through the looking glass.

In terms of school subjects I'm pretty hopeless at anything that involves numbers, so I have turned my focus to art based subjects. I did some surrealist photography in art which plays with the idea of human's imaginations and depicts illusions. Mine tells a story but I would like to leave interpretation open. I am a major technology rookie so using Photoshop was basically me attacking the computer frustratedly demanding it to perform a task. Luckily my good natured sister calmed me down and with the click of a few buttons worked magic. She's also the character in my photographs. 

My sister Imogen ended up spending the  majority of her time balancing on her arms, her legs being held up by my dad. I think she was quite perplexed as to what on earth she was doing it for but you are just lyke the bestest sista eva if you are reading this Immie. I made her look all angsty and troubled and please notice the absence of her legs in the shot with the gwitar. And I started playing guitar last week! And my teacher is an English cool cat who lives for the tunes! He has a guitar pick with fire on it; that says something. 

My rookie Photoshopping skills are more evident here but hey, what are you going to do if you accidentally erase the mouth. Well I'll tell you what I didn't do which is try and draw it back on once I had printed it and then just further damage it in the process, resulting in a second print. I'm trying to be humorous but maybe today is just not my day. 

This was a futuristic costume me and two other girls made in textiles which my friend here is modelling very seductively for you. I suppose its very 50s as well and what the photo doesn't reveal is that it take about 5 minutes to put on and 10 to take off. 

kilt me.

Knock knock. Who's there? Interrupting cow. Interruping co..MOO! 

Your laughing so hard you can't even read this post properly, so don't even try and deny that, that wasn't the best knock-knock joke you've ever heard. It will have kids trailing behind you in a Chinese dragon formation. Forget that sentence. Why am I voluntarily embarrassing myself on the internet. 

Well I wore a semi-kilt, guys I'm so hip, with the times yo. 

 Pallet 8 cardigan, Dries Van Noten top, dress from mum, socks?, vintage shoes. 
The top is the epitome of witchyness.

 Experimenting with my face has become more evident and I can't do it for school so I try and make it as weird and obnoxious as possible on weekends. 

Today felt mostly inspired by this video based on Oh the Places You'll Go by Dr. Seuss. I never believed that an an event like this with a gathering of carefree and eccentric people who live to the heights of self-expression existed in this world. Honestly though, when I first watched it, I thought it was some special set-up for the purpose of the film but after some researching I found that it was filmed at a festival called Burning Man. For one week in the year over 48,000 people meet together in the Black Rock Desert, Nevada. I think the whole event is hard to capture because it really is unlike anything else in the world. I see it as this city or world full of art constructed by it citizens and there are no rules but everyone simply expresses themselves and no one judges anyone. WHY CAN'T WE ALL LIVE SO SPONTANEOUSLY. Once I'm finished school you will find me at Burning Man. 

Congratulations! Today is your day. You're off to great places. Your up and away!

Dr. Seuss deserves a large scale shrine or a McDonalds burger named after him. Something that is meaningful to this 21st century population. 

International Day of the Girl.

The past week has involved very fired up discussions about feminism as our new English topic involves 'Fashioning Feminism'. Pun intended. I have never been very involved in feminist movements and speaking out about the issue but this week has given me a lot to think about and the the truly complex nature of the oppression women are still suffering under. 

Today was about recognising the International Day of the Girl and I go to an all girls school so it was made very clear that today was one to be noted. 

http://dayofthegirl.org

Today celebrates the first UN Day of the Girl and the speak out against gender prejudice.

The website illustrates 11 simple things you can do to support the movement to improve the lives of girl and I am so utterly FIRED UP right now that I am literally making a check list.   http://dayofthegirl.org/11otherideas/

So get ready 

Because BAM! GAL POWER YA'LL 

Self-made crown, hand-me-down skirt, vintage top, the superman cape was in my dress up box and I have no idea where it came from. 

And of course on a more serious note. 

It's hard to challenge the social norm views of gender roles. As soon as we are born we subconsciously mimic the things we see. This means the thousands of images of models and the ideal woman  are something many women try to obtain, even though in actual fact there is almost no one in the whole of the population of women who can reflect this "narrow scope" of an image. And this is often a known fact within our culture, yet we judge ourselves and other people who do not meet it. 

Society is based on the division of men a women. A girl in my class shared how she went to Tanzania and there was no word for men and women but instead there was only one term and I was utterly mind.blown. when really I think something like that shouldn't be so surprising. 

I know its only been one week, but I have grown so much more comfortable with myself as a person and as a girl. Being a person does not involve acting like a male or a female but expressing yourself in any way you wish, and I think that is what challenging the oppression of women should involve. 

