GUCCI CRUISE '23

June 01, 2022 by Kelly Smith in ILLUSTRATION, FASHION

My favourite look from Alessandro Michele’s Cruise show for Gucci, shown in Puglia a few weeks back!

PRADA BEAUTY

April 17, 2018 by Kelly Smith in ILLUSTRATION, FASHION, BEAUTY

I've long followed the make-up legend that is Pat McGrath on Instagram, marvelling with stars in my eyes over her delectably inventive beauty looks for various design houses - be it during any given fashion week, or the editorial pages of a magazine.

One particular show captured my imagination during the Fall/Winter RTW showings - namely Prada - which saw beautiful tweed Winter coats breezing down the runway, paired with rubber boots, shockingly bright neon bows tied in tulle and brilliantly shiny diamanté cat eyes. It was a collection of beautifully ethereal, wet-haired aliens and I loved it!

I couldn't decide on any one look in particular as each girl varied wildly between outfit and beauty looks. So I combined my favourites to create the ultimate Prada girl!

I hope you like.

SAINT LAURENT S/S 18

October 06, 2017 by Kelly Smith in ILLUSTRATION, FASHION, SHOPPING

Quick sketch of one of the gorgeous looks from Anthony Vaccarello's Spring/Summer collection for Yves Saint Laurent.
It was stunning. See some of my faves below.

The original sketch of this look is also available in my shop here.

Images via vogue.co.uk

RODARTE PARIS COUTURE

July 05, 2017 by Kelly Smith in FASHION, ILLUSTRATION

It felt quite fitting after re-watching 'Black Swan' this past weekend, drooling over those stunning Rodarte costumes, that I should wake up on Monday morning to see images from their debut show at Paris' Couture Fashion Week (their first away from their native NYFW).
There were so many stand-out moments, it was hard to choose which images to include in this post. But, all I can say is, if ever there was a collection that embodied everything I love about fashion, it's this one. Feathers, florals, bows and tulle. I love it all! Ethereal beauties adorned with babies breath, floating through a garden in full bloom.
I did choose one of the softer options to illustrate (No pink! Shocking!) as I wanted to focus on colours closer to nature.

Rodarte Spring 2018 photographs © Kelly Taub + Giovanni Giannoni / WWD

DIOR'S 'PALMYRE' DRESS

October 19, 2016 by Kelly Smith in FASHION, FILM, ILLUSTRATION

Christian Dior's 'Palmyre' gown / Image via Palais Galliera

I recently had the pleasure of illustrating the cover of a screenplay for an in-development film!
While I can't reveal too much about the film itself just yet, I can share with you the illustration, and fawn over its subject a little bit.
Fashion enthusiasts might recognise this beautiful vintage Dior gown from 1952 - Christian Dior's famous 'Palmyre' design.
The film centers around many such precious gowns, and I've got my fingers crossed that we will see it on our screens in the not-too-distant future.
For a film-obsessed gal like me, this is probably one of the most interesting and exciting commissions I've had to date.
(To learn a little more about the process of script to screen, and also get a little couture illustration in on the side, is my idea of the perfect project!)
I hope you enjoy this peek at the process of draft to final...we wanted to keep the figure quite simplistic so as to draw all of the attention to that glorious gown!

THE LONDON LOOK

October 11, 2016 by Kelly Smith in ILLUSTRATION, BEAUTY

Kate Moss photographed by Craig McDean for Rimmel London

I recently worked on a self-initiated beauty project in cahoots with Coty PR to celebrate the 15th anniversary of Rimmel London's partnership with the iconic Kate Moss - my absolute favourite of all the Supers!
The side aim of this project was also to teach myself how to create an animated gif in Photoshop, a skill that will come in extremely handy for a gif-hound like me. (Not so great, perhaps, for the people on the receiving end of my phone texts - sorry in advance, friends!)
The 6 shade collection of reds and nudes, designed by Kate herself, was the perfect subject matter as I was able to incorporate each beautiful lip colour into a separate frame.
Unfortunately, the nudes seem to have been a little lost in translation when exporting the file, however I've heard it's pretty tough to get a perfect colour transition in an animated gif...
I was happy with my first attempt, regardless! I hope you guys like.

Illustration is based on an amalgamation of multiple Rimmel campaigns photographed by Craig McDean, Solve Sundsbo and Inez and Vinoodh over the last 15 years.

ITALIA

May 23, 2016 by Kelly Smith in ILLUSTRATION, TRAVEL

Spending my last week abroad in glorious Italia.
My favourite thing about this country is the diversity of its scenery. One minute you're weaving through cobblestone streets, the next you're sipping Chianti in the Tuscan hills, before gliding down a Venetian canal!
Bellissima!

Mia signora is dessed in Dolce & Gabbana.

DIOR AND I GIVEAWAY

April 01, 2015 by Kelly Smith in FASHION, ILLUSTRATION

On Sunday I went to see the brand new fashion documentary by Frédéric Tcheng, 'Dior and I'.
The film documents the appointment of the brilliant Raf Simons as new Creative Director of Dior and the subsequent weeks (8, in fact) that followed - the time in which he and his team had to entirely design and create the next Haute Couture collection. No small feat.

For those that follow fashion, and in particular the Couture collections, this could not be a more riveting film.
We see the moment that Raf is introduced to the Dior staff and the Atelier team (the incredibly talented tailors and dressmakers that create and assemble each design from Raf's vision.)
We see his design process, we meet the staff members, we discover the world of Couture.
We learn that 8 weeks to design and create an entire collection, Couture no less, is extreme.
Using some of the finest, most intricate, methods and processes in dressmaking; it's an artform.

Sometimes in the frenzied glamour that is the fashion world, the speed in which it moves and we consume, we forget to acknowledge the talented hands behind-the-scenes, the ones that work busily, stitching, cutting, crimping, and pressing, to bring the designer's incredible vision to life.
This film celebrates all of those involved in presenting the collection and it's a true feat to behold.

Amongst the chaos there are moments of genius, anxiety-ridden meetings, heart-melting confessions, and a true pride and sense of triumph in those final moments of "the show."
It's emotional and a joy to watch. When it ends you just want the whole thing to begin again.
I can't even begin to talk about the flower walls at the final presentation.
I still remember watching the collection's live show on my laptop at 1am (Australian time) my mouth agape at the breath-taking beauty of an entire house covered in fresh flowers.
To see how that stroke of genius came about was just another treasure.

To celebrate the release of the film, I've teamed up with Madman Entertainment to give away
10 double passes to see 'Dior and I' during it's theatrical run.
One major winner will also take home a DVD pack of fashion films, along with their film pass,
including 'The September Issue', 'Mademoiselle C', 'The Tents', and 'Bill Cunningham New York'.
Lucky duck!

To enter the competition hop on to social media and be sure to do the following:

INSTAGRAM: Follow @birdyandme, like and re-gram the competition image
using the hashtag #birdydiorcomp + tag @birdyandme in your post.
FACEBOOK: Follow the 'Birdy & Me' page, like and share the competition image.
Simple!

Be quick, though, as the competition ends TOMORROW!
Winners will be drawn at random and announced on Thursday, 2nd April.
5 winners will be drawn from each platform (including the major prize winner.)
Please also note that the competition is open to Australian residents only.
Good Luck!

For more information on the film, in cinemas now, visit: www.diorandimovie.com /australia