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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:
MARCH-APRIL 2011 Ordinary Gir -Alternative Royal Wedding - Fern on the Wireless - RAdo One Big Weekend - Reflections
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
RED DRESSBLACK DRESS
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
Unique commissions
also available to select boutiques
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
CLICK for: STOLEN DREAMS LAUNCH video clips on YouTube
CLICK for: MySpace
CLICK for: Fashion Industry Network
FORTHCOMING EVENTS
19 June, 2011: CATWALK ON WATER' at Whitehaven Festival
July 2011: 'Bugs on the Beach' - exclusive photoshoot
21 August, 2011: Ladies Day at Cartmel Races
Autumn 2011: AUSTERITY - the forthcoming collection by Angy Morton
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16 June, 2011: News & Star - Whitehaven sets the stage for festival Madness
16 June, 2011: Whitehaven News - The stage is set for biggest weekend in Copeland's year
16 May, 2011: BBC RADIO CUMBRIA - commenting on R1BW Lady Gaga fashions - Ian Timms Breakfast Show
29 April, 2011: BBC RADIO CUMBRIA - commenting in Royal Wedding Dress - Kevin Fernihough
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
2 November, 2010: Westmorland Gazette 'South Lakeland designer blazes a trail in fashion world')
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'
A BIG thank you for everybody who helped to make yesterday such a successful, fun day - from Luke Richardson, the event organiser, to my hardworking models Michelle, Natasha, Natalie, Lauren, Stephanie, and Carly, stylist Bridget Foster and her assistant, photographer Wayne Preston, and of course Pamela Telford from the Haig Colliery Mining Museum for the fab props. Lots of hardwork (I reckon I had no more than 5 hours sleep all weekend) and stress, but I hardly noticed with such a great team to support me. It was all well worth it and the atmosphere at teh festival was absolutely brill :)
Full report. pics and clips to follow once I get my breath back!
\.
Willl it rain, or won't it? That is the question on a lot of lips, but I am more concerned with getting everything finished in time, including my spectacular Montreal No.4 and something - well, completely different!.
Here is a sneak preview of Wellington 1910 which is intended as a tribute to the 136 men that perished in the worst disaster in the West Cumberland coalfield. It was always dangerous work and in these mines, with their shafts and tunnels miles out under the sea, there was always the danger of fire damp - methane gas. The miners would carry a canary in a cage with them as an early warning. The bird was very sensitive to gases so if it dropped off its perch they knew it wasn't safe. Watch out for the canary on Sunday!
Of course there will be more than just Red Dress : Black Dress on the catwalk. One of the most exciting projects I am working on is my new AUSTERITY collection and I am hoping to have some samples of my 'BUG' concept design ready for the final catwalk - a sort of cross over from Red Dress : Black Dress. The concept is something simple, very stylish and versatile. Tall order! As mentioned before don't expect something utility - no sackcloth and shades of grey. Austerity will be bright and refreshing, a feel-good factor, yet practical. Watch this space.
Don't forget to buy your copy of this week's Whitehavn News for a 20 page supplement and full rundown of everything that is on. It will be a fantastic event with a range of bands on the mainstage including Madness, T'Pau, Bananarama, Boy George and Razorlight as well as tall ships, celebrity chefs, fireworks, food stalls, fairground and so on ... it is going to be a fantastic weekend
Official site: www.the whitehavenfestival.co.uk
See also: Whitehaven News
RED:Workings of the Crowgarth Mine in Cleator Moor were so close to the surface that the miners could hear the Montreal School clock striking the hour; while their wives knew when to put the potatoes on to boil after noises from underground stopped.
I have so many dresses to make and my cold is such a stubborn virus that it doesn’t want to leave me alone. You could always sell it on Ebay, my Mike said. Not a bad idea is it?
‘Cold with potential to develop into flu. Success guaranteed for a certificate to be off work’ Start bidding from 0.99. Or buy one get one free. LOL. I love Mike he’s brill.
So back to the matter in hand, DRESSES – out of all the dresses I had to make there are two on the go, and another two to be finished off. How many they should have been done? Well the balance of my new collection. I know, I know but still I have time…despite this damn cold. And then I felt demotivated because of all the doom and gloom in the press, and the lack of business, and because my creativity had dried up. You know the feeling - like you don’t care anymore about anything. Well after reading all this you feel better don’t you? I suppose whatever you do for living sometimes it can become a bit of a bore if you get stuck in a rut.
