Tala Samman - The Chic Fashionista

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Occasionally, I receive requests from very stylish girls to illustrate them. I do not do personal commissions, so those are purely "as the mood strikes" works for me - totally fun! Sometimes I illustrate the requests, sometimes I don't. It all depends on my mood, my free time and me feeling inspired. If I don't illustrate, I usually put the ideas away to come back to at a later time. So please keep the suggestions coming ;).

A few days ago, I received a lovely email from Tala Samman. She is a gorgeous, dark haired beauty from the Middle East, who runs a fashion blog My Fash Diary and is a fashion student in London. As I looked through her chic personal style photos, I was immediately attracted to the bright coloured simple dress (you know I love colour!) and the supper tall boots. Here is my illustration of this natural beauty.

Pretty Wilderness - Emma Cook SS 2010

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I wanted to do another illustration of Emma Cook for a while now. This British designer is amongst my favorites because of her subtle and humorous approach to fashion. Her collections are always pretty, feminine and wearable, but very far from ordinary. Emma Cook is known to incorporate wild elements from nature in her clothes. I think the little serious fox on this dress from her SS 2010 collection is fantastic.

Thanks to Coy Concepts, my sister Anna who is a talented graphic designer, for preparing this scrapbook inspiration for me to illustrate from. A bit of the seventies, the wilderness, flower fields, and lots of style.

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Black and White - Devastee SS 2010

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Hello Friends! Sorry for the unusually long delay between posts. I am reducing the rate of posts for the summer, so that I can enjoy the warm weather, spend time with friends and family (I am getting my grandma from Russia to visit us over the summer), and work on a major illustration project I was planning for a while (more on that later). I will still keep posting regularly, on weekly basis, so come back and see what will be illustrated on Stylish Goose.

Here is a cheerful illustration to brighten your week. I love this easy going look from the entirely black and white SS 2010 collection by Devastee. I love this dress, it looks very comfortable for the summer, and it is a cool take on menswear. And I love the top detail to show a bit of skin.

Keeping with the menswear theme, those pointy lace-ups are really in this summer, right? I think those Coral Brogues from Mauro Grifoni SS 2010 accessories collection are supper cute. The antique leather goes well with this easy cool look.

Does anyone of you guys have this style of shoe? I don't, but I really was thinking about it...

Vancouver Luxury - Obakki SS 2010

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Here is another illustration of a Canadian brand, suggested to me by the fashion savvy Annching. Thanks so much for the great suggestion!

Obakki is a Vancouver based brand and they have simply elegant and luxuriously wearable clothes for both guys and girls. I immediately loved the navy checked trench coat, and had to use it as the base of my illustration. It is a cute twist on the tradition, and looks so easy to wear. Some fabulous silky accessories in soft pink make this look feminine and soft.

The pretty rose petal head band with pearls is from Coco Boudoir - a cool Toronto based Etsy brand. The designer, Erin, makes colourful silk necklaces and head bands that are just perfect for summer evening parties! :)

I love the playfully sexy bralette in Bliss Pink by Hanky Panky - a seriously adorable lingerie brand that has a fun retro feel.

Finally, the shoes! Ruffly, sweet, soft pink sandals from Badgley Mischka. What more can I say?



Do you have a designer suggestion for me to illustrate? Let me know. I love learning about talented new and independent designers.

Montreal Fashion Week - Denis Gagnon FW 2010

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I have previously illustrated the Montreal based designer Denis Gagnon, and this is yet another one from his FW 2010 collection. I find his designs really fascinating - they are modern, cool and always include interesting details with innovative use of materials. Last season, Denis Gagnon turned clusters of zippers into decorative embellishments. This season it was his use of abundance of fringe carefully shaped into amazingly fierce shapes. Denis Gagnon also continued to utilize zippers throughout the collection, and I especially love the obvious and long back zippers that adorned many dresses. Pictures alone do not do justice to those designs, so check out this video.

