Culture - WEEK 3

Looking at corsets in the previous week, I developed design ideas that restricted the body by wrapping a subject in cling film. This helped me to understand how the body reacts to certain body parts being constricted. I found this a useful and conceptual way of thinking, but i thought i was difficult to still keep the design practical enough to be wearable. 

I intended to sketch stills from the video clip i took of the subject moving which being constricted. I would like to use digital clips to illustrate my point and research in other projects, because it shows how i have interpreted the initial research. 

During this week, Dan helped me to develop colour schemes using Photoshop. This was a very useful demonstration, because i know that presentation of a colour scheme is a necessity. It was professional and clear way to develop and present colour schemes, by creating different hues and complimentary colours.

Culture - WEEK 2

This week, i began to develop my designs by looking at chains. This developments stemmed from the belt that the suffragettes used to chain themselves to the rails in protest. I took pictures of chains and edited then in Photoshop to create a collage. I then manipulated certain parts of the collages to create a shape, which i applied to the body. 

During a crit, i discovered that how to think about the suffragettes more conceptually. An example was to think about how they were constricted as people and how they were manipulated and controlled previously to the feminist movement. I was advised to look at clothing that restructured the body. I began to look at undergarments such as corsets.

Culture - WEEK 1

The two cultures I decided to use for my project, was the Suffragettes and Maya. I thought this was a good contracts, because they are from different countries and time periods. I began to look at books and the museum such as the British Museum and the Museum of London. I think i was put off at how different the two culture were because they had nothing to do with each other, but resolved this by firstly finding a common ground: Both cultures made sacrifices in some way. For instance, the suffragettes sacrifices their traditional way of life for a better future - so i looked at the instruments they used to protest, such as the belts they used to chain themselves to rails. In mayan culture, they believed human sacrifices helped to prevent the end of their world. During the ritual of human sacrifice, the colour blue was used on their bodies - I wanted to used the mayan culture for my colour scheme, because i thought they were more interesting than 19th century colour schemes.

Sportswear - WEEK 2

During this week, i concentrated on using the research  i gained and applied it to contemporary fashion. I found it difficult to apply my other concept of 'ancient Olympia' because the fabric manipulation seemed dated, which conflicted with the contemporary design of modern sportswear. I overcame this problem by applying the fabrics i research during last week and applied them to the Grecian construction details. For example, draping was a signature design of Grecian style, therefore i used a drapy and flowing material like net, which is used in some sportswear such as vests.

This exercise we did on the stands, helped me to adapt the designs of the ready made sportswear and the Grecian style robes. This is because the paper on the mannequins indicates seam lines, which alter a garment tremendously. I would use this exercise in other projects, because i found it very useful and helped me to understand how the garment may be maid and how the fabric will be ultimately manipulated using the seams i created. 

Sportswear - WEEK 1

I enjoyed this week because we were able to look at live fashion in order to influence out designs. I thought this was inspirational, but did not want my designs to be influenced by end garments. The inspiration i took from the trip was the texture of certain sportswear garments and the type of fabrication used. For instance, the some sporty fabrics used holey fabrics in order to keep the wearer from retaining too much heat. I liked this use of textile because it looked more interesting that plain woven fabrics. 

I discovered that most sportswear had numbers in a certain font, which to me acts like a logo for sportswear and was an easy identification for sport influenced fashion. 

This project was to encourage me to use more colours: This took me out of my comfort zone, because i usually use minimal colours in my previous project. I enjoyed looking a bright fabrics and colours as it was from one extreme to the other and allowed me to experiment. I would use what i learnt about colour in my other projects, as i have learnt that colour is crucial for fashion development.

Logos such as Nike and Adidas  are very common among sportswear and thought that machine embroidery should be used in my designs, as this also determines a sports related fashion garment.

Deconstruction/Reconstruction - WEEK 2

This week i was able to understand how the deconstructed garments would fit together as a garment. The stand work i did was beneficial because i found it hard to see how different parts of a garment create a totally new piece of clothing. For example, the neckhole of a jumper (if wide enough) could become a skirt that fits over the hips.

During this week i also found it difficult to draw design ideas because i did not know how they would end up if they were made. I think in the future, i will make sure that there is a substantial amount of stand work to understand how fabrics drape and adapt to the body. This will help when designing roughs, plus this means that the difference between my development and the stand will not alter as much, because i have a better understanding of fabric.

When it came to making the final piece, I found it easy. There was no need to machine sew the garment, because the previous garments held most of their shape.
There was a lack of development, therefore if i was to move the project forward, i would ensure i have a prominent muse to adapt the designs to.

Deconstruction/Reconstruction - WEEK 1

The styling exercise allowed me to think outside the box, by using different occasion wear to create  whole garments. With the use of other garments, we were able to create different silhouettes by using components, such as zips. We recorded the different styles we created, which came in handy when creating my rough designs. I was advised to use parts of a garment on different parts on the body, as this would create a completely different silhouette. For example, trousers could be used to make a top. This advise was useful, because it made it easier to create different shapes and angles. We were also advised not to deconstruct too much of a garment, so an element of the construction could be used to create shapes. I followed this advise, because i found out that part if too much of the garment was taken apart, not much could be used to reconstruct it from. I did however take the zips from the red jogging bottoms i used, because i thought they would be an interesting component to use. I wanted to create a conceptual design, then simplify it if necessary. I would aim to create this by selecting specific parts i like and developing further using many quick roughs.

I enjoyed getting straight to designing rather than concentrating on research, because this was an area i needed strengthening. Using magazine cut outs and placing them on different parts of the body was a useful technique to get ideas flowing. I discovered that using different sizes of garments created an interesting design. Despite the scale of clotting not being realistic, I think experimenting with scale for initial design ideas is important.