Well its a little late on this Friday, but here I am after a long shift at work, seeing off the Hubby for his weekend away gaming a settling Kaylee to bed, to tell you all about just how you can get involved in Fascinator Friday!
We all know that hats and particularly fascinators are becoming more and more popular, not least thanks to the many fascinators worn in recent months by the new Duchess of Cambridge! And I'd like to create a reason for us normal folks to wear their fascinators with pride... and so I give you 'Fascinator Friday'... the one day of the week when for no other reason than because you can, you don your favourite fascinator with pride!
And I'd like to see the results of our little campaign to bring back the hat into everyday wear, so please email me with your pics... and once a week as well as showcasing some of my favourite pieces I've found on Etsy I'll also pop up a couple of pictures from my Fascinator Friday gang... so if you'd like to get involved then simply send your pics to LisaJ@offwithherhead.co.uk
Thats all for this week... its been a hectic week and I'm going to settle down with a good book and the tennis for the rest of the night... talking of tennis, pop back next week for my Fascinator Friday, with a Wimbledon theme, just in time for the finals!!
Friday, 24 June 2011
Friday, 10 June 2011
Its Fascinator Friday... Wedding Edition!
Well its now the middle of June and we're well into 'wedding season'. Having recently been a Bride myself (Alan and I we're married this past March!) I know how important those little accessories are in finishing off your wedding day look! So I've had a look through Etsy again this week and picked a couple of my favourite pieces by some more very talented milliners that are sure to add to that special day.
First up as always is my own piece... the 'Something Blue' Fascinator, hand-crafted in a crisp white cotton and lace, backed with matching wool felt, trimmed with ric-rac and three handmade white lace roses, the centre of each filled with pale blue bead stamens. This pretty little fascinator is sure to add a touch of country chic to your outfit.
Secondly I found this amazing piece by Boring Sidney. This piece ticks so many boxes for me, its quirky, beautifully made and Tim Burton inspired!! I adore Tim Burton and especially the movie Big Fish (I actually just treated myself to this on Blu-Ray this past week!), so a fascinator named 'Ping & Jing' after the siamese twins in the film really grabbed my attention! An amazing piece of work, custom made to order!
Finally, for the rock 'n' roll bride I came across this amazing fascinator by Janine Basil. I love all her work, especially the comic book inspired fascinators with slogans such as 'POW' and 'KABOOM' but I simply adore this little ivory heart adorned with little gold studs and lots of veiling! Certain to make a statement!
Thats all for this weeks Fascinator Friday... be sure to come back next week to find out how you can get involved in Fascinator Friday, as I attempt to make Fridays a day to wear your favourite Fascinator regardless of the occasion!
Friday, 3 June 2011
Its... Fascinator Friday!
I can't believe its Friday already this week, just not sure where the time has gone! Its been a busy week for me and the little one, with Baby Sensory class on Monday, a day of hat making on Tuesday, visits from Auntie Helen and Grandparents on Wednesday and 'real-life work' for me at the end of the week! And in between it all we've managed to sort out buying a new family car too!
The glorious summer weather has finally returned to Scotland ( it was 21 degrees C yesterday and promises to be hotter today). So this morning I've been busy searching out some beautiful fascinators that embody the spirit of summer to share with you!
First of all is one of my pieces that is available on a made-to-order basis. The Strawberry Dream Fascinator was originally made for friend and photography student Mari-Claire Francis and is now available to order in either its original hot pink colour or the colour of your choice. Handmade in shot silk, edged with matching satin bias, with lashings of matching veiling and three hand sculpted strawberries this fascinator is sure to get heads turning at your summer event!
Next up is this stunning 'Lily Pad' fascinator from Anna Shoub. Made from twisted seagrass straw with a beautiful handmade flower created from a vintage handkerchief meaning that each fascinator will be unique! This is an unusual piece from a very talented designer that will certainly be the crowing glory to any outfit for that summer wedding or party!
I also recommend checking out Anna's Blog 'The Hat Junkie' - http://www.hatjunkie.blogspot.com/
And Finally... if you're after something a little more macabre, then why not this 'Death-Glam Hawaiian Delight' fascinator from Cara Crass! A gorgrous confection of bright orange simamay with magenta feathers and veiling, yellow orchids and a little guinea fowl skull! Divine!
Thats all for this weeks 'Fascinator Friday', thanks for reading and remember to come back next week to check out more creations and finds. Next week I'll be focusing on Bridal Fascinators!
Are you a fellow milliner? Would you like your fascinator featured on my blog? Then please feel free to email me at features@offwithherhead.co.uk
Wednesday, 1 June 2011
And the winner is...
Drum Roll Please.... the winner of my 1,000 Fans Give-Away is 'JennyWren' aka Sally of Sock creation's by sally!! Well Done to You and commiserations to those who missed out. Thanks for all the lovely comments you all left me, they really made me smile!
