Alexander Mcqueen | The Walking Open

My Style – Coffee in Uptown

Posted on January 26, 2015 by thewalkingopen

Sometimes you have to experiment with everything – clothing, places, food, people to talk to. I used to always stay in my comfort zone, but always wanted to do something that I wasn’t used to. And recently, maybe about less than a year ago, I have decided that nothing will keep me from doing what I really want to do and I just started experimenting. I went where I always wanted to go, bought what I wanted to buy, talked to who I wanted to talk even if I needed to overcome something for that. And then I have realized that you can never stay in your comfort zone – you always need to push down boundaries and set new goals!

Your style depends on who you are and what you do and like. I, personally, can’t simply sit in one place and do nothing – I need to explore new things and get inspiration from somewhere. For me, the best sources of inspiration are music, books, movies, people, and of course different cities. I like traveling and seeing new places – watch how everything is different, observe people and find some interesting and cute places. But when I don’t have a chance to travel, for example like in the middle of the school year, I like to explore Kiev. You might not expect it, but it definitely has a lot of sources of inspiration.

Sometimes I just like to go Uptown – districts like Podil are very old, but have a special charm. It is not like the old districts of cities like London, Paris or Rome, but instead it has it’s own personal vibe. Some people find it depressing, but for me it is the place where you can mentally relax. There is no buzz, no busy people, nothing that will make you feel the rush of the city. There, you can just sit down in a small ‘hipster-like’ cafe, buy a coffee and chill while talking to your friends. It is the best place to come after a busy week and to just refresh yourself. And that is the key to inspiration – finding a place that you can come back any time that you feel sad, tired, depressed or just want a blast of good thoughts in your head.

Some people say: “Books/movies are much more interesting than life”. I don’t agree. I think that you should MAKE your life more interesting than anything else. It is your life and you live only once – everyone will die one day. So do what you want to do now – while you have a chance to make mistakes.

My Designs – Alexander McQueen’s Personal Expression

Posted on January 21, 2015 by thewalkingopen

The next designer that I wanted to explore and to see how he expressed himself through fashion was Alexander McQueen. He has inspired me a lot, not only by his designs, but by the way that he presented fashion to the world. He wasn’t limited by the frames – he was open to new opportunities and ideas. The designer didn’t have limits – he could create anything into a fashion design or a fashion show. One of his shows was intentionally ‘flooded’, others – used decorations that are ‘out of this world’ to impress the viewer and to show his statement.

Designer’s name was actually Lee MqQueen, but when he wanted to break into fashion, he changed his brand name in order to fit the society of fashion norms. From the early childhood he was influenced by everything mythical and dark, especially Jack The Ripper. Growing up in the East London, there were many of stories about him, so one of his first collections was influenced mainly by them. The style of the designer stayed the same with all of his development and fame, even though it has gotten more feminine and high-end.

The designer is very famous for his interpretation of leather and different patterns in his clothing, as well as snake patterns and small bright detail. He also is an all-time lover of skulls – they are everywhere: shoes, scarves, dresses, accessories and many many more. This is something that helps him to make a fashion statement and to show who he actually is in the fashion world. So I have decided to pick up many of those garments and to form them into a casual look. For this look, I have gotten inspiration only from the separate pieces, instead of the whole look itself.

The next look that I was inspired by is taken from one of the Haut Couture collections that were presented by the designer. As he loves everything that is extraordinary and out of the borders, for his Haut Couture line he creates real pieces of art. the dress that has inspired me the most is made out of feathers and captures mythic and style at the same time.

Alexander McQueen is one of my all time favorite designers, and not as much because of his style, but more because that he wasn’t afraid to speak up and show what he really thinks. It is just amazing that there are people like him who can say everything that they want to say through a piece of clothing and I was incredibly happy to get to explore the designer’s style and intentions better!