

I've had a busy couple of weeks which have made me see a lot in a different light. It's kind of crazy how experiencing new things, meeting and speaking to people from outside your usual circle of friends, can tell you so much about yourself and the world.

So, while I haven't been keeping up fully with my blog posts on here, I've definitely been inspired and therefore have a lot to write about. (Probably even more when I finish browsing through London, Milan and Paris fashion week photos.)

As I finish up posts, I'll be listening to this amazing mixtape that I've been binging on for a while now. The title 'Music to... Procrastinate to' is pretty ironic... because the mixtape is so inspiring, it makes me want to get things done.

Clearly, inspiration comes in so many ways, shapes and forms - often when you least expect it.

DOODLE/ 04

Throwback to throwback (on a Thursday) - sketches I did a while back when I was sorting out some of my old mood boards. 

06/ BACK TO... LIFE?

I've delayed this post for well over a week, just because I had no idea what to write with this illustration. Then I got distracted by New York Fashion Week, and finding a suitable outfit for an upcoming event that's kind of a big deal (more on these topics later).

Anyway, I drew this croqui a while ago, just because I loved how my short overalls looked paired with a sheer white shirt. Overalls are back in fashion, along with the whole backpack trend - which I could probably write a (positive) book about. So, it seems like fashion trends are made for 'back to school' this year. Too bad I'm not headed back to school, funny how that 'too bad' only shows up after you've left the safe, creative environment of school.

I've also just realized that this is the first illustration drawn fully based on actual items of clothing in own. So, I guess this is a "how to wear" overalls according to polycotton-blnd / outfit of the day post... how trendy of me.

DOODLE/ 03

Just some quick sketches I did while browsing through past collections (that I had missed) before the beginning of NYFW this month. Now to catch up on all the fashion week happenings currently happening.

Victor & Rolf Fall 2014 Couture

The silhouettes and draping in this collection were amazing, and I loved the volume of this oversized bow. 

Rag & Bone Spring 2015 (Menswear Collection) 

 I love the simplicity of this photo - the clothes, styling, pose and black & white.

MIXTAPE/ SUMMERBLND 2014

Well, it's been a long August of ups and downs and perhaps this mixtape shows just that. 

I must admit it's quite more difficult than I first thought to choose (and post) a song every day for a month. If you were following along on tumblr, you'd have seen that I kind of slacked off - mostly because I'm a binge listen kinda girl - as in, when I find something I like, I listen over and over until I can't any more (this happened with Bondax and Paolo Nutini, cough).

But well, I made it! So without further adieu... 

POLY-COTTONBLND's summerBLND 2014 - a mix of everything I've been listening to for the past month - some old songs, some new songs, but all good songs!

1. / ode to the summer by syd arthur
2. / kathleen by catfish and the bottlemen
3. / don't get me wrong by rolls bayce
4. / plagiarist by jinga safari
5. / sea salt by sun culture
6. / so now what by the shins
7. / gold by bondax (snakehips bootleg)
8. / baby i got that by bondax
9. / stranger by chris malinchak ft. mikky ekko (full crate x mar remix)
10. / take shelter by years and year
11. / glow long by max frost
12. / can't get enough by yeah boy (sam padrul remix)
13. / money rain down by big black delta
14. / let me down easy by paolo nutini
15. / glass by young & sick
16. / little grace by hippo campus
17. / coming of age by foster the people
18. / any better by bel heir
19. / envy by bel heir
20. / rude by magic!
21. / tell her by rizzle kicks
22. / so good at being in trouble by unknown mortal orchestra
23. / you're the one that i want by lo-fang
24. / i can't pretend by the drums
25. / brain by banks
26. / pools by glass animals
27. / hunger of the pine by alt-j
28. / jealou$y by the neighbourhood ft. casey veggies & 100s
29. / double bubble trouble by m.i.a.
30. / drowning by banks (dave glass animals remix)
31. / spotlight by leagues 

You can listen to all the songs over on the poly-cottonblnd tumblr for now, until I figure out a good place to make a playlist/mixtape online. Any suggestions would be appreciated! :)

Hope you enjoy it, and let me know what your summer jams for 2014 were in the comments below (or #summerBLND on tumblr)!

05/ FESTIVAL SEASON

I can't be the only one who fantasises about what they would wear to a festival, right? 

Well, If you lived on a tiny island in the middle of nowhere as well, then I'm sure this thought wouldn't seem as crazy. 

Every time spring rolls around and as the amazing line-ups for festivals all over the world start popping up, I avidly read them all... then cry a little (to myself) as I think about all the bands I love performing in one big muddy, place. Festivals seem like a distant dream, mostly distant - because they don't exist where I am. 

But well, thank goodness for technology - live streams and youtube. If we're counting those, then I've been to Coachella and Glastonbury for the past 4+ years, haha. 

Hopefully, one day soon, I'll be there in real life, but for now... a girl can dream (in wellies)!

