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Archive for the ‘Inspiration’ Category

Blink Inspiration: Cut and Paste Art

Wednesday, September 1st, 2010

We were, camera in hand, searching East London finding great new street art for the Autumn edition of the ‘Graphics’ report when we came across a really innovative looking piece on Redchurch Street. As we were ooh-ing and ahh-ing, admiring this variation on the Virgin Mary, the artist himself stepped up.

Ernesto Muniz is a scalpel wielding genius. He very kindly sent us some images of other works from the streets of London as well as his home town of Mexico City. There’s also some really interesting creations with vinyl records. The use of religious iconography reflects Muniz’ Latino roots and makes for some really innovative artwork.

If you like what you see here, Ernesto can be contacted at munizer@hotmail.com. He’ll also be exhibiting alongside artists like Banksy at Liverpool’s Corke Gallery in November.

The artist himself

For more on ‘Graphics’, click here!

Tags: Banksy, Corke Gallery, East London, Ernesto Muniz, graffitti, Graphics, Redchurch Street, street art
Posted in Arts, Graphics, Inspiration | 3 Comments »

Blink Interviews: Scarlet and Violet’s Victoria Brotherson

Thursday, August 5th, 2010

Next in our schedule of monthly interviews, we have managed to catch up with the inspiration that is Victoria Brotherson, the creative floristry force behind Scarlet and Violet. We are fortunate enough to be based just around the corner from this beautiful store, so regularly indulge in flowers from Vic and her team. They are always incredibly busy, so special thanks for agreeing to do this for us!

Scarlet and Violet launched in 2006, based in Kensal Rise, North West London. Prior to that Victoria had worked as a florist for 15 years. It was an accidental career choice for Victoria who left university (she studied Fine Art at Oxford) but decided that she wasn’t cut out to be a painter. After passing by a shop with a ‘to let’ sign for 6 months, Vic decided to take the terrifying plunge into opening her own business. Scarlet and Violet was conceived as a workshop that would double as a shop, and it has grown into an eclectic and ever changing showcase for Victoria’s unique style.

Vic puts it perfectly when she says “We are good at making flowers seem easy and relaxed. Intimate dinners and small weddings are our forte. Lots of our clients ideal is that the guests think that they have done the flowers themselves, and I am very happy to be the invisible florist and carry on using the workman’s entrances and delivery doorbells!” Well, we can reveal that one of these ‘intimate dinners’ was with Vogue and Louis Vuitton in the penthouse of the new Bond Street store, and a few of those ’small weddings’ have featured the joining of some very well known names…

For you, what is the most important aspect of being an independent retailer?
Freedom is the obvious one. We can play with how the shop looks, we can decide which jobs we take on and maintain some kind of balance between work and rest (in my dreams!) There is no real rule book so making decisions brings challenges, and whether these are right or wrong, I only have myself to blame.

Care to share any floral don’ts or disasters?
Touch wood, no disasters yet. Don’t ever be snobbish about flowers, there are loads of inexpensive flowers and foliage that work just as well as the pricey ones.

Which comes first for you and Scarlet & Violet, personal style or trends?
Personal style for sure. Each of the girls in the shop has their own style when it comes to flowers (and clothes!). Each of our clients is unique too, and that is something that is crucial to what we do. We have to have an understanding of their taste before installing flowers in houses or indeed coming up with ideas for a wedding. It is not about me inflicting ideas or style, but much more collaborative than that.

Do you think that ethical and sustainable issues are at all relevant to what you do?
Of course we try hard to find the most friendly options in everything we do. We create a lot of waste but the majority is flower matter and we pay some astronomical price to get it all recycled. We’ve talked about composting but there would just be a mountain!

What project are you currently working on and how is it shaping up?
We are doing a book, so far so good! I can’t give you any more details just yet…

What or who are your longest standing design influences?
I think I am really quite rooted in a very classic style. My preference is always for the old. Textiles and interiors inspire me more than anything.

What’s currently inspiring you?
All the foliage we have at this time of year in amazing so I would say “green”.

How would you describe Scarlet & Violet’s aesthetic?
I can’t it always sounds really contrived when put into words. Its much easier to make something!

