A review on Orla Kiely's new book: Pattern

Photos by Corey!

Vintage Dress: Estate Sale

Blouse: Ebay

Necklace: Etsy

Socks: F21

Shoes: Saver's

Purse: Shop Dixi

Nailpolish: Target/Sally Hansen Insta-Dri in Lickety-Split Lime

If you couldn't tell I was Orla Kiely-obsessed before today, I'm fairly certain I'll have you convinced by the end of this post. It seems that all those fanatic posts I did about her and her collections paid off, because a lady from Octopus Publishing took notice and asked if I'd like to review her new book, Pattern.

I'm usually bad about buying coffee table books and never reading a single word in them, so I was glad to get the book under these circumstances. It meant I actually had to sit down and read everything!

I'm so glad I did. It was inspiring to read about her back-story and what an impact her surroundings had on her as a kid. All the small things in her past that helped shape the Orla Kiely brand into what it is today. The hard work she put in as a student and as a print designer for the Espirit label.

You realize how much time and effort she has put into the Orla Kiely label and it makes you so happy to see it succeeding!

I think most inspiring is that she's not trying to fit into any category that she's not. She knows what she likes and what her aesthetic is and she sticks to it. She builds off of it each season and maintains the Orla Kiely point of view that we've all come to love – a quality I've been striving to achieve in myself this year.

"I can be an outsider. Incapable of following trends just for the sake of it, I'm not in the business of reinventing myself to be this year's sensation. My need is to feel both inspired and satisfied by what I achieve. I do my own thing. I love fashion but I would never want to be its slave."

YES, YES, YES! Never a more perfect quote.

I know the book looks big – and it was a lot to read – but so many of the pages are filled with the most wonderful prints from her archives. I could flip through them for days! They give me such great inspiration for future projects.

Her trademark Stem print will always be my favorite. The fact that she and her team members refer to it like it's their young son by capitalizing the first letter makes me love it even more. It has become such a vital element to the Orla Kiely brand and I think it's one of the best graphic logos out there.

It's great to see some of her earlier fashion lookbooks too. You can't find a lot of images online, but they show a few in the book! It actually talks in depth about the process of building a collection. The whole thing is great for anyone looking to go into print or fashion design. It talks in detail about her experiences with manufacturers and the schedules that come with developing a full range of clothing and home decor.

The woman is a genuis when it comes to print and colors too. I think I should probably credit her for my obsession with orange, brown, and cream lately – a phase I hit when I started reading her book. She opened my eyes to the science of color and the optimism that comes with it.

Do I sound like a crazy fan now? The book was just too good. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a good read and a new coffee table book! It's only $23 on Amazon.

Collector's Books

I'm feeling a bit like a hermit again. My outfits have been less than interesting lately, and I've been spending a lot of extra time editing shop photos and putting together a film project that Hannah and I are going to shoot on Monday. I bought a pretty 50's sundress at Blue Suede Shoes the other day, and I'm hoping to get out and photograph it later today. Miss Hootie fixed up my hair and gave me a fresh fringed bang cut in exchange for one of the swimsuits from my shop, and I'm really excited to share it with you guys. Today's post is going to be nerdier than most and probably as uninteresting as any outfit I could've posted, but it's one of those non fashion related things that I'm really into and thought would be nice to share.

After talking about collector's books at a house warming party on Tuesday night, I decided to make a run to my local used bookstore. It's a really great place with dirt cheap prices, and I usually end up walking away with too much. You can't beat the prices though. I think the most expensive book I bought was $7, but most were sold for under $5.

Copyright 1951

It thought this one was a must read for any little boy (or girl) out there. I wish I would've learned how to use tools when I was a child!

Copyright 1956

Ever since taking that art history course last semester, my eyes have been opened to all kinds of  different paintings. I'm sure this is no surprise, but lately I've been drawn to the ones with soft colors and young girls wearing pretty dresses. They've been an immense source of inspiration.

Copyright 1977

So, yeah, I'm a super dork. My neighborhood was built between the 1700's and the 1900's, and I'm  always fascinated by the different architectural styles I see. I usually have trouble finding the proper terminology for things when I write about them, so I thought this book would be a great reference to help me learn the jargon.

No copyright date.

I say I bought this one for Jake, but I really got it because it was old and interesting. He usually acts real uninterested when I buy him things like this, but he always ends up using them at some point. It's 200 pages worth of music terminology and noteworthy musicians, and in my opinion, a pretty neat reference for someone who's always looking for good, old music to sample (ahem, Jake).

Copyright 1881

This was just one of those good collector's items that I couldn't pass up for $3. My house is full of old books that I love to use in my photos and passing it up just wasn't an option. Maybe one day I'll be rich with a big, manly library full of old books and paintings and mounted antlers hanging on the wall. 

 

Copyright 1866

Another Collectible.

February 1989

I wish the library had more old magazines, but sadly this was the only good one I could find. There's a great article on photographer John Vachon in there with lots of priceless photos to match. I liked this one of Marilyn Monroe; the caption reads:

"Marilyn Monroe, accompanied by Joe DiMaggio and her entourage, escaped to the Canadian Rockies, sprained an ankle, and pouted for Vachon, who'd been told to treat her "like a fellow out with a girl". (1953)"

Copyright 1919

I'll admit I was really drawn to the unique cover design and crumbling old pages of this book, but I'm actually very interested to read it now. Written during the controversial prohibition era, it follows one doctor's studies over a ten year period on the effects of alcohol on the human body and mind and it's effect upon society and nations.

Copyright 1901

This was the expensive book that I'm probably most excited about. As soon as I saw it I fell in love with the green suede cover that the author and title were embroidered on, and then I saw it was written by Elbert Hubbard! I actually have one of his other books, The Notebook of Elbert Hubbard (copyright 1927), and ever since reading it last summer I've idolized his positive outlook on life. He was a very self aware man who was a great force in business, art, literature, and philosophy. I was curious as to his relation to L. Ron Hubbard (no, I don't practice Scientology), and after looking it up I found that Elbert was actual L. Ron's uncle. L. Ron Hubbard admired him greatly, and even dedicated one of his Dianetics to him. I was trying to find a little more information about the book I thrifted when I found this really great quote that explains it all. 

"I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favor to men of skill, but TIME and CHANCE happeneth to them all."

Copyright 2001

Finally, finally, finally --I told you I always buy too much-- I found this documentary on director Stanley Kubrick, narrated by Tom Cruise. Hello, A Clockwork Orange, Lolita, The Shining, Full Metal Jacket and many, many others. Jake and I are both big fans of his work, and I'm always looking to learn more about directors and their creative processes since it's kind of 'what I want to be when I grow up'. His work is much darker than anything I ever care to do but it's fascinating none the less.

I told you I'm a big nerdy dork who sometimes cares more about books than dresses. Hopefully this was enjoyable or inspiring to someone out there!