Interview with Natasha Scharf
As a long time Goth and a regular attender of Gothic events I was really interested to hear that a new book that explores the world of Gothic from its origins in the music scene to its present day metamorphosis is due to be released at the end of this month! Written by Natasha Scarf, former editor of Meltdown Magazine, this book promises to take a good look at the impact Goth has had across the world.
I had the chance to speak with Natasha and ask her about her past, the book and her plans for the future.
Natasha Scharf by Taya Uddin
Lisa - You were the Editor of the fantastic Meltdown Magazine, Tell us a little about your writing career?
Natasha - Well, I've been writing ever since I learned how to - I started my first fanzine when I was 7 although that had a very limited print-run and wasn't quite up to the standards of my later efforts! By 16, I was writing for our local newspaper and by 19, I was editorial assistant on an international classical music magazine during my university breaks! The seeds for meltdown were planted shortly after I graduated from a journalism degree and I juggled that while working for various media institutions. These days, I'm a full-time freelance music journalist and count Metal Hammer among the magazines that I write for - a publication that I used to dream of writing for!
Lisa - And so now you've written Worldwide Gothic. What can we expect from this book?
Natasha - Worldwide Gothic was no mean feat - it chronicles the goth scene from its birth in London in 1976 with the very first Siouxsie and the Banshees gig right up to the present day, looking at how it developed around the world and how it's changed over the years. I've been listening to goth music since I was a child and have been writing about it for many years but I have to admit that even I was surprised by some of the things I learned while researching this book! The toughest part was having to condense it all down over a very short space of time - it really is a culmination of my life's work. I've packed Worldwide Gothic with new interviews and loads of full-colour photos, many of which have never been seen before - I'm really excited about the project and I can't wait to share my findings with everyone.
Lisa - Your cover image features the stunning Lady Amaranth. Did you have much difficulty in selecting the face of Gothic culture??
Cover Image by Taya Uddin
Natasha - To me, Lady Amaranth's image epitomises the most glamorous side of contemporary gothic and she always looks stunning. There are so many different interpretations of the gothic look and one thing I learned while researching this book is that those interpretations vary wildly not only from country to country but also from era to era so it was important to use a model who would be universally recognised as 'gothic'. Lady Amaranth's look ticks all the right boxes and I don't think anyone could argue that she doesn't look gothic!
But there are other ingredients to take into consideration too. I chose the photographer Taya Uddin to take the photo as her stunning imagery has just the right balance of darkness and light without being over-the-top or cheesy. The beautiful corset worn on the cover was made by the talented alternative designer Larysa K, whose corsetry has to be seen to be believed and the jewellery is by the famous Alchemy Gothic, who have been creating some of the most incredible designs since the very birth of goth (I recently had the privilage of visiting their factory in Leicester and was amazed to watch the pieces being crafted by hand). I should also point out that everyone involved in creating the image has roots in different parts of the world so the cover alone summarises worldwide gothic to me!
That said, there was only room for one model on the cover so I wanted to include a selection of some other well-known gothic models inside the book as well. These include AndromedaX, Fracture and Dark Morte and there are lots of photographs of goths from around the world as well as bands and musicians - this is a very colourful book that should surprise anyone who thought goths only wore black!
Bloodlust and Katie Korpse at WGW by Stephen Milward
WGT goth by Stephen Milward
Lisa - In your time as editor of Meltdown Magazine you introduced us to a number of fantastic up and coming
bands/artists. Do you have a particular favourite amongst them?
Natasha - Oh, goodness! I never stopped writing about up-and-coming artistes even after what I refer to as 'the meltdown years' so it would be impossible to choose just one favourite. Music is constantly evolving and fashions are constantly changing - I must have written about hundreds of acts over the years (at least)! I can't deny that when a band or singer I've written about starts being referenced in blogs and other publications, I do feel a warm glow :)
Lisa - You've been as magazine editor, DJ, presenter and now author. What can we expect from you next?
Natasha - I've also done some acting, production and voice-over work! My boyfriend keeps saying that I ought to become a children's author next although I'm not quite sure if I'm ready for that just yet! Worldwide Gothic is actually the fifth book I've written so I'm rather keen to tweak my earlier efforts and see whether I can get any of those published. In the meantime, I shall be continuing with my music journalism and I have a few other magazines in the pipeline that I'm looking at contributing to.
Other than that, I'm a firm believer in taking whatever Fate throws in my path so I don't like to place too much
expectation in anything!
Worldwide Gothic is published by ImpBooks and is released on the 23rd June 2011. For more details you can visit the publishers website Here.
Preorder your copy from Amazon for just £7.61!
Lady Amaranth and Natasha Scharf wear jewellery from the Alchemy Gothic collection
Lady Amaranth's corset is by Larysa K
Natasha Scharf's hair extensions have been dyed using Manic Panic semi-permanent hair colour cream and she is wearing make-up from the Creature Of The Night collection
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