Sometimes as an independent brand, it’s difficult to produce enough garments for a new collection all in one go. I always struggle to find the balance between making enough money to stay afloat, preserving my artistic integrity and learning new skills, all of which I consider integral parts of running my business. This means that sometimes, I have to prioritise things that break up the flow of creativity and not create as many new items as I planned.
This happened during the creation of my winter collection and I decided to photograph and share what I had and add to it at a later date, instead of risking it looking rushed or producing items I didn’t love.
I was initially afraid there weren’t enough similar items for it to seem like a collection but ater looking at the images, I think the mood comes across, despite the fact that it is incomplete.
Merry Christmas to those of you who celebrate! It’s finally time to share the annual Eustratia winter photoshoot images.
We had a great team this time, working with Toria Brightside, who has been by my side throughout the creation of this latest collection and has a great understanding of the pieces and reuniting with Victoria who has been part of 4 previous collection shoots and has just returned to modelling after a break to start a family. The makeup was provided by Faye Aydin.
We shot this set in my house, I love shooting at home because we have the freedom to shoot for as long as we like and move everything around to fit the scene.
The new items will be added to the website in the next few days.
Having first started work on this collection almost a year ago, I’m delighted to finally be able to share my complete vision.
I decided to present it in format of a story and hope that it helps to define the feel and character of each item of clothing.
The items will be added to eustratia.co.uk over the coming days and can be ordered via email (enquiries@eustratia.co.uk) or facebook message in the mean time, with an introductory 20% off.
Those who would like to see the story performed live can do so at the Fashion and lifestyle exhibition, in Manchester on the 11th and 12th of October. Tickets are free and can be booked here. Models will be provided by Vauhaus.
My beautiful models in the order they appeared: Anna, Hazel, Charlotte and Amber.
This week I’m continuing with the decorating inspiration, though I have got my tree up and have bought most of my presents. I’m also looking to the future, with the realisation that the year is almost over and I should probably get planning my large projects for 2014!
I also managed to get my tree up. It isn’t as big or elaborate as the ones in my inspiration pictures but I’m quite pleased with it. I made some of the left over perspex jewellery into decorations and also used fake fur from last year’s winter wonderland show, roses from the Opulence collection shoot and lace trim from the “origin of monsters” editorial to give it a personal touch.
When I was younger I always enjoyed the fact that our family Christmas tree was covered in miss-matched decorations, each telling a story so I wanted to incorporate objects that evoke memory into my decorating as well.
I don’t always have time to update as often as I’d like but I do try to keep things more or less in chronological order, this sometimes causes me to fall even further behind because I find it hard to publish a particular post. This is one of those posts, I have thought about what I wanted it to be like for ages because I was searching for a more refined and straightforward way to present my personal personal projects but I guess I’m not quite there yet.
As I have mentioned previously, this winter I was very inspired by wintery imagery, white animals and snowy settings. I really enjoyed gathering inspiration for the Eustratia winter wonderland shoot so when a show slot came up at the Manchester Alternative and burlesque fair, I jumped at the opportunity. I never usually plan seasonal seasonal stuff in time but my general love of animal-inspired headwear and white latex came in useful here.
This was my main inspiration board.
I wanted to tell a story and I left it would come across best if the setting was right so the props were important. The main part of the story takes place in an enchanted forest so trees were essential, I’ve wanted to have something like this on set for ages so I ordered some foam board and thanks to the efforts of the multi-talented Richard Ayres, it was made possible. I think he will aslo need a prop portfolio soon.
I also purchased a snow machine, which I think made all the difference, a large mirror, some small animals and hanging stars to complete the scene.
With the event being so close to Christmas I wanted to add some traditional elements into the story, unrecognisable as they may be. I stumbled upon the story of Befana, the Italian, gift giving witch. I loved the fact that as well as putting sweets into the boots of “good” children she also took time to sweep the floor while she was there, utilising her witch broom to show she was a good housekeeper. I decided to put her in the show but I totally changed her appearance to fit in with my aesthetic.
My decision to add this traditional element along with the girls starting of in the real world and journeying, in a dream, to the enchanted forest made the execution slightly more complicated. I was determined to make it work because it was the most unique part of the show and I left it gave more depth to the story.
The final narrative was as follows:
It is the night before Christmas. 2 girls go to bed in their room, excited for what the next day might bring. They have just fallen asleep when they hear a tinkling sounds coming from the mirror. The one nearest gets up and notices she can go through!
Once through the mirror the two girls find themselves in a winter wonderland, they are wondering around in awe when they meet a witch. She is gathering flowers in a basket and the girls decide to help her. To thank them for their kindness the witch gives them a magic coin that they can use to call upon her whenever they need help.
Next the girls come across winter woodland animals, dancing between the trees, they are transfixed and watch the graceful dance until their attention is drawn away by a loud noise. The snow queen and her extravagant pet unicorns approach the animals and circle menacingly. The queen decides to turn the animals into ice statues so she can admire their beauty whenever she likes, then they leave.
The girls come out from hiding behind the trees and are sad to see the animals cold and motionless, then they remember the coin and decide to use it to help the animals, they throw the coin into the air and surely enough shortly after the witch appears, she gently touches each animal and breathes life back into it. The animals have been turned back to normal and it starts to snow, everyone frolics happily.
The witch then leads the girls back through the mirror and into their own room. She puts them to bed, leaves glitter in their boots and sweeps the floor before leaving. The girls awake on Christmas day to find the glitter in their boots, a magical reminder of their journey to the winter wonderland, they are happy.
You can view more images from the show and info about the models on the Eustratia facebook page.
I’m quite happy with the way the show turned out despite the technical difficulties we had on the day. I’m grateful to everyone who contributed/took part and I think the models did an especially good job considering we didn’t get to rehearse with the props in place. Visually, I wish there was a white or generally light coloured backdrop, I think it would have really added to the set. It isn’t majorly important but I think it’s helpful for myself to make a note of such things because it isn’t something I would normally think about before planning a show.
Though it was a latex fashion show, I mostly enjoyed experimenting with different textures and making the non latex items. I had lots of fun with the fake fur, a material I’ve never used before. Of course I had to try on all the silly animal headwear!
