Research Mission!

25/01/10 Today I went to Mojgan bridal couture which has recently moved to Wimborne road after being in the arcade at bournemouth town centre for 13years. I said I was going to my best friends wedding in June and the assisant showed wedding guestwear. I found it very limited and a few of the dresses had treads still dangling off. Their were 3 dresses that were stunning and I would consider wearing them to a wedding as I felt they were unique and nobody else would be wearing them to the same wedding! These dresses had beautiful embellishment and came in a wide range of different colours! From soft pastels to bold brights! The prices ranged from £225 to £265. The assisant whos sister designs all of the dress in the shop asked me what my budget was and I said around the 200 pound mark which in a way is quite high! After I went to Irenes in Broadstone which unfortantly was closed. So going to try and go there in the week. So I thought it would be a good idea to check out Fab Frocks competitor which is Monsoon at Castle Point. To be honest there was nothing that really stood out to me and that I would choose to wear. On the otherhand there were dresses from £75 to £180 which is a more affordable than these wedding boutiques.

Key Trends Spring/Summer 2010

Trend 1...Straight from the wild...very fierce animal prints! Safari suitings...Khaki, camel, tobacco ans stone. Big cat prints and tribal batiks. An distinctly urban feel! Designers such as Louis Vutton, Marc by Marc Jacobs and Rodarte.

Trend 2...Girly Pastels...sugar coated glamour...baby blue, pastel pink, pale yellow, soft lilac and spearmint. Chiffons, feathers and tulle. Designers such as Dior, Christopher Kane, Luella and Vicktor & Rolf.

Trend 3...Eye-popping patterns and prints! Splashy geometrics and vivid florals. Powerful shots of intense colour. Designers; Alexander McQueen, Versace and Moschino.

Trend 4...Spring bling! Glitz! Party pieces that dazzle. A whole lot of glamour and elegance. Lashes of gold, gloss and glitter! Designers; Lavin, Balmain and Burberry Prorsum.

Trend 5..Fresh white! Classic and fun is to be had with shape, form and fabric! Calvin Klein with tailored white blazers, Stella McCartney's oversized white shirt, Jil Sanders architectural dresses.

Trend 6.. Spring Military...a killer new uniform..with a feminine edge! Shirt dresses and multi-pocket khaki jackets. Chloe, Stella McCartney MaxMara showed an womanly approach to this season of military.

Trend 7...Pretty satin Corsets and lingerie...bra tops, and lace knickers! The prettiest have an vintage feel, silky sets and yes some big knickers!Jean Paul Gaultier named his collection “the G-spot”!! designers...Antonion Berardi, Dior, Dolce & Gabbana and Marc Jacobs.

Trend 8....Surfer and scuba dive!! Skin tight sporty pieces! Ergonomic panelling, webbing straps and Neoprene handbags...designers such as Alexander Wang, Gucci and Josh Goot.

Trend 9....Fairytale....frilly and fabulous frocks! Very romantic and charming! Palette of nude, blush and rose. Valentino, Lavin, Marchesa and Chanel had some absolutely stunning dresses.

Above...Safari stylie! Rodarte

Christopher Kane's pastel beauty!

Eye catching..Alexander McQueen

A sparkly Burberry Prorsum

Visit to Fab Frocks

12/01/10. Over the Christmas holidays I read through the briefs and had a pretty clear idea of which one I was going to choose. Today I decided that the best way to properly start my research was to visit Fab Frocks in Westbourne to get a real idea and feel for this new project! Tracie was there so I got a chance to talk to her and she explained about the customer market, competitors and a look book. Tracie gave me a wedding magazine, Michaela Louisa and Vivien Sheriff look books which are all really helpful for my research! The most popular designers are John Charles and Sarah Daniels, this is what the mothers of bride and groom would wear. For the younger generation of wedding guests there is the designers known as Dusk and Rouge. Rouge had some really lovely puff ball dresses that I can image are popular with the younger women. In store I noticed a lot of these dresses had little jackets that match and stunning head pieces that could really make an statement. For the look book I am going to arrange a suitable date to go and take photographs of the dresses on manikins. I am excited about getting stuck into this project!