But it rarely lasts for long, especially in my business. For some reason last week I regained my inspiration and creativity and it is full steam ahead with new designs and dresses to make sure the Catwalk on Water shows at Whitehaven Festival will be absolutely fantastic.
So what can you expect next Sunday? There will be three Catwalk on Water shows as follows:
Bulwark Quay, Whitehaven
19 June, 2011
12:00 Pyromania Collection + Extras
Spectacular avant-garde dresses as featured at LFW
13:30 Stolen Dreams Collection
My infamous fusion of fashion and football
15:30 RedDress:BlackDress plus prototypes for my Austerity Collection
An exciting finale dedicated to the heritage of Red & Black, Iron & Coal, in West Cumbria coupled to raising awareness and funds for the Haig Pit visitors centre*
RedDress:BlackDress will comprise a series of couture designs inspired by the iron and coal industries, with appropriate accessories, and my latest collection of red and black hand-made-to- measure red and black dresses. This will also embrace cross-over designs linked to my forthcoming Austerity collection.
Austerity by Angy: OK, so you are thinking flour sacks, bin liners, cheese cloth, and recycled dog blankets, boiler suits and donkey jackets in a fetching spectrum of colours from brown to beige and fawn, and every shade of grey between black and white? Yes? Then forget it! Austerity by Angy will inspire a feel-good factor with bright colours and simple, practical yet trendsetting designs, that everybody will want to wear. Watch this space!
Official Festival website: Whitehaven Festival 2011
See also PRESS PAGE for Press Release
BLACK:Four men entered with breathing apparatus. They had travelled about 190 yards when their canary fell from its perch, which they then left at the roadside. Further on, their safety lamps went out which were also left at the roadside. They then continued over many falls until the heat was 85 degrees Fahrenheit and they could no longer see their electric lamps for the smoke. (Wellngton Pit 1910 was West Cumberland's worst pit disaster - 136 men lost their lives)
1 June, 2011: WHAT IF ... THERE WASN'T A REVOLUTION?
A few days ago I read an article about someone visiting North Korea. The headline was, “Paranoia, no cars and silence in the cities: What I saw when I played golf in the most secretive and dangerous country on earth.” The narrator was a passionate golf player who had the ‘fortune’ to receive permission to play in North Korea. My hair stood on end when I read about his experiences and what he saw - well, as much as his minders would allow, which I suspect was very, very limited.
You may ask yourself why I am making these comments. Well as a lot of my friends know, it is because I had the misfortune of growing up and living for 15 years of my life under a brutal regime that modelled itself very closely on North Korea. It wasn’t pretty … but you won’t hear too many of my folk talking about it – they are either too ashamed of their own role on the past or they are still numbed and confused by the lies and misinformation about our history.
My experience as a child was of long queues, always being hungry and always being cautious, even suspicious of anybody. I grew up very quickly and looked after myself half the time. By the age of five I was queuing for bread. Mum was working long shifts and she was always tired. Because finding the food for a meal was such a long process we often had only dripping on a hard, and sometimes mouldy, slice of bread for dinner. White bread? Only if you were lucky and lived in the countryside … otherwise it was the colour of cement, bulked up with sawdust and made with so little fat that it was rock hard within an hour.
I remember things became even worse during my teens. School was okay but we were always scared of each other – always on alert. I quickly learned never to trust anybody and to always question what they really wanted from me, or why somebody who had never spoken to me suddenly wanted to be my friend. You constantly asked yourself WHY? At school we used to have visits from the Secret Police just to make sure we were happy there, but it was actually a pretext to question us about our own families – after all kids can be so naive can’t they? Bless them. Had you heard anything unusual? What were your mum and dad talking about when they came home from work last night? A slip of the tongue and you could guarantee your parents would be arrested. Our teachers were no better: we had one day every week which we used to spend with the same teacher asking all sorts of questions, many very personal and some of them quite intimate.
