John Lewis Autumn/Winter 2013 Catalogue

My favourite pages and pieces from this catalogue. I don't actually go in for much - well except for that one time when I was desperate for some calico for a school project, or when I needed a special sewing tool for my work at university. You know, actually I quite like John Lewis and Fenwicks' haberdashery/fabrics/sewing departments. They are well stocked and specialised which is always a good thing when you need specifics for your sewing machine.

The orange binding is textured and the book has a quote by William Morris for some reason. Likely because JL likes to state that it works and buys from British designers and makers (I half believe that) that convey important ideas of having a purpose and still having an aesthetically pleasing form. Morris was all about equality for people, regardless of class or wage, and keeping makers and designers in work, paid well and utilising their specific skillsets instead of depending on factories and mass manufactured things, bit of naive thinking on his part, and strange considering his benefactors and people who commissioned him/his company were generally of the middle and upper classes.  

 

Each section is given a theme, starting with the mostt striking in terms of colour and texture, 'The Modern Restoration' title uses a strong identity of a traditional idea mixed with a bit of modernity. The next few pages are full of interesting shapes and textures. Again in keeping with the colour scheme, including teals and cobalt blue, some of which I have photographed. More sections reveal floral imagery, interesting design aesthetics - both what could be considered as classic ideas and innovative thinking, (like the magazine rack within the coffee table). 

I would have prefered to scan these, but in the end photographing meant I could test out the phone camera on my Nokia lumia 520, its not fantastic, but it can pick up detail and though really could do with a flash and maybe something that gets rid of my shaky hand, it does a good job.  

Archived Snip: Independant Radar, grunge and sequins

Scans from an old Independent Radar magazine from a Saturday Independent

- dunno the date but I can say with a bit of certainty that is it from this year.  

The above costume is really fascinating just because of the abundance of blue glittering sequins.

They catch the light really well, making the costume look more and more intricate and

expensive or couture like.

Then there is the mask made from a kind of net that is also lined with sequins.

The face made highlights the unconventional use of sequins over the facial features.     

 In the above and below images, the singer is dressed in different textures, including feathered,

which beside the grungy and splattered background makes everything look raw and edgy.   

Doll house windows and reflective materials

I found a magazine spread with a doll house in it and appropriated its windows and walls for this collage, mixing with plant imagery and imagery consisting of mosaic like work and strange looking surfaces such as metallic papers and foils.

 
 

214 - Topshop's Own

Thanks are due to Liz who actually handed me the magazine saying I'd love it.
She was right.

Above is the interesting cover, a usual shot of a moody looking model,
but what is that she is wearing?
Is it a beautifully patterned dress (well of course - it wouldn't be here otherwise).

As you can see above this is the back page of Topshop's Autumn/Winter edition of 214.
I have to admit, they know their patterns.
The tiling is perfect and sustains an edge of contemporary appearance,
using strong colours like the beautiful red and the blue
which is pale and dark at the same time,
like a shadow upon the black.
They form silhouettes of flowers.
Silhouettes inspired by shadows.

I don't know who she is below. Really I don't.
But the magazine says its Kaya Scodelario so I'll just take its word for it.

Whoever dressed her for the shoot chose a brilliant long sleeve top.
The pattern below is an interesting mix of diamonds,
again a tiled pattern and it sticks to only a limited palette.
I like this limited palette thing of a
few colours you could count on one hand.
But I wish the designer had been more experimental,
instead of falling back onto the white and black tones which,
as everyone should know go with any colour, he/she could have chose
something different.
Sherbet red with a nutty brow? Or the red with some blues?
But then, maybe this way the colours/tones don't distract from the pattern.

A little bit of the scene behind Kaya,
a pretty series of tiles cut to an almond like shape,

reminds me of that motif I can't get out of my head.

A jumper with an interesting knit pattern to it.
Normally I don't take notice of knit, but this one has opened my eyes a little.
The knit has formed a star like shape in a kind of grid form on the rest of the jumper.
Like the simple stars drawn using simple lines at certain angles.

Dogtooth Knitted Jumper @ Topshop
A quick star doodle on artPad

Yet more moody models,
how come in the Matalan leaflet/mini catalogues their models smile?

Another pattern using a diamond form, this time with more colour,

it uses various lines inside the diamond to cause a stir.

Below is another reminder of that irritating motif that I just can't get out of my head.
But it still looks so pretty.
Can you see it?
The four petalled like flower design,
very simple and used for millennia all over the world.

A closer look: it is surrounded by tadpole like lines with crosses in the corners.

Another point, whatever paper they print this magazine on is fantastic.
Unlike glossy magazine paper,
which isn't good for the environment, is hard to recycle
and also makes the magazine hard to grip,
this stuff is on paper.
A good gsm paper, possibly 110gsm or above,
so it can be recycled easily, can be drawn on,
marked on in pencil or whatever implement is at hand.
You can doodle on it. :D