Deep Sea Art: Flik Hall SS12

(Published on www.canarymagazine.co.uk) 

With the glittering tinsel of Christmas and all its festivities behind us and whilst our fickle hearts dream of balmy summer days there is one designer that fills me with spring-like whimsy.  Elliot Atkinson, an Edinburgh College of Art graduate, designs womenswear tipping scales of both feminine and tough with the beautifully dark balancing against sheer, feminine, soft and sweet.

Elliot’s SS12 collection sees tactile pink and nude sheer, purposefully torn pieces paired with black zipped and laced leathers. Light, dream-like patterns are mixed with white on dresses and stomach bearing tops taking the wearer to fresh new places.  Mixed with contrasting red and black items, perfectly balancing two sides of the Elliot Atkinson Woman.  A beautifully crafted spring 2012 collection, whispering of the new to come.

Kate’s breath taking womenswear exists in the relams of fantastical couture. A graduate from Westminster Fashion, Kate has the design sensibility where sheer beauty in other worldly proportions is everything. 

 How does an idea usually form in your mind? Are there clear steps you take such as creating mood boards, gathering images etc or do ideas formulate organically and spontaneously?

I began designing my final collection by selecting images which evoke the attitude I wanted to convey. I had lots of images of Anna Dello Russo, lots of editorials of McQueen, images of textures, feathers and sequins, and lots of structured shoulders. All these images were images I had spotted and collected over a long period of time but it gave me so many great starting places.

 How do you translate your vision into a realised garment?

 I made lots of small fabrication samples with feathers, sequins and fur and imagined how these could be realised into final looks. It was important for me to create a strong shoulder for all the dresses to hang from so I did a lot of toiling on the stand, constantly editing the pattern. I probably cut the dress pattern about 15 times.

When designing what gives you your initial spark of inspiration?

 I think the initial inspiration for me is the attitude the garments evoke. I love strong women who have a real integrity and confidence with their style, and I love the little quirks which make something individual.

 Can you describe the technical processes that go into creating your garments?

 The technical process was quite intense as we had about four months to finalise the six looks, but I must have gone through about 20+ possibilities. Apart from constantly tweaking the dress shape, it was also about placing the correct fabrics so that the movement and balance between looks was right. Also each of my pieces was hand embellished so pre planning and time management was so important.

 If you have many ideas, how do you organise/mould these into a cohesive collection?

 Editing out weaker ideas and strong decision making was a super fast learning curve while developing this collection, for example I started out with a fitted dress silhouette under the looser fur garments, but loosening up the body of the dresses was so freeing, slashing through the toile suddenly added movement and an effortless sexiness to the shapes which were perfect canvasses for the sequins and feather embellishment.

Does your creative and design processes take a direction or do you feel they are random in nature? Does the idea of trying to add structure to your design process take away from your freedom of creativity?

I feel like I can be impatience to see results and the end vision but that vision is made so much stronger if you allow time for experimenting and alteration. Sometimes the best move forward is to go back, do some more sketches or samples and then start again. I feel like you know when you are getting it right and when it hasn’t quite worked and you have to trust your instinct. Personally I think my time management and my creativity are in equal measure so as long as I am always focused on the end goal and give my everything then the process is really exciting and enjoyable.

 Pinpointing creativity is a very difficult but what do you feel  was your first moment of realisation? What made you become a fashion designer?

 Even as a toddler I was painting and making things, my Dad and my grandparents were always encouringing me to be artistic as well as academic. I was really interested in acting as a child, and that developed into an interest in costume design, so I joined the National Youth Theatre at 15 and spend a summer working on beautiful 1920’s costumes for a production of ‘The Master and Margerita’, but the pull of the glamour and fantasy of fashion editorials in magazines pulled my interest towards high end fashion.

Why do you feel your creativity is best expressed through clothing as a medium rather than any other form of design?

 Clothing is such a  powerful way of communication, and with blogs, magazines, twitter etc. the fashion industry is something that people can become completely immersed in and follow the constant transitions. I love how certain items of clothing have literally changed attitudes and altered history.

How far do you find the depth of the emotional attachment to your design work goes?  Can you view it as ‘work’ or is it more of an extension of your passion?

 I feel like I design for myself, or for an aspect of my personality and that is a really scary feeling of expressing yourself openly and inviting personal judgement, but I am quite aware of this when I design so I want to make my clothes have an attitude or a feeling when they are worn, almost a shield to judgement.

 What are you trying to communicate with your designs?

 I want to portray a sexy, confident woman with a strong sense of style and self. I want my clothes to be desired and desirable, someone who isn’t afraid to embrace life.

Mawi pour vous

The 1980′s is one of my favourite fashion eras…I’ve said it once, but just for you I’ll I say it twice-gold and black, black and gold, oversized gold  hardware and cocktail rings-the 8th wonder of the world. In terms of beauty, loud, brash and big is definitely better. Ding! when you think your turkey is done, simply brown for another 10. I can’t think of a make-up brand that best encapsulates my beauty ethos more than Revlon. The golden age of the household American supermodel.. Cindy huge hair, glossy talons and eyeliner that would make your cat jealous. ‘Natural’ beauty is for flower gardens, and Charlie Dimmock (don’t get me started on women who don’t wear bras). If God wanted us to be plain, why would he have invented foundation, mascara and blusher?

She's got a hairspray halo

Coiffed to perfection

Right I’m off in a cloud of Elnett hairspray. Extra Strength, Max hold.

I am completely aware that fashion is fuelled by its own gorgeous unattainability, its impossible standards for pretty much everything. But that doesn’t stop one from trying. Looking through catwalk images always makes me feel jealous of their sheer movement. The clothes, the hair, the body; everything moves in one glorious simultaneous stride.  In the dullness of reality off the catwalk how can we achieve the grace of an ethereal creature? My mass of hair doesn’t swish and my walk is more of a clumsy amble than a confident strut…I think it’s all in the details. Over the past few seasons I’ve fallen in love with fringe on everything. It adds; I feel like I’m walking through a film, fantasy and movement. No model leggy lunge required.

Eleanor Amoroso’s  AW11 collection has me shivering with fringe fever:

Beautiful, teeny- weeny unmentionables… Thank the Lord of Long Johns for them.

This McQueen AW11 couture gown collection stole my breath away. It’s quite alright, Sarah Burton can keep it. The beautiful woven lace cut-out combined with black, light fantastical movement takes this gown to an existence somewhere beyond The Dark Side of the Moon.  Dresses from the rest of the collection will keep me in the intoxicated state of a G+T with ice. And a slice of lime.

All pictures taken from style.com

There are a lot of things I enjoy about Summer… Cold cider in London beer gardens, smiling faces, the hot and sweaty underground… cold cider in London beer gardens. Chosing my summer wardrobe is not one of them. As a huge fan of black (my very favourite colour), gold and fur I find dressing for winter a heady mix of Russian bond girls/Cruella Deville. However since I have failed to be blessed with the thighs of  a baby giraffe  I refuse point-blank to wear any kind of short skirt or short short without the cover of darkness (60 denier opaques). The summer always poses the deep question of ‘what the fu*k am I going to wear?’. This year I have decided to leave shorts to the kids, embrace my inner lady and channel the lovely Betty Draper.  Lucky for me this season the mini skirt is dead and the midi will be enjoying crustless sandwiches at its wake.

I’m going to purchase this for starters:

Miss Selfridge Navy Pleated Gold Belt Dress. and leave my legs exactly where they should be : Your imagination.