What is currently tempting you into making a purchase, for you, your home or your shop?
We have just got a load of old milk bottles and french flip top jars which are brilliant with really mismatched flowers.

How has the floristry scene changed since you opened your business?
I think most consumers buy flowers from the supermarket rather than independents so we have to make sure we really do present something unique as we can’t compete any other ways.

What’s the best thing about your job?
The sense of satisfaction when I make something that just works still gives me real pleasure.

I feel most creative when…
I am in the shop alone either really early or late and surrounded by all the peculiar things we have in there amongst all the flowers.

Any final word of advise?
If you ever see something you love and can afford, it don’t leave it there! This applies particularly to antiques and one offs.

Click here to see more interviews with people and businesses’ that inspire us.

Scarlet & Violet

Tags: florist, Kensal Rise, Louis Vuitton, Scarlet and Violet, Victoria Brotherson, Vogue
Posted in Inspiration, Interviews | 4 Comments »

Events- 1234 Festival, Shoreditch

Tuesday, July 27th, 2010

On Saturday 24th a few of our coolest “Blinkettes” headed down to the 1234 festival in Shoreditch. This fringe festival played host to over 40 bands and DJ collectives across four stages so there was plenty of choice in this years line up which features names like Rolo Tomassi, Dum Dum Girls, These New Puritans and Kids on Bridges- as well as inimitable Peter Hook. We think it was well worth the £20 ticket price to have this kind of festival feeling right on our doorstep.

As anticipated from the location, it was a brilliant place to style spot, with the achingly cool East London crowd rocking their best ‘laissez faire’ looks (we know you were all secretly planning your outfits for days, but don’t worry, we won’t tell anyone). There was lots of 90’s grunge- high waisted denim cut offs with DM’s and dark lipstick. Very Alice Dellal/ Courtney Love. We also spotted a few vintage romantics- bowler hats, ankle sock, boots and vintage ‘dress up’. Last but not least, the usual festival classics- that timeless Boho rock chick in floaty dresses with biker boots, antique jewelery, tousled locks and pouch bags.

Here’s a few of our favourite shots for you, and there’s more to follow over the next couple of days! Thanks to Amy and Jessica for the great work.

Click here for more “Blink” events…

1234, Shoreditch

1234, Shoreditch

1234, Shoreditch

1234, Shoreditch

1234, Shoreditch

1234, Shoreditch

1234, Shoreditch

1234, Shoreditch

1234, Shoreditch

1234, Shoreditch

Tags: 1234 festival, Accessories, Denim, Dresses, Dum Dum Girls, Glasses, Kids on Bridges, Pattern, Peter Hook, Rolo Tomassi, Shoreditch, Social events, Vintage
Posted in Events, Inspiration | 4 Comments »

Inspiration: A Field of Dreams

Thursday, July 22nd, 2010

What a whirlwind on the “Blink” blog this week. First we posted about Peckham, then we were in Copenhagen and now we have a post from sunny East Sussex. Will the glamor never end!

As tweeted on Monday, I was up bright and early on Tuesday to head down to Ardingly. I know you’re thinking what could be in a small and twee country village to get me out of a cozy bed and away from the computer for a day. Well, something special let me tell you!

Ardingly is fast becoming less of the insider secret that it once was. Its a massive antiques trade fair with over 1,500 stalls set through the fields and sheds of the South of England Showground. I come from a long line of rummagers, negotiators and eagle eyed spotters- better known as antique dealers to the general public- so this is my idea of heaven. Its a great place to find inspiration in things you didn’t even expect to strike a chord with you. Suddenly you realize that those really massive, clunky German pottery vases in strange, bright glazes are really quite beautiful, or maybe its about a fantastic graphic spotted on a retro Belgian poster. There is more direct fashion inspiration if required too, with many stalls specializing in textiles, amazing historical clothing and accessories. Its a very tempting place so I would use a phrase of my Grandmother’s “Keep your hand on your ha’penny” (actually I’m not sure she was talking about money, but anyway…). If you are set for a spend up, cash is king, but many stalls take a cheque and even credit cards!