Canada has so much talent! In addition to Denis Gagnon, I have illustrated Lucian Matis, Erdem, Mark Fast and Eugenia Leavitt before, but I want more! Do you have any Canadian designer suggestions for me?

All Relaxed - Betty Jackson FW 2010

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All Relaxed! This is exactly how I feel after my week off. I got away to a cottage, were I did absolutely nothing. I love doing nothing, and can be pretty good at it :). One thing that I did manage to do was draw this pretty look from the Betty Jackson FW 2010 collection. The description of this look on the Betty Jackson site is so decadent: "islamic pattern hand knit cardigan, dogtooth crumpled army shirt, morocaine harem jeans, flat sling backs". With such exotic descriptions, those beautiful clothes look even better!

It is good to be back! I missed you all!

x

Genya

The Rose Dress - Nina Ricci FW 2010

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Hi Everyone! I am taking a bit of a break from posting and twitter for just a week. I am going to a place in the woods, with a fireplace and a hot tub, but no internet access.

Please come back here and see me next Friday - March 26th. I will have a fresh illustration for you! :)

In the meantime, take a look at this rose covered dress! I love the Nina Ricci FW 2010 collection. Peter Copping's design is extremely feminine, but despite the multitude of flowers, it is intended for a determined woman. Despite it being a fall collection, I love all the roses - I find it to be quite versatile for all seasons.

Talk to you all next Friday! Have a great week.

x

Genya

Knitted Sensations - Mark Fast FW 2010

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Here is an illustration of this design from Mark Fast FW 2010 collection shown in London last month. Mark Fast is a proudly Canadian designer who creates intricate, close-fitting, knitted dresses. His runway shows create quite the sensation, not only because of his skillfully executed designs, but also because of his use of voluptuous models on the runway. Mark wants to emphasize that women of all sizes can look sexy and confident in his designs.

Now, I love Mark's fantastic, detail oriented looks and I completely support larger sized models in his shows. Totally great!!! My only wish is that Mark would make the sample sizes bigger to fit those curvaceous models properly - just a tad larger size would have made certain looks seem so much more flattering.

What do you think? Do big girls in tight clothes look sensual or vulgar?

Roses in Paris - Streetstyle from Mr. Newton's Photography

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I love the light spring colours and roses everywhere in this photograph taken by Mr. Newton during Paris fashion week. The oh-so-short bubble dress feels so airy and this beautiful girl radiates sunshine. Thanks for showing us a glimpse of Paris, Mr. Newton.

And BIG congrats to Nelly!! for responding to my twitter request to guess which Mr. Newton photograph I will illustrate. And she guessed right! Nelly does not only have an eye for photography, but her fashion instincts are in tune with mine :). Good work Nelly.

Spring Colour all Over - Tsumori Chisato SS 2010

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This is another spring look from the Tsumori Chisato SS 2010 collection shown in Paris Fashion Week. Even though we just had the Winter fashion shows, I don't feel like illustrating more of those for now. Instead, I choose the multitude of colours, the flowing ruffles and the subtle playfulness of this collection by the wonderful Japanese designer Tsumori Chisato.

Enjoy the warm weather everyone! I know I will. :) Off to see my fav band tonight MUSE.

What are your plans for the spring days?

x

Genya

Spring Dots - Chris Benz SS 2010

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First warm days here in Ottawa inspired me to draw something bright and summery. This cheerful and colourful look is from Chris Benz SS 2010 collection. The fun polka dots give a girly twist to spring's khaki.

The little elegant ribbon and feather fascinator is from Alice Hart Couture Millinery, available on Etsy.

Any favorite summer collections out there that you like? Please share - I need more inspiration! :)

A Girl Named Pernille - Streetstyle from Wayne Tippetts

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Those of you who read my blog regularly probably noticed my affection for Wayne Tippetts' photography on his blog Streetstyle Aesthetic. I drew several of his photographs already, and no doubt will draw more in the future. I am not exactly sure what it is, but something really touches me about certain people and how they are captured in Wayne's photography.

