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Romantique Couture
1 Atkinson Court
Fell Foot
Newby Bridge
Ulverston
Cumbria
United Kingdom
LA12 8NW
T: 015395 30648
M: 07812 210880
Email: angy@
angymorton.com
The trials and tribulations of a fashion designer in the Lake District
ARCHIVE: my previous entries:
FEBRUARY 2011 Royal Wedding Dress - Giggle Alley - Save Lakeland's Forests - Wedding Blog - Cartmel - Fashizblack
JANUARY 2011 Save Our Forests - Big Fat Gypsy Wedding - Sexism in Football - Going Bespoke: Pros & Cons
DECEMBER 2010 Snowbound - Message to Mike Ashley - Charity Event Pics - Red Dress Black Dress - Accessories
NOVEMBER 2010 Fault Magazine - Designer Wedding Dresses - Brathay Trust - Honister - Teenage Cancer Event - Burning Dress
OCTOBER 2010 BUTiQ - Atomic - Walk on the Wild Side - Sweet Charity: Toma Fund - AM Models Event - Rails to the Isles
SEPTEMBER 2010 London Fashion Week - Fashion for a Cause - Fashion Mavericks - Talenthouse - Ladies Fanwear - Zoe Gadd
AUGUST 2010 House of Fraser - BUTiQ: ready-to-wear with a difference - Ladies, Gents, Fashion Designers ..., Worst Nightmare
JUNE - JULY 2010 Fashion Mavericks - Pyromania - Catwalk Curves - Victorian Wedding Dress - Quest for an Orchid
MAY - JUNE 2010 London Calling - Little Black Dress - Dress Sizes - Holiday Hangover - Pam Carter - Skye - Mackintosh
APRIL 2010 Spring is here - Howay the Lads! - Kirkby Stephen - April Fools - BUTiQ - Leeds Catwalk pics
FEBRUARY - MARCH 2010 Stadium of Light - Leeds United Wedding Show - Spring - London Fashion Week Catwalk Show
JANUARY 2010 Life is a Roller Coaster / Alexander McQueen - Tyne Tees TV Interview - LFW - New Year 2010
Bottom of Page for more Archive Pages
Are YOU looking for
Something completely DIFFERENT?
Do YOU want to
STAND OUT from the Crowd?
Unique, bespoke fashions and limited edition,
hand-made-to measure collections
by avant-garde designer Angy Morton,
are now available online
at BUTiQ
SEE BELOW FOR
FURTHER INFORMATION
Please show your support for Lakeland's Forests
Click on the banner above for full details
about the campaign to
Save Lakeland's Forests
USEFUL LINKS:
CLICK for: BBC Blazing Dress Video Clip
CLICK for: LFW FASHION MAVERICKS video clips on YouTube
CLICK for: LFW FASHION MAVERICKS catwalk pictures
CLICK for: JALOUSE LFW CLOSING SHOW video clips on YouTube
CLICK for: LAVISH & LUXE: STOLEN DREAMS video clips on YouTube
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NEWS
Step out of your box!
APPEAL TO ANY GIRLS going to LADY GAGA
BBC Radio One Big Weekend Carlisle, on 15th May, 2011
Do you DARE to get 'OUT OF THE BOX'?
Want to wear something completely different for the gig?
Then get in touch as soon if your application is successful.
I am offering you the opportunity to stand out in the crowd at the gig
in one-off, avant garde or haute couture outfits from my collections.
Sizes from 6 to 14 available. First come, first served.
FORTHCOMING EVENTS
18 April, 2011: ORDINARY GIRL - Alternative ROYAL WEDDING Fashion Shoot
29 April, 2011: The 'other' ROYAL WEDDING (!)
15 May, 2011: BBC Radio One 'BIG WEEKEND' - LADY GAGA (see below)
19 June, 2011: WALK ON WATER' at Whitehaven Festival
Autumn 2011: AUSTERITY - the forthcoming collection by Angy Morton
..................................................................................
