Top 5: GSA Degree Show 2018

I was so sad to see the news at the weekend that another fire had devastated Glasgow School of Art's historic Mackintosh building. There were actually tears in my eyes as the pictures filled the screen. I'm not sure why I felt so effected - I didn't study there and have only visited a couple of times but the thought of such an amazing building (both in terms of aesthetic and what goes on inside it) being ruined again when it was so close to reopening is just heartbreaking.

I'd already written up this post last week and have been in two minds whether to share it or not. I've come to the decision that it's important to celebrate the work of these awesome graduating students and hopefully this top 5 (a tiny selection of the work on show) will introduce you to some great new artists and designers to watch , so here goes...

After the DJCAD show, my Scottish degree show tour continued with a trip to Glasgow School of Art. This is one I don't manage to get to that often so I was excited to check it out. Split across a number of buildings, it was a bit of treck to get round everything I wanted to see but it was worth the sore feet. There was an excellent mixture of work on show, with some particularly strong photography. This isn't usually an artform I gravitate towards (strange considering how many photos I take) but there were some great images that really captured my attention. There was plenty of other great stuff too, making it yet again a struggle to pick just five. But here we go, in no particular order...


1.) Flannery O'Kafka | Fine Art Photography

So here's some of that interesting photography I was talking about. I'd seen one of Flannery's photos on the poster for the degree show and it really made me want to make the trip to see the rest of the show (it was the one of the white mountain lion, in case you were wondering). I love the composition of the photos and the way they're displayed. There's something ordinary about them and oddly disturbing at the same time - I like that.


2.) Claudia Sabina Veneroni | Textile Design

I'm a big fan of a bit of embellishment and Claudia's work had it in spades. Wild and unusual prints are covered in detailed beading, stitching and sequins. I don't even want to think about the time that went into this very full display! Her designs tell weird, wonderful and surreal stories, all centred around her travels to Hong Kong and then exaggerated to pack a real punch. I want to see all the garments in the fashion illustrations become a reality and then make their way into my wardrobe, please.


3.)Sophie Daw | Silversmithing and Jewellery

Sophie's work was also quite abstract. Looking at it, the pieces aren't obviously items of jewellery but there was something about the textures and colours that really drew me in. All of the collection is extremely tactile and I had to do my best not to just stand there stroking it all like a weirdo. I can totally imagine wearing one of these pieces and taking comfort from touching and fiddling with it. I like the accidental look and quality of these pieces - the fact that no two are the same. There's something very un-precious (is that a word?) about this that made them stand out against the precision and clean lines of some of the other work on show (not that I don't appreciate that too!).


4.) Vilte Fuller | Painting and Printmaking

Talking about wanting to touch the artwork, I had to put my hands behind my back to stop myself from touching Vilte's images. They look like paintings in these photos but they're actually printed on velour. Sassy! I love how wonderfully hedonistic her characters/ subjects are and the odd bits of detris scattered around her space were integuing little tit bits. I've seen a photo of one of her works as a pocket square and I want it so bad!

5.) Lucy Lamort | Sculpture and Environmental Art


The #MeToo and Time's Up movements have featured in a number of degree show displays this year and that's a good thing in my eyes. These are not just moments, these movements are rallying cries for actual change, and Lucy's work caught that idea perfectly. Her wall hangings and prints feature bold text with sentences like "YOUR SYMPATHY IS PERFORMATIVE" and "MEN 'EXPRESS CONCERN' WOMEN 'WHINE'" highlighting differing standards based on gender. The banners and prints made me think of protest placards and I especially liked the one above about making bad men into muses. The way it's repeated really made me stop and think what it meant and question why that's something society does. I also love how much space the wall hangings take up, causing the words and thoughts to take up space too - as they should.


There you have it, my top five from this year's GSA degree show. There were so many more that I could have included - special mentions go to Andrew Sutherland, Helen Robinson and Hyelee Yeo -  but I have to stop somewhere.

Top 5: Ways to Relax with Apex Hotels

We were recently invited along to Apex Hotel in Dundee to try out some of their new Elemis treatments in the Yu Spa and to indulge in a spot of afternoon tea. An afternoon of relaxing and pampering? We were so totally in! When was the last time that we had the chance to actually take some time to ourselves? Turns out it had been a while. With working full time, blogging and trying to keep in touch with friends and family, it can be tricky to find some time to just chill. This was the perfect opportunity to do just that and it got us thinking about they key ingredients to make the most of this...

1.) Take some time out
Being 9-5ers in our day jobs, sometimes it's nice to take a day or even just an afternoon off during the week. Weekends can be busy so taking a Monday off for our visit to the Apex was a total treat. Helen enjoyed having a lie-in while everyone else was heading to work, while Kimberley celebrated the end of a work project by leaving the office at lunchtime. There's nothing quite like some out-of-office time.