Wayne was busy in the past weeks covering the London Fashion Week, and this is where he run into the model Parnille Moeller. I love this photograph - the eccentric hat, the relaxed hair, the oversized scarf. It looks very British, and for some reason reminded me of Alice in Wonderland (which btw I am going to see this Saturday with @nellleo! yay!). Parnille has a bit of a Mad Hatter look going on - No?

Urban Nature - Balenciaga SS 2010

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Here is a special one! The amazing and innovative Balenciaga SS 2010 collection. This is the look that I illustrated. I love the hemp vest and the bright pistachio leather pants.

I was inspired to create this background because of a new book I got last week - 'Digital Textile Design' by Melanie Bowles. The book talks about the process of creating digital textiles in Photoshop and Illustrator, and demonstrates an enormous number of design examples from both new and established fashion designers. A really good read for anyone interested in fashion or graphic design. This book inspired me to pay more attention to my own backgrounds, and I plan to create and post them from time to time. I am hoping that someday I will even design my own digital textile block :)!

I plan to do a 'Behind the Scenes' post next week on how I did this background - it was really fun and easier then it seems.

How do you all like it?

Edgy Flowers - Christopher Kane FW 2010

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Another favorite collection from Christopher Kane, who is always surprising. This time, he created a series of tough, masculine, all-black and leather looks embroidered with delicate and colorful flower arrangements. This total contrast is so edgy and unexpected, and very beautiful. See the entire collection here.

By the way, this illustration took me a long long time to illustrate. Not sure why. Maybe because there are just too many girls squeezed onto that page? Or the detailed embroidery? But I hope you like...

Love and more Love - Erdem FW 2010, Illustrated

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Erdem can do no wrong with me and I already professed my love for him and his SS 2010 collection. Today I was waiting with anticipation for the Erdem FW 2010 collection photos to go online; I kept checking, and refreshing, and waiting and checking again. Finally they were up and I was in the clouds. The deep browns combined with his signature watercolors are beautiful. Love the laces. Love the quilted leather. Love that cape. I only hope that I did justice to his work with my illustration :).

Christopher Kane's Lolita - SS 2010

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Following the Stylish Inspiration collage from Coy Concepts, here is the illustration I promised. It is of this look from Christopher Kane's SS 2010 collection. The collection was partially inspired by the movie Lolita (the Jeremy Irons version). I think the use of the clashing gingham check is very innovative - the looks have a modern, seductive edge. It is a beautiful, well thought of collection, as I got to expect from Kane.

Btw - his FW 2010 collection is equally innovative - delicate flower embroidery on black leather?! Nice! Sketches are already in place - illustrations coming soon. :)

And also, did you notice that Miss Goose made her appearance today, as many of you requested?

Stylish Inspiration - Kane's Lolita

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Here is a little preview for tomorrow's illustration, prepared by Coy Concepts, my sister Anna. Anna regularly contributes collages to Stylish Goose for my stylish inspiration. This is a collage inspired by Christopher Kane's SS 2010 innocently provocative collection.

Image credits:

• Style.com
• Patrick Demarchelier - French Vogue, 08/06 Beau Chic, Bon Genres
• Neil Taylor Barbie Collection from propel.org.au
• Lolita (1997) from Graphics Horse blog
• Getty Images

Behind the Scenes - Illustrating Wunderkind

Hi Guys,

I decided to post another Behind the Scenes for you! Do you remember the Wunderkind illustration? This one I actually sketched on paper and scanned at 600 dpi. Then I worked in Corel Painter 11 to redraw and colour the whole thing. Painter 11 is a neat program. It lets me simulate different real-life media types like markers, oils, pastels, chalk, watercolour, and the list goes on and on. I do not know how to use all of them yet, but I have perfected some of my favorites. I tend to use gouache, colored pencils, digital watercolour and markers for most of my illustrations - including this one. But I also like to experiment - this is the best thing about Painter 11 for me.