29 April, 2011: BBC RADIO CUMBRIA - commenting in Royal Wedding Dress - Kevin Fernihough from 14:45
29 April, 2011: Guardian.co.uk - Royal Wedding Live Blog 12:41: Really Common Royal Wedding fashion shoot
28 April, 2011: Whitehaven News - I'll show you 'Normal', says local artist Angy
20 April, 2011: North West Evening Mail - Designer offers royal alternative
19 April, 2011: News & Star - A wife less ordinary
14 April, 2011: BBC RADIO CUMBRIA - Kevin Fernihough afternoon show - Lady Gaga & avant garde fashionsl
PRESS RELEASE - 13 APRIL, 2011
FASHION DESIGNER CREATES 'ORDINARY GIRL' ROYAL WEDDING
Avant-garde fashion designer, Angy Morton, has organised an unusual fashion shoot to pose the question, "What if the heir to the throne had really chosen an 'ordinary' girl to be his bride?
See PRESS PAGE for full details
1 April, 2011: BBC RADIO CUMBRIA - Breakfast Show - Mike Parr & Sally Moon - Lady Gaga
January-February 2011: Fashizblack Magazine: Contrasts: Warriors & Godesses (photoshoot)
14 November 2010: Fault Magazine: Imperia Staffieri (photoshoot)
6 November, 2010: The Journal - Stars give a smalls bit of help
5 November, 2010: The Keswick Reminder - Burning Dress on Honister
5 November, 2010: Evening Chronicle - Sports stars in fundraiser for cancer charity
4 November, 2010: BBC TYNE -Video Clip- Fashion designer sets dress on fire to raise money
4 November, 2010: BBC RADIO NEWCASTLE - Drive Time - Pyromania
4 November, 2010: BBC RADIO CUMBRIA - Liz Rhodes Show - Teenage Cancer
2 November, 2010: Westmorland Gazette 'South Lakeland designer blazes a trail in fashion world')
1 November, 2010: ITV BORDER - LOOKAROUND - Blazing Dress; Marti Errington-Dodds
1 November, 2010: BBC RADIO CUMBRIA - Ian Timms Show - Blazing Dress
21 September, 2010: Westmorland Gazette 'Fashion designer to unveil new collection'
20 September, 2010: Blow 'LFW Day 2 - Romantique Couture'
20 September, 2010: Fashion Mavericks 'Day Two in Pictures'
16 September, 2010: West Ham United Official Website 'Claret and blue couture'
29 April 2011: THAT OTHER ROYAL WEDDING - THE PRINCE & THE PRINCESS
What a day! Well, I worked until 4am on a bespoke jacket for a future 'Lady' then was up again at 9 to tune into the BIG wedding. I actually taped it too ... how sad is that! I was glued to the box all morning with a lump in my throat and my mind on being interviewed later on Radio Cumbria about the dress. I had to stay focussed this time. No drifting off on tangent as usual! Focus Angy, focus!
And then, just when I thought I was being snubbed for being a little disrespectful with my 'Ordinary Girl' photo shoot, the Guardian called for some pics of the fashion shoot. They also mentioned me on their live Royal Wedding blog at lunchtime. This is what Martin Wainwright wrote:
"Whitehaven on the Cumbrian coast was the setting for a 'really common' Royal wedding fashion shoot by designer Angy Morton. Annoyed at descriptions of Kate Middleton as 'ordinary', given her prosperous family background, Morton staged cameos of the bride leaving her council house, dining off fish and chips (albeit not at Pete Beedle's) and honeymooning on Windermere. The event also doubled as a plug for the Lake District. Everyone and everything in it is Cumbrian." See: News Blog for the full Royal Wedding rundown/
Well, the usual mad panic followed of trying to edit and send off images with the MAC and PC not talking to each other, and the PC trying its best to not respond and get thrown out of the window ... hate hate PCs!. And then the phone was ringing and Kevin was asking me about THE DRESS live on the airwaves. I was pleasantly surprised to find that Sarah Burton (creative director for Alexander McQueen label) was Kate Middleton's wedding dress designer for more reasons than one. The actual dress was pretty much as I expected, and had predicted a few weeks ago, as Kevin reminded me. It was classic (likened to that worn by Grace Kelly) but also very conservative. No surprises there. It was actually rather boring from a creative point of view, but you have to remember that there are a lot of politics regarding what can and cannot be worn. I liked the thought of including flowers representing the different kingdoms in the veil. Overall, she looked pretty, elegant and carried the dress very well. What else can I say other than I wish them both a long, happy life together.