You lived in constant fear that you might be next because they said ‘you did something or said something twelve months ago’ and then the little freedom you had would be gone. All the time you were tired from the strain, from the fear of anything that moved around you; who’s talking, what are they talking about, and why. If the talk is restless and about the regime you run miles otherwise you will be the one that is questioned next. Yes it is called Paranoia but you needed it to survive and for your own self protection.
My heart bleeds for the people in NK, with no food, no prospect of a better future and no opportunities. Suppressed from birth and taught to shut up and not ask unnecessary questions otherwise you would risk your family being arrested and taken away. Scary? That’s only scratching the surface. In my country it was rumoured that one in three people were informants to the Secret Police, either because they were in the pay of the Secret Police or because they themselves had been compromised. All your movements and everything you said was reported. If you had a drink and a loose tongue you were dead meat. As a curious child I wasn’t allowed to ask questions - curiosity killed the cat. Mum did her best to feed me ‘safe’ information as they used to call it.
Information was precious. The Secret Police used to spread rumours to see who would pick them up. Rumours like, the Dictator is very ill, or something similar. Then, they waited. A few days later when there were people in the city centre celebrating their so called good fortune they would all be arrested.
Life was a hard and a constant battle for survival. You may say – like a lot of them do - it was our own fault for getting involved with the wrong crowd in the Second World War, or you might blame the Allies for giving us up in return for Greece. The first sentence is right and the second is absolutely Rubbish. If people had had the same willing, passion and rage that we had during the ‘89 Revolution things could’ve been different, but history is there to show us what not to do in the future and to accept out past humbly and truthfully.
No communist country in this world is without corruption, and those dirty whispers of I scratch your back you scratch mine. If anybody says otherwise it’s a lie. Communism works only on paper and maybe Karl Marx had an honourable vision but in real life it has been proved that it doesn’t work. We are all individuals, not the faceless cogs in a machine, subservient to one voice as in North Korea. Thankfully, for me, enough people in my country realised that and finally did something about it. We were so worn down by the system that when I stood up and faced the tanks and bullets with all those other people, none of us feared death. Even death would have been better than life as it was.
I dread to think what would have happened if we had failed or if the Revolution had never happened but reading this article on NK certainly makes me wonder: Paranoia, no cars and silence in the cities
A 'flying mouse' sounds nicer than a 'bat' - don't you think? Trust the Germans to be more practical. Anyway, it is that time of the year again. There are hundreds of bats which roost in the lofts and between the old slates of the homes surrounding the courtyard where we live. It is wonderful to watch them at dusk, or even better in the small hours when the first light begins to show and the bats swirl round and round our courtyard in a swarm before disappearing into their roosts. One of our neighbours has a colony of long-eared bats which are fascinating to see when they are silhouetted against the dawn sky. Their ears protrude far ahead of them, like bats with rabbirts ears! Meanwhile we have Soprano Pipistrelles like this one in our walls so we have to be very vigilant. If we don't block the door, pregnant females crawl under it, disorientated. It is our job to reach them before the cat and carefully release them.
RED : In Cleator Moor the workings were so close to the surface that the miners could hear the Montreal School clock striking the hour; while their wives knew when to put the potatoes on to boil after noises from underground stopped.. (Crowgarth Iron Ore Mine, Cleator Moor)
So what was your favourite R1BW bit? The line up was soooo good. Even BBC said they never had such a good line up for such a long time and all of them in CARLISLE. WOW. Diversity was brilliant. Unless you are extremely fussy with your music everything was there. Rock, pop, hip-pop, dubstep, indie-electro, electronic pop, alternative rock, jazz etc.
My fav was Foo Fighters, My Chemical Romance, Pulled Apart by Horses, Two Door Cinema Club – such lovely names eh ) - Magnetic Man, and Katy B oh and Lady Gaga’s Jazz bit . Shock horror ) JAZZ OMG and no Paparazzi or Love Game or The Fame. . but it was different. I actually liked it more then the ‘Born this Way’ yeah ok throw stones at me!! It shows that she can come out of that commercial box and do a completely different style. She is a musician and an artist so expect far more from her than just the commercial stuff. And for all of you who thing she doesn’t have a voice well listen to Spice Girls or Girls Aloud first and then make your mind up with who hasn’t got a voice.
