Lottie Allen Talks Fashion And “The Oracle of Mystical Moments”
Who’s That Girl?
Featuring Lottie Allen
One of the best forms of self-expression is through fashion, and Lottie Allen is by no means a stranger to that. With bright pink hair and a colorful wardrobe to match, Lottie is an accomplished blogger who has quickly built a following on Instagram as well as through her online fashion and lifestyle blog, Porcelain Pixie. When she's not in class studying fashion design and business at the University of Brighton, she's online expressing her passion for sustainable and pre-loved vintage clothing. At the young age of 20, she has already been awarded the highly coveted Blogsphere Network Member of The Year Award and is the brains behind the new up-and-coming fashion positive movement, known as #HappyClothesRevolution. We recently had the pleasure in chatting with the stylish fashion guru, in which she shared with us her journey of becoming a fashion blogger as well as the inspiration behind her most recent creation, 'The Oracle of Mystical Moments', a specialism project she recently completed in which she implemented a unique rag rug technique into one of her designs.
Talk us through your journey to fashion blogging! What was the inspiration behind your blog, Porcelain Pixie?
It has been a weird journey to the Porcelain Pixie that you see today. I created my account to start building a portfolio. I was doing my GCSE’s at the time and knew I wanted to study fashion once I finished school, and I was looking for a creative outlet to start sharing my style and work. I began by mainly just posting flat lays and my favourite red carpet looks and then gradually, as I became more confident, I moved into sharing photos of myself. I started to experiment more with my style and began sharing images of my looks on Instagram as well as on my blog and from there, the Porcelain Pixie you see today was born. I feel Porcelain Pixie has evolved along with me as I’ve become more confident with myself and my style. I hope that it will continue to grow and change as I do with the experiences that come my way.
What sparked your interest in fashion and design respectively?
From a young age, I have always been encouraged to be creative by my mum. As a kid, I used to create clothes out of fabric scraps for my toys. My favourite bear always had a different dress on, and my dolls had loads of fabric handbags. I used to say that they were the best-dressed toys in town! At the age of 12, I was given my first electric sewing machine, which meant I was able to start creating clothes for myself. My grandma and nanny, who both have an interest in sewing and dressmaking, helped teach me how to use patterns and the machine properly. I did well academically but knew I wanted to do something more creative in life. After finishing my GCSE’s, I went on to college and completed a two year BTEC in Fashion and Costume, which I enjoyed. I then moved to Brighton about two years ago where I began to study Fashion with Business at Brighton University, which was one of the best decisions I have ever made. Taking this course, which I love, has granted me the opportunity to be surrounded by so many creative people.
How would you describe your style? Are there any fashion muses or icons that you look up to?
I find my style hard to describe. It’s very eclectic and colourful as I like to have fun when I get ready in the mornings. My friends always describe my wardrobe like a giant dress-up box because there are so many different and fun pieces that you can find. When I was growing up, I always admired many classic film stars such as Audrey Hepburn and Grace Kelly, as I loved the timeless and sophisticated looks that they would wear. I still adore them, but as I grew older, my style evolved and with that, it became much more eclectic. At the moment, one of my favourite style icons is Iris Apfel. I love all the colours that she wears and the bold accessories that she chooses. I always said that when I become her age, I want to look just like her and to continue having fun with dressing up every day.
Where are some of your favorite spots or hidden gems for finding fashion treasures?
Since living in Brighton, I found that there are so many amazing spots to discover hidden gems. The charity shops are exceptionally good and relatively cheap, which is great for my student budget. With these types of shops, you never know what you will discover, which is half the fun. I enjoy exploring the vintage shops in The Lanes, which are a cluster of alleyways packed with quaint and independent boutiques. All the shops have different styles with a bunch of hidden treasures that you can find. I also really enjoy the kilo markets. The way it works is you pay for the clothes according to the weight. So, you will most certainly discover some real bargains. It's such a fun way to hunt for clothes, as you never know what you will find. You have to grab anything and almost everything that catches your eye and then see if it’ll work. I've always spent way more than I anticipated, but, I always leave with some amazing pieces.
