my summer blazer

Nearly half way through summer, Just back from 3 weeks away in the south of France and Cork is having its own mini heatwave. So with the summer weather in mind I wanted something that could be casual with T-shirt and jeans or more formal with a shirt and pants. So I set the challenge to make myself a summer blazer.

Firstly I had to make up my own pattern as I couldn't buy one, this involved drafting a master copy then tracing the pieces on to separate pieces of patter to tack to the fabric so I could cut them out. 

Fabric: navy cotton for outer fabric and blue and
white stripe cotton linen lining

A designers pattern which I drew out to
fit my sizes 

The Fabric I got in Hickeys Cork, the Navy fabric was €12.95/M but 50% so I got 2 meters for €12.95 and the lining was €9.95 I only got a meter of this as I was light lining the tops of the sleeves 

soooo long

Hi all sorry its been soo long, I have been up the walls with work and before that on holidays had no wifi, like being in hell, maybe that was just the heat, Have a lot of new topics to cover and some amazing photos I finally got printed from the Xpose live shoot and soo very special news to be shared :D Also I will be deviating a small bit from just the fashion to food and some crafty things all to be reaveled :D

brilliant T-shirt I saw on holidays 

Persil Fashion Awards 2013

This competion which is for  design students  specifically is the Persil Fashion awards  supported by Dunnes stores. This year the brief for the competition was to embrace and celebrate their Irish heritage to tie in with “The Gathering “ 2013 and the only restriction is it must be machine washable and made for ladies to wear in the Irish summer 2013, the winner of the competition would have their design made up by Dunnes Stores and sold in various outlets through out the country. Launching any students career to great hights  and also there was a €10,000 prize fund

Large picture on the Left the retail version on
the right Sinead's entry with the  layers of cotton
organdie   

This years winner was Sinead Onora Kennedy, her design was called ' music in the Glen ' it was an elegant black cape style over lay, structured like the body of a violin made up of  layers of cotton organdie  reprsenting the musical part of her title and the dress underneath was a simple black and white stripe which mirrored the lines on a musical stave  with the eye catching feature at the back, a pleat style fan, the main dress body with the pleat is the part Dunnes will be selling, make sure to get your hands on this as it is limited edition


Quote from the Irish Independent Sinead wasn’t at all upset with their decision saying, ”I’m thrilled to have been chosen and I’m delighted with the final dress, I’m just over the moon. I thought that might happen, that they might just go for the striped dress because it was definitely more commercial.”

Here is some more of Sinead's amazing work http://cargocollective.com/sineadonorakennedy

Design competitions

Around Ireland there are many different competitions for young and aspiring designers, one of these is

 “Junk Kouture “ ( http://www.junkkouture.com/ ), the 

competition for is for 2nd level students to  create a  high end 

fashionable piece of clothing out of recycled materials, it must be 

wearable, different and and completely recycled. 

You then send in a picture of your 

outfit to Junk Korture. 80 students from each provence are 

choosen if picked, you perform for 90  seconds stage with your 

outfit. The musters regional final took place in limerick you must

 also get votes from people through the competiton website. Then 

on the night of the regional final 20 outfits receive a golden ticket 

to the final. The final took place in the Board Gas energy theatre.

 you can use anything you like be it wood, paper cardboard An

 entrant from Cork Amy Ryan created a piece called EXTINCT. 

Amy got through to the final in Dublin.

The Man bag or the satchel the great debate

man with a "man bag " 

For many years the satchel was a "man's accessory " for lack of a better word for the post boys in the 1900's on their bikes and the men out hunting but all of a sudden this age old tradition was uprooted and any man seen with a bag that wasn't on two straps on his back had a “man bag” a male version of a handbag, this is crazy, the man bag is a little bag that looks like a women's handbag but has been deemed to be OK for men to have. To be a satchel they should have a flap that comes over the top unlike man bag that closes normally like a handbag with a zip occasionally a man bag will have a flap but it is distinctly  different as it is usually a small box shape . People don't say Indiana Jones is going round with a man bag. I have a leather satchel which was a present from a friend, it is nothing like a hand bag.  I don't leave the house with out it but it has a few necessary items, these include

• 

  a leather style satchel 

  personal note book
• day planner
• E-reader
• painkillers
• pens
• chocolates or sweets
• wallet
• work ID tag
• chopsticks
  
  
  
  

For some reason I don't think you could fit all that into a handbag also for a year in TY I used it for my school books. The satchel is a practical and smart looking bag :D 

Salingers Cork

Salingers French Church street, Cork city

GIUDICE CONFEZIONI - Blue single
 breasted 2b peak lapel blazer.

 Salingers is a bespoke mens tailors and mens clothes shop. The old world feel to the shop with its little coffee table and arm chairs makes you feel as if you've been taken back in time. The various attributes of mens sports, fishing and hunting adorn the walls. this shop has a welcoming feeling not as sterile as the modern day, run of the mill shop

The shop was opened in 2011 by French/ Italian Christofer Kaprelian and Candian Mike Gibson, Both of whom have had years of experiences working in the fashion industry working in  Brown Thomas Cork. I talked to one of the Owners Christofer who said
 "the style of clothes we have is sharp and clean cut",
 This giving modern men well fitted, tailored suits, and smart casual wear. On the first floor of the shop they have their casual wear, from brands such as Wrangler, Farah Vintage and Paul Taylor

Upstairs they have their suit department, with various types of suit jackets, pants, ties and bow ties. from designers such as Giudice Confezioni and Xacus. In the shop they also offer a "made to measure service " creating bespoke suits for the discerning customer, they also carry out alterations.

SCOTCH & SODA rust velvet blazer, heavy cotton
 blue b.down shirt and knitted wool and silk bow tie

At the moment the shop is on a big move to their new premises 3 doors down, above Amity so to help clear the remaining stock they have an AMAZING 50% -70% off various brands, call in for more information, As I finished my chat with Christofer I asked him where the name for the shop had come from he told me " it came from J.D Salinger author of "catcher in the  Rye" " a book both he and Mike had always liked, Hopefully I'll check back with the guys after their big move, anyone looking for well made pieces for a special event go to Salingers

Corks Fashion Designer Scene

Cork is thriving with creative fashion designers, This is just a little expose into the piece I'll be looking at various designers, but just to name a few all whom I have or will be working with Alice Halliday, Charlotte and Jane, Angela Beaumont and Samantha Kennedy.

With each designer as well they are all so different none of them with the same designs, it creates such diversity, well I hope you all look forward to those posts heres a pic of some work from the very talented Alice Halliday part of her graduation collection, You really need to see this piece up close to appreciate the delicate jewel and embroidery work