My only observation was that the crowd was less impressed with the line up. They gave all the support required to big bands like Black Eye Peas or Jesse J but not with the new fresh bands like Friends Electric or the established Chase & Status or Plan B. Oh for your info a track from Chase & Status 'Eastern Jam' album was spotted by Snoop Dogg who newly released it in April 2009 as 'Snoop Dogg Millionaire'. Will that count? Probably not. I could also say that BBC could’ve issud more tickets than 20,000. Plenty of gaps on the field - another 20 easy peasy....I suspect Health and Safety said No.
So, because my style is unique, and because I like LG and don't get stuck in a box with my own creativity, my local radio station wanted an opinion re LG attire for R1BW. As you are aware LG is very unpredictable iwith regards to what she wears in the public’s eye but one thing that people often don't get is that is that LG is wearing her songs.. Listen very carefully to her lyrics and see what I mean.
The baby bump she came on stage with at Carlisle was related to Born this Way - if you thought that was shocking have a look at the uncut version of her video … ! Then she came out with Bad Romance. Well the baby bump can certainly represent an aspect of bad romance … and so on and so forth. I’m not trying to connect all her crazy outfits to her songs no no no. However they do have a meaning. What I’m not sure is if that’s part of the commercial side as in pushing the new albums or pure and simple that’s’ how she is.
So there I was with Ian Timms asking me about Lady Gaga in the studio on ther breakfast show ... how surreal. What a great radio station, great crack, and just been declared the most listened to of all the BBC regional radio stations so give them your support and tune in! Otherwise before we know it we might hear that awful word 'CUT' being whispered in the alleywatys of Carlisle! Anyway, to end with a funny finale, after my interview somebody called in to ask if they could talk about something else rather then Gaga )) enough please!!.
For the first time since we moved back to Cumbria I feel let down and disappointed. Well, to be more exact with those people who won tickets to R1BW for Sunday the 15th of May. I really believed that people going along to see a truly creative genius would be more then happy to wear something equally wacky to such a fantastic event…..but no, after weeks of hard work I had only TWO replies from ticket holders. Yes you heard right TWO. What? Are you kidding me? TWO yes and even those two after so many e-mails backwards and forwards backed out. The reply was no no no we don’t want to be unusual, we don’t want people to look at us and if there are just two of us then NO.
I
I really do not want to upset anyone but this is shocking! If I had a designer chasing me to wear one of her designs will I hesitate? No. I would jump at the chance regardless of how wet and muddy it may be. So there! I suppose you could argue that the weather didn't really help in the end, and I should mention that I did receive a few replies from people that hoped to secure tickets but didn't - including a great gang of students from a school on the Solway. They would have been up for it!
Out off all this there was one shining star - BBC Radio Cumbria! A big thank you for airing my appeal and for all your help guys. You were fab ) ... and if they won tickets I'm sure Kevin and Gordon would have been up for the challenge anyway ... he! he! he!
Three years ago the BBC aired a very interesting documentary about the British consumers. The first series, entitled Blood, Sweat and T-shirts was about the real human cost of our obsession withcheap clothing. It was fallowed by Blood, Swear and Takeaways about cheap food and where it all comes from and the last was Blood Sweat and Luxuries.
As a lot of people know me by now I’m shouting as hard as I can about the real cost of cheap clothes, and consequent decline in local skills and creativity. Well Jesse J is right, it is not about the money eh! I’m not a hypocrite – you will find things made in China in my house too .. it can't be completely avoided nowadays, no matter how hard you try – but I do like to remind people to think very, very hard before buying. In particular ask yourself, 'who made them, and where and why?" Then, you can tell me if you could survive with less then 50 pounds a month like people in Cambodia. It isn’t right or fair to others. Have you never ever asked yourself how three T-shirts can cost only a fiver? Really?
Of course you can argue that you wouldn’t be able to live the lifestyle you have without cheap, cheap, cheap! And yes you will say, "well if it wasn’t for my T-shirt they wouldn’t have a job." I’m not going to argue with that. What I am going to argue about is that we should still give those people the opportunity and hope. Nobody likes poverty, believe me. I know exactly what I’m talking about ... I've been there, done that, and yes, I even have the T-shirt. However, my mum used to say to me ‘education, education’ is the only way out. And by God she was right! I was lucky to have had that opportunity but you would have none if you had to work from the age of five for 12 hours a day, 6 days a week.