Cozy Cape - New York Streetstyle from Turned Out

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This is Nicola. She was captured in New York by the street style photographer Maya, whose blog Turned Out became another one of my regular reads. Nicola's look got my attention because of the strong attitude and personality that she exhumes - a real thoughtful self confidence. She is natural, beautiful and interesting, and her comfortable but bold style looks like an extension of her. I love the ethnic patterned cape and the bright leather gloves!

Happy Birthday to THE Stylish Goose

Happy Birthday today to our mom, Vera, who is the inspiration behind Stylish Goose. She is beautiful, stylish, sweet, brave and strong. Her maiden name is Guseva, meaning 'Goose' in Russian! Today our mom is turning 49, but she already experienced and overcome so much. My sister Anna and I are so grateful to have her in our lives, caring for us and bringing us so much joy. We love you Mom!

Artist Inspiration - Amylee Paris

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Today's post was inspired by a wonderful artist Amylee. Her creations are full sized painted collages influenced by fashion, textile and prints. Amylee's love of colour and pattern is conveyed in her stylish and unique retro looking paintings. I am very lucky to be featured on her STAR Blog roll, and was inspired to illustrate a look that features her art. Visit her blog and let her art brighten your day!

The model is wearing a simple oversized T-shirt, with an amazing Amylee Paris 'Julia' print. She pairs it with very daring orange leather shorts from Fendi. The black lace platforms are curtsy of L.A.M.B.

Her beautiful white rose scarf from Harlequin Feltworks was created by a talented San Francisco-based artist Jenne Giles. Those whimsical and unique scarves are available in various rose shades on harlequinfeltworks Etsy store.

The look cannot be complete without jewelry! Those colourful geometric enamel bangles from Sequin go so well with Amylee's painting. Sequin is a New York based private jewelry brand established by sisters Kim and Linda Renk.

The Black Agate earrings are from Lola Rosa, designed by London born Nicola Gewirtz. They are so brilliant!

Wings - In Honour of McQueen

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Dark and Vulnerable - Nina Ricci SS 2010

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This is one of the looks from the Nina Ricci SS 2010 collection, which follows the inspiration collage post prepared by my sister Anna. I find it so soft and fragile with sheer fabrics and misty hair, but also dark and intriguing. I am a big fan of cardigans, and love the light soothing colour of this one. Make sure to look at the details - the purse is beautiful, and the delicate flower rings are just wow!!

Stylish Inspiration - Coy Concepts Collage

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To set you in a mood for my next illustration, I asked my sister Anna to create a little graphic inspiration board. Anna recently launched her design and photography blog Coy Concepts, which I adore!

Anna and I are very close; we share a similar aesthetic and views on fashion and style, although we do have our differences. Anna already assists me with Stylish Goose behind the scenes by consulting on styling for my illustrations, advising on blog design, and taking photographs during fashion shows that we attended, which I later use as the basis for my illustrations.

Being the talented graphic designer that she is, I thought it will be perfect to have her as a regular contributor to Stylish Goose. Here, she incorporated the inspiration behind my next illustration (guess what it is??) along with her favorite artists and photographers. Click on the collage parts to go to the original artist posts.

Image credits:

• Liz Watier Couleur Folle Eye Makeup
• Jola Dziubinska Photography - Black Rose
• Nina Ricci SS 2010 from style.com
• Tim Walker Photography - Lily and Spiral Staircase
• Tim Walker Photography - Alice Gibb and Olga Sherer
• Christine Lindstrom original painting - Roses

Ruffles All Over - Claes Iversen FW 2010

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Here is another beauty from Amsterdam fashion week, which happened at the end of January. The illustration is from the Claes Iversen FW 2010 collection. This look is a nude ruffled dress paired with a cute textured jacket. Just look how adorable it looks from the back! The Claes Iversen show must be my favorite collection of the whole Amsterdam fashion week. It is so elegant, but has many unexpected little details that made me do a double take. I love his use of sheer organza throughout the collection, especially when he combines it with the heavier tweed in the same clothing item.

