2012 was the year that my illustration and writing shifted from naive to mature. It was not a dramatic change, and I’m not sure what led to this ephemeral graduation. Something inside of me changed early in the year that gave me a greater clarity of purpose and a more nuanced understanding of what I am trying to accomplish. Once that realization settled, I spent a few months reworking my online presence to better reflect who I am now. This process led to career acceleration at the end of the year.
This was also the year I turned 30, and I moved from London back to Toronto.
In my 20s, I was struggling all of the time, and often felt fearful. I was a poor judge of what was trivial and what was important, and much of my energy was misdirected. I was always doing things I had never done before, and of course not doing them very well. I often felt like a fraud.
I loved turning 30. I love having experience to build on. I love the sense of earned confidence. I love knowing who I am, what I do best, and what I want. It’s good to be capable, now it’s time to achieve virtuosity. I’ve got a lot of work to do this decade.
Anyway, here’s the best of 2012 on Final Fashion. Enjoy!
Trend theory…
- red dress blue dress – “If you’ve ever doubted the capacity of clothing to transform, just try on a red or blue dress and see what kind of heroine you can be.”
- toe to type – “They say that you can tell a lot about a person by looking at their shoes, and leading that line of thought is the shape of the toe.”
- street style signals – key to reading your standard street style poses.
- the indefinable decades – “I remember looking forward to the end of the century so I could see the 20th century laid out in a row of 10 clearly defined figures”
- the masculine renunciation – “The sacrifice that the abandonment of fashion symbolizes is less often considered.”
- thoughts on contemporary fashion illustration – I think this one of my more under-rated posts, a sort of state-of-the-union address on my chosen craft.
Live runway sketching…
- Milan – Moda Uomo Fall 2012 – my first ever men’s fashion week.
- London Fashion Week Fall 2012 – street style, confessions, and Somerset House studio
- Scottish Fashion Awards – red carpet market sketches.
- Paris Haute Couture – Fall 2012 – here’s the explanation for this post: couture can’t compete with a whirlwind Parisian romance.
- London Fashion Week Spring 2013 – making the most of the overlap days September 14 and September 18
Paper dolls…
- Naomi Campbell
- London and Milan SS13 Collections
- Edwardiana
- The Cut magnetic dolls
- interview with paper doll master Tom Tierney
- Tulisa for Stylist
- the half-tuck – “the ultimate in plausible deniability. The idea is to look put-together and undone at the same time, artfully dishevelled.”
- mullet skirts – “the high-low hem will go the way of the mullet when the economy starts making sense again.”
- neon – “perhaps since fluorescent is tricky to spell, fashion editors prefer the word neon.”
- nail art – “one of those rare little luxuries that is accessible to everyone.”
- flatforms – “they’re politically as well as proportionally incorrect, but maybe that’s the point.”
Independent creative career realization…
- how to draw a fashion figure – step by step, repeat x1000000.
- words for kids who love fashion – how to focus your youthful energy towards achieving your fashion ambitions.
- in praise of the unplanned career – my piece on Ryerson Folio which went a little bit viral.
- it takes time – “Mastering an art could be defined as that point where your abilities finally match your sense of taste.”