Saturday 1 August 2015

Dark Summer

My top picks for dressing dark this summer...

With the change of seasons comes a change in wardrobe. The recent sunshine and summer holidays has had me thinking about my summer wardrobe and how to incorporate Eustratia pieces to create a 'dark fashion' look suitable for the warmer days. Here are some of my favourite pieces which are great for those long summer days and nights:




I love this tunic, and it's so versatile. Create different looks with what your wear underneath, and even makes a great cover up on the beach. Even better, it's currently in the sale for just £37.72!




The harness cami is the Vanguard collections best seller and it's not hard to see why. Lightweight, wearable yet delicately edgy. Looks amazing teamed with the scale shorts. These jersey shorts have a lace overlay, with metal scale detail on each leg.




This jersey dress is light enough to wear in warmer weather and looks amazing dressed up or down, one of my (many!) favourites from the collection.


As we all know British weather can be a bit unreliable, so this organza varsity jacket is great for when the sun goes in. You can also adjust the length of the shadow skirt with the side ties, perfect for taking you from day to night.


And don't forget the importance of accessories....


Harness Bra           Strip Harness





And finally, this is how I've been wearing mine...














Tuesday 28 July 2015

The Vanguard Collection





Owls, smoke bombs and prosecco...

This year saw the launch of Eustratia's first full fabric collection, Vanguard. I have loved seeing every step of this collections creation and was really excited to help out on the concept shoot. For the collection, which launched in June, Eustratia have teamed up with designer Richard Ayres, adding chainmail elements and jewellery to bring an elegant touch of toughness to the range. 

Here are some of my favourite images from the shoot:






























Helping out on shoots is always one of my favourite parts of my internship, and this one was no exception. It's great to see Stacey's vision come together and to work with such a great team. Running around in bushes with Vauhaus intern Lauren with smoke bombs made for an interesting day! From an intern point of view it was great to experience a challenging shoot, which involved multiple locations, outfit changes, an owl and dogs! The day ended with a well earned glass of prosecco! 

You can check out Stacey's Vanguard blog post here.

Photographer: Toria Brightside

Models: Amber and Hazel from Vauhaus Agency and Stacey Black

Make up: Laura Wilson




Saturday 31 January 2015

Latex Care

I have learnt a lot about latex since starting my internship with Eustratia last year and the most vital thing I have learnt is how to care for your garments in order to get the most out of them. Despite the growing popularity of latex clothing, not everyone is aware of how to care for this delicate fabric. As I regularly post about latex I thought this would be an appropriate post, and hopefully something you will find useful. 

The following information is courtesy of Aesthetic Contradiction, and you can find her original blog post here.


Things to Avoid



  • Direct sunlight (discolours and degrades)
  • Smoke (discolours)
  • Oil/wax (degrades)
  • Perfume and scented products (degrades)
  • Metal, particularly copper and nickel (stains)
  • Sweat (degrades)
  • Water/humidity (rots)
  • Heat (melts/degrades)
  • Sharp objects/long nails (tears/damages)
  • Sun-cream (discolours)
  • Leather (production oils can degrade)
  • Greasy food (degrades)
The effects of staining can sometimes be reversed by washing, talcing and placing the garment in a dark, air tight container for several months.

Dressing Aids

When wearing pull on latex items, use talc or water based lube. Lube is normally better for very tight garments as it's easier to distribute but talc is preferable for items such as leggings and stockings to prevent sticking behind the knee.

Shining Your Latex

Not compulsory but great for achieving the 'wet look'. Silicone lube or spray is most commonly used, you can get products like Pjur cult that doubles up as dressing aid and shiner and vivshine which is recommended to be used while washing the latex but can also be applied by hand.

