Tuesday 13 December 2011

Christmas Print Design Competition!

Design a CHARLOTTE TAYLOR Festive themed print and the winner will receive a Large Robot Silk Scarf!


The two runners up will get headscarves too - get designing!!

Winners will be selected on the 20th December 2011

Post your designs as a photo on our facebook wall to enter xx

Thursday 3 November 2011

To Cornwall and Beyond.....

So as this last 6 months has been a bit hectic in our camp I decided that to design AW12 I needed to get out of the smoke and head towards some green stuff. I ended up in Cornwall with non other than my dad, who has now convinced himself of the key role he plays in inspiring each collection....I have entertained this notion previously but this season is different and indeed there may be a Captain Pugwash print coming your way soon...along with a Cornish Pasty one...maybe.

So here are a few snapshots of our inspirational inspiration trip....


Night 1: Dad and I are staying in a gorgeous little pub by the sea. It so happens that one of his long lost buddies lives in the village and is running a Ukulele practice session the first night we arrive. Dad is in heaven and when the kazoos come out I feel that I may never be able to get dad to leave the village and Cornwall, ever.

Whilst having a post Jamming session beer, Pop is then accosted by another landlord and convinced to play at open mic night. Oh god. We turn up to an empty pub and quickly turn to leave, but dag nam it, we're spotted. Dad's up, but we must wait for the current act to finish. Lets call him Paul. Paul AKA Ross from friends, but worse. I controled myself. Dad did not. We had a plethera of "Youth today", "What has the world come to", "this is not Jazz", "What the hell is this" and so on. Anyway, although evidently not hard, dad stole the show and drank his free pint with pride whilst unleashing his old man dirty jokes on the unassuming victims at the bar.

Cracking start to Cornwall i'd say.

Day 2: Cliff walk


So I drag a reluctant dad from his bed, I detect a slight diva attitude after last nights antics but choose not to indulge him and we head off along the coast. Wow never seen scenery like it and we have the most wonderful walk for 3 hours, the only difficulties being an overenthusiastic Labrador who likes peering over cliff edges and clumsy father with a penchant for tripping up very close to said cliffs.


Anyway we make it to the next bay where we have been told that there is a village with buses that will take us home. There aint but never mind, dad chats up a couple of lifeguards who we have lunch with who give us a lift home.

Day 3:
St Ives - isnt there a tale about St Ives and Cats...?

Nothing to say apart from TOTALLY LUSH and wow, purple cauliflower...who knew?!?!


The Village from the harbour


The lighthouse



The PURPLE Cauliflower

From there we went onto the Cornish coal mines...
I saw this derelict one on our walk the day before and there was no going back. Off we went to Geevor Mines for an official tour. Wow.



Breathing Equipment

One of the buildings - a maze of metal infrastructure

Dad driving something...

Fascinating place and an equally sad story for all those who lost their jobs when the Cornish mining industry ceased operations.

Day 3:
Exploring the Lizard


The Lizard is the most southerly point of England and it is proper shipwrecksville. The fog enveloped the rugged cliffs as we approached and I lost myself in the world of smuggling and Piracy. Unbeknown to dad, for the duration of our walk I was ferocious smuggler, stopping at nothing to get my hands on the incoming Tea laden vessels.


So that kinda sums it up. We had the most wonderful trip and I got to hang out with my dad for a few days which is a massive bonus. I have tons of inspiration...too much even and I am merrily transforming into prints and clothes for you as we speak.

I love you Cornwall :-)

Wednesday 5 October 2011

London Fashion week

So - this season we graced the halls of Somerset house with our delectable display of mis-mashed shapes, colors and prints for London Fashion Week. I think we complemented each other beautifully - i think so anyway....and that's what counts obviously.


So I began my London Fashion Week in...........Philadelphia.....hmmm...not the obvious scenario one might say. Well I was called out for a last minute meeting with Anthropologie (for whom we design a diffusion line) which lasted all of 24hours...A tiring, successful and as always, eventful trip that began with the grottiest hotel I had ever stayed in (I slept fully clothed and we ate breakfast from polystyrene bowls - im not a snob, im northern, but ergh.....) and ended with a flight home at the tail end of a hurricane....