Moving upwards now. My girl has this bleached pale purple hair, which is a trend that I credit to Tavi's recent hair obsession. And this hat is a great little find from 2adorn, hand-made by Australian designer Kim Nguyen. It comes in a pink version too!

Behind the Scenes - Illustrating Josh Goot

Hi Everyone!

Did you like the previous post on how I do my illustrations? Here is some more behind the scenes for you of the Josh Goot illustration.

This is an illustration that I did early on, just after I started using my tablet and Corel Painter 11. As you can see, I like to work with layers... This illustration has 34 different layers, but my newer illustrations can go up to 90 layers! I use layers to overlay different colours, shades and strokes on top of each other, until I get the look that I like. The layers also allow me to preserve the history of my work - if I mess up on something and ruin my illustration, I can simply make that layer invisible and start over :).

x

Genya

Dark Star - Streetstyle from Wayne Tippetts

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Wayne Tippetts, my favorite London street style photographer, found himself a dark muse. This is Malikah. She has an iconic style that is confident, mysterious and alluring. I love her hair and makeup, it looks like she just stepped out of a silent-movie set. Her luxurious look has an equally luxurious inspiration - the legendary Marchesa Luisa Casati, patron of the arts and fashion.

Straight from Amsterdam - Jantaminiau SS 2010

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Some glitz and glamor from Amsterdam International Fashion Week, which completed last night. This dramatic dress is from the Jantaminiau SS 2010 Couture collection entitled Duality, and I think it is quite a standout. Here I illustrated this elaborate creation with simple hair as I get easily overwhelmed. :)

Jantaminiau is a collection designed by the Netherlands born designer Jan Taminiau, who plays with form and fabric to create meticulously constructed pieces. In this collection, he experimented with giant silk rosettes and structured beaded embroidered shells, to present a range of ultra short, rich pieces. Read about and see more of this collection (which was also shown in Paris on January 25th) here.

AIFW had quite a few beautiful shows, and I am hoping to illustrate a few more soon. I love following international shows because I get to discover many of those talented designers for the first time.

Fashion Rio - Acquastudio FW 2010

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I must admit that I did not know much about Brazilian fashion until recently, but those are my first steps in self-education. :)

Rio de Janeiro fashion week happened earlier this month, and I finally went over the collections. I love the fact that with just a few clicks I have the whole season in front of me. Although I do not speak the language, I managed to navigate the extensive Portuguese fashion site to find pictures and video of the Rio FW 2010 collections. I enjoyed the shows very much, and I learned a few words in Portuguese too. "Desfiles" means "Shows"! "Temporada" means "Season"! "Inverno 2010" means "Winter 2010"!

This illustration is of two looks by Acquastudio FW 2010. This label really stood out. I was amazed by the creativity and imagination of the brand designer, Esther Bauman. The gowns and cocktail dresses have wonderfully creative silhouettes - each dress is unique and complex. But despite the avant-garde construction, the dresses look easy, fresh and almost-wearable :). I love the romantic and soft feel of those dresses. Another thing that I love about this collection is that the clothes look fantastic on the runway and move beautifully with the models. Check them out in video here.

I chose to illustrate a soft pink bubble dress with black string detail, and the black asymmetrical sculpted dress with glistening lines.


My Brazilian readers, please help me with my discovery: What are your favorite fashion designers in Brazil?

Straight from Berlin - Schumacher FW 2010

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I was following the Berlin fashion shows, which finished on Saturday, and I really enjoyed the collections! This is the first time I check out the Berlin shows, and I loved finding out about the talented German designers and their collections. The Schumacher collection was amongst my favorites - it is so elegant and beautiful, with fine fabrics and exquisite contraction. See the fashion show here.

