Merry Christmas!

...happy zone out time

At this time of year I love to just do nothing. Christmas and New Year is all about spending quality time with family and friends and for this reason, this year I have decided to totally switch off from any form of social media, meaning not looking at my two phones and laptop too, for 5 whole days (25th - 29th). So, no blogging, no Instagram, no Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Snapchat, basically anything that means having my head in a phone or a laptop. It sounds super easy but the other day my mum and boyfriend pointed out just how much I'm on my social media accounts (mostly just for work purposes) and it dawned on me I can't imagine a life without it now, it connects me to people I would never have met other wise, BUT I had also been thinking about zoning out from social media more regularly (not looking at it before bed and instead reading) , wondering what a life would be like without it and figured there would be no better time than over the christmas period.

So I guess by this point the palpitations are rising at the thought of having 'nothing' to do, but this got me thinking; what things do I want to do with this time and decided that drawing and colouring would be the best form of relaxation. Of late I have been practicing my drawing skills, sketching and using all different types of inspiration, from Sex and The City books, magazines,  look books and the Fashionary hand guide to start churning out my own illustration style. Heres how I've done so far..(they still need improving - LOTS and thats what I intend on doing while I'm Zoning out.

I have also grown an unhealthy obsession with these new colouring books for adults. I have happened to come across a couple that include colouring shoes (Score!) and others that have beautiful illustrations of exotic rainforests. So apart from eating and drinking this is exactly what i'll be doing, along with a healthy sharing of movie time! (I won't even be sale shopping as I prefer doing this online which means a laptop - argh!). If you do decide to zone out for Christmas be sure to have a list of things to get you through to avoid the trap of looking through social media, maybe it could be something that needs to be done around the house, some personal development - Whats your next goal? and can you do something to work towards it? Could it be reading that book you just never seem to get around to reading? Refrain from anything that means having to get a laptop out or a phone. It could simply be spending some quality time talking and getting to know your family a bit better. Which ever way you decide to spend your time make sure its doing something you love!

Annnnnnd I guess all that's left to say is - MERRY CHRISTMAS! I hope you all have a fantastic Christmas filled with love and joy (food and wine of course) and lots of 'you' time whatever it is you decide to do!

Lots of love, hugs and Kisses

Kiren

xx

P.S - 'I'll be back' Arnold Schwarzenegger style on Wednesday 30th of December with a guide on how to prepare yourself for the New Year, so have a look out for that! 

Birthday Shoes

It was my Aunty's birthday the weekend Andy and I went to Reykjavik, she loves handmade things so I thought what's better than making her some handmade shoes for her birthday? My aunts style is very relaxed and figured from shoes i've seen her wear I would have to design something that would securely hold her feet into the shoes. So initially I designed a shoe with one ankle strap and in brown suede, from recollection many of her shoes were in this tone (because its a colour that matches her wardrobe) I figured she could probably wear them to work for important meetings if she needed too or for nights out. As always practice makes perfect so I took pictures of the progress as I went along. These are by far my best attempt, there's still lots of room for improvement, mainly making sure I keep the uppers as clean as possible, glue is used in most stages of the process and with some leathers you have a little leeway especially with patent leathers to remove glue if it finds it way on the uppers, however with suede its almost impossible unless left completely alone and removed once dry. (the glue comes off better when it's dry, rubbing the glue off when its wet stains the leather and its impossible to get this stain out) The positives however was that I managed to get the tension right on the stitching for the uppers, the lasting process was faster and overall the whole process was a lot quicker, mostly because each stage felt more natural in progression. Here is a quick video of the whole process!

#PimpMyChiara

Only Sophia Webster would think of something as creative as this to celebrate their 500,000 instagram followers. Since colouring books for adults is the new style of meditation and zen, I can totally see the 'Pimp my Chiara' competition taking off - and what better incentive than the possibility of your design being custom made? The instructions are simple - print off the Chiara template from the Sophia Webster website and let your colouring pencils flow.The closing date for the competition is the 20.11.2015 - head to the website for more information on what to do to enter.

www.sophiawebster.com

Whyte Sole

There's no two ways about it - platform heel sandals have been totally on trend for the last few seasons. Now while I'm sure everyone has seen every take on the platform/flatform (whatever you like to call them) possible, I'm pretty sure you haven't seen these; Whyte Sole have taken your ordinary white shoes, be it your platform sandals or flat plimsoles, and injected some well needed individuality and colour. I absolutely love the personalisation and adore the quirky illustrations and emojies, the best part is you can decide how much, or how  little, artwork you desire on your chosen pair of shoes. The possibilities are endless! (website and Instagram link are underneath the next lot of photos - totally worth while checking them out they have some great inspiration and lifestyle shots of finished shoes!)

