Why I Love Fashion...

It only occurred to me a few minutes ago that I haven't posted on here for a little bit, whilst I was reading my Vogue (I say reading but most of it is adverts for clothes which I can only wish to afford!)

As I was reading about David Bowie and how he became such an icon and paved the way in fashion for people to freely express themselves, it got me thinking about the reason that I love fashion so much.

I love the fact that fashion reflects a persons personality and everything about them. Not in a way that screams "I love myself" but the character that comes out through someones choice in clothing. I see it as an art, an expression if you will, that many people will percept in a different way. I love when I'm designing my own clothing, because it is all about coming up with new ways to express myself through that clothes that I am making. 

At Uni in one of our lectures with Lou Dalton she was talking about the importance of your portfolio, you need it to tell someone about yourself visually, because you won't always be there to explain everything. And it got me thinking about why I thoroughly enjoy what I am studying, the fact that fashion is about self expression.

Obviously there are a million other reasons why I do love fashion but it would take me all day to type up the reasons why! 

I'll also show you my line up that I've been working on for my personal collection. I think I'm going to be posting a lot more of my work on here so I can hopefully get some feedback on it and possibly ways I can improve?

Sorry for the delay!

Why hello there!
It has been quite a while! I haven't posted since last year (okay it's only January but it made me laugh!)
Well after my last post I did eventually get a backdated payment from student finance! And I did go shopping...lots! Haha! I've also been venturing into vlogging as well so I thought doing both would really get me out there and hopefully get me heard!

Uni deadlines have been killing me... This week I've been able to chill out as our lecturers have been marking our stuff. I'm hoping for some good feedback, especially after my sleepless nights before the deadline, because me being the divvy that I am thought the deadline was the week after it was! Haha! So the night before everything was due in, I didn't really sleep and hit the sack at 5am, I deffo was not ready to drive in for 10am so I got my beautiful, loving boyfriend to take me :)

I've just realised I've not mentioned him much if at all in my blog!

Aaron is my childhood sweetheart <3 (cue awww's LOL) We've been together since I was 15, which makes it....coming up for 6 years! He is the funniest person I've ever met (very cliche of me to say) and he's also my best friend! We always have a laugh and don't argue much, just bicker :P He's out fishing right now, I actually have a hatred for his beloved hobby...fishing. It is the most boring, cold, pointless waste of time, but he loves it so I have to live with it. I just don't understand the facination, Aaron fishes for carp in lakes, but when they catch them, they have a picture and put the fish back! It's more of a sport to him, but I am baffled about the whole setup. Especially when he feels it's necessary to go for the night...in the snow! Anyways enough about my moaning about fishing LOL!

I've also become creepily obsessed with the Vampire Diaries... I've spent the best part of the past week watching every single episode, so I am now up to date! I have found it quite sad, mainly because everyone I've asked has said that they don't watch it. But I do love a vampire story.

The summer needs to hurry up, I can't waste my life watching stories about vampires inside anymore! And I cannot wait to graduate and go on holiday!

Anyways I'm going to prioritise this blog and keep it up! I'll post again in a few days to show you my beautiful favourite buys of the past month :)

xxxx

P.S subscribe to my YouTube channel! Would love more subscribers and to hear what people think about whatever I'm banging on about

https://www.youtube.com/user/GabriielleAnneX?feature=mhee

Writing

Over the past few weeks, whilst writing this blog and my 6000 word dissertation, I kept on thinking to myself, I really wouldn't mind writing a book. How hard could it be ay?! I could write something funny and witty about the funny sayings my grandma says to me when she's had a few too many bevvy's, or about my stupid blonde moments I have on a day to day basis.
After today I have decided against this idea completely! I have currently written 3890 words out of the 6000 and feel like i have said what needs to be said, but haven't come close to the word count. I am beginning to hate writing the words "vanity sizing" as I feel like I have repeated it so many times half of my essay says it!

On an even less than brighter note, still no word from student finance, but the lovely woman on the phone told me that I should hear something within the next week! Now I hope this is true as I now only have £6 and just over a quarter of a tank of petrol left. I get paid from Morrisons on Friday and knowing my luck, student finance will decide to pay me some money then too!

And the old dirt mobile is gone forever to polo heaven! The man was a bit late picking it up but he came in the end and I admit I did well up a little bit when he towed it away :( Everyone loves their first car and I was quite sad to see it go. But on a brighter note, I do have a lovely newer model parked outside...just a shame I don't have too much money to run it!

Some progress on the money situation!