28 April 2011: ROYAL WEDDING WITH A DIFFERENT - ORDINARY GIRL FASHION SHOOT
CLICK HERE for full report and photo gallery
22 April 2011: ORDINARY GIRL - FIRST PICTURES
CLICK HERE for photo gallery
For the last couple of weeks I have been buried well and truly in my latest project, my ALTERNATIVE ROYAL WEDDING DRESS. How do you mix tradition with contemporary and be unusual at the same time? Well, you start with few sketches and see where your creativity will take you. My problem is that I’m not really a traditional bridal designer so I found it a bit difficult to design something around the hourglass figure. I had only two areas where I could go wild; the upper part of the bride’s body or the hemline, so I developed the upper bit into a contemporary ‘mess’! My Wedding dress is made out of 100% ivory silk, and ivory voile with gold and purple roses and Swarovski pearls. Just to keep in tune with the royal colours.
My ALTERNATIVE ROYAL WEDDING photo shoot took place in Whitehaven on Monday to showcase my wedding dress and to pose the question, “What if the future Queen of England really was an ‘Ordinary’ girl?” I wanted to stimulate debate about what it an ‘ordinary’ girl. I have been doing a wee bit of research and what's really interesting about all this media hype trying to convince us that Kate Middleton is 'one of us', is that when you begin to peel away the layers, and take away the one grandparent who gives her a link to ordinary people, her family is deeply aristocratic and has been for generations.
After an early start and caffeine fix, the day started very well. It was hard work but also good fun, and a real team effort. I had four aspiring models, two photographers Brian Sherwen, and his grand-daughter Lauren, and two assistants from Vibralife, Carlisle for hair and make-up. Our base for the day was Whitehaven Marina which was perfect for our needs. Brian, our photographer, was also our location manager but despite him knowing the town like the back of his hand there was one challenge that was just too much even for him … to find graffiti for an edgy, urban backdrop. Whitehaven is so clean and tidy nowadays that we had to make do with a couple of dilapidated buildings … and even then we had to wait for the sun to slide behind a cloud so that they weren’t too bright! Our key locations were used to create cameos based on the ordinary girl theme. They included – as you will see from the pictures when we publish them in a few days – the harbour, the multi-storey car park, my favourite fish and chip shop, an ice cream van, a typical council estate and of course the church. We also had fun filming our bride waiting for a bus … for part of the afternoon every bus arriving in Whitehaven from Workington and Maryport carried the destination ‘Royal Wedding’ – thank you Stagecoach! I had another idea for a stunt to finish off the day but I was worried that the dress would end up ruined … so I will keep it for the next photo shoot.
All in all it was a fantastic day. Everybody worked well together and from the photos I have seen so far it was certainly successful. I will be releasing images in due course so in the meantime you will have to make do with a few ‘backstage’ shots.
Finally, I would like to say a big thank you to:
- Lana Brown, Bronwyn and Sara from Vibralife Carlisle for fab make-up and hair styling.
- Brian Sherwen and Lauren Smith the creative photographers
- The fantastic girls - Michelle Serechia (the bride), Charlotte Gray, Natalie Asbridge and Natalie Miller
- All the people that provided their kind assistance or permission to film including Simone and her crew at Whitehaven Marina, Stephen at Crosby’s fish & chips, Whitehaven car parks, Hartley’s ice cream, and of course Stagecoach for all of those Royal Wedding buses, and last but not least I would like to thank my husband Mike for his patience, with this difficult person called me, for his creativity – even though he says nah! - and the TLC he never failed to give for the last 10 years.
Thank you guys for making this happen.
Check out Lauren's Blog for a selection of her excellent pics here: Lauren's Blogspot
CLICK HERE for full report and photo gallery
If you are used to working with themedia then you shouldn’t be surprised or taken by surprise when an arranged interview jumps a day forward. Well it still caught me when BBC Radio Cumbria called and said you are going on air ... not tomorrow as planned ... but now! Terrified? God. Yes. My knees were gone and my mouth was dry.
So before my brain was properly in gear I was there live with Kevin talking about my idea that ticket holders for R1BW to see Lady Gaga can come forward and wear one of my more outlandish outfits. But Kevin was brilliant. He had done his homework and knew to ask the right questions about my work and myself ... phew! It was one of the best. It is very rare I come away from an interview not shaking at the knees and eating myself up about gettimng answers wrong in the heat of the momet.
So I would like to say a big thank you to Pat Graham the producer and Kevin Fernihough for a brilliant interview.
You can listen in to the full intreview onThursdays programme on i-player here for the next few days:
Angy on Fern on the Wireless - Radio Cumbria
(you may need to forward to 1 hour 37 minutes for the start)
No, no, please not the ‘Royal Wedding’ again I hear you say. Well actually it is but with a twist. My bride is a different - just an 'ordinary' girl, like you and me with her feet on the ground.