2.) Treat yo' self
Getting a proper pamper is something we don't do often enough. And trying out a new treatment is not something we're very good at as we tend to always stick to our faves. So it was great to get to try something new at Yu Spa. Helen got a Super Foods Facial, while Kimberley enjoyed the Yu Spa Face and Body Sensation.

The Super Food Pro-Radiance Facial included all the cleansing, toning and moisturising you would expect along with two masks (including a peel off one - always so satisfying), a scalp massage and an arm and hand massage. Bliss! The arm massage was a real treat (who knew there could be so much tension in arms!) and the masks provided an amazing fresh faced feeling. Having a minimal face care routine, it felt wonderful to have someone concentrate on that area for an hour.

The Face and Body Sensation doubled up a massage with a facial, starting with a hot stone back and leg massage, followed by cooling gel, then onto an express Elemis Advanced Anti-Aging Facial. Since Kimberley has sensitive skin, she opted during the consultation to swap out the peel off mask for a gel one (similar to a sheet mask) and a cleanser, exfoliant and moisturisers suitable for sensitive skin. The facial with scalp massage was surprisingly relaxing and top of Kimberley's wishlist. In fact, these photos are bare faced.
FYI, it turns out that stone massages involve being rubbed with small heated stones (not just placed on your back like markers, as posters suggest) and it just felt like warm hands.

Both treatments left us feeling super relaxed and glowing - that glow was even commented on as we bumped into a friend just after we left!



3.) Switch off
Not only were the treatments themselves incredibly relaxing, so was the environment. Spending our working days staring at computers, our evenings staring at laptops and the rest of the time glued to our phones, it can be really hard to truly switch off. Using the facilities gave us time away from all that and their poolside no phone policy meant we weren't tempted to spend the time photographing and scrolling. The rule is in place to stop people feeling self conscious in their swimwear which is great, but the time offline was a nice bonus.

4.) Chill out and get caught up
Getting some time to use the spa facilities also gave us time to chat and catch up without any of those distractions mentioned above. We chatted in the hot tub, we chatted in the sauna, we chatted on the loungers, we chatted in the pool. We did a whole lotta chatting! A lot of the time when we get together just us two we spend most of it talking blog so it was nice to take a break from that and just catch up on everyday life stuff., especially when we got to do so in such nice surroundings. If you haven't seen your bestie for a while we can thoroughly recommend organising a spa day together for maximum opportunities for gossip, chat and deep conversations. We often do it when international friends come to visit because you can talk guilt-free for hours.

5.) Indulge in some good eating
We never hang out without some form of food. Since Kimberley discovered she's coeliac, eating out can be a bit of a minefield. We usually stick to the same few spots so it was great to discover that Apex Hotel do an excellent line in gluten free afternoon tea. Many of the items were the same on both cake stands, or good alternatives and there was not a brownie in sight!



Thank you to Apex Hotels and Yu Spa for having us and making us feel so welcome. You can take a look at all the lovely treatments they offer here - we can't wait to book back in!

Styled by Kimberley: Emperor's Old Clothes

This week we've been sharing our love for Brighton-based brand The Emperor's Old Clothes to help them celebrate the launch of their brand new website! And they are offering 15% off their fab ready-to-wear clothing between 7-21 June if you use code EMPERORSW15. What are you waiting for?!

I met the brand's founder, Cecily, back in October last year, at a Godiva shop party in Edinburgh, but I've been following The Emperor's Old Clothes' goings on for some time (by stalking them online, obvs). Hearing Cecily talk about the brand was so interesting, as she is clear that she wants to maintain a sustainable model for quality clothing. All garments are sewn in-house, both ready made or custom. The brand offers an excellent bespoke service where you can receive samples by post and get made to measure pieces. Helen and I borrowed a selection of ready-to-wear items to play dress up with, and I was really impressed by how perfect even the internal stitching was. The attention to detail that goes into every garment is evident.

Even the ready-to-wear selection is somewhat exclusive, as the material used is always from a small run of vintage or end of roll fabrics. You're guaranteed never to turn up to an event matching a someone else's outfit. To be sure of the history of the clothing you can also 'meet' each member of the team on the site and read about their skills. I was surprised to realise that I already knew one of them - I've been following Louisa on instagram for a number of years and I've featured her own brand, Hey Kitsch Kitty on the blog! There's something about making those connections and knowing the people behind the work that makes it more special.

My favourite piece was this wonderful Amy dress in 'Matisse Moment' print. I've been really loving Matisse patterns recently, with many of my latest nail designs being inspired by them. I doubled it up with my fab new Benu Made earrings, which have been on my wish list since forever. Although I seemed to be having a Marilyn moment, I also thought it was time to bring out a dark lip and these huge Jackie O sunglasses that I've had for about a decade. They always make me feel like a film star. Normally I'd pile on the accessories but it's hot and this was fab enough.

