PARIS
En route to PARIS!
City of lights, sighs and fairy floss skies!
LONDON
Just woke up in London; home of Big Ben, Prince George and Harry Potter!
Oh - and rows and rows of those amazingly beauty sorbet houses. Can I just move in, already?
BELLA HADID X MISHA COLLECTION
New work for luxe Australian label, Misha Collection, and their collaboration with the stunning Bella Hadid.
Attending this year's Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia to open and close the Resort '17 show, Bella is also the face of their new 'Misha Gold' line.
I loved working on this image - after all, what can be better than monochrome brush strokes and a Hadid in a little black dress?
View more at www.mishacollection.com.au
Original photograph by Nino Munoz for Misha Collection.
RAPUNZEL, RAPUNZEL
High on a ladder in a Grand Château, amongst a sparkling crystal chandelier and the cascading wisteria and ivy that weaves its way through the large wooden doors, stands Rapunzel.
Although traditionally famous for her golden locks, in my imagination she is a raven-haired beauty, resplendent in a cascading confection of ruffled pink Giambattista Valli tulle.
As a child I had a curious fascination with the story of Rapunzel. While, to a young girl, that mane of glorious hair is the epitome of fairy tale fantasy, the original story is quite sinister - especially the end that sees the Prince blinded by the jealous witch. There was definitely always something a little bit frightening about it, but it captured me none-the-less.
My interpretation focuses on the fashionably-glamorous side of the woman at the heart of the tale rather than the twisted roots of the original.
Fun fact - I started this illustration almost 6 months ago...which is CRAZY. I had almost started to lose track of how long it had been taking me to complete it.
I don't know if it was the minute details, or the constant stopping-and-starting between client projects. As most creatives would understand, you can sometimes lose the enthusiasm for something when it starts to becomes a bit stagnant. But, little by little, I pressed on and finally - I finished! My Mount Everest. I have to say that I'm so glad I kept going as I love how she turned out, and I feel a real sense of accomplishment with this piece. (Although I may not do anything quite so detailed for a while...)
She is the latest in my storybook series, and available in my store now HERE.
I hope you love her as much as I do!
View more Rapunzel-style inspiration below via some of my favourites:
Lily Cole by Tim Walker, VOGUE UK, 2005
Kate Moss by Alasdair McLellan, Another Magazine, 2016
Magdalena Jasek by Maurizio Bavutti, Harper's Bazaar China, 2015
CRUELLA DE VIL
My next storybook femme is a villainous vixen that we all love to hate, the dastardly devious, Cruella De Vil,
from Dodie Smith's '101 Dalmatians.'
While her taste in coats might be questionable, there's no denying that she is fashionably fierce.
As long as the fur remains faux, and no puppies are harmed in the making of her sartorial choices, she's okay by me.
'Cruella' is available as a limited edition print now, in my store here.
I've also been (slowly) working on my version of Rapunzel on and off over the last couple of months, all the while cursing my decision to draw the maiden with the ridiculously long hair in such detail. She has been beyond time-consuming, but hopefully she'll be worth the wait. Stay tuned...
DOROTHY WORE DIOR
Paying homage to another of my all-time favourites for this storybook series.
(See previous interpretations here and here.)
Just like 'Alice in Wonderland', 'The Wizard of Oz' was one of the very few films we owned when I was younger, and definitely one of the very first that I remember watching.
'The Wizard of Oz' also started, for me, a life-long fascination with Judy Garland (do you ever watch 'Meet Me in St .Louis' at Christmas time? It's worth it for Judy's rendition of 'Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas' alone.)
I dreamed of becoming Dorothy when I grew up; hot-footing it along the yellow brick road in those sparkling ruby slippers, trying to get over that rainbow.
So, when writing out the list of favourite fairytales and stories that I wanted to re-create, 'The Wizard of Oz' sat firmly in first with an emerald on top.
Of course Dotty has had a high fashion makeover, and her pals look like they could pull out the baby oil and a boom box at any given moment, but what girl could resist the idea of Dorothy in Dior?
In fact, one of the main inspirations for the piece was this perfectly appropriate gingham gown from the Christian Dior Spring/Summer '12 Haute Couture collection. SO Dorothy.
Christian Dior Couture Spring/Summer 2012, Image via Vogue UK
Just like 'Alice', 'Dorothy Wore Dior' is available in my store as a print in limited editions of 15 A2 and 40 A3 prints, respectively.
I can't even tell you how many hours (upon hours) of Oz-related films and TV shows I watched while working on this illustration....all in the name of art, of course!
