Future Beauty

1 week today and I leave for New York! Still not actually thinking about it. So terrified about the flight, it's better that I just don't think about it at all, and just get up and go. Right?! I managed to distract myself today by going to see Future Beauty at GOMA, which was absolutely gorgeous. As I walked past the Qld Museum to the gallery, I noticed these lovely little niches containing images of the exhibition.

It was really, really, hard not to touch the garments, or to climb up on the platforms and look at them from all angles! I'm pretty sure that all the guards were keeping a close eye on me as I peered ever closer in the gloom to see details, and loitered for several hours. Sadly, I couldn't take photos, but I hope these ones nabbed off the 'net will suffice. I was particularly fascinated with the crinoline dress, right, and with the Issey Miyake dresses which are so beautiful folded flat, and become amazingly beautiful sculptural dresses when opened up and placed on a body. They also have metallic foil applied during the heating/shaping process, which, when they unfold, can be randomly distributed across the garment, only making sense when they fold down again. There were many monitors displaying video footage to take in as well, and I finished off with a session in the reading area with a lovely view of the river.

I then caught up with Janet de Boer for a birthday celebration lunch at the GOMA cafe - what a lovely setting! Here we whiled away several hours eating duck, drinking bubbles, and talking sex, drugs, and stepmotherhood! And I'm sure textile art was in there somewhere too....  Oh yes, it was, Contextart 2015. Bunneh Jenelle and I are now booked in for this lovely event in April in the Blue Mountains, and we look forward to catching up with Janet during this festive week!

On arriving home, I found a cd in the mail from a thoughtful friend, documenting her trip to NY several years ago. What a mine of information! However, it does make it all seem terribly, terribly real.....  

Oh my goodness - the Empire State Building, MoMA, Rockefeller Centre, Ground Zero,  MOOD Fabrics, classes at the Fashion Institute of Technology, just... everything!! I would also love to catch some very cool jazz over there too!! This will probably be my last post until I return, so enjoy the lovely Summer storm weather whilst I freeze under 7 metres of snow!!  Muuuwwwahhhhh!!!

The endless cycle of WOW

The dacron test

Yes, it's that time of year again. Having returned from The World of WearableArt at the beginning of October, I have spent the month of November in intense design work, probably somewhat hastened by my fractured wrist keeping me from other tasks! Having behaved myself all week and actually rested it, Friday I threw caution to the wind and got out the tools again! Of course, in the current heatwave, I set up in the air-conditioned loungeroom - the TV also a drawcard, and was accompanied by 'Kinky Boots" and the "D-Generation" - champagne comedy - as I began the construction process. Yesterday I had to pull apart one version and begin again - if there is one thing experience tells you it's that it is better to have to do that after one day than one hundred! First blood for the project was drawn, as I sliced through some foam with a blade, and upwards into my finger, and got the glaring of a lifetime from Matt! He too, has temporarily moved his workshop upstairs, and worked on

Matt's new workshop on the dining table, including Rum!

Foam and tools

rebuilding a fuel pump - here he is watching his temperature experiment on dacron in the oven, ready to use as insulation.I giggled as one of my stepsons surveyed the transformed loungeroom, all too familiar to him from last year, and said, "Oh, so it's back to this again"....!!
As you know, I can never show much along the way, which is really disappointing for us all! All I've got for you is foam, pliers, scissors, sellotape, nikko pens, staples, THE blade, and shoulder pads.I got word from WOW this week that Isolda is on her way back, it will be good to see her again! I took the opportunity to reply and ask for their on stage garments photos, and was pleased to get these in return.

I'm hoping a whole lot of Australia is going to get to see her in the flesh next year - stay tuned for more details.

StudioSvenja looks to be going on tour!! So, if any of you in the far capitals are interested in any of my workshops next year - talk to me! More information will be available very soon.














One more week of college, and New York in 18 days! Last Sunday I met up with my roomie and a couple of others at a bar in Southbank - I think we'll do fine! On the way back  on the citycat, I enjoyed the spectacle of Brisbane all lit up for the G-20. I had lunch with my mother yesterday and she gave me a great travel book on NY, including city and subway maps - very cool! Oh indeed, yes it will be, very different to BrizVegas!!

End of Term 2014

In just under one month, I'll be heading for New York! Good job my thermals just today arrived from China - they're quite lovely, and they fit!!! Always a worry with Asian manufactured goods for those of us with tall legs! With college wrapping up over the next few weeks, it won't seem long until we board that plane - gulp!! It still seems totally unreal for now though, and frankly, I'm happy to keep it that way! Some good news today about the journey - I hear we are allowed two suitcases! I have been fretting about how to bring home the shopping, as I'm sure I'll see all sorts of textile goodies that I will need to bring home, and the cost of freighting options was really scaring me.....
The good ol' "Blueberry" & Co. from my Studio class last term enjoyed a brief stay in the display cabinet at TAFE (above) before being shipped off to participate in the Westpac Fairholme Fashion Week catwalk competition in Toowoomba. It sounds as though this inaugural competition was successful, and apparently they have big plans for next year. With decent cash prizes from their sponsor, it may well be one to watch!
Here they are collecting their prize on the runway at Calliope Catwalk (left) in August this year. Well done, models!


Studies at TAFE this term have largely revolved around design work, with fashion sketching by hand, as well as in Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop, and life drawing too -always a challenge! The exploration of these skills culminates in a presentation in 2 weeks of our final design board, and our process in creating it. Although I am not overly thrilled with my outcome, I don't have time to change it now, and recognise how very much I have learnt through this process - and can't wait to do it all again on the next project!! I'll have to start work on another one soon - if I don't use these programmes for a couple of weeks I forget how to! Perhaps I should do my WOW design? I also have to design the artwork for my kombi, scheduled to occur over Christmas, and this would be the perfect tool. Here is my Inspiration Board, minus the colour palette in the centre, and Design or Story Board just finished today, minus the fabric samples. Now for the Powerpoint presentation!

With my fractured hand keeping me somewhat restricted, I am starting to get a little bit edgy with not being able to do all the things I want to do! I have organised my computer files, finished my design assignment, and designed next years' WOW entry. Now I want to play!!!