Illustrated here is the finale dress from the Schumacher FW 2010 show. I love the deep emerald colour and the modern style of this dress. I took a romantic twist by accessorizing this feminine dress with beige Moschino Cheap And Chic Vertigo clutch and shimmery platform pumps from Elizabeth and James. My model is wearing an amazing headband from Toronto based brand cocoboudoir, available on Etsy. It is made of white satin rosettes, accented with vintage black crystal beads. Absolutely lovely!

The Kaffiyeh and The Tutu - Givenchy SS 2010

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The beautifully geometrical Givenchy SS 2010 collection got rave reviews from critics this season. I am not a critic, but I am in-love!

I am always drawn to prints and patterns, so of course my favorite designs in this collection are the original Arabic kaffiyeh prints - like the softly draped pantsuit on the left.

And I never realized that I can like a tutu as much as I like it here, on the right! It is not childish or overly girly, it is tough and edgy and sophisticated. Always innovative!

Illustration for your Donations to Haiti Relief Fund

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What can you do to get your hands on this specially made illustration dedicated to the Haitian people affected by the earthquake?

The first 15 people, who starting today will donate any amount to an authorized Haiti Relief Fund, will receive a high quality print, signed and matted. Just send me a note to help@stylishgoose.com with your donation receipt and your mailing address. This is my Thank You to you for showing support.

The model is wearing a long printed dress by Nicole Miller from her Spring Summer 2009 collection, inspired by her travels to Haiti.

xo

Genya

Illustration for Help - Haiti Earthquake

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My Dear Friends,

I was so touched and heartbroken by the images of the Haiti Earthquake on the news. I wanted to extend my thought to the Haitian people and their worried family and friends in Canada and around the world.

I have just made a donation to the Salvation Army to assist with the immediate rescues operations.

I encourage all of my Stylish Goose readers to donate to your local authorized support organization. For a Canadian list, please see here.

As a great Thank You for your Help, anyone who donates at least $50 CAD (or equivalent in your currency), will receive a specially made illustration which I will prepare in the next few days (you know it will be a fantastic one!), printed on quality 8x10 paper, matted and signed by me. Please email me at help@stylishgoose.com with a proof of donation (email confirmation of donation) and your mailing address by Sunday, January 17, 2010 - 24:00 Eastern Standard Time. I will be sending your special illustration shortly after.

I Thank You All!

xo

Genya

PS. This is the illustration I did for Thakoon Pre-Fall 2010 collection. I love the neutral champagne colours and the innovative folds of this look.

Bandaged Haroine - SS 2010 from Lucian Matis

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I am a big fan of Lucian Matis, who is an adorable, talented and hardworking Canadian designer. He has a sense of showmanship, drama and romance which translates to his clothes.

The Lucian Matis SS 2010 collection, presented during Toronto fashion week, includes beautiful textures and light reflecting fabrics, but has some heavy undertones. Despite the soft colour palette, it is dark, mysterious and slightly deranged (the opening music theme gives me the creeps). The clothes are divine, full of delicate details. The styling is strong and dramatic and makes the show so much more interesting. The oversized medieval jewelery was custom created by a Canadian couture jewelery designer Karen McFarlane. Stream the Lucian Matis show here.

PS. I must confess that my girlfriends and I completely fell head over heels for Lucian after we met him briefly last year during his Ottawa trunk show... :)

Behind the Scenes - Illustrating the Stylish Goose Banner

I wanted to show you the behind-the-scenes look of what goes into making my illustrations. I am hoping to make this into a regular post on my blog.

So this is the banner for Stylish Goose. It is also the first illustration I've ever created using my tablet and Corel Painter 11 software. I totally love Painter 11 now, but going digital was a bit of a learning curve for me. I was mostly using pens, markers and coloured pencils before.

In this first illustration, I did everything digitally, including the initial sketch. Then I was layering colours and details. It took me a long time. I am always refining the process, and now I found that sketching by hand and colouring digitally works best for me.