The reason I actually created this dress was to highlight the fact that our future Queen Catherine is not at all an ordinary girl. I know I’ve touched this subject before but the more I’m writing the more I realised that Kate’s background is closer to a princess than the ordinary girl she is being portrayed as by the press. But then again, perhaps she is ordinary from their point of view… I wonder what are we if she is ordinary then?
Anyway I’m here to highlight the fact that you don’t have to be a huge designer to come up with fantastic creations. Just look at me ) Just put your mind to it and focus. Sooner or later you will achieve your target. Oh no, I sound like my good friend Lana … she will be proud! Well I would also like to say that we have talent galore here in Cumbria. I only had to whisper the fact that I was looking for models and other bits and bobs and everybody jumped to help.
The rumour in the fashion world is that her dress is going to be very simple and classic not very exciting. But, perhaps she will surprise all of us? I can barely wait for the 29th but in the mean time I have been cocooning my own version of Kate Middleton wedding dress. An alternative Royal wedding dress.
My alternative dress is unique a combination of traditional and contemporary design. I used silk ivory for the base and gold and purple for embellishments. Not quite that straight forward … can’t say too much at the mo - all to be revealed in West Cumbria on Monday ). You see if the Princess really was an ordinary girl she would be less inhibited about what she might wear, and therefor more creative. And the world would be just a little richer for it.
PRESS RELEASE - 13 APRIL, 2011
FASHION DESIGNER CREATES 'ORDINARY GIRL' ROYAL WEDDING
Avant-garde fashion designer, Angy Morton, has organised an unusual fashion shoot to pose the question, "What if the heir to the throne had really chosen an 'ordinary' girl to be his bride?
See PRESS PAGE for full details
It's absolutely right that Cumbria is once more in the headlines, and on the map for creativity. I mean Lady Gaga at Carlisle? Whatever next? Well to be fair, we have some fantastic names at the Maryport annual Blues festival, Blondie and the Charlatans are among the bands appearing at Kendal Calling this year, and let us not forget all the other artists that live, work and are inspired in the Lake District.
So check out the BBC Radio One website for the full line up for BIG WEEKEND and to apply for your tickets: www,bbc.co.uk/radio1/bigweekend
So back to the subject of creativity, what could be better than a Lady Gaga gig after all the hype and conformity of the Royal Wedding? I mean, Princess Catherine eat your heart out! Talk about style; this is not only another level, its another galaxy. So, as you can imagine, I was up at the crack of dawn making sure I had put in my application, and now I'm crossing fingers and toes. Of course, if I make it, I will wear something appropriately outrageous. If not, well I could hardly let something like this happen in Cumbria and not show my support - so I am appealing to anybody who is happy to step out of the box of conformity and offering them the opportunity to wear one of my one-off haute couture creations to the gig. Just drop me a line or call! The only no-no would be my beloved 'Shades of Gray' which I would have to keep for myself! :) Anyway watch this space ... oh, yes, and listen out for me on Radio Cumbria tomorrow morning on the Mike Parr Breakfast Show, just before the 8'o clock news.
Hear! Hear! A new wedding is in town.
After all the troubles the Royals been through over the last 15 years, I think they deserve a bit of happiness and this wedding is the right thing. I even heard somebody saying that the best thing for a recession is a royal wedding. We had problems in the 80s but Charles & Lady Di raised our spirits, now we’ve got a different kind of recession with a different kind of wedding.
Every week that passes by we are fed with more and more small stories about the wedding. This week it was about ‘Diana’s carriage, the week before we had the unofficial cake, the week before that the website:
‘’’Prince William and Miss Catherine Middleton have set up a charitable gift fund for those who very generously may wish to donate to charity to help the couple celebrate their wedding.’’’
Mind you I expected that they would have a charity in a way, considering William’s dad supports so many charities and his mum was involved with various charities around the world. We should be pleased but perhaps not surprised. There are plenty of people out there that need help at the moment, especially now in a recession when people tend to donate less. They have chosen 26 lesser known charities around the world, from Canada, Australia New Zealand, and of course here, in the UK. See: BBC Royal Wedding Charity
What it’s lovely in this story is that love has triumphed for a change, within a very strict and rigid section of society. It was virtually unknown in the past for love to be the reason why a future king should marry. It was always to secure peace, to gain wealth or even to bring fresh ‘blood’ in the family. For example the Austro-Hungarian Empire which ruled much of Europe and even parts of Latin America was built on marriage. But this time it is different. I wonder if Charles had a say in all this.