When it comes to stretching my pennies I like to think that I am great and can save money wherever possible. WRONG! I am the worst money saver known to mankind (my boyfriend will agree with that!) But I feel that this week I have really upped my game and managed to work with what I have to create a new piece in my wardrobe for £1! YES ladies and gentlemen, Gabrielle Banner managed to customise a staple piece and make it seem as if it was brand new out of Topshop! While browsing Topshop online (not to buy, but to research for my own final collection at Uni) I saw a lot of studding on everything. And I suddenly had a brainwave of creativeness! I thought to myself, why not buy some studs from eBay (which I found for £1) and go stud crazy on your clothes! So I went ahead and ordered 100 pyramid dark silver studs, whilst hoping my card didn't decline! Thankfully it didn't and a couple of days later, said studs arrived. My sister was quite intrigued about how it would work and how I would use them and attach them to my clothes. At the start I had absolutely no idea what I would use them on and suddenly it hit me! I would use my favourite pale pinky (not quite sure if thats the best way to describe the colour) blazer and go stud crazy!

 Before stud craziness began..

After stud craziness...

Now, it took me forever to fold over the little spikes that attach the studs to the clothing, but I feel I really worked with what I had! And I loved the end result! I feel like I updated something for next to nothing, and if you ask me, that is progress for the last of the big spenders! (for now anyways)

Another thing which has lifted my spirits slightly, is progress on the old banger dirt mobile selling situation. After no response from the bell end on eBay, I decided to report him and just get rid! I'd already sold the alloys and made some pennies and am absolutely desperate to get it off the drive before the Grandmother has a hissy fit about leaving yet 'another bloody car on the drive' (between me and my cousin, there has been a car standstill on the drive for the past 5 years!)
 So I bit the bullet and knew I wouldn't make much from my poor polo which had served me so well and contacted a scrap yard. They quoted me £120 and would pick it up for free, which sounded great to someone who has been getting excited about paying £1 to customise a bloody blazer! They should be here tomorrow morning to take away my poor polo to polo heaven. Which will be a sad day, but great knowing I will have a little bit of money to spend on getting some fabric for Uni! There are only so many pattern pieces I can squeeze out of my random fabrics box (Will probably do a whole post on my severe problem with hoarding scrap pieces of fabric, among other weird and wonderful things!)

So for now, I will bid thee farewell and will probably post again once student finance have decided I can have some money and go on a major spending spree!

I hate being poor!

Well, I am sure if anyone has been a student at uni, they will know the pain that comes along with student finance! After crashing my poor little 1998 VW Polo back at the start of term, I was in dire need of a new car before the MOT ran out. I mean I was still driving it and it was a miracle the car wasn't written off, or that nobody else was involved in my accident. Rain, no ABS and braking too hard led to me spinning into the central reservation of the A1 and needing a new car. So after searching eBay like a manic woman possessed, I came across THE most beautiful looked after 2003 VW polo and when I went to view it, I knew that I would never come across a bargain like this again. So, thinking that after one of my many calls to student finance, I would  be getting a backdated payment for last year in 6 working days, I bought the car, leaving me with pretty much no money at all when the time came around to get my student finance. But no, student finance have yet to pay me, leaving me scrounging my penny pot and getting angry with the man on eBay that bid for my old car and hasn't paid STILL!
Which all makes me extremely upset. As a fashion student will know, it is essential to have new up to date clothes all the time. And I now cannot bring myself to go onto asos.com or just pop to town (as I don't have the petrol!) as I know I cannot afford the little Chelsea boots that have been calling my name! Or the new jumper that will match my leopard print creepers that I fell in love with and still don't have anything to wear with!
So there you have it, my depression that comes with loving clothes when I have no money! (Well I do have £5 stashed away in the cool little hiding place in my new car!)

 My poor old Polo!

The newer Polo!

A new start!

Well, after that last post I just gave up hope of having a life and writing a blog too! Haha! Not in a suicidal way, I just had a lot of work to do at uni (thats what I thought at the time) but now I am in my final year and this is SERIOUS amounts of work! I'm just working on my toile development for my final collection this semester, and everything seems to be going wrong! I sew things the wrong way and have to unpick and start again. I don't have time to think, actually Gaby this fabric has no stretch in at all, lets not make tight fitting trousers from this! No, I make these silly mistakes because education has exhausted me! My entire life I have been in education and now I can see the end of the tunnel, I'm panicking slightly, not because I will miss education, but because it is all I've ever known! I can barely last the summer holidays without getting bored out of my brain! What on earth will I be like when I'm not being taught anymore?! To be honest I think I'm more worried about getting into the fashion industry when I graduate, it's a crazy place out there and so competitive! Which is why I want to make myself known! I will post some more stuff like photos of my work and things but right now I may fall asleep on my laptop, for some reason I always get a creative switch turn on about 11pm haha!

Night
x

Woohoo! My first ever blog and I can talk about life as a fashion student and the frustrations that come along with it too! I'm in the 2nd year of my foundation degree in fashion and textiles and feel a blog is a great way for me to share my thoughts on what I've been learning, my opinions on issues in fashion and the stresses it comes with. Well better go to sleep got to be fresh for some lectures and blogging tomorrow!