Burton and Britain's Top Model

Last month I had the amazing opportunity to produce my own looks on an actual runway in front of a live audience. My class presented two styled looks on the catwalk at the live event of Britain and Ireland's Top Model at the Excel Centre.

My inspiration for the look, seeing how Halloween (best holiday ever!!) was approaching, I decided to go with a Tim burton tribute. I love how his movies are so dark, yet have a sweetness to them since the characters all have genuinely good intentions. I wanted my guy to have a wispy, thin look with long skinny black jeans and an oversized jacket.

For the girl, I went all out with what was dubbed 'the Helena Bonham Carter Dress'. I dyed a peach pink dress I've had for years navy blue, cut it up, flared it odd, added layers and layers of black netting. I was on cloud nine with the suggestion of added black butterflies into the netting-it reminded me of my favourite scene from Corpse Bride when she turns into a bunch of butterflies. My dress met with a couple of mishaps-the dye wouldn't take the thread, so you could see the bright white sticks in the panels, and when I sprayed painting the lining black, it seeped through to the bodice. But in the end, this were blessings in disguise! I added patches of extra fabric into the bodice to cover up the spots, and I went over the panels with shredded pieces of black lace, and finally silver beads that looked like worms from a distance-great to go with the butterflies

As the final touch, I made a massive butterfly headpiece by sewing strips of ribbon to make the 'veiny' texture in the wings, then stuffed the pieces to give them more of a 3D effect. It sat brilliantly on the model's head!

I heard amazing feedback to the reaction the dress made on the runway-I even got offers to buy it from a woman attending a black-tie event that night! I don't think I'll ever forget that moment backstage when the first show ended, thinking 'things are never going to be the same again'. If this is the so called hard life of fashion, BRING IT ON!