LISTEN/ BEL HEIR

Any better,
We couldn’t get any better
-Bel Heir

It's not often while that you find a new band in which you love all their music ever made, especially when all their music is free to download.

A few months ago I was perusing my emails from noisetrade.com, and after way too many emails to count, I stumbled across Bel Heir.

Bel Heir is that rare gem of a band I was talking about.

From the first listen of ‘Envy’, I was hooked and immediately downloaded everything that was available and continued to listen on repeat for weeks. When I reached that point after listening where I needed to know more, I found their Tumblr, and just when I thought I couldn’t love them any more I read about their year long journey.

Bel Heir released one single and accompanying B-side each month, for a year – two songs a month, twenty four songs over the course of a year. It was what I could only imagine to be a heavy feat... which was brilliantly accomplished; resulting in dreamy, intoxicating music for everyone to enjoy. Smooth vocals, intriguing beats and not to mention aesthetically pleasing artwork, Bel Heir is one of my favourite new bands of the year.

When the beginning of this month rolled around, I excitedly awaited the new music to listen to. Unfortunately I missed the small detail of the date of original Tumblr post (which was July 2013). But being the amazing, generous band they are, Bel Heir released all twenty fours songs in one magical album '12 // 24' (with an A and B side, naturally) for download free on their official website.

The album is still available to download, and if I were you, I wouldn’t miss out on the opportunity. Check out some of my favourite songs listed in the photo above, and listen to the song that got me hooked below.

All photos via Bel Heir

DRAWING INSPIRATION/ 01

I had to draw Giambattista Valli's Fall 2014 Couture collection when I first saw it.

I loved the drape of this dress, the silhouette and the graphic quality of the black and white stripes.

Somehow in all my excitement though, I had forgotten the pain of actually rendering stripes - well stripes to this extent at least (It took me straight back to Design Illustration 1)... and let's not even talk about my decision to use a pen.

I do love how this illustration turned out though, the stark black and white plays up the almost optical illusion of the stripes.

To see the actual look, check out my previous post about my love for this collection and don't forget to check out the tumblr for more!

COLLECTION/ GIAMBATTISTA VALLI COUTURE FALL '14

Beauty, ease and sophistication - combined.

That's how I would describe Giambattista Valli's Fall 2014 Couture collection. It was by far one my of my favourite couture shows.

My love for a good shirt and cape could be what draws me to this collection, but a sense of 'fashionable ease' in clothing is something which I always strive for in my own designs and am very much attracted to. Which is exactly what Giambattista Valli's collection has. There was a lot happening - structured jackets and capes, draping, floral embellishments, stripes, metal accessories, it is a couture collection after all...  but the models looked as they were effortlessly strolling around in their pyjamas, in the most sophisticated way possible.

Check out my favourite looks and details from the collection above and stay tuned for a way overdue illustration from the collection!

P.S. I would definitely recommend reading Tim Blanks' review on style.com, the narrative he creates is so on point -  a wonderful way to describe this collection!

Photos via style.com

DOODLE/ 02

Sketches of some faces  - who would've thought I used to hate drawing faces?

04/ LET'S GO SURFING

If there's one trend that I love right now, it's surf inspired swimwear.

Rash guards with bikini bottoms, chunky plastic zippers and neoprene everything - the trend is so refreshing, especially when you live on an island surrounded by teeny weeny string bikinis.

I've wanted to design my own 'surf inspired' croquis for a while now. I finally took the plunge (pun intended hah) after listening to Bondax's Baby I Got That, pretty much on repeat. The music video is full of classy high waisted bikini clad girls (which is a bit of an oxymoron there).

But well, here are my own lilac haired, bikini girls ready to go surfing... and just in time for Shark Week, too.

ps. check POLY-COTTONBLND's Tumblr for a special shark week edit ;) 

03/ PINEAPPLE HEAD

For some reason pineapples are a huge trend these days. Anyone else notice this? I'm not sure how or why this trend started, all I know is that pineapples have been popping up everywhere lately.

I remember a while back looking at Young & Sick's Instagram where he had these weekly #pineapplesaturday drawings of pineapples, which I thought it were quirky and random, much like the rest of his work. Then I had a good laugh as I saw pineapples scattered around his Coachella stage. So, I wasn't really surprised when I read an interview that said he just likes pineapples. 

I was surprised though, at how quickly an abundance of pineapples started popping up after that - in every magazine and on every website. I couldn't go far without seeing a pineapple.. clothing, jewellery, sculptures, photos, in album artwork.. I almost lost it when I got a pineapple candy instead of a mint at a restaurant.

People are just crazy about pineapples. Personally, if we're talking taste, I'm not much of a fan. However, I couldn't resist drawing a quirky pineapple inspired croqui... the pineapple influence is clearly a strong one.

MIXTAPE/ SUMMER JAMS

Ode to the summer

This feeling 

Be sure to remember me 

- Syd Arthur

Each and every summer, there are always songs that you hear so often that they become your official summer jams. Summer Jams... you know, the songs you hear a snippet of anywhere after August and you're immediately flooded with sentimental memories and good times from that past summer vacation to reminisce upon.

