So I had a little idea this morning, since my Sundays are usually so quiet (aka boring) and seeing as I literally NEVER leave the house on a Sunday (unless i'm going to the Groudle Glen Railway) I have decided to dedicate a blog post each Sunday to something I consider to be 'Super' hence the term 'Super Sunday'
from now on, unless something extraordinarily fun and exciting happens to me on a Sunday (not very likely) I shall do a post entitled 'Super Sunday' and fill it with some of my favourite things.
These Super Sunday's will also be numbered to avoid any future confusion (see... I thought of everything!)
so let's kick off the first ever Super Sunday shall we!
this weeks theme is... the wonderful genius that is, Lulu Guinness
now for those of you that have never heard of Lulu Guinness (seriously... have you been living under a rock?!) she is a truly super duper handbag and accessories designer.
Unfortunately, the only 'Lulu Guinness' thing in my life is my adorable little cosmetics bag that my Godmother bought me last year (it's pale blue and covered in tiny faces with big multicoloured floral hats... gorgeous)
i've been considering 'taking the plunge' and getting myself a proper Lulu Guinness bag for a while now but the problem is i find it so hard to choose just one from the multitude of wonderful designs her website offers!
But if I could pick ANYTHING at all from her collection, i think it would HAVE to one of her famous 'lip clutch handbags' preferably a bright red one because we all know what a sucker i am for anything red, especially red lipstick...
i'm a big fan of her handbag designs in general but there's just something about the lip bags that makes me seriously lust after owning one!
they really are a thing of beauty i think! it's an iconic design that could be created in any colour, style or pattern and still be just as gorgeous to look at and to hold (yes i have held one, my mum had to physically drag me away from the Lulu Guinness stand during our trip to Dublin this summer)
so since i'm such a fan of the lip clutches (and a major nerd) i decided to include thumbnails of EVERY single lip clutch available off the Lulu Guinness online shop by making some montage/collage images of them!
and just to prove that i didn't cheat (and google ready made lip clutch images... if they exist) i grabbed this screencap of my desktop showing all 24 (yes... 24) individual lip bag images...
now THAT is dedication! so anyway, with these 24 individual files i have carefully created 4 images that sum up the collection quite well i think...
first up we have the ultra awesome 'special' lip bags. these include Swarovski crystal encrusted lips, Union Jack + Stars and Stripes lips and even a very cool studded spiky lip clutch...
next up we have the metallics collection (+ one Black perspex clutch because it wouldn't fit on the next image) i especially love the metallic red snakeskin clutch here, quite literally to die for i'm sure you'll agree!
and now we have the rest of the perspex lips collection. these are the cheapest of all the lip clutches at just £195 a pop (as opposed to £595 for a Swarovski encrusted one or £395 for a Union Jack one) and i actually really like them. they're so shiny and fun, like toy lips, so super duper and bright and happy! i bet it would be impossible to feel glum if you were carrying one of these...
and last but certainly not least, the 'normal' collection (if you can call any of these epic bags 'normal'). these bags are made of leather and feature some gorgeous colours including 'acid yellow', 'shocking pink' and 'vintage red'. so, soooo fabulous!
all of her bags are just so gorgeous and girly and fun! whilst browsing on her site i also spotted this fabulous new tote handbag called the 'dolly bag'
basically, the detail on the bag includes a little doll figure with press studs on her stomach and one under her hand, she's surrounded by lots of lovely outfits and accessories and the best part is... you can actually dress up the 'doll' and change her outfits to match your mood or the weather or whatever!
and the best part is that under every removable outfit there is a an embroidered version so that you never have to worry about any empty spaces on your bag.
it's quite literally genius in handbag form!
to be honest i'm a little jealous of this though, i'm a huge 'paper doll' fan and have wondered for a long time what one of my 'girl' paper doll illustrations would look like on a handbag.
this design is literally my dream idea for a 'Jade' illustrated bag but who knows... maybe one day there'll be a version of this with MY illustrations on, i can only hope so! fingers crossed...
Lulu Guinness is definitely one of my 'Idols' though. her designs have inspired me for years, i still remember seeing one of her purse designs in a shop in London when i was younger, i was fascinated by the patterns on it, it was so unusual, so different to all the other bags and her style and use of colour and texture has stayed with me.
those of you that have seen my illustrations will definitely see similarities with Lulu's designs, especially since we both use bold outlines (usually in black) in our work. that's just one of the ways her style has helped inspire and develop my own.
she is a true style pioneer, her designs are timeless and always beautifully unique. the woman that carries a Lulu Guinness bag is rarely one that conforms to the typical fashion boundaries. she likes to show off her own style in a way that highlights her individuality, that showcases her differences, not her similarities.
Lulu's designs give the wearer that sense, the knowledge that they are carrying something that is far from the ordinary. this is a rare quality to find in a handbag and one that when attained, will always make you smile no matter what...
Lulu is also an Idol of mine because of the way she actually came to be the design legend that she is today...
"Despite her success Lulu has never had any formal design training apart from a year's foundation course at art school and a long-standing passion for design and fashion.
In 1989, she left her job in video production to start her own business from the basement of the house in west London.
Lulu's strong personal style and her original ideas have played a large part in her success with her design inspiration springing partly from retro glamour and partly from modern chic"
you see, she really is ultra fabulous!
ok i think i've gushed enough now, all that's left for me to say is a great big thank you to the truly super duper Lulu Guinness for designing such drop dead gorgeous handbags, jewellery and accessories that make me squeal with happiness when i spot them in a shop (true story.. that actually happened at Brown Thomas in Cork, Ireland)
Lulu Guinness, Thank you for being so fabulous...
ps - oh and if you would like to check out Lulu's gorgeous website or blog please follow these links...
pps - and if anyone would like to treat me to a red lip clutch of my very own... that would be super!!!
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and so concludes the first ever 'Super Sunday'
i think you'll get the general idea now of what sort of things each Sunday's post will entail...
it won't always be fashion themed though, it could be just about anything from some area of Art History, to a shop that i love, to a friend i cherish or a place i've visited... who knows!
that's the fun of Super Sunday's
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ok, time for me to actually attempt to do some illustration work now!
enjoy the rest of your Sunday
that's all folks...
♥ ◕‿◕ ★ xX
'Thank you and Goodbye'
(an easy one... farewell in English on behalf of the United Kingdom)