In a way you do feel sorry for those with a title since they have a duty to fulfil and a responsibility to us. Well not all of them but some do … I always ask myself if any of you out there who make so much noise about how much money they need and blah blah blah would be able and capable to take on those duties with such grace and without complaining. It is often overlooked now much Britain is respected beyond its borders only for the fact that we have an active royal family. So often we ignore or have no idea how other people look at us and follow us in everything we do, in everything we say. And still believe we are in a way a world leader? Ask ourselves why? Certainly not because of our drunken ‘Brits Abroad’ image. So ask yourself if we had no Queen what would be the reason for so many tourists to visit London?
If you are still not convinced how about having the responsibilities they carry? How would you feel to have all that on our shoulders? Not comfortable, I am sure of that. We are used to our freedom to roam anywhere we like, to go to the pictures, shopping, and swimming, partying and all that without thinking twice of what we are doing, or what other people might think of us. But how would you feel if everywhere you turned there was a camera lens in your face – for the rest of your life? To be scrutinised over every move you make, everything you wear, everything you say. Not easy I can tell you. Unless you really love the person you make that sacrifice for. You may like it for the first few months and you may like the status but not the baggage that comes with it.
That’s why I say that love has triumphed in this case, because with Kate’s love comes one of the biggest sacrifice a lot of us wouldn’t even contemplate. Our freedom. You might disagree with me and say, look at all the things Kate can now have. She can have whatever she wants, whenever she wants. But what does all that matter in life if you are not loved? Money, possessions, a title? For how long? Look around you and show me how many wealthy people ARE happy? Very few of them I suspect. Look at Hollywood, the wealthiest people in the world and still not happy. They change partners like socks. And for what? As far as I can see Kate loves William and William loves Kate. That is what will keep their relationship going, not who his grandmother is, or his dad, but themselves and the love they share.
In my case I would hate to lose the freedom I have …but I would happily give it up for my husband, if I had to because of who he was. I would do it without thinking twice. If that was what I would have to do to be with him, then bring it on.
A lot of people out there think that having a title is easy well it’s not. In my line of work I have met people with and without titles and all I can say is that some of them feel more responsible for us than we do ourselves. They feel their title can be a burden at times and would love to be a bit more like the rest of us.
I know you all going to shout at me ‘we’ve already heard enough of the Royal Wedding!’ Sorry guys but we can’t avoid it, it’s going to be in your face for the next month…oh and guess what? It will get worse. The press loves it…in a way its damned if you do, damned if you don’t. It is quite funny because you only need to whisper something about Kate and it’s on the front page. Kate did this and William did that. Some things are funny, some are serious.
Then of course there is all the speculation over the guest list:
- 1,900 people are invited to the service at Westminster Abbey
- 600 will get to attend the Queen’s lunchtime reception at Buckingham Palace.
- 300 of them are also on the guest list for dinner at Buckingham Palace with the Prince of Wales.
As far as we know the following have said yes or no, depending on their circumstances;
On the list (confirmed at the moment):
1. Michelle Obama only – too expensive security measures for her husband to attend
2. David & Victoria Bechkam
3. Australia’s Prime Minister Julia Gillard and her partner Tim Mathieson
4. Prince Andrew and daughters Beatrice and Eugenie
5. Crown Princess Victoria and her husband Daniel
6. King Harald (who's a distant cousin of Queen Elizabeth) and Queen Sonja of Norway
7. Crown Prince Willem-Alexander and his wife Princess Maxima of Netherlands
8. Emir of Qatar, Sheikha Mozah
9. Crown Prince Frederick and Crown Princess Mary of Denmark
10. Queen Margrethe, and her husband Prince Henrik
11. Gibraltar's Chief Minister and his wife
12. Dave Clark (right) Princess Beatrice's boyfriend – reception only
13. Governor-General David Johnston and his wife, Sharon
14. John Haley, landlord of the Old Boot Inn inKate’s village, Bucklebury
15. Chan Shingadia and her husband Hash, who run the Peaches Spa in Kate’s village
16. Martin Fidler and wife, who run the Bladebone Butchery in Bucklebury
17. Ryan Naylor, the Bucklebury village postman
Off the list:
1. Sarah Ferguson – controversial
2. King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa of Qatar - refused
3. King Juan Carlos - refused
4. Crown Prince Naruhito and his wife, Crown Princess Masako of Japan (highly unlikely following the earthquake and the problems in Japan)
