Getting to know you...

I've been on the bloggosphere for a little while now so I thought it was time to let you know some more about me. I've found some rather interesting questions on the internet, and will do my best to answer them honestly- here we go!

1. What is your name? April Turner (occasionally known as Ape, Apey and Turnip)
2. How old are you? Fiveteen, and I'll give you three guesses what month I turn sixteen in, but the first two don't count.
3. Where do you live? Britian, but no more details than that you stalker.
4. What are you favourite bands? My top two would have to be 'The Horrors' and 'Crystal Castles', but from there it branches out into all corners of the genre field including 'These New Puritans', 'Miss May I', 'Of Mice and Men', 'The Smiths', just to name a few!
5. What are your favourite films? I always go for the really deep ones with lots of open psychological interpretation, so 'Tideland', 'Fight Club', 'The Fisher King', 'War of the Worlds' and 'Amelie' would be my top five.
6. What are your favourite books? I was an avid bookworm as a child, munching through five books a week, but I havn't really the time to read now. Although when I find a good 'un I'll stick it out till the early hours of the morning, and the best of those have been 'The Wasp Factory', 'Interview with the Vampire' and 'The English Patient', all just as deep as my film choices. Also, some good adventure series' have been 'Mortal Engines', 'Gone' and 'Leo'.
7. Where do you work? I'm afraid I have no money making place yet, although I do volunteer at a swimming club for the disabled and their families. (brownie points for me!)
8. What is your favourite place? In my house I like to spend most of my time in my bed, or on the sofa with the family and a film. Nationwide I love Camden Market in London and make a point to visit every year on my birthday; It's where I was born, and feel drwn to the city like a magnet. Worldwide, I love the atmosphere in Rhodes Town as it's full of market stalls, cobbles and mopeds.
9. What are your hobbies? I shouldn't really include school subjects in here, but I do spend lots of my time labouring through (and sometimes enjoying) art and textiles. I'm a big lover of fashion and hope to work in film and theatre costume design one day. Another enormous chunk of my life is going to scouts. Many non-scouts think it's just for ten year olds who do lots of charity work and knot tying. But in reality it is one of the most amazing experiences anyone could ever take a part of. I just wish I could invite the entire world to a scout evening just so they could see how much fun it is. In an average month we will do rock climbing, kayaking, outdoor cooking and fencing. Plus there's all the little awesome bits in the middle like playing hide and seek in the dark in the attic, getting over exited about meat cleavers, getting chased by horses while hiking at two in the morning and playing capture the glowstick in the middle of the forest. Other hobbies extend to musical talents, and I have been playing the guitar for a year and a half now. I've recorded one original song and am currently in the process of recording a cover of 'House of the Rising Sun'.
10. What are three words to describe yourself with? Eccentric (I'm one of those strange ones), stubborn (but in a good, determined way...sometimes) and empathetic (I can be quite sensitive about other people, making me a rather selfless person, although sometimes I need to learn to just be selfish and say "every man for himself, you're not having any of my cake!")

I reckon that's enough to be going on for the moment, so turn off your computer and get some fresh air. I meet you back here in a little while, you bring the battenburg and I'll bring the writings.
 
 Lots of love, stay freaky! xx 

Where do trends come from?

Often you can begin to see trends in fashion emerging at the start of a season, and as quickly as the plague they spread to the entire nation within hours. But, much like watching a whirlwind forming in the desert, it's seems impossible to figure out from where, or whom, they began. It certainly suprised me to discover that trendsetting is an actual job.

One of the most well known 'trend forecasting' companies is WGSN (Worth Global Style Network) which was launched in 1998 and now has around 300 staff working worldwide. They will decide what colours, patterns, styles and cuts will be featured on clothing and accessories around two years before these products are put on the market. They don't simply choose whatever tickles their fancy, but base all decisions on the time of year (as weather will affect the type of garment) and the social, economic & political climate of a country. As strange as this sounds all you need to do is look through Britains history and you can see womens fashion changing as the country grows and develops as a nation.

At the start of the 1910’s, Britain was an increasingly prosperous country. The Titanic was built and ready to sail, air flight was improving every day, and women were gaining confidence in their individuality as the suffragette movement began. Trend forecasters knew that women would be feeling self-assured, rich and effeminate. Thereby they made sure that the clothes available were decadent wide brimmed hats, overflowing with decorations and boldly patterned dresses in bright colours.

This soon changed as after WW1 women had equal voting rights and there were less gender divisions after our work towards the war. We also had a better connection with America as transatlantic communication became possible. Their film and theatre greatly influenced the glamorous flapper style of the 20’s. Eccentric patterns and 'shocking' knee length skirts were helping girls express the freedom they were feeling in the era.

However at the coming of WW11 femininity went out the window to be replaced by tough working clothes. Hemlines went up as material was rationed, colours were plain, and materials were coarse but warm. Although lipstick sales did increase as women were buying it to cheer themselves up.

Now the era I believe changed fashion the most, moving it on from girlish dresses to the creative freedom we have today, is the 60’s. This era brought forward an artistic revolution as the modern world began to move forwards at an alarming rate. Andy Warhol influenced a pop-art movement, the Beatles changed musical opportunities and Twiggy became a fashion icon. Plus the pill was invented and so the micro miniskirt became a hit as women explored the sexual freedom that they had never had before.

Back at the trend forecasters, they are using all of these events to create clothing that is likely to sell well. They compile colour and fabric swatches, moodboards, designs and outfit sketches into a large booklet which is bought by clothing companies such as Tommy Hilfiger and River Island for enormous sums of money. This is why it seems that all of the shops are selling the same sort of clothes at the same time- they're all recieving orders from the mothership!

 

So I do hope that you now feel more informed as to why mainstream clothing seems to evolve and grow as one, like some enormous fabric covered beast saying "Buy me! You know I'm perfect because I knew exactly what you'd be wanting- even before you did." Sleep well kids.

Lots of love, stay freaky! xx