Fancy some mood lighting?

Now, I'm all for a bit of mood lighting, but i came across these de-lights and didn't know what to make of them.


Actually i did...and I'm simply dying to have one.


The design was created by Ji-young Kim. I think it has a quirky poke at death. I Mean dont get me wrong there is nothing funny about suicide itself, but i like how the boundaries of lighting have pushed. 

There is something slightly terrifying yet adorable. Perhaps a small rag doll has had enough of playing house..."goodbye cruel world!!" Oh wait...now your a lamp.

In any argument it's a matter of personnel taste. And whether your think its vile or something quite beautiful, it's certainly a conversation starter.

Then again, your might go for something a little more arterial... 


It might be pumping in your veins but it also seems wto be pumping out of your lighting fitting. I find this red liquid pour lamp quite seductive. You can imagine what you like of the dripping red, i prefer to believe its the cause of a turmoiled love that perhaps left one of the parties heart beating a little more...frequaent shall we say. It was geniusly designed by Kouichi Okamoto. and bravo to you! 

Another design thats i am just dying to hang...poor taste? Is featured below. The hole structure is made of fluro tubing as if to suggest the idea of an illuminating rope.

Designer uncredited...well would you want your name put against that...YES I WOULD!! It;s purely disturbing in the most fantastic way. (if anyone knoes who designed this please let me know.

Currently-style nymphs

At the moment I'm awash with nuances of fashion and interior expression.

With regards to style junkies and people with a bite i am a big fan of cityofbugs star Harriet and the highland wonder that is Morven.

I first took an interest in these girls whilst working for Dahlia fashion. And with some wonderful sweet talk and very little persuasion they soon become two thirds of the new Dahlia girlfriend blog team. They both have such individual styles but equally demanding looks in their own rights.

Harriet, a chictopia devotee, has such a true to form style that lifts a lot of its inspiration from the music that she listens to. Bands like the smiths and solo artists like debbie harry have intrigued the era of fashion that Harriet feels most comfortable in yet never to be labelled a copy queen there is aways an interpretation or a sense of evolution thats follows her style choices.

Delightful there's no doubt, with a sense of home grown charm also. I'm looking forward to seeing what the future holds for Harriet. Currently studying fashion and with dreams of becoming a stylist you can bet her influence will touch many more than the thousands it already has.

Morven, equally as stunning, is a fashion of two faces for me. You can't deny there is a very strong hard edge style that she demands yet her look seems so effortless and almost ethereal. If you dared imagine the fashion goddess of war, Morven would be it. Saying that thought i have not spoken to a more charming and wonderful girl. Like me she shares a love of cat (this i will blog later about) and her friendly nature just warms your heart.

Being law graduate by day i can exude nothing but glorious envy for this naturally stylish soul. Make sure you get a chance to look at there blogs (linked) and check out the girlfriends blogs your can read on the Dahlia website also.

Where you can find me.

As well as on here I have started to create an internet presence of my own.

Flickr
Just a bit of randomness every now and then

tumblr
Thoughts and provoking nonsense

Etsy
If I'm feeling crafty i might make something and sell it on here.

Twitter and other likemindedness to follow possibly.

Work

As with any graduate you can imagine a fair amount of searching and temp work must be done before you get your first job in your specified field.

Well i got fed up with this process so after a few months of saving and working for a medical company (hardly arts based) I moved to london in a spur of the moment idea. After endless nights sleeping on a mates livingroom floor and searching the streets and websites for job opportunities I came across an amazing job.

My first fashion job was as an assistant to creative director and designer of http://www.dahliafashion.co.uk/. This job evolved into creative writer for the website, Facebook and blog as well as my pre-existing jobs.

Here are some mood boards I created for:

January

February

March

Although I did love my job, after a bit of soul searching I came to realise that London life wasn't right for me just yet.  It was sad to leave people behind, and i made some really amazing friends that i don't think could ever be replaced, but ultimately I wasn't happy.

With that in mind there was no point in me leaving unless I found work in the fashion or creative industries sector and with a bit of luck and hard work I soon became the newest employee on the NEXT graduate scheme for buyers. I'm currently waiting for my start date, but hopefully around June i'll be moving up to Leicester and starting a new stage in my career as a buyer. 

Beyond excited.

Uni

During my degree course I went in as a jack of all trades and came out the same. I enjoy too many areas of fashion and arts based cultures that i rarely sit still.

The first project, and probably one of the ones im most proud of, was a womenswear piece that i drew inspiration from lighting and cleverly folded shades.

I took inspiration from the folds in a Klein paper lamp shade to create a geometric pleat.

I then used the balloon qualities of the lamp for the structure of the dress seen below. 

    

        

Throughout my three years of development I chopped and changed in different areas of fashion and decided to explore menswear for my Final Major Project. you can see more details on that project at http://tomwakeford.blogspot.com/. But here are a few taster images below. I was focussing on the tribal aspects of male subculture and propelling them to the future with a modern use of colour and a nod to traditional material used in clandestine tribes, such as copper and leather. This collection was later featured at London Graduate Fashion Week.

And so we begin.

Why hello and welcome.

Lets begins with introductions. I'm Tom and I'm a fashion graduate from the University College of Art in Bournemouth (previously known as the Arts Institute at Bournemouth). Considering my study of fashion i would never be so forthright to say my opinion of the subject was considerably more important than anyone else's, but i like to voice my views as well as considering those of others. Obviously i enjoy the themes of fashion but i also have a love of interior lighting (most lighting in-fact) hence the title Bow Ties and Lampshades. Through the various posts on this blog I will endeavour to share interesting musings on most topics as well as my own work that will hopefully be ongoing, and hope that i will get feed back from those interested in sharing their thoughts.

Over the first week I'll post things personally about me. Exploring parts of my present, past and hopeful future that should provide the foundations of where I'm going with this blog.

I hope you enjoy.