Through the Looking Glass with Phoebe Barratt

It's Tuesday again, and that means another one of our kooky interviews with some of Perth's creative folk - both emerging and established!  It also means that we probably should get our heads out of the clouds and back into surgery-mode after receiving our job offers for next year...  S & T will not be split across Perth and will be back to our usual mischief in 2014!  

More on that tomorrow!  Today's focus is on our talented friend, Phoebe Barratt, whose designs you might remember from our photos of last year's Challenger Tafe graduation show.  Ever wondered where life could take you when you graduate with a fashion degree under your belt?  We sure did!  We caught up with Phoebe to see what she was getting up to in her first year out of design school.

Roll call:

I'm Phoebe Barratt, a recent fashion graduate and aspiring designer.

Tell us about your experience with the Perth Fashion Festival 2012 Student Runway!

When I found out that I got into Student Runway I completely lost the plot!  It was an incredible experience being able to work with the models and organisers to get a realistic look into how runway shows are actually produced and organised.  It was really stressful, but completely worth it to see my dress float down the runway.

What was your inspiration for your graduation collection at the Take Flight runway show?

The theme for our graduate collection was birds, so there was a beautiful colour palette of blues, greens, yellows, and neutrals which we had to choose from.  I was particularly taken with the idea of "paradise", so I took a lot of inspiration from the oceans, clouds, and rain.  From there, I decided to use a really vibrant turquoise blue and pure white.  Then to tie it all together, I primarily used light-weight silks and cotton to give a breezy feeling and to create a resort-like collection, which I think I achieved quite well.

We concur!  Have a look here.

 

What are your aims for your design career?  Where do you see yourself in five years?

Ideally I would like to either be working in magazines, or bridal and evening wear.  I'm hoping to study Fashion Business next year in Sydney, which will give me a really good platform to get a job in either one of those industries.

Name a few influences on your artistic style & design aesthetic:

Fashion design & interior design are often parallel in terms of colour palette and aesthetic, so I am heavily influenced by that.  I am also particularly drawn to magazines such as Vogue, Vogue Living, and Harper's Bazaar.  Overall, I think I am just completely addicted to colour, lace, and embellishments, so I try to incorporate those elements in any way I can!  I think that becomes quite obvious when you look at the designers I most admire, which include Elie Saab, Dolce & Gabbana, Zuhair Murad, and Marchesa.

What would you say to people starting out in their fashion design courses?  Any words of wisdom or golden rules to live by?

It is going to be harder than you think!  I survived purely because I had the incredible support of family & friends.  Also, make sure you have a good strategy to help deal with stress.  Even though it was hard, all the good outweighed the bad, and it was completely worth it in the end.

Name three people who influence your personal style:

Rumi Neely, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, and Karlie Kloss.  But mostly I'm just impressed by girls I see out & about.

What is one interesting quirk about you?

I collect beautiful books which I never read.

Your favourite kind of tea?

I'm addicted to Twinings chamomile, honey & vanilla tea

A sketch of yourself in your favourite outfit:

Thank you Phoebe for taking the time to tell us about your inspirations & aspirations!  If anyone has further questions about the fashion-student-life, let us know and we can pass them on to her :)

And if she could hurry up and be the Australian equivalent of Zuhair Murad already, that would be great.

xx S & T