Tag: fashion design

My name is Lucy Gillmor Murphy and I am the milliner behind LGM Hats.

My education lies in both fine art and fashion as I studied fine art for 4 years in IADT and at the same time I completed a night course in fashion at Dublin’s Grafton Academy. In my Final Year Exhibition I was lucky enough to sell my design work, and the summer after graduation I had my paintings accepted into a commercial gallery in Dublin. Although I was off to a great start with these accomplishments I still felt I had not yet found my passion. 

With this search in mind I decided to go back to the Grafton Academy to study Millinery. Here I was tutored by Ms. Aileen Keogan who turned out to be a wonderful mentor with a wealth of knowledge on the traditional methods necessary in the craft of millinery.

In 2010 I created a small collection of winter hats that were stocked in a handful of boutiques in Ireland, since then my business has grown and LGM Hats has taken on a life of its own! I now have some of the most fantastic stockists in Ireland, England and the US.

I am very lucky to have such wonderful stockists and to be able to create collections to show to boutiques each season. However, the real fun lies in making one of a kind creation for private clients that come to see me in my Enniskerry based studio. I have made everything from a towering flower filled hat for Ascot to a wonderfully classy lace and pearl encrusted cloche for church on Christmas morning; it is over past few years however that I have become rather a specialist in creating hats for mothers of the brides.

Although every mother of the bride, and mother of the groom for that matter, is different there are a few important factors that I would always take into consideration when making a hat for such an occasion. A mother of the bride will be photographed a lot on the day so it is important that the hat does not cover too much of the face or cast a large shadow.

Before even looking at their outfit I would have them try on a few different shapes to get a feel for what suits them and how comfortable they feel in a hat. I don’t have any rules about what hats tend to suit what face shapes, I think it is a case of try everything on and you will know the one that suits you best.

After choosing the general shape I then begin to discuss how we can make this the perfect hat for that particular client. Some women have a very clear idea of what they want, so we would discuss colours, fabrics and embellishments; then I can go ahead with making their idea a reality. Others, once I show them the general idea of what I am thinking, are happy to let me create them something from my imagination.

Lucy’s Top Tip: I would always recommend having a hat that goes with the whole outfit rather than one that matches it perfectly. For example if you have a powder pink dress and shoes I would recommend a cream or gold hat, perhaps with only a hint of pink, this makes for a much more styled look. Many women are happy in the knowledge that they know their own style but a hat is not an everyday accessory so I am delighted when I get the chance to help create the perfect hat to finish off a look for a special occasion.

Lucy Gillmor Murphy

LGM Hats
www.lgmhats.com
lgmhats@hotmail.com

Check out Lucy’s beautiful designs on her website: www.lgmhats.com

Below: Some LGM designs on the catwalk

By Daniela Migrova

Ahoj! My name is Daniela and I am a designer at Kingston Lafferty Design studio.

I was born in Slovakia but been living in Ireland for the past 11 years. Since childhood, I always had an urge to create and express my ideas creatively. My grandma must have seen something in me, so she signed me up to an art school and a school choir. Since then, I developed a passion towards Art and Music in any kind of form. But only in Ireland, after graduating from college in Interior Architecture in Dublin, my dream to enter a creative world of Interior Design and Interior Architecture has materialised.

It was not an easy road I must say, I was working full time and studying part time, the recession hit the job market, and job opportunities were sparse. Although, I never gave up and continued looking until I spotted an opportunity in Kingston Lafferty Design and landed my first job as a designer!!

This has been my ninth month in KLD but what a ride! Working with a team has taught me a lot about interior design, finishes, layouts, concepts, suppliers and clients. I particularly love the wide scope of KLDs’ involvement from graphic design, furniture and lighting design, branding to a full Interior Architecture work. Not one day is the same.

I suppose every designer has a unique way of developing their ideas and concepts, curiosity and desire to explore. The design process is like a puzzle, you are looking for solutions to obstacles. Well-designed space for me is a space that pleases all human senses and is well considered. In projects that I have been part of, I always wanted to bring elements of fantasy into daily life and turn the reality into a dream.

My inspiration originated by admiring designers and musicians since I was a teenager. As a singer myself, Björk caught my eye due to her artistic expression and experimentation with sound. Not only a musician, Björk is also unique because of her fashion curiosity. Her costumes embody the Haute Couture fashion but also express her artistic visions. During her recent tour with the newest album Vulnicura, she has worn many unique dresses and headpieces that were truly amazing and inspirational.

Below image is one of my favourites due to the combination of neon colours and texture representing a beautiful butterfly-like creature that she has managed to transform herself into.  “I loved their pronged fern-like white antennae most, so began embroidering those, and it slowly turned into some sort of techno-Victorian-moth mask,” says the designer James Merry. I am a fan of this colour combination and have used it in projects previously.

The lavender colour dress below and mask that Björk has experimented with can be interpreted in many ways depending on how you visually perceive the outfit. Is it an alien or another butterfly?!

Below, this headpiece is particularly interesting due to its sculptural characteristics. In combination with a simple white dress, it stands out as a feature element of the costume. From a design point of view, I can visualise using a similar structure in a modern installation on a larger or a smaller scale or simply as a central piece. I will leave the artistic interpretation up to you!

Björk wore another contemporary style dress in Barcelona that resembles fabric and detail used on a rug. She combines this outfit with a highly detailed embroidered mask to achieve a quite unique creation.

Below, the idea for Björk’s headpiece originated from a sketch that she has shown to James Merry, the designer. Her vocal cords were the main focal point of the design with lines radiating out from them, resembling her voice. The creative world has no boundaries.

Lastly, one of my favourites… the headpiece. This particular piece was created and inspired by sound waves. In conjunction with the visual effects, I can only assume it was a truly emotional artistic experience for the audience and designer alike.

To round up, Björk is an innovative and experimental artist that teaches us that it’s brave and courageous to be our own self. Personally, I draw inspiration from her in all shapes and forms.

I hope I’ve inspired you, so you’ll bring a bit of Björk to your life or your work. Potentially a new experimental creation might be on the horizon! 🙂  Daniela