Here are some shots of things we thought were beautiful and inspirational, and some of them even came home with us…

Ardingly Antiques Fair

Ardingly Antiques Fair

Ardingly Antiques Fair

Ardingly Antiques Fair

Ardingly Antiques Fair

Ardingly Antiques Fair

Click here for more “Blink” inspiration.

Enjoy and do let us know what you think! Lucy

Tags: Accessories, Antiques Fair, Ardingly, East Sussex, Graphics, Inpiration, Pattern, Vintage
Posted in Inspiration | 6 Comments »

Blink Travels: OMG CPH

Wednesday, July 21st, 2010

Our brilliant “Blink” contributor, Asta, has headed to Copenhagen for the Summer (we are not at all jealous… much!) and to our delight she has agreed to do a little work, capturing some of the spirit of this stylish city and sending it back to us. And here we are sharing it with you!

So, in the real world, its full on Summer so we have some great sunshiny looks for you. However, in the retail world its Autumn, so get ready for some seasonal schizophrenia in the next few reports and over the next few weeks on the blog.

To see more of “Blink” from beyond London, click here!

Copenhagen

Copenhagen

Copenhagen

Copenhagen

Copenhagen

Copenhagen

Copenhagen

Tags: Accessories, Copenhagen, Denim, Dresses, jersey, Pattern, Streetstyle, sunglasses
Posted in Accessories, Blink Travels, Inspiration | 4 Comments »

Blink Interviews: Little Doodles

Thursday, July 8th, 2010

Twitter came up trumps when we were intrigued to see that someone or something called ‘Little Doodles’ had decided to follow “Blink”. Upon some investigation we came upon a really beautiful website and blog. We do absolutely love stumbling upon a new source of inspiration, and we thought it was only fair to share that inspiration with you too!

Little Doodles are the creations of London based illustrator Kate Wilson. Whether it be the clasp of a quirky handbag being sported by a fashionista on the streets to the perfect cupcake in a patisserie window, the little details that often pass people by play the biggest influence on Kate’s work. Having worked for a range of clients including Marc Jacobs, Marie Claire, The Guardian and our favourite Parisian store, Merci, Kate’s illustrative subjects are diverse and wide ranging with all things bejeweled, nature, fashion and the cute and kitsch playing an integral part of her work. We particularly like her very fashionable animals…

Tell us about your current design crush
Oh so many different crushes at the moment! I’m being drawn towards hand rendered typography (the cheekily named book “Hand Job” by Mike Perry is wonderful) and pattern design at the moment. Jonathan Saunders and Mary Katrantzou being two of my favourite designers whose use of surface design is spectacular. Jewellery design is also a huge interest of mine so I’m constantly on the look out for pieces that are unusual. I’m loving everything at Kabiri and have long been an admirer of Solange Azagury Partridge.

Do you think creativity can exist in the fast fashion womenswear market?
Definitely, fashion is so fast paced that sometimes it’s hard to be creative when trends are so quickly picked up into the mainstream. But that certainly doesn’t stop wonderful designers to keep striving at doing something new.

Which comes first for you, personal style or trends?
For me it’s personal style. There’s nothing quite like reflecting yourself in the way you dress but inevitably I think trends filter in to this. Even if you do follow trends it’s always great to add your own little twist to them.

What are you currently working on and how is it shaping up?
A variety of personal illustration commissions (I get a lot of requests for customized little birds!) as well as some freelance jewelery design which is always a nice departure when I want to have a break from the illustration side of work.

What or who are your longest standing design influences?
Paul Smith is always an inspiration to me (his book is sitting open on my desk as I type) because of the way he injects his own personality into everything he does.

How would you describe your design aesthetic?
I would say it’s quite personal and delicate. I’ve often been told that it reflects how I look (I’m of Kylie proportions height wise!) so I suppose everything I do is on a small scale. The thought of drawing on a huge canvas rather than a teeny sketchbook is quite daunting! I like to have a handmade quality to my work and love the idea that people want to keep it because it makes them smile.

When you can’t get your creative wiggle on, is there somewhere that you go to that’s guaranteed to get your creativity flowing again?
The V&A wins hands down every time. So much to see under one magnificent roof plus the courtyard in summer is the perfect spot for a bit of people watching in the sun.