W - www.whytesole.bigcartel.com

I - @whytesole

MANOLO BLAHNIK
Illustrations

Recently I have really enjoyed using watercolours as a painting medium and I love using them while trying ('trying' being the operative word) to illustrate shoes (I need way more practice). So when I've got a bit of time I love checking out Manolo Blahniks illustrations to inspire me. Today I'm going to leave you with a few of my favourite illustrations - they'll have you pining for the real thing!

(FYI - there is a book full of Blahniks illustrations available to buy on amazon, i just love it! )

NEWS

Designer - Josh Olan 

I came across Josh Olan on Instagram, and you can see why his illustrations caught my eye. The Londoner has gained a great following from his fashion illustrations, not limiting himself to drawings of clothes and fashion.  His instagram alone screams character, clean lines and a contrasting mix of white and black imagery and inspiration, much like his illustrations. I was particularly interested in the footwear concepts Olan has designed that are all drawn from the most basic of designing tools - the pencil. Now you’re probably thinking how limiting? but Olan's drawings are so intricately illustrated that the use of any other medium is just not needed; you can instantly gain a sense of materiality just from the shading and pencil strokes. I personally find drawing with a pencil daunting (unless I'm using a ruler which is probably out of habit from studying architecture) and I’m sure thats the same for many of us to, but Olan seems to show great control and talent. I look forward to seeing lots more from him, so for now I'm going to leave you with a few a of my favourite illustrations which you can also see on his his Instagram.

Instagram

Josh Olan

Exhibition

Women. Fashion. Power.

Design Museum

'An unprecedented look at how princesses, models, CEOs, Dames and designers have used fashion to define and enhance their position in the world.'

Now it's no secret - I absolutely love the Design Museum, it takes me back to my school days when I used to go on day trips with my Art,  Design & Technology classes. I regularly visit their website, which has been improved in recent months making it much easier to scroll through (compared to the old layout they had) to check what exhibitions are being held. So naturally, as soon as I saw the Women Fashion Power Exhibition I couldn't resist another visit. 

The exhibition itself covered one floor, which made going through it super easy and concise (I managed to get through the whole exhibition in 90 minutes) Now the shoes - a small but rare collection from different eras. The fashion just as inspiring and  powerful as the shoes. The exhibition reflects how  taking pride in your clothing can be truly inspirational, especially in today's society where women are equally aspirational and ambitious as their male competitors and counterparts. Amongst some of the examples of power-dressers were Dame Zaha Hadid (an idol of mine simply for her innovation and ambition in a male dominated industry - and the designer of this very exhibition) Natalie Massenet (founder of Net-a-porter), Charlotte Olympia (a pair of her shoes are on my splurge shopping list) and of course who I imagine as the matriarch and a great influence in this exhibition - Dame Vivienne Westwood.

The highlight however for me - a Manolo Blahnik illustration that I have only seen in a shoe book. Now, Blahnik I have always admired because of his very imaginative and elaborate sketches and illustrations. I would like to hope that in the future (with lots of practice) my shoe illustrations could be just as full of character. Fortunately the museum allowed for pictures so I jumped at the opportunity at documenting the shoes. Some of them were real jems, with an air of sophistication from the 20’s/30’s and others from a modern age of which we are more familiar with now, the red bottoms - Louboutin. 

Manolo Blahnik Illustration

If you have a spare 90 minutes laying around and you are twiddling your thumbs with nothing to do take a visit, definitely worth your while for budding fashionistas and would suggest going with a girlfriend. Its location make its all the more easier with lots of cute coffee shops dotted around, including one within the museum its self called the Blueprint. Make sure you check out the gift shop to, there are some great nifty items that you can pick up all with a cool modern element to them.

Time

 90 Minutes

Price 

£11.25 per Adult 

Ticket includes entry to other exhibitions in the Museum. You can also buy the tickets online if you are super organised.

Curators

 Collin McDowell 

Donna Loveday