Yeah I know you guys are seriously emotional right now but this rant/discussion/some other third thing needed to be released from the cage, and I need to pay tribute to my class as they  triggered this whole discussion. 

ET phone home?

Image taken from Style.com

barfday.

Well I guess my 16th was spent watching MTV's Sweet Sixteen reality show following soon to be 16 year olds around who spend thousands of dollars are on a nice hot pink, diamanté dress and give out exclusive invitations given out in front  of the whole school. Yes its all very special and heart warming. I don't want to spend a whole post talking about my birthday which was nice and uneventful but there are a few things that need attention. 
Firstly, my ingenious mother suggested I light up candles in my pipe cleaner crown. We both though this was a brilliant idea until we realised the risk of my hair catching fire. Nevertheless I'm so much of a rebel that I did it anyway. Yeah, screw the system!
  

Secondly, because I am materialistic and determined to make my room a 60s sanctuary AND because birthdays have their perks, I am currently listening to Neil Young on a RECORD PLAYER in MY OWN ROOM. 

And thirdly on my very unsweetended, less than $1000 spent 16th I wore a vintage top and skirt, my pipe cleaner crown, a vest from Seed and shoes my brother gave me from Nu by Neo. 

 This skirt always makes me feel like Audrey from Twin Peaks. 

Robot/Lego necklace from Monster Threads, others from my mum. 

Yep I did just dedicate a whole post to my birthday which should be celebrated on a worldwide scale. 

WOW.

Spring break WEOW. Unfortunately this sudden spike in temperatures hasn't left me in a wonderful state so I have spent my time locked in my room thinking about my birthday. WHICH IS TOMORROW. I was deeply pondering the idea of this day we call our 'birthday'. It's a nice thing to celebrate, the day you came in into this world. Did I really just say that. It's a hard thing to explain without sounding like I'm preaching to you all but it's not only the day that you think of as your new age and year but also just you being here with everyone you know and the people you have grown up with. This year I think my coming of age has become more apparent. Gifts and other things are less, I mean not that much less, on my mind. That's what I tell myself as I drop hints to my mum about those shoes we saw the other day. 

PREACH NO. 2 

Get crafty, you can interpret this in any way like ;). I'm now focusing on the smaller details of my room which means applying glitter to everything. I decorated these candles today. I haven't done crafty things in a while so it was nice to renew my glue gun burns and peel the dried PVA glue of my hands (it's really quite satisfying, and it never gets old). 

Oh yeah! I forgot to mention, I was in New Zealand for a week these holidays and we went to see the World of Wearable Art show (WOW)  in Wellington which was so truly dazzling and was like nothing else I have ever seen. My dad questioned me whether there is a difference between fashion and wearable art. I was stuck to be honest. I've always found fashion a form of art and design but this show created a world of eccentric and innovative costumes which deserve there own category. 

This was the winner of all the 'weird and wonderful creations'. 

Miuccia Prada, the fashion prodigy.

I made a pact or deal or whatever you wish, before making my blog, that I wouldn't start a post with I'm sorry I haven't posted lately and Gosh, so long since I last posted. I have been away and will be for a while longer meaning yes, posting has equalled at fat zero lately. 
I don't know what it was this year but the gap between Fall and Spring collections felt weirdly long. Normally I get onto the computer and find myself in need of some calming pills to find the new season already presented before my eyes. I am also finding myself less and less driven by designers when creating my own outfits, but this hasn't diminished in any way my excitement towards them. 
I don't think I will do too many reviews this season for this reason but people like fashion prodigy Miuccia Prada need to be paid tribute too. 
Harajuku girls, geishas and Any Warhol daisies. Miuccia Prada always presents combinations which you never thought had any relation. I hope you can appreciate how difficult it was to choose a selection of photos for this post. 

Miuccia Prada's constant idea to "avoid nostalgia" gives you this modern twist on things such as the geisha figure in this collection. She turns things inside out so that everything is not exactly what it seems, forming into this vision which isn't eccentric or futuristic but it isn't traditional either. Her inspired drive to defy society's typical ideas and views gives you something ironic and visionary. She has successfully used lace to generate something that isn't typically feminine and sexy but rather un-sexy. And in this collection there are these hints of childish innocence in the pop  art style flowers and the distinct three colours that are used, but the the whole look conveys the style of a geisha. 

Prada also combines the essence of Harajuku in the metallic and pink socks and shoes with flowers and bows surrounding them. Everything she designs and places in the look has a meaning for being there which is something I really only find in her collections. It's not like she has found two patterns that go together and combined them, but instead there is a particular idea to convey through each part of the design. I also loved the displays of Andy Warhol style daisies throughout it.