Washing

Wash your latex as soon after wearing as possible. If you come back from a night out where you have been sweating, it’s probably easiest to just get in the shower with (make sure the water isn’t too hot though). If you can’t wash it straight away, make sure you cover it in talc or corn starch to absorb any liquid on the surface.
As a general rule, wash your latex in a bowl or bath tub of lukewarm water using a mild detergent or soap. This can range from unscented soap to mild/baby shampoo to washing up liquid. Just run the lather or bar of soap lightly across the surface of the latex and rub with your hands. Afterwards rinse it properly, making sure no suds remain. At this stage, if you would like to add silicone oil (pjur/vivishine) to your wash and save yourself having to shine it later on, you can fill the bowl/tub up again with fresh water and add a few drops of your selected oil, along with the latex. Swoosh the latex around the bowl/tub with your hand make sure all areas come into contact with the oil to ensure an even shine.
Drying
When you have finished your final rinse, dab the latex with a towel to get rid of excess water and hang on a plastic hanger to drip dry. Try to avoid metal clothes maidens as they can become rusty and stain your garments. Also anything that causes your garment to be doubled over is not advisable as it  can stop it from drying properly. As latex is a natural product and can rot, it is preferable that it is allowed to dry as quickly as possible. When areas of the latex have retained excess water you may notice discolouration, commonly referred to as “water marks”. These are usually temporary but could develop into something more serious if the latex isn’t allowed to dry.
Packing
When your latex appears dry it is time to wrap it up and store it safely in a dark, dry place.
First of all, make sure you dust your newly washed garment with talc/corn starch to absorb any excess moisture. The powder should also stop it from sticking to its self but I also wrap it in tissue paper at this point. This stops the latex from sticking to its self as well as the outer packaging and also minimises creasing and offers some protection from the sun in the event of transportation. White/natural tissue paper is recommended so you don’t have to worry about it staining lighter coloured items.
Most people pack their latex in clear, grip lock bags. You can squeeze the air out of them which makes your garments easy to store and carry. They also usually make it easy to guess which garment is in each bag but you can also add labels to them if you have multiple items that look similar.
Large items can also be placed on hangers and in garment bags or wrapped in plastic bags.
Be especially careful with items containing metal components and make sure the metal doesn’t come into contact with the latex (particularly for light colours). You can wrap tissue paper round them or stock masking tape over them (particularly useful for press-studs).
Storing
Some people have a latex closet, others prefer to store theirs in plastic boxes/bins but I prefer drawers for the majority of my items. I only store large,  mixed media or structured items in the wardrobe and I wrap these up properly to stop them coming into contact with other items that might stain them. I wouldn’t recommend storing items of clothing made in standard grade latex on hangers for extended periods of time as they may stretch.
Obviously light and transparent colours requite extra care as they discolour easily. Black and dark coloured latex will probably be fine, even if you don’t take all the measures listed here, but as a general rule, the better you look after your latex, the longer it will last.

Thursday 22 January 2015

Valentines picks: January sale


The January sale is now on and it's great timing for Valentines. With so much to choose from I thought I'd share my favourite pieces.



Wallpaper Basque Normally £110 Now £82.50


Balconette bra Normally £72 Now £54


Lace cup bra Normally £75.50 Now £56.63
Persephone waspie Normally £150 Now £112.50
Point stockings Normally £65 Now £48.75



Latexlace 1/4 cup bra Normally £96 Now £72
Peplum corset Normally £300 Now £225
Organic latexlace collar Normally £68 Now £51
Latex briefs Normally £30 Now £22.50
Moth garters Normally £40 Now £30


All garments are available in your choice of colour, which you can find on the website here and all items can be made to measure for no extra charge. So whether you're treating yourself or a loved one, take advantage of the great sale offers at www.eustratia.co.uk which finish January 31st. 


Wednesday 31 December 2014

A year to remember

Looking back over the past year seems rather strange yet wonderful. I have been given so many amazing opportunities and done so many things which I would never have had the chance to do before. With the year coming to an end I thought I would share my highlights of 2014.

Manchester Fashion Week- April 

The second fashion show I helped out at and helped to make some of the pieces. It gave me a great insight into how it works and the work which goes into preparing for a show. It was an amazing day and in true VauhausXEustratia style, the after party was amazing, as was the after after party, and the after after after party...