What’s the best thing about your job?
Being able to do what I love as a job is incredibly fulfilling. I’m very lucky to be in the position that I get to indulge my creative side for work. The fact that it makes people laugh and smile makes me very happy indeed!

Who would you love to work with, past or present?
I’d love to collaborate with some more fashion designers, also I think everything Katie Hillier does is fantastic. I’m really keen on branching out into jewelery design so to see how someone like Elsa Peretti or Coco Chanel went about creating their pieces would be fascinating.

Any favourite websites or blogs, aside from “Blink” of course!
I love browsing through fashion and design blogs, it would be difficult to narrow them down! I actually really enjoy finding a beautiful blog, and then coming across it at a later stage after not reading it for a bit. It’s like rediscovering something special.

I feel most creative when…
I’m roaming the streets of London, people watching, picking up magazines, popping in and out of shops and then coming home with a head full of inspiration.

Thanks for the great interview Kate and please keep us posted on whats going on with you. We’ve added a link to the Little Doodles blog on our ‘recommended blogs’ section, so we’ll be regularly dropping in there too!

Kate Wilson

Little Doddles on display in Merci, Paris

Little Doodles for Marc by Marc Jacobs

Little Doodles commission for the ASOS magazine

We love Kate's humorous viewpoint on fashion and stunning sketchy style

This is Kate's birdy representation of Mad Men's Betty. Genius!

Tags: ASOS, Coco Chanel, Elsa Peretti, Fashion illustrator, Jonathan saunders, Kabiri, Kate Wilson, Katie Hillier, Little Doodles, Marc by Marc Jacobs, Marc Jacobs, Mary Katrantzou, Merci, Mercu, Mike Perry, Paul Smith, Solange Azagury Partridge, The Guardian, V&A
Posted in Graphics, Inspiration | 1 Comment »

Events: Ravensbourne

Thursday, June 24th, 2010

“Blink” attended the BA Degree show for Ravensbourne University last Thursday in the old Truman Brewery’s ‘Boiler House’. This was a showcase for 29 students graduating from the womenswear, menswear and fashion textiles courses. We’ve chosen our six, quite diverse favorites from the catwalk show.

Agnes Sarosi’s use of strong colours and a fresh take on tailoring context created a very powerful look. Bobby Abley’s very experimental mixing of S&M leather strapping in kiddy colours with teddy-bear detailing was almost scary. Carly Brown’s collection was all about the shoulders and abbreviated variations on classic cuts in pastel colors. Jess Norman’s collection quite a bourgeois leisure look. Jessica Holmes collection was a modern take on a prim ladylike look. Last but not least, Rachel Hall’s knitwear was just stunningly colorful and in a scale that almost swamped the models.

We also captured a couple of shots of the very stylish crowd.

Click here for more “Blink” events.

Agnes Sarosi on the left. Bobby Abley on the right.

Carly Brown on the left. Jess Norman on the right.

Jessica Holmes on the left. Rachel Hall on the right.

Inspiration: Industrie’s first edition

Wednesday, June 23rd, 2010

So we were lucky enough to have gotten a hold of a copy of this huge scale new fashion magazine. Industrie hails itself as the ‘world’s first culture of fashion magazine’ so we were super excited to get this into our eager little hands (thanks Chris!).

Well, we’ve all had a good look, a flick, a thorough read, then rested it and had another good look. It’s a bit bemusing. The first half is somewhat dry, a little self indulgent and seems to have been created for the sight impaired (the text is massive!) but the back half of the magazine is delicious. We particularly like the Patrick Demarchelier interview (his work has been a long standing inspiration for our Creative Director) and the Giles Deacon ‘Greatest Hits’. Actually the shoot for the Giles retrospective is beautiful and the detail is goregous in this scale. We particularly loved the manicure on a couple of the shots. Wonder where we can get one of those?

So, now we are eagerly awaiting the next edition of this new mega mag, which is bi-annual. Will it be more like the front or the back of this one? We say more fashion shoots please, more colour, more on a page maybe- just in case the editors-in-chief are reading!