Well that is, unless you're like me and have a horrible memory. 

But, I've decided to be proactive this year and make a playlist as I hear it. So, every day throughout the month of August, I'll choose a song that I'm digging that day - one that has some effect on me, my life and what's happening or just because it has that 'summer vibe' to it - and add it to a playlist. Whatever the feeling, I can guarantee that there will be a song for it and by the end of the month we'll have a snazzy summer 2014 mixtape full of jams for everyone to listen to... It's a win-win situation really.

Follow along with my daily song posts on tumblr, tag your own jams with #summerBLND and stay tuned for the ultimate ode to the summer - the SUMMERBLND mixtape at the beginning of September!

3 TUNES/ WEST COAST

Whether you're a west coast kid, or not, there's a song for you these days.
Songs about the West Coast keep popping up everywhere I turn. The Neighbourhood, Lana Del Rey and Bel Heir all have amazing songs about said topic. Surprisingly though, all songs project some sort of black and white imagery - in my head at least. Quite a different take on the traditional 'Cali vibe', which may be due to the aesthetics and/or music videos of the musicians. Either way, this is the kind of west coast vibe I can dig.

DOODLE/ 01

BEARDS - There really is a strong showing of facial hair on men these days.. and who doesn't appreciate a good beard? Well if it's on a croqui (aka fashion illustration) my lecturer at university didn't. We weren't allowed to give our drawings facial hair, because frankly that could quickly end in a disaster. But I was curious, so this is really my first attempt, after browsing through street style photos of many handsome bearded men. Here's hoping it's not a disaster!

3 TUNES/ LA LA LA

After a month or so of non-stop World Cup watching, certain things have become routine to me. The time matches are on, the names of players from each team, the anxiety I endure when full time is nearing and my team of choice is yet to score .. and Shakira's World Cup song La La La (Brazil 2014) playing before, after and in-between every single match.

The number of times I've heard that song could have pushed me to two extremes - extreme hatred or extreme love - after hearing it way too many times to count in one month. Oddly, I am leaning towards the more positive extreme. Maybe because Shakira's song is the lesser of evils which I've had to endure - the actual official World Cup song and the irritating voices of local commentators being said evils.

Any way I rationalise the thought, the fact is those three little words.. (err, sounds?) are constantly stuck in my head.

"La la la", so simple, so easily recognisable, so addictive. It made me think of other "la la la" songs.

Probably the last known popular hit would be that of Naughty Boy featuring Sam Smith, also called La La La. Unlike Shakira's catchy use of "la la la", the lyrics of Naughty Boy's song use the childish mentality "la la la I can't hear you" to tell a story. Likewise, the same childlike presence occurs in the much more recent Playground by British electronic musician, Lxury. Much like it's name, Playground offers that feeling of being back in primary school with children running around, but in a new exciting way; conjuring similar feelings as that of Naughty Boy's, without the lyrics.

Different feelings, different sounds but that same simple "la la la" that everyone can relate to. There's clearly an addictive quality that reels everyone in to sing along, and if you don't agree la la laaaa. 

ps. There are 4 different versions of Sharkira's La La La, just sayin'.

02/ LET'S HEAR IT FOR THE BOYS

As June comes to a close, it seems it's all about the boys these days.

We're currently smack dab in the middle of the World Cup in Brazil and Spring Summer 2015 Menswear collections are showing as we speak. From football players to models, all eyes are on the men of the world - and what they're wearing, of course. 

I always found menswear strangely fascinating. Not only because of the handsome men in the clothing (I'm a girl... it's kind of hard not to notice the male models), but because of the details. 

Whether I'm looking at a football team's kit or a designer's runway show, I'm noticing the details. The new silhouettes, colours and  fabrics make for interesting modern menswear, which is far from the basic 'shirt, pants, jacket, shoes' situation of years past.

01/ FIRST TIME CALLER

As White Lies sing -

"She said I was a first time caller

But a long time listener

I've been waiting a while to talk to you"

Well... Darling, we're starting.

I've wanted to start a blog (officially) for the longest time now. Not to say that I didn't have other blogs in the past.. I did, many of which have now dwindled away. But, I mean, who hasn't? I did grow up with the internet after all. As a teenager, online journals, websites and HTML were kind of a big deal for my friends and I (aka the cool kids - we were way ahead of our time, I'd say). I remember being fascinated, spending hours fiddling around trying to make things look right, the young perfectionist I was.

Years later, not much has changed. Well, I'm older and I've graduated from University. But, I'm still here fiddling around with a computer most of the day, spending my time browsing the internet - discovering what I love, the latest in fashion and music through other blogs and websites. Lately though, I've realised I have a lot to say about the things I see and hear... and frankly, there's only so much my sister will listen to.

So, I've made the revelation - later than sooner - that I should put words into actions and actually start a blog.
And like that Poly-CottonBLND is born - just a blend of all the things I love - inspiration, illustration, music, design and of course, fashion!