I really love drawing. :)

Olympics in Style

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February 12 is approaching fast and we, Canadians, are getting more excited every day. To celebrate the upcoming Vancouver 2010 Olympics, Fashion Magazine's February issue had a beautiful photoshoot featuring official Team Canada clothing from Hbc. See it here, courtesy of the gold.faced.betty fashion blog. My illustration was inspired by this photoshoot, and of course the Olympics.

My model is wearing Hbc Canadian Olympic Team turtleneck sweater - love the oversized men's style.

Did you notice the unusually cool hole-covered tights? They were also featured in this month's Fashion Magazine!! They are by Mark Fast, a young and talented Canadian designer, who shows at London fashion week. Coincidentally, those tights were in the Mark Fast swag bag for SS 2010 show and became amazingly popular with his guests!

The native style headband was inspired by this standout long feather head piece from BabooshkaBoutique, sold on Etsy. What a deal!

So what is my Olympic fashion item?? I am a proud owner of the Canada Olympic pompom hat (the non toddler version ;)) thanks to my dear friend Ada!

All The Shades of Gray (from Wayne Tippetts photography)

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Yet again I get inspired by the vivid photography of Wayne Tippetts, whose London streetstyle blog is my regular read. This is the lovely Daisy, who showed great personal style by keeping it gray and emphasizing texture and layers. The oversized faux fur looks both cozy and high-fashion. Lovely!

Dolce & Gabbana - GRRRrrrr!!!

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Can we expect anything less from Dolce & Gabbana then pure sexy? This red leopard printed suit was in a group of drop dead gorgeous bathing suits that closed their SS 2010 show. To make this look even hotter, my model is wearing Stuart Weitzman black satin 'Lover' peep toe bow sandals. The red metallic python envelope clutch from Hunting Season is a shiny but simple addition to the look. Several Kenneth Jay Lane oxidized crystal bracelets are worn for extra shimmer!

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE - Hope it is a good one!

P.S. Oh and i guess i should explain the GRRrrrrr part (it is a bit of a personal note really)! This lovely illustration seriously took me FOREVER to do! I figured bathing suit will take me less time to do then a full set of clothes, but i was so wrong - it kept not coming out the way i wanted it and made me stay up till late. but i love it at the end and think it was all worth it. So Enjoy it! ;)

Crazy about Mia

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Mia O'Connell is a new and exciting fashion designer from Dublin, Ireland. She recently launched her FW 2009/SS 2010 capsule collection entitled the Eight and a Half Project. As the name implies, Mia's collection includes eight amazing dresses as well as some exquisite separates. This sheer, ruffled, bandaged collection is romantic, modern and cool. Mia deserves big promps for creating her own opportunities in Ireland, where being a young designer can pose some challenges. Mia described to me the challenges experienced by fashion designers in Ireland:

"The Irish fashion industry is difficult, there are no new opportunities for young designers unlike London who have competitions such as Fashion East and Topshop New Gen, so you are left to create them for yourself. But at that making work is very hard, it is impossible to manufacture here it is just too expensive so most go to eastern Europe, and then because Ireland, being so small, selling enough is also a problem the market is just not big enough.
Also Dublin fashion week is no longer! so therefore an opportunity to reach the audience of Ireland has now gone!"

Despite this, Mia is definitely the one to watch for - her goal is to eventually move to London and begin her Masters. Stylish Goose wishes her lots of success!


In this illustration, both models are wearing looks from Mia O'Connell's collection. Check them out on her showcase blog. To complement the delicate designs, the girls are wearing "Avignon" peeptoe platform pumps by Stuart Weitzman in nude and black patent leather. They both carry Marni bags - a deep green hexagonal purse and a pearly flower and ribbon clutch.



PS. Mia also has a small, but amazingly adorable collection of accessories, which I want to incorporate into my future illustrations. Check it out here.