Let’s talk about 'The Oracle of Mystical Moments'. What was the main source of inspiration behind your project?
The main inspiration behind my project, ‘The Oracle of Mystical Moments’ was my mum, Jo Allen, an angel card reader and psychic. I have always been fascinated by her skills and the gift that she has. I also was inspired by the entire world of tarot cards, auras and psychic symbols. The title of the collection itself comes from my mother's favourite card deck, ‘The Oracle of Mystical Moments’, which feature some of the most amazing and inspiring artwork and images. The colours of the gown are inspired by aura photography and its meaning behind each of the different colours. The name of the dress is '1. Day & Night', after the first card in the oracle deck. It means to follow your instinct and reminds us that we already hold the answer in our hands.
What was the design process like when creating your gown, '1. Day & Night'?
The design process for creating the gown was relatively quick. I began the project before Christmas and finished by the end of February. I knew from the beginning that I wanted to create a big couture gown, and that I wanted to use the rag rug technique to create the fun, unique texture. Due to the amount of time that required to create the massive skirt, I had to begin knotting around Christmas, which meant I had to decide on the silhouette of the dress rather quickly. I adapted the bodice design as I started to create the skirt, as I knew I would need a corset to support the entire gown. So, I decided to do a simple knotted bodice to hide the corset to maintain the overall texture of the gown, but used a smaller net and strips to avoid it looking too bulky.
What prompted you to use the rag rug technique? Did you run into any challenges when creating?
I remember when I was a young child, I went to a stately home with my family. They had these "actors" knotting a rag rug using the traditional technique and became fascinated by it. I remember they had let me have a go and I became hooked by the magical textures you could create using this technique. I completely forgot about this time until I was trying to come up with ideas for the project. I felt it would be the perfect technique to create a gown with, as I love the different textures and movement you get with this technique.
The biggest challenge I came across was time. Originally the skirt was meant to be considerably larger but to be quite honest I think the skirt makes a big enough impact with the size it is now. Since the dress took nearly three months to create, I spent all my time dedicated to knotting. Whenever I had a free moment, I would be working on the dress. The entire creation of the dress completely took over my life since I was determined to finish it. It was therapeutic in the beginning, but towards the end, it became a mad rush to get it done in time for the hand in. Another problem I came across was the weight of the skirt. The fabric is tied onto a fine net, specifically one you use to prevent birds from eating plants. Because of this net, it can cause the skirt to be a bit fragile and delicate when coping with the entire weight. However, had it been much larger than it is now, it would have been a bigger issue.
Tell us more about the #HappyClothesRevolution. What inspired you to start this movement?
The #HappyClothesRevolution is an Instagram movement I created to encourage others to share their "Happy Clothes". Fashion and clothes are an excellent way of being able to express ourselves, as I believe that clothes can help make anyone feel happy inside. Especially during this time, with the world being a bit upside down, I think we all need to spread a bit more positivity on Instagram. I wanted to encourage people to wear whatever the hell they want. I wanted to create a safe space to show others the power of fashion, to help share with people that it doesn't matter your age, size, gender, etc. You can wear whatever brings you joy. There are so many amazing and inspiring people in this world who need to showcase their style, so that's why I created #HappyClothesRevolution so people can do just that. To be a part of the movement, all you have to do is share a photo or video of yourself in your “Happy Clothes” and post it under the hashtag, #HappyClothesRevolution.
What’s next for Porcelain Pixie? Do you have any plans or any upcoming projects you've currently been working on?
While on lockdown, I’ve been able to create my first couple of IGTV videos, which I had so much fun creating and had an amazing response with it as well. IGTV was something I always wanted to try, so it’s been nice that the lockdown has given me a chance to experiment and play around with making these short videos. I have a few more ideas that I would like to create, so we’ll have to wait and see if they become a reality.
Due to the virus, I’m not 100% sure what’s next for Porcelain Pixie. I do know that I’m going to keep creating posts and colourful content to share with the world. I’m not too sure where it will take me next, but I am excited to see what the future holds. I’m going to continue having fun with being creative and making fun content to share with everyone!
Follow Lottie On Instagram here!
Images Coutersy of Lottie Allen and Black Star Photography