New Addiction: Daisy De Villeneuve

On the way home on the bus, I could not help but feel an uplifting blend of relief and happiness, as down-trodden factories and barren parklands rolled past the window. Yes, I was going home and this weekend, I will be allowed to wake up at any time past 6:30.

But other than the waking hours and the slight lack of sleep, I can’t really say a bad thing about work. No longer will I be writing boring press releases about soils and prestigious lectures, but rather research on interesting people. For those who don’t know, my job involves me Googling C to Z list celebrities in the name of research. I’ll be honest, some of these well-known people are boring and perhaps pathetic, but others are truly mesmerising and the person this blog is about is no exception.

Daisy de Villeneuve is a London-born illustrator, designer and writer. During her career, she has designed for Topshop, Boots, Moet and Chandon and V&A. And most recently, she has designed textiles for Zac Posen’s Z Spoke Spring/Summer 2011 collection. Just check out the explosion of kaleidoscopic prints below.



Pictures taken from DaisyDeVilleneuve.com




Pictures taken from Stylist Stuff.com

I’ve got to say, despite the child-like simplicity of her illustrations, they undeniably have a London-esque sophistication about them, dusted with plenty of chirpy fun. In all, they are deliciously quirky. My favourite has to be the illustrations she did for Elle Decoration back in July 2007.



Pictures taken from DaisyDeVilleneuve.com

To conclude, in the years I studied Fashion and Textiles at college, I cannot believe I did not notice this woman.

First week of 2011: Now I'm the one who's Wilted

The first week of 2011 hasn’t really been the best. Now, that’s not to say that it was completely littered with downs. I’m just saying that there could have been more luck than misfortune. But hey, at least its proof that having a white peacock as a screensaver does not bring food fortune. Damn the fool who went around saying that!

The first misfortune was thus. I received an email from Rikhi on Tuesday, who told me that my short story 'Wilted' narrowly missed the final selection. It took me a few days to admit this, as the waft of disappointment doesn’t completely drift away.

I also have a feeling that The Literary Agent may have rejected my manuscript, but are being a little sadistic in their response. It is almost like they want to me to hope for two months before they come swooping down and then stab at my chest with their beaks, pulling out my heart like hungry vultures. Yes, I think that might have been a little too dramatic.

At least Conville and Walsh were quick with their reply. The sooner I get that big envelope pushed through my letter box, the sooner I will be able to send it to someone else and if it gets rejected again, it will be case of having to redraft it again.

But on the plus side, I start my new job next week. I went to see the editor of DD magazine on Tuesday morning, for I wasn’t able to see her before Christmas because of the snow. Speaking of snow, it is becoming a piece of shit nuisance that really should fuck off. I can’t really say much about the meeting, because I’m not allowed post on the firm’s business. But I can say that I spent all of this week coming up with ideas for the next issue. I’ve got more than enough now, so I can chill for the next few days before I don the workware again.