My flight (the early flight which I made unexpectedly and was allocated the only spare seat on the plane - back row - middle seat) began badly.... I was sat between two lovely gents. To my right - a 60+ yr old American, severely overweight fella with a pension for spilling his drink every 30minutes or so.... To my left - a 28 yr old American, severely overweight (about 2 1/2 times the size of the guy on my right) with an uncontrollable fear of flying....he spent our time on the tarmac in the bathroom downing half a bottle of whisky to help ease the heebie-jeebies that were now making his whole body shake with fear. He proceeded to order the whole drinks menu and eventually passed out with his hands above his head, which methodically came crashing down onto my lap every time i was juuuuuuuust dozing off - weird.

The circus of the back row of BA Flight 008 to Heathrow was also complimented by a screaming baby zoo, the worst turbulance I (and the fella on my left, oh and pretty much everyone else - we are going to die etc) had ever experienced. So bad the one drink / half hour spilled on yours sincerlys' lap was dramatically upped to 4, service was stopped for over an hour and we generally had a bit of a free Alton Towers ride courtesy of the hurricane gracing the skies of the North Atlantic - HAPPY FUN TIMES!


Anyway I wearily hopped off the plane at 6am and headed straight to Somerset House. Needless to say I was more unsightly, jetlagged, weirdo than hotshot, glamorous designer (which is what I normally am - of course...hmm) so was promptly ordered home.


The remainder of Fashion Week went well....Suzie B wore our Bonsai Trousers in the Daily - weeeeeeeeeeeeee!


I did a scarily scary talk at Topshop about my career...twice...ergh. and we had in general a pretty fab reaction to SS12...


Thank you to all those who came and said hi xx

Thursday 22 September 2011

Amelia's Magazine loveliness

Huge thanks to the Lovely Amelia's Magazine and wonderful Miranda Williams for their delectable post on our SS12 collection. Equally lovely illustrations compliment the fab article...


Have a gander here....


Thank you so much! Cxx

Saturday 17 September 2011

SS12 - SHORT FILM

Spring / Summer 2012

The Lookbook












I hope you like it :) xx

SS12 - the prep and the photoshoots

Getting carried away with Bonsai trees and Kaleidoscopes - exciting times!

So the fabric arrives, we make the collection and before we know it its time for the photoshoot and also Short film - which we are doing with the wonderful and infinitely talented HarrimanSteel.


The beginning - the fabrics on my pattern cutting table before sampling begins....



The SS12 team consists of The Harriman Steel team - Produced by Beth McQueen.



Fifi - the wonderful model from Models 1. Also from the Isle of Wight = she is ace.



Camilla - Hair and Make-up extraordinaire who has worked with me from the beginning.



Katie Mills - best intern ever who has now unfortunately left. :( :(



Claire Pepper - Photographer and filmographer (is this a word?) legend. Who has put up with my random requests for 4 seasons now and still smiles and produces legendary shots and footage. Basically she is my hero.



Sophie Harris - Greenslade - OMG...Sophie does the best Nail art in the world - FACT!


Shoes provided by non other than Charlotte Olympia - Us Charlottes sticking together....fashioned here by one of our Origami Penguins, who unfortunately were cut from the shoot. We have made up for it with some on location shots for you below which set the mood....



We are family....


Hans Solo - at least he's not in Australia...



Delusions of grandeur....


Lunch Time - on a diet for fashion week...


Hair and Make-up - its all about the red lip


Napping in the make-up case...riiight


Shoe fetish - well who wouldn't with these..



Mario Testiono watch out..



Back to nature...not quite Antarctica...

Anyway a little insight in our random world and wonderful Photoshoot and Short Film.

Massive thanks to the team, who i'm sure you will agree went above and beyond this season.

Big love C xx