When in Doubt...

Hey Smudgers, 

So it's been quite the roller-coaster lately; college is a mess. Anyone in First year Art and Design will punch you if you ever say "so you draw all day?" because we work our asses off and there's no one there to see it! It's great that out of over 800 applicants, 220 of us got in. But we got into the college, no our courses. So while we're all partying together and leaning on one another for support in this whirlwind, we're all enemies. I get a sick feeling in my stomach when I think that I mightn't get into Fashion and I'm changing my project for the 4th time! 

Right now Smudgers I'm supposed to be studying but I'm so wiped (between antibiotics and my second round of root canal treatment) that I can't even focus. 

But there has to be a way. I'm one of those people that believe everything happens for a reason and that if you wait for things to happen in your life, you'll never live. I'm going to get up off my ass after this post and work!! 

Think about it, everything around you is made or constructed by someone with a drive and a dream and a little backbone. I'm writing this on my Mac computer, listening to my IPhone - Steve Jobs WORKED! All the artists whose music I'm listening to, from Jimmy Eat World to Lady Gaga to Slipknot - they WORKED! All the clothing websites I've saved to my bookmarks, from Vivienne Westwood to Forever 21 to Drop Dead - they WORKED! 

'A Girl Should be Two things; WHO & WHAT SHE WANTS' - Coco Chanel 

I know I promised the pics of FWs but despite my hours of scanning through all the fashion shows this season, I've lost all the pictures that I loved - I really don't get technology!! I was so angry after I lost the pictures that I went shopping :/ I can't even find the hashtag key on the keyboard; fml....

Halloween is coming up with severe speed (lol tomorrow) and I will be travelling down to Cork city to attend the Freakscene Halloween event in the Savoy Hotel so expect some rocking pictures - it's supposed to be amazing! What are all the Smudgers dressing up as this Halloween?? There's two types of girls at Halloween which I love because you kind of see who is fun and who is the evil slut that just wants to be sexy :P Girls; live a little! I'll be going as a broke student so SUGAR SKULL - Loving all the skull makeup takes with this look; some are so elegant and wicked so here I go! 

Mark your calendars by the way Fashionistas because 'Style in the City 2' is coming back on the 10th of December to Galway and I CANNOT WAIT! If it's anything like last time it will be truly unforgettable and full of fun and yummy cocktails! Another thing to save up for in London is the Alexander McQueen; Savage Beauty exhibition which will take place from March to June/July - I'm going! 

When in doubt, Travel! I live by this rule too much which is why my bank account has seen better days... But I'm currently on a quest to get my friends to got to Paris with me for a few days, I just want to go away to a beautiful city and forget my troubles :) but sadly no one is really tagging along... IF I HAVE TO GO ALONE I WILL (believe!). Every day is a new adventure and a new day to be someone new. Every night the you from yesterday dies and what you wake up with in the mornings is the memories and a little baggage, but you can change everything in a day :)

So I'm going to change today because the me of today is wasting away and there's been no fun had (and no study done either..) So later Smudgers ^_^

XOXO

F.S.

ZUMBA!

Monday nights are offically Zumba nights for me now. Just came back from a class and that was hilarious! I now know where Miley Cyrus got all her latest moves :P

Tomorrow in London's Fashion Week, daughter of John Rocha- Hong Kong Irish- based designer, Simone Rocha is showing her latest at 11am at the Topshop Venue at Regent's University. Adidas by Stella McCartney will also be premiering but to be honest I do not like Adidas - I have absolutely none of their clothes. I really don't have any casual clothes!! I love dresses... I have so many and I rarely wear them but you know they're just nice to have :) Dear Lord my mother would kill me for that! But if you've checked the Instagram and Twitter out today you'll see I bought a lovely orange dress from Public Romance in Galway, and a Cheetah print cardy with black fringes - off to buy my winter clothes I said..

Anyways off topic there  - sorry! - Meadham Kirchoff is hitting the catwalk at 3pm, also at the Topshop Venue at Regent's University. I love quirky and wacky things, it's my favourite thing about fashion, and that's why I adore Meadham Kirchoff!! The quirky and the fearless as I like to call it (to myself that is!).

Sorry this will be a short one again guys, I'm not all that interesting today see as I spend a good bit of time in the NUIG college bar :P Will let you know all the dets with GTI tomorrow - 9am, Fashion Design!

Let the games begin
XOXO
Freaky Smudge

Oh God it feels like a migraine!

So if any of ye saw the pic I posted to Twitter this morning, you'll know that it was POURING this morning (like after 8am?!) but by 10am, thankfully, it went away. Though it was wet but humid, and dark but bright :P I love Galway but the weather is seriously bipolar...
I went to the National University of Ireland, Galway or NUIG this morning to visit some friends there and by God is that place huge! They only brought me into the Arts/Science Building and it felt like being in an airport terminal... Crazy stuff! It's such a pain that they have Starbucks when I'm too afraid to try the coffee in our cafeteria! I think they could smell the GTI off me, it felt like trespassing in the Garden of Eden (lol). But they don't have fashion....

So day two was great fun, and very long! My first class at 11am was Commercial Fashion Design! We were told about our assignments for the year, and also the things we would be studying in Fashion Appreciation. So we're going to be learning the History of Fashion from 1870 onwards (all I could think of was Marie Antoinette), and we'll be writing reports on Irish designers! We also have to do an assignment on a historical designer (between 1870 - 1960). Through the year we will be studying fashion, decade by decade, and keeping pics of all the stuff we like and come across throughout the week. At the end of the year we will gather all these pics up and create a book with captions of each decade :) Sounds pretty cool!

After this we had Embroidery and I have to say that using the sewing machine to create a straight line is not an easy task :P I've a pic here of my progress (if I can really call it that..), but it was loads of fun, until I realized that I'd three sheets of shapes to do and the class was two hours long... o.O

After what seemed like such a short break to me (and I was feeling so sick, pity please!), we went back for a whopping 3 hours of Pattern Drafting.... It sounds so boring but to be honest it wasn't that bad! Kinda like a class dedicated to joining the dots :)  We have assignments here as well that we'll be completing throughout the year, like making a pin cushion, a (tote?) bag, uhhhh a skirt... and an outfit with an accessory!! So today we made the patterns for the pin cushion and the back of the skirt. I gotta say it was pretty interesting and cool, and it makes the whole "make-your-own-crap" process easier when it's explained to you like that. Also we will most hopefully be going to London in February to look at fabrics! It sounds like such a granny getaway sort of thing but I think everyone just heard 'London' and was like "we NEED to go!".

Counting down the time until 6 was rough, and I'm so tired, but so far I'm loving college life. Meeting new people is great, and I'm lucky that there aren't any b-itches in my class! One thing that annoys me is that I don't have a uniform anymore and I have to wear something new everyday.... I'm like two weeks away from wearing my pjs in ><

Hitting the hay asap!
XOXO
Freaky Smudge

Day One Down

To quote the well known words of Asher Roth - "I Love College".

Such a fun day! Classy me, I was five minutes late this morning! Though I felt okay as myself and five other girls were the only people in the entire classroom... Only to discover that we were late and the teacher had moved the class to a different room, only to return to us a half an hour later :) 

My first class of the day was (guess what?) Fashion Design! There we were told the basic things we would be learning, like improving our drawing etc. And we did a "get-to-know-each-other" exercise. That went by pretty fast and then we had an hour break. The biggest change I'm going to have to get used to is that my friends in other courses at the college had different timetables!! 

(My most recent conversation via text)  -->
Me: when's your lunch tomorrow?
Short Friend: From one til two :) u?
Me (even shorter friend): UHHHH two til three!

Hard Life! :P

After lunch, I was late again by like 2 minutes, and to be fair I went to the bathroom! But the teacher didn't care so all good there. Then began Continued Materials in which we learned about all the different equipment we needed, that we would be creating a skirt during the year, creating a pin cushion, and what we would be doing in Pattern Drafting, Embroidery and Garment Construction (because it was the same teacher for those classes). Then, with the use of the buddy system (kidding!) our teacher brought all 24 of us out of the Claddagh House and into town. From there we went to Powell's on the Four Corners and bought a set square and two sheets for patterns. There was such a temptation to buy a colouring book but I fought the urge :) Next we went to Hickey's in the Eyre Square Shopping Centre to look at all the cobs, different things that we needed yet half of us didn't have the money to buy it, etc. 

In all it was a really good day! Anyone from Galway will know that, although it has the 3rd (I think) biggest city in Ireland, it's a pretty small place - met loads of girls from the ole secondary school, and met people that I didn't even know were going to G.T.I.! Had such a laugh and cannot wait to go back tomorrow :)

I have to say that I couldn't keep up with the stuff from Fashion Week today as well as I would have hoped so I'm just going to add these pics which I loved from Kate Spade and Thom Browne to the Facebook page. Guys really do check out Thom Browne's collection - speechless to say the least, and very.... Tim Burton, in my opinion! 

Later

XOXO

Freaky Smudge

Inspiration?

So I was really stuck about what to write about today!
Needed some Inspiration and that actually gave me an idea...

What gives you inspiration?? 

For me I guess it's a really good song, or walking in the woods seems to clear my head (the woods round here are sooo creepy but amazing!). If I'm looking for some fashion inspiration then yeah some music and a good few hours on WWD (Women's Wear Daily). Inspiration for life, well there's loads, right?

Some find it from a picture, a movie, a long drive at nightfall, or even at the end of a bottle (not the best!). 

I saw this the last day on the back door of a bathroom stall, this hopefully inspired a load of people! And it definitely but a huge smile on my face! :) 

I think it's incredible in fashion to see the extreme and colorful pieces, things you would never think of, walking down the catwalk - someone made that! Designed that! Thought of that! Dreamt of that! They were inspired to make memorable clothing and make jaws drop, but where did it all come from?
I'm sure every designer has been asked the same question over a thousand times but still, it's amazing :)

Sorry to wrap this up early but yeah that's one of my little takes on the world of fashion.
xoxo
Freaky Smudge

My Introduction to Fashion!

So today was really something else - my introduction to life as a FASHION DESIGN STUDENT! :)

9.00am to 10.40am - Woke up, bed head and all! Got myself some tea and gluten free toast, to be healthy I grabbed a handful of cherries only to find out they went off last week (ugh!). Did my makeup and got dressed in my gear! On the bus into town, kept checking my phone to make sure I was keeping good time! I was expecting the bus to break down or something (only me!). Walking up to the school and see one of the girls I know walking towards me (Thank God!). Always  great stuff so we chatted and went inside, up the stairs into the big room, waiting for everyone else to run in and start...

11.00am to 12.30pm - So people began pulling the chairs out and stuff. The fashion design and fashion business and retail people all in the same room together, and then the teachers rolled in :) They introduced themselves and sent everyone around sheets with the general "I obey all rules and accept all the terms blah blah blah", my advice for... well everyone - Bring a PEN! (I had one but many were stuck!). Then we got our sheet of modules (subjects) and how they would be assessed (Example: Fashion Industry & Design Studies - Assignment 60%, Project 40%). I'm not completely sure what that means but yeah :). There was a little slide show as well, stuff on it that applied to both courses and then some individual to one or the other. That was all fine like! I was nervous going in but to be honest I was like screaming in my head "Be Confidence you idiot!", so I like introduced myself to randomers and stuff (it helped :P ). Anyways after that we were herded into our classes like fashion design on one side of the room, and fashion business and retail on the other. We had to do those "get-to-know-each-other" (always awkward) exercises. We had 5 mins to introduce ourselves to each other, and try and remember as many names as possible! Right now I think I remember like 7, which isn't too bad considering there's only like 15 (maybe 17) girls in the class :P Thankfully only like two girls were asked to recite the names and then we all cleared out to the big main buildings cafe! So we grabbed a couple chairs and I sat down with the girls, and we waited for registration to begin ^_^

1.00pm - In the main building the registration was in the main corridor, on the left. A huge row of chairs filled with people from all different courses! I know there was like fashion design, maybe security, music tech and.... I dunno actually :P. I had to say it was funny, chatting to the girl beside me then hearing "NEXT!" from the top of the hall, and everyone grabbing their stuff and moving up in chairs! Felt like I was slowly moving up in the world :) When I finally reached the top of the line I went into this small room and there was two guys in there. They asked me my name and course, then  I sat on a chair, they took my pic and I got my student card and username and password to my GTI computer account :) I felt so privileged lol! So one of the girls and I went exploring round the big building and it was pretty cool!!! 

In all (sorry if the above was really boring!!) the day was a success! All the teachers and facility were really nice, so that  makes the transition from secondary school to college that much easier :) One thing I love is that I'll be in a class full of lovely people who are all interested in the same thing! I'm not due to start until Tuesday but I honestly can't wait! I'm so excited and ready for this! 

So yeah that's all the dets! Later naked people!

xoxo

Freaky Smudge