If you, too, want more Oz in your life (and let's face it, who doesn't?!) be sure to check out the following:
The Wizard of Oz (1939) Film
Return to Oz (1985) Film
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1986) Animated TV Series
VOGUE's Wizard of Oz (December, 2005) Editorial, Photographed by Annie Leibovitz
Tin Man (2007) TV Series
And, of course, read the original books by L. Frank Baum.
Kiera Knightley by Annie Leibovitz, VOGUE, December 2005
DIOR AND I GIVEAWAY
On Sunday I went to see the brand new fashion documentary by Frédéric Tcheng, 'Dior and I'.
The film documents the appointment of the brilliant Raf Simons as new Creative Director of Dior and the subsequent weeks (8, in fact) that followed - the time in which he and his team had to entirely design and create the next Haute Couture collection. No small feat.
For those that follow fashion, and in particular the Couture collections, this could not be a more riveting film.
We see the moment that Raf is introduced to the Dior staff and the Atelier team (the incredibly talented tailors and dressmakers that create and assemble each design from Raf's vision.)
We see his design process, we meet the staff members, we discover the world of Couture.
We learn that 8 weeks to design and create an entire collection, Couture no less, is extreme.
Using some of the finest, most intricate, methods and processes in dressmaking; it's an artform.
Sometimes in the frenzied glamour that is the fashion world, the speed in which it moves and we consume, we forget to acknowledge the talented hands behind-the-scenes, the ones that work busily, stitching, cutting, crimping, and pressing, to bring the designer's incredible vision to life.
This film celebrates all of those involved in presenting the collection and it's a true feat to behold.
Amongst the chaos there are moments of genius, anxiety-ridden meetings, heart-melting confessions, and a true pride and sense of triumph in those final moments of "the show."
It's emotional and a joy to watch. When it ends you just want the whole thing to begin again.
I can't even begin to talk about the flower walls at the final presentation.
I still remember watching the collection's live show on my laptop at 1am (Australian time) my mouth agape at the breath-taking beauty of an entire house covered in fresh flowers.
To see how that stroke of genius came about was just another treasure.
To celebrate the release of the film, I've teamed up with Madman Entertainment to give away
10 double passes to see 'Dior and I' during it's theatrical run.
One major winner will also take home a DVD pack of fashion films, along with their film pass,
including 'The September Issue', 'Mademoiselle C', 'The Tents', and 'Bill Cunningham New York'.
Lucky duck!
To enter the competition hop on to social media and be sure to do the following:
INSTAGRAM: Follow @birdyandme, like and re-gram the competition image
using the hashtag #birdydiorcomp + tag @birdyandme in your post.
FACEBOOK: Follow the 'Birdy & Me' page, like and share the competition image.
Simple!
Be quick, though, as the competition ends TOMORROW!
Winners will be drawn at random and announced on Thursday, 2nd April.
5 winners will be drawn from each platform (including the major prize winner.)
Please also note that the competition is open to Australian residents only.
Good Luck!
For more information on the film, in cinemas now, visit: www.diorandimovie.com/australia
LA PETITE FLEUR
I haven't had a lot of time to work on new prints lately due to my workload (so many exciting things to come!)
but I've been plugging away slowly on this piece for about a month or so now, in between client projects/approvals.
It's so nice to finally be able to share the finished illustration with you!
A product of my love for all things décor, floral and Thumbelina-inspired, this brand new print is available for pre-order in my store now!
She may just be my new favourite lady; giving some serious Vogue vibes in her Dior/Valli-inspired gown.
For those of you in the Northern Hemisphere, Spring should just have sprung, so this one's for you, you lucky rascals.
If the Australian weather is anything to go by, my next girl might be wearing thermals and a LOT of angora....
Limited to an edition of 50 A3 prints only, you can order her here:
www.birdyandme.bigcartel.com
DIOR
Next in the Couture series is the always polished, and a little bit bold, Dior.
One of the major stand-outs of the show was the hair. The hair!
I feel like those glorious ponytails require a moment of quiet reflection, to ensure that they are fully appreciated.
One of the things that I LOVE about Dior, and especially since Raf Simons took the helm, is that each collection becomes a modern reflection on time.
Fashion is always re-inventing itself, and I feel like Raf's designs for Dior epitomise this notion.
While the last collection was influenced by a Marie-Antoinette-esque 18th Century silhouette, with large bustles and exaggerated waistlines, this season Dior have ventured a little further into the future/past and revealed a collection that is heavily inspired by the silhouettes of the 60s. Mod shift dresses and poodle skirts are given a contemporary reinterpretation through psychedelic appliqué, cut out waist panels, and shimmering pleats.
It was hard to choose just one look as they were all so incredibly different. So I went for two.
Image Credit: vogue.co.uk