Dress | c/o The Emperor's Old Clothes
Sunglasses | Tommy Hilfiger
Shoes | New Look
Earrings | Benu Made

If you love this Amy dress as much as I do you can even buy it! Just don't forget to grab that discount :) And check out Helen's fave pick. If you do get anything, give it your best twirl and share a pic with us! Just tag us on instagram @wardrobeconversations

Styled by Helen: The Emperor's Old Clothes

Surprise, surprise - it's another red outfit from me! This time around at least I mixed it up with some white and some florals. What can I say, when find a colour I love I just roll with it/ become obsessed.

Turns out The Emperor's Old Clothes is helping to feed that obsession with this fab skirt. Kim and I had a lovely day on Saturday dressing up in a load of different pieces from this indie brand to create some fun images. I definitely confused my neighbours by leaving the house several times over the space of three hours, each time wearing something completely different! Sadly these items were only borrowed and had to be sent back ,but with good reason - the brand launch their new website today! Take a look here, and if you fancy treating yourself, you can get 15% off ready to wear clothing between 7th - 21st June with code EMPERORSW15.

Based in Brighton, this indie brand creates one-of-a-kind handmade clothing using vintage fabrics and end of roll remnants. They have some seriously kick-ass patterns and colours and all of their pieces are beautifully made. This skirt was definitely the piece that felt the most me - the colour and print are both totally up my street. I've obviously gotten used to wearing midi skirts though because this mini felt super short! I don't think it looks that short in the photos but I definitely felt conscious of my legs being on show. I think that's a sign that I need to get them out more often and re-introduce this skirt shape into my wardrobe because it looks pretty cute.



Top | H&M
Patch | Tate Modern
Skirt | The Emperor's New Clothes (borrowed)
Boots | Topshop
Bag | Play Purse
Earrings | Accessorize
Glasses | c/o Spex Pistols

I paired this floral number with a simple white tee. Well, simple for me. The ruffle sleeves make me feel very flamenco dancer and the David Shrigley patch I added make it way more fun. I'm sure I'll embrace wardrobe basics at some point but this point is not it. I have a bunch of patches just waiting for the right items to come along. Adding an iron-on patch is one of the easiest ways to customise clothes and there so many great designs out there to choose from. I quite like just adding one or two so they remain the focus but I've also seen some awesome denim jackets that people have covered in cool patches.

As well as more cool patches, I'm also on the look out for interesting hoop earrings. I really love these ones I picked up at Accessorize because they're the perfect size (and also red) but if you know of any indie designers or shops with similar sized hoops do give me a shout.



My plan is to try and wear some different colours in my next outfit post but I ain't making any promises.

Cheers to The Emperor's Old Clothes for this special discount code for our lovely readers. If you do treat yourself to something nice from their new online store we'd love to see - tag us on Instagram @wardrobeconversations so we can have a nosey.
 

Links We Love 03

Get yourself a cup of tea and a biscuit and let us take you on a tour of our internet highlights and things to watch out for.

• Erin M. Riley tapestry - this piece in Dazed & Confused showcases the tapestry artist's 'complex, beautiful tapestries about trauma and sex'. Some of her work was on display in Dovecot gallery in Edinburgh last year and they look even more incredible in real life.
• Dundee Fashion Week Style Studio - we got a nice wee write up from the Dundee Evening Telegraph about the styling we did for Overgate customers. It was a really lovely experience for us to help boost the confidence and wardrobe of lots of fab folk.
• Kim Kardashian: Stop Hawking Appetite Suppressants to Young Woman! -  (TW) the always on point podcast 'Stuff Mom Never Told you' talk about disordered eating and laxative abuse to show the negative impact of the recent Kim Kardashian sponsor.
• Meaning in Fashion - The Saturday Paper discusses identity, representation and appropriation in fashion studies with Parsons lectuer Kimberly Jenkins. A very interesting long read about how more consideration needs to be given to the context of clothing and cultural shifts.
• 100 Funniest Sabrina Moments of All Time - if you ever need to be cheered up with some childhood nostalgia, this is the place to start. Sabrina the Teenage Witch is the best. Don't @ us, Kim will fight you.
  
  
• Craft Scotland Summer Show - we really enjoyed making tassled keyrings with Emily Millichip last summer, so we were excited when this year's Summer Show details dropped in our inbox.
• 99 Things to See and Do Guide Dundee - Creative Dundee have updated their crowd sourced city guide for 2018 and it includes some of our favourite spots around Dundee.
• How to add some colour to your home - In Colourful Company are really making us wish we were allowed to paint the magnolia walls in our rented flats! So much interior inspo if you want your home to be colourful to the max.
• Horror films to inspire your summer look - we love this dose of sun specs inspiration from the darker genre of films. From ombre shades to sparkly cat-eyes, we want them all!
• Crayola x ASOS Beauty - we are so ready to colour in our faces with this new make-up range! Vivid Crayola colours, retro packaging and vegan - it's time to get arty.