FMP PT.2 // DESIGNS

Hi hi hi, so we're a bit further into FMP now (meaning I'm in denial about the fact that we have very very little time left, shit). I've just done my designs and yup all round panicking about how much there is to do, so I shall catch you up from last time. 

Designer responses, then trying to source printer inks (my nice email to the company didn't get me very far, boooo) then the geometric patterns on a juice carton (lucky find) and links to Chanel SS13

Developing geometric patterns, reverse applique and lovely laser cutting

I turned the keyboard patterns I posted last time into a screen and printed onto cotton and chiffon - I like

Patterns made from tessellating keyboards and then collecting my research as a moodboard for design inspiration

All the patterns and prints I've developed so far to refer to in design and hola end of sketchbook number one

Another pattern using the letters and then spreading inks again on chiffon

Time for fashion illustration research, Jens Laugesen with my response on the right page

More research and my responses

Response to Carlos Aponte with masking tape on fabric, kinda pleased how this came out 

And yep, had to admit that I couldn't put off designing for any longer. Went for a simple figure in the end, I did draw it myself though yay. Worked on Saturday, 7am-6pm oooouch and then Sunday and Monday (bank holiday) were devoted to this except a lengthy BBQ. Lay out in the sun doing them on Monday and got super burnt but let's all pray it turns to tan and I don't get skin cancer. Anyway here they are, a couple are horrendous, I'm fully aware of this. Materials are pretty simple: cotton, chiffon, and PVC. Might get a little more inspired/adventurous when I go fabric shopping.

I made my faves at the moment a bit fancier, I think I'm looking at three outfits so I need to make some decisions now

Almost definitely the first look of these four, probably a sleeveless shirt though. Really drawn towards the PVC coat too, and the long skirt actually

Here I probably like the third and fourth, I do wanna use the keyboards though. Ugh decisions

So that's that. I'll update you again unless I die of stress/panic/anger/frustration. Not being dramatic or anything

FMP PT.1

So final major project is well underway, getting stressed already! I'm basically almost at the point of starting my designs so my work so far is mostly experimentation of ideas and techniques along with research of course. Our lovely tutor Gayle has now left us to go and adopt her baby from Africa (keeping fingers crossed for her) so we've got 3 new tutors to work with just to add to everything else! It'll all be fine though. Anyway I'm gonna give you a rough overview of my sketchbook, I decided against boring you with every page so here's a small selection...

Started with a fun day out to the Science Museum for research

I looked at CD's and the patterns they create with light and made some drawings from them

Research into Millenium fashion and style, I'm kind of looking at creating a pop art for the digital age to get striking patterns etc

Millenium fashion led eventually to glitch art in the form of MIA's album covers and then Jeremy Scott's super fun FW12

More glitch art by Rosa Menkman and then my own responses to both her and Jeremy Scott

Glitch art led to more computer based imagery, I majorly strayed from the CMYK colours up till now but it was definitely good to explore everything

Looking at chromatography and how colours are made up plus the brilliant brilliant felt tip pen dress by Fernando Brizio

Experiments with ink on fabric using an old printer catridge, the colours are so good here! Plus Christopher Kane's Resort 2012, pretty perfect for this project

Testing transfer inks for heat pressing and then trapping things between PVC on the heat press (which works brilliantly with the strips). I've become obsessed with the heat press, I think I've used it everyday this week, oh dear

Looking again at colour separation with felt tips, fabric, and water 

Using the heat press (again, oops) and a keyboard stencil that I pinched from my sister's new laptop packaging. They look so faint here but I've turned this into a screen now and should be printing with bolder colours early next week

That's pretty much up to date, it leaves out quite a lot but these were my favourite pages skimming through. I explored a lot of different ideas which led to too many different and conflicting aesthetics but after a crit I've vowed to stick to the CMYK palette which I originally intended and I am still really excited about. Just need to make sure the colours are perfect to make the garments striking on the catwalk. 

So that's that. I'm laser cutting tomorrow at 8:50am and then gonna play with fading some screen inks to get colour gradation of the cyan, magenta, yellow, and black. I've picked some collections to research in terms of silhouette and interesting structure so I'll write about those and then I think that's the bulk of my experimentation/research done and I can get on with designs this weekend/start of next week. Strrrrreeeeeessssssssssseeed

INTERIOR

First of all I got into Westminster to do Fashion Design asdfghjklkjhgfdsdghgjftxdcvubjnjk. Still can't really believe it but yay! So excited for September now!

Ugh so I'm not a big fan of interiors let's just put it that way but we had a four week project on it and I tried my best to bend it to something I found a bit more enjoyable. Basically came up with the idea of a stool that's also a storage unit for t shirts so the t shirts make up the cushion. We had to upcycle a piece of seating, and create some lighting and wall art, so ya know not much... oh wait. And in trying to make the project a bit more exciting I managed to give myself even more work, screen printing 16 t shirts with four different patterns and colours (ps this is also the first time I've ever screen printed and what with interviews and end of term I literally had about 3 hours to learn to screen print and print every t shirt, good idea Ian, real smart). I managed it, just, but I have to admit the quality of my screen printing is appalling and turns out I'm not the biggest fan of screen printing in general but there we go. Here's the finished stool, I (with the help of my Dad admittedly) made the storage bit on top and the rest is the existing stool as it was minus the cushion.

And then here's how it