5. Katy Perry - promised to crash the wedding party
6. Sam Branson
7. Isabella Calthorphe
8. Princess Eugenie’s boyfriend Jack Brooksbank
9. Prince Harry’s hard-partying friends Astrid and Davina Harbord - known as the ‘Hardcore Sisters’.
10. The Saturdays
11. Girls Aloud
For me like other billions of people, the most important thing is to see who designed Kate’s dress. I do hope is somebody new...
One of the things strikes me is that everybody says that Kate is an ‘ordinary’ girl. Well after some brief research I realise that is nothing else then a myth. Hmm. Excuse me but since when did having a very rich mummy and daddy make you an ‘ordinary’ girl? Hello, am I missing something here? Anybody out there would like to have that ‘ordinary’ lifestyle, believe me. I have no knives out for the girl, it’s just that the press drives me mad with all this ‘such an ordinary girl’rubbish. Has she grown up on a council estate? Did she attend a ‘state’ school? Nope. Kate has everything her little heart desires. Sorry, but that is not ’ordinary’. Not in our world anyway. And the fact that she is the reason that she made so many so called best-dressed lists and was selected by The Daily Telegraph as the "Most Promising Newcomer" in its 2006 list of style winners Yawn, yawn, yawn. As for style, sorry but what style? I intend to agree with Dame Westwood. Nothing there…plenty room for improvement. I know that the Royal family have to be rather conservative in the way they dress but and I emphasize here BUT you can always play with that ... I mean, aren’t rules sometimes there to be broken? Bring Coco Chanel to 2011…a good designer can do it with the twist of a pencil.
Now of course the other very hot question is where they will spend honeymoon. If I shout loud enough they may take notice, CUMBRIA. We have our suspicions that Cumbria may be on their list, the reason being that Prince Charles is always coming here for his holidays so we can only hope. It would be nice for the local economy but perhaps they will be misled by all those people that claim it always rains here. Then it would be their loss.
See: William & Kate may Honeymoon in Cumbria
Towards the end of last year, Lucy from Brathay asked me if I will like to get involved with raising funds for the Brathay Trust charity – see my blog on that 11 November 2010: BRATHAY TRUST AUCTION
Clare and Kirsten won the bid on EBAY for a full day workshop with me, at Brathay which took place on Friday. Scared? You can say that again… when you are working for yourself it is so easy not to think of what and how you achieve a difficult task. It just comes naturally. But trying to explain to somebody how you are turning a corner on a tailored jacket so that it appears smooth is another thing altogether. However the girls were understanding and ready to absorb all I could offer them.
I had only from 9 am until 4 in the afternoon to teach them all I could about fashion design … what a mammoth task. I started by explaining what fashion is all about. Easy? Well you try to explain such a vast subject in an hour … Ha!
We had lunch and played with few outfits, with a view to recycling them into something new, and fashionable. To be honest I had very short time to try to explain how things actually work. I really needed another three or four days to explain everything. The girls were enjoying themselves so much that they sacrificed all their half hour breaks to make the most of the day I had prepared in my schedule. Of course, as they said, they had paid the charity for a day workshop, not for the breaks. I have to say though, that by four we were shattered. .I couldn’t even see the needle any more.
In a way I felt a bit more confident since I had already been invited to the Lakeland Business women’s in Kendal by one of the girls, Clare, the day before. So she wasn’t quite a stranger! All in all I made good friends and we keep in touch, and if they get stuck I’m here for any advice they need )) Clare has just told me that she has already bought a Vogue sewing book to improve her hand stitching and she is practising with her 6-year old son who is making a teddy bear.
The only disappointment was that nobody from Brathay Trust actually came to see us or to say a hello. The only face from Brathay we saw all day was the lad from reception. He was nice, helped me with extension leads and iron boards. Otherwise we saw. Hmmm. The girls have spent a bit of money for the charity so they could at least have said thank you. and of course I had donated a full day’s work for their cause, but again not a word, not a face. But hey, do I feel annoyed that yet again another charity treats me like I’m at their disposal? Yes I do. No doubt they do a good thing helping youngsters to gain a second chance in life but a bit of TLC like I give to my sewing machine can go such a long way. The girls asked me if I was sure we were at the Brathay Trust in Ambleside or at the end of the Universe. That was funny. Probably at the end of the Universe, looking for my towel and repeating endlessly number 42. One of their husbands was reading THE book.