I highlighted this Labour Behind the Label because they focus very much on fashion and some of my mass-market 'competitors', well if you want to call them that. Labour Behind the Label is a campaign that supports garment workers' efforts worldwide to improve their working conditions, through raising awareness, providing information and encouraging international solidarity between workers and consumers. I also had the idea to raise some funds for them – well actually was Mike’s idea). So I am asking the girls who will wear my outfits to R1BW on Sunday the 15th May, to the Lady Gaga gig to coonsider making a donation to LBL in return.
Oh BTW I’m still looking for ticket holders to wear my outfits ... so if you are interested and at the same time would like to raise awareness to a good cause please give me a call.
I have decided to extend my 'Red Dress - Black Dress' concept collection of limited edition, hand-made-to-measure little red and black dresses. The new collection will be launched in a spectacular finale to my propoesed 'Walk-on-Water; catwalk shows at this year's Whitehaven Festival in June.
I have decided to dedicate the entire collection to the industrial heritage, the red and the black, of West Cumbria, to raise awareness to the project to develop a vsistor's centre at the Haig Mining Museum. The importance and significance of these industries to the development of West Cumbria cannot be under-estimated but, there is a risk of losing what littlle still remains.
In addition to the main collection, I am working on a new centrepiece of three avant garde creations to accompany my earlier Florence No.2 dress. Like Florence they have been inspired by aspects of our mining heritage and the people that worked and lost their lives in these industries. These avant garde dresses, which will be couture designs created from recycled fabrics, will be:
Florence No.2
Montreal No.4
Wyndham No.3
Ladysmith Colliery
Wellington Pit 1910
They mined for coal and iron ore.
This harvest below ground could show
Black and red currants on one tree.
In furnaces they burnt the coal,
The ore was smelted into steel,
And railway lines from end to end
Corseted the bulging land.
Pylons sprouted on the fells,
Stakes were driven in like nails,
And the ploughed fields of Devonshire
Were sliced with the steel of Cleator Moor.
The land waxed fat and greedy too.
It would not share the fruits it grew,
And coal and ore, as sloe and plum,
Lay black and red for jamming time.
The pylons rusted on the fells,
The gutters leaked beside the walls,
And women searched the ebb-tide tracks
For knobs of coal or broken sticks.
But now the pits are wick with men,
Digging like dogs dig for a bone:
For food and life we dig the earth -
In Cleator Moor they dig for death.
Every wagon of cold steel
Is fire to drive a turbine wheel;
Every knuckle of soft ore
A bullet in a soldier's ear.
The miner at the rockface stands,
With his segged and bleeding hands
Heaps on his head the fiery coal,
And feels the iron in his soul.
Norman Nicholson
(about Montreal No.4 Pit, Cleator Moor)
4 MAY 2011: WANDERING IN WEST CUMBRIA
May is a time for birthdays in my household. They correspond with one of the most beautiful times of ther year when nature is exploding into colour in life. We took a couple of days off and headed west, towards the coast, to the 'real' Cumbria, to check out a few details and gain inspiration for my Red:Black collection and event at Whitehaven in June. I thought you might appreciate a couple of pictures. West Cumbria is the dramatic side of the Lake District - the highest, most rugged mountains, the deepest lake and sandy beaches and sandstone cliffs. and the vestiges of the old mining industries and busy ports. It is a place to escape from the crowds of Windermere and the Central Lakes, and the hustle and bustle. Even the towns and villages are different. Less twee but friendlier and more welcoming. Home from home!
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 DIFFERENCE - 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
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 - 6
'Fuji' (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 - 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 - 8
'Pacaya' (Pyromania Collection)
by Angy Morton
18 September, 2010
You Tube Clip - 7
'Flashover' (Pyromania Collection)
by Angy Morton
18 September, 2010
You Tube Clip - 10
Sample Jacket created for West Ham United FC
by Angy Morton
18 September, 2010
You Tube Clip - 9
'Krakatau' (Pyromania Collection)
by Angy Morton
Please show your support for Lakeland's Forests
Click on the banner above for full details
about the campaign to
Save Lakeland's Forests
MARCH-APRIL 2011 Ordinary Gir -Alternative Royal Wedding - Fern on the Wireless - Radio One Big Weekend - Brathay Workshop - Reflections
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