Studio Day- May 

As well as fashion shows, Eustratia host events such as the open house day and studio day. Unfortunately I missed the open house day as this was before I started my internship but I was around for studio day. Models have the chance to be shot by photographer Toria Brightside whilst wearing Eustratia and photographers shoot Vauhaus model hazel, a great opportunity for models and photographers to build their portfolios. 


Disney Shoot- May 

As well as interning for Eustratia, this year I have had the chance to try my hand at a few other things too, one of them being styling. I assisted on a shoot for the Disney Gold Label collection, a range of luxury scarfs, pashminas, throws and cushions. I helped to put the female outfits together and assisted with the men's shots on the day. This was a great day all round and the team were a pleasure to work with. Photographer: John Clarke



German Fetish Ball, Berlin- June

The German Fetish Weekend has been Europes biggest fetish weekend for over a decade, hosting a variety of events including the German Fetish Ball featuring performances from fetish and burlesque acts and fashion shows from a number of latex designers. As well as exploring this amazing city, we also took part in what must be be Eustratias hottest show to date (30+ degrees!). Take me back to Berlin...


Eustratia Jewellery Range- August

I was really pleased to be part of developing the new jewellery range for Eustratia, helping to source suppliers for producing the range and putting together the final pieces. You can view the full range here.


Cyberdog 'Cyberween' shoot- October 

Another chance to try my hand at styling, I was asked to help out with future fashion label Cyberdog's halloween shoot. I had an absolute blast working with this amazing team. Shot by Ryan and Kaz at Andrew Woods Photography


As well as all the amazing events, I have loved being part of Eustratia, learning how to make Stacey's amazing creations and generally assisting in any way I can. Through my internship I have met so many amazing people, some on a professional level and some who have now become good friends. 2014, you have been amazing, bring on 2015! 











Monday 24 November 2014

Winter sale top picks

So with the winter sale on I thought it would be good to show you my top picks. This turned out to be harder than I thought as I pretty much love everything! After much deliberation, I have managed to narrow it down a little! Here's what I chose: 

Batwing top now £36
From the fabric collection, I love this versatile top. 

Open shoulder top now £30
I have this top and wear it loads, I like to wear mine with a bralet and it looks great with some tailored trousers and heels. 

Moth necklace now £20
From the latest jewellery collection, this over sized moth is a great statement piece and I really like the chunky chain. 

Corset skirt now £200
I wore this to the Manchester Fashion Week after party and it is one of my favourite skirts. Looks amazing and is really flattering. 

Puff sleeve body suit now £88
One my favourite pieces from the s/s collection and I love the pastel blue. Not that into pastels? This can be made in the colour of your choice. 

Harness skirt now £176
This looks amazing worn with a blouse or with latex, and I'm really enjoying harnesses at the moment. 

Scalloped ball-joint stockings now £86
Latex stockings always look amazing and I really like the scallop detail on these. 

Stripey briefs now £36
I love the pink and white combo on these but they also look amazing in different colour combinations. 

The winter sale is on until the end of November so whether you're looking to treat yourself or shopping for gifts, head over to www.eustratia.co.uk

Tuesday 18 November 2014

Show time: Regress

In which I experience my first fashion show and begin my love affair with rosé

One of my favourite parts interning for a designer is the fashion shows. I experienced my first show earlier this year at Regress and as my first show I didn't really know what to expect.



We got to the venue early for the models to get ready. I was there to help with hair, dressing the girls and, of course, polishing off the rosé. It was a great insight for me into the planning and preparation that goes into a show. In the run up to the show I made the flowers which Amber and Stacey wore in their hair. It was a great preparation for me for future shows such as Manchester Fashion Week and the German Festish Ball. This was also when I got to meet a lot of the girls for the first time as well as see a few familiar faces. The show looked fantastic and all the girls were amazing. We celebrated in true Eustratia style with more wine and lots of dancing.