In the mean time, here’s that fab mani we were mentioning…

The opening spread to the Giles Deacon article in Industrie's first edition

Amazing nails in the Giles shoot

Tags: Giles Deacon, Industrie magazine, Patrick Demarchelier
Posted in Inspiration | 2 Comments »

Blink Events: 20 years of Maison Martin Margiela

Tuesday, June 15th, 2010

Somerset House plays host to another fantastic fashion moment. We headed along for a late night opening of the Maison Martin Margiela exhibition. This is more than just a simplistic retrospective. This is a celebration of the methodology, handwriting and design exploration from one of the most creative and unique contemporary fashion houses.

As a fashion student, I was absolutely enthralled by the innovative vanguard of European designers emerging in the very early 80’s. Margiela was arguably the most influential and creative of all, driving fashion forward into the exciting new territory of deconstruction; as well as behaving more like a reclusive artist instead of a showy, press courting designer/ celebrity. The team who have curated and collated the exhibition have reflected the brand perfectly.

The exhibition space feels more like a work in progress, with paint pots, bags and archive style boxes stacked around the space. This just adds to the feeling that you are peeking in on something that perhaps you shouldn’t be seeing. You enter through a heavy curtain which shows a picture of the space before if was filed with the exhibition- an absolute genius introduction that also makes you aware of the beauty of the space itself.

The exhibition is arranged by quite in-depth rules and arrangements which you can become involved with, learning all the detail of the Margiela ethos and design process; or you can just revel in the beauty of the product, the mood and the display methods. It was an incredibly inspirational evening, and an absolute must (we think) for anyone who is interested in the more unique, inspirational and creative end of fashion.

We had chosen an evening when Somerset House were also hosting the ‘Late Studio: White Elephant’ event, complementing the Margiela exhibition and embracing the brands methods of recycling and remaking, as well as their strong use of white. This had been created by Sarah Mann (assistant curator of the Embankment Galleries) and Annette Richardson (Learning Coordinator for Somerset House). They had worked really hard to create a super creative environment where everyone could work on ’something white’ that they had bought with them, or swap it with the pieces that they had provided. We spoke with some London College of Fashion students there who were making stunning things, but there was a real mixture of ages and skill levels all enjoying the experience. We would encourage you to get down there for the next one which is on 7th July. Tweet us or email us pictures of your creations and we’d be delighted to add them to this post!

Click here for more “Blink” events…

Maison Margiela '20'. The beautiful entrance to the exhibition

Maison Margiela '20' @ Somerset House

The signature Margiela 'Tabi' shoe

Maison Margiela variations on the classic trench coat

'White Elephant' creativity @ Somerset House

Tags: Embankment Galleries, Maison Margiela, Martin Margiela, Somerset House
Posted in Events, Inspiration | 2 Comments »

Inspiration: twentytwentyone on the Milan Furniture Fair

Tuesday, May 25th, 2010

Last week we felt as if we had been transported to the Milan Furniture Fair, when in fact we had only made the short journey over to sunny Clerkenwell. “Blink” were lucky enough to have been invited to the opening of twentytwentyone’s “Highlights of Milan” exhibition. Whilst nibbling on premo parmesan and sipping chilled prosecco we perused their choices and daydreamed of living in a vast loft space that we could fill with all of this beautiful furniture.

Once a year the great and good of the design world gather in Milan to present their innovative and visionary new collections. This show is the place to see progressive design, spot new talents and pick up on directional new materials and techniques that will shape interiors for the year ahead. The Salone Milan 2010 certainly seems to have delivered on these expectations as designers defied the restrictions of the recession to present some really exciting and challenging new ideas.

twentytwentyone selected a collection of product that embraces a range of technologies, materials, forms and thought processes. Designs include the ‘make your own’ chair by Enzo Mari, a knitted rug by Patricia Urquiola, a milled timber chair by Sam Hecht and a new sofa family from Jasper Morrison ( a “Blink” design favourite).

The exhibition runs until 29th May at twentytwentyone’s showroom, 18c River Street EC1R 1XN so get yourself along for a design fix. We’ll also promise that you’ll come away green with envy at their fabulously un-London workspace too. We are currently working out how we can convince them to let us move in!