Reflections of Winter: still officially winter but it feels like Spring. Reflections in Coniston Water and at Tarn Hows, and not a soul in site!
With last week’s London Fashion Week in full force the obvious question on everybody’s lips was 'WHO will design Kate’s Middleton's wedding dress?' Well it looks like Dame Viviene Westwood will NOT.
I couldn’t help giggling…DVW was asked at the Royal Courts of Justice, the show venue, if she will be designing the wedding dress - her reply was hilarious)) "
''I would have loved to have dressed Kate Middleton but I have to wait until she kind of catches up a bit somewhere with style.'' She laughed then added: ''Sorry. I'm not going to say any more, that's it.
''When people ask me where she's going to get the dress from - she's definitely not going to get it from me, or I would have heard.''
Check out this article in the Daily Telegraph: Kate Middleton needs to catch up with style.
Speculation and rumours are rife as no details of the wedding dress designer has emerged. One thing is for sure, Daniella Issa Helayel of Issa London is Kate’s favourite so don’t be surprised if her label will be on Kate’s wedding dress. Others in the frame include:
1. Daniella Issa Helayel of Issa London
2. Phillipa Lepley Bridal Dresses Designer
3. Bruce Oldfield – Couture Bridal Gowns
4. Elizabeth Emanuel – Princess Diana's Wedding dress designer
5. Matthew Williamson
6. Vera Wang
Hopefully not
7. Victoria Beckham
8. Kate Moss
To be honest I really hope Kate/Catherine - she prefers to be called Catherine after the wedding - will pick a completely unknown British designer …all those above are already established and successful as designers therefore no need for the extra PR. They are themselves high profile celebrities with no need for more profit; where as a new, young designer needs all the help he/she can get. So much creativity lurks around this small island surely she’s out to get something unique, romantic and feminine. Or perhaps not??
Anyway, watch this space, as yours truly is working on a design in her head as the perfect remedy to it all ... the 'Alternative Royal Wedding Dress' ... utterly wacky, completely different, and a celebration of style and creativity ... or what is left of it! ... as I said, watch this space!
With the forest campaign flying around my head a new design was bugging me for days. So here it is. Actually its the the second …maybe I should make a collection inspired by forests (ha what a brill idea) . The first one was made few years ago, inspired by another forest - the wooded valley of Tilberthwaite. It was a bridal dress , and because it still fitted me, and seemed so appropriate, I couldn't resist redesigning it to wear for the Grizedale rally a few weeks ago.
The location for the photos is brilliant it’s actually a derelict …no no no I’m not going to tell you what and where )). Unfortunately the owner took the roof off and left it to ruin only because he couldn’t get the permission to change it into holiday cottages. Such a waste …
Please show your support for Lakeland's Forests
Click on the banner above for full details about the campaign to Save Lakeland's Forests
and forthcoming events at local forests
Further details about Lakeland Forests still under threat from potential sell-offs, see: www.lakelandbeyond.com
PYROMANIA py-ro-ma-nia: - the exciting, new collection from Angy Morton
PYROMANIA is my latest concept collection, a mix of limited edition 'hand made' lines, which can be made to measure on order, and designs which will subsequently be manufactured in the United Kingdom as limited edition 'prêt-à-porter' lines. The 'hand-made' range will be available from my new online BUTiQ and exclusive runs of 'prêt-à-porter' designs from select boutiques or online.
See BUTiQ for further details and regular updates
18 September, 2010
You Tube Clip - 1
'Meltwater' and 'Harvest Moon'
by Angy Morton
18 September, 2010
You Tube Clip - 5
'Florence No.2 and 'Pahoehoe' (Pyromania Collection)'
by Angy Morton
18 September, 2010
You Tube Clip - 2
'Scirocco' and 'Aurora Borealis'
by Angy Morton
18 September, 2010
You Tube Clip - 6
'Fuji' (Pyromania Collection)
by Angy Morton
18 September, 2010
You Tube Clip - 5
'Ijen' (Pyromania Collection)
by Angy Morton
18 September, 2010
You Tube Clip - 6
'Firestorm' (Pyromania Collection)'
by Angy Morton
18 September, 2010
You Tube Clip - 7
'Flashover' (Pyromania Collection)
by Angy Morton
18 September, 2010
You Tube Clip - 8
'Pacaya' (Pyromania Collection)
by Angy Morton
18 September, 2010
You Tube Clip - 9
'Krakatau' (Pyromania Collection)
by Angy Morton
18 September, 2010
You Tube Clip - 10
Sample Jacket created for West Ham United FC
by Angy Morton
FEBRUARY 2011 Alternative Royal Wedding Dress - Giggle Alley - Save Lakeland's Forests - Spring Wedding Blog - Cartmel - Fashizblack
JANUARY 2011 Save Our Forests - Big Fat Gypsy Wedding - Sexism in Football - Going Bespoke: Pros & Cons
DECEMBER 2010 Snowbound - Message to Mike Ashley - Charity Event Pics - Red Dress Black Dress - Accessories
NOVEMBER 2010 Fault Magazine - Designer Wedding Dresses - Brathay Trust - Honister - Teenage Cancer Event - Burning Dress
OCTOBER 2010 BUTiQ - Atomic - Walk on the Wild Side - Sweet Charity: Toma Fund - AM Models Event - Rails to the Isles
SEPTEMBER 2010 London Fashion Week - Fashion for a Cause - Fashion Mavericks - Talenthouse - Ladies Fanwear - Zoe Gadd
AUGUST 2010 House of Fraser - BUTiQ: ready-to-wear with a difference - Ladies, Gents, Fashion Designers ..., Worst Nightmare
JUNE - JULY 2010 Fashion Mavericks - Pyromania - Catwalk Curves - Victorian Wedding Dress - Quest for an Orchid
MAY - JUNE 2010 London Calling - Little Black Dress - Dress Sizes - Holiday Hangover - Pam Carter - Over the Sea to Skye - Mackintosh
APRIL 2010 Spring is here - Howay the Lads! - Kirkby Stephen - April Fools - BUTiQ - Leeds Catwalk pics
FEBRUARY-MARCH 2010 Stadium of Light - Leeds United Wedding Show - Spring - LLFW Catwalk Show
JANUARY 2010 Life is a Roller Coaster / Alexander McQueen - Tyne Tees TV Interview - LFW - New Year 2010
DECEMBER 2009 White Christmas - Liverpool Debacle - Stolen Dreams Facts - Haverthwaite - Miss Sunderland
NOVEMBER 2009 Lavish & Luxe - The Big Flood - Stolen Dreams - Censored Dreams
SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2009 Stolen Dreams - Gambling Man - Laughing Stock - Justice - Broken Promises
AUGUST 2009 Lavish & Luxe - Weddings - Chaos - Photo Shoot at St. James' Park - Harvest Time
JUNE - JULY 2009 Sir Bobby Robson RIP - Mannekins - Liverpool - Georgian Splendour - Price of Fame - Detox
MAY - JUNE 2009 (Toon in Tatters - Fashion Communism - Ele Horsleys - Kittiwakes - Stolen Dreams - Bluebells
MARCH - APRIL 2009 Made in England - Stolen Dreams - Easter Sunshine - Victoriana - Alan Shearer - Funland
FEBRUARY - MARCH 2009 (Favourite View - Punk Revival - Fast Fashion v. Recycled Fashion
JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2009 (In Search of Winter - A Favourite Place - Catwalk Videos - Winter Chill
NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2008 (ROCS - Florence No2. - Winter-Mere
OCTOBER - NOVEMBER 2008 (Cumbria Life - Glitz & Glamour Haggerston Craft Show
OCTOBER 2008 (Woman Event - Catwalk Photos - Radio Cumbria - Brochure Download
SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2008 (Newcastle United Wedding Dress - Wedding Shows
AUGUST - SEPT. 2008 (Fashion Designers - Spectrum Collection - Sara Gadd
JUNE - JULY 2008 (Haute Couture - Vivienne Westwood - Dorset Buttons - Magna Carta
FEBRUARY - MAY 2008 (Lake District Inspirations - Long Blondes - Wedding Show
We are on
Angy's Blog is written by Angela Morton, Fashion Designer & Dressmaker
Photographs copyright of Mike and Angy Morton
Copyright Romantique Couture 2011
Photographs copyright of Mike and Angy Morton
Copyright Romantique Couture 2011