Keith Tyson

I found these beautiful images in the latest ANOTHER MAGAZINE. Turner Prize winner Keith Tyson pours chemicals and paint onto aluminium at varying speeds and angles, and shoves them in the freezer. You will never get the same result with these controlled experiments, which can be perceived as galactic views, volcanic forms, views from space...anything you so desire. The magazine have cropped and zoomed in on the original pieces to create their own brilliant interpretations.

I would love to see such images turned into prints for some stunning A/W dresses, tops, trousers, skirts etc - give me a bell yeah Keith, ha ha. Proper stunning!

The Starling in Hong Kong!

Firstly, Hong Kong was amazing. Although it took me a while to get used to the skyscrapers and narrow streets, by the time my week was up I didn't want to leave. The thing about going to such an amazing place on a business trip, is that you leave the city wondering whether you have actually experienced the spirit of it. I spent most of the time walking (or rather running) around open-mouthed looking up towards the sky, absorbing everything in sight, but I would love to revisit this beautiful, concrete, city of lights to explore what lies beneath it's surface.

As you will tell from my photographs, most of them are taken from my hotel room or from the back seat of a taxi (who, just so you know, drive like f*cking maniacs - I thought on many occasions that I was going to get carted home in a wooden box!). Tourism was not really on my itinerary....fashion was!

The shopping in Hong Kong is immense. I swear that's all there is in Hong Kong - street after street after street of shops, and there really is something for everyone. I bought a few nice samples for work (for 'inspirational' purposes), and myself a couple of cool shirts but found the taste to be distinctly western and not as 'different' as I'd expected - maybe this is more of Tokyo or Seoul expectation?

One thing that did strike me was the living conditions. It is well known that Hong Kong is an over-populated city ,but I never knew to what extent. I thought the flats of East London were depressing, but they have nothing on the endless, dirty tower-blocks of Hong Kong. It certainly made me appreciate what space I do have here in London.

I know some of you wanted to hear about the ins and outs of fashion production in China, but honestly I don't have much to report back. Most of my time was spent running between meetings in Hong Kong, with the factory agents and bosses who have offices in Hong Kong. I was doing design development, discussing with each factory their individual strengths and weaknesses and chatting about pricing, production etc etc. Maybe on my next trip I'll have something juiy for you...

Cheryl Cole's X Factor style

OK, I admit that this post is stolen from Vogue, but I had to re-post as soon as I saw it. In images vogue have laid bare Cheryl Cole's formidable, and sometimes questionable style from this years X Factor. It makes me wonder how she comes to wear such things - she obviously has a stylist with a limitless budget who will present her with various options, but did she really know who David Koma was before she wore his dress? - I've always seen her style as a little try-hard and attention grabbing, but the Koma dress made me sit up and listen.

Left: a beautiful Versace dress, Right: a revealing dress from Julien Macdonald's latest collection

Left: Julien Macdonald sequinned dress, Right: Versace dress (looking rather like my grandma's toilet-roll cover) Left: David Koma dress from his graduate collection. Top Marks. Right: a specially created military get-up, created by Julien Macdonald's team

Alexander McQueen's Armadillos

The lucky girls down at Vogue got to try on the horrifically beautiful Alexander McQueen 'armadillo' python shoes, from his SS10 collection, and they're a whopping 12" tall. I'm guessing there is a rather large platform under the ball of your foot to ease walking, but even the most well-heeled Voguettes struggled to make it a few feet. The models from his show deserve some kind of award for not doing a Naomi...not even a tiny topple!

Hong Kong here I come.....!

Michael Lau

I'm off to Hong Kong for my first ever visit with work. It's going to be a mad week of sourcing, visiting factories, doing design development and soaking in all I can of the fashion and textile trade over in Hong Kong and China. I'm so excited I can hardly breathe! Expect some interesting insider images on this blog over the coming week (providing the wireless works in my hotel). I don't really know what to expect - working conditions, culture, food...the lot - but it's definately going to be an eye opener!

Alexander Koutny SS10

This is not supposed to be a sob story, and I'm not at all feeling sorry for myself, but recently I have had absolutely no time to spend researching for the blog and soaking up all the new designs and information which is around the interweb at the moment, due to the sheer madness of my new job. Sadly this means my blog has been suffering of late, and for that I apologise.

Anywho, I'm sat in bed with my laptop searching my usual haunts for inspiration that will make my heart flutter when I come across the new collection from Alexander Koutny. And flutter it does! The bizarre thing is that he is on the exact same train of thought I am for the season ahead - sheer sleeves, print combinations, floaty fabrics cut in geometric ways and generally moving on the hardness of late into a new wave of femininity.

Marchesa SS10

I know there are certain rules surrounding the world of couture, which go back centuries - but seriously, how can Marchesa be considered ready-to-wear? The romantic beauty in these dresses is outstanding, and quite simply leaves me speechless. Take a moment to try and imagine how these garments are created....beats me too!

Mehrzeller

I could do with a weekend break...and I've found the perfect caravan - Mehrzeller! Using an online configurator, every user an create their own layout and design, tailored to their specific needs. Whether this is actually on sale or not, I am unsure...but hell knows I wanna go at designing my own travelling box.

Light-painting with Freire

I've been so busy with work lately, that I've become really bad at checking my emails (personal and blog related that is)! After seeing the East London based designer, Rachel Freire's work at LFW I decided to get in touch and ask for some more information and imagery of her design and thought processes. Turns out she emailed me these amazing images about 2 weeks ago and some how I let them slip through the net. Anywho, I went back to the parentals for the weekend, to get a little respite and catch up on all things blog.

I'm not sure what it is that draws me to these images. I am usually a lover of all things black, dark and moody but these are bright colourful and somewhat playful. Whether it's the slightly fetishistic nature of her clothing, or the skilled light-painting photography (long exposures done with a camera - NO photoshop trickery here my dear) who knows....

I don't know where the inspiration for the collection comes from, but I do know that these images were taken to showcase Rachel's experiments with fabrication. As you can see in the top image, some of her clothes are made with a reflective fabric which comes to life when the flash-bulb pops. With this original idea in mind I can imagine Rachel ran, forming the concept for this shoot.

Marko Mitanovski: SS10

Photographer: Christopher Dadey

Marko Mitanovski showed his SS10 collection as part of Vauxhall Fashion Scout's 'One to Watch' show at London Fashion Week last month. I am no drama queen (honest), but I have fallen in love with Marko's theatrical Tudor references and elaborate styling, which is what I imagine a Gareth Pugh/Jean Paul Gaultier/Alexander McQueen baby might look like!

Photographer: Anne Marie Michel, Hair: Nina Butkovich-Budden, Make-up: Issidora, Model:Angie Ng, Styling: Marko Mitanovski & Ronitt Bourmad

"I was inspired by elements of Renaissance costume, which I experimented with. I exaggerated and transpired collars in several ways by pleating Eco leather, to honour the silhouette of the costume - the collection is not an integral vision of Elizabethan costume, but its replica of the basic theme." Marko Mitanovski

Monochrome is my colour palette of choice, and right now I have a yearning for a black neck ruff, lace up trousers and layer upon layer of pleated black perfection. Sod-it, I even want to twist my hair up into huge antlers. I wish I could have seen the show, and heard the music...the atmosphere and the reaction of the crowd as these pieces first caught their preying eyes.

This is creativity in it's purest form, and although these pieces are some-what unwearable to your local Tesco, I hope the coverage from London Fashion Week has opened up doors for Mitanovski that will allow him to pursue slightly more commercial options. Who knows, next season you could see me hopping round Somerset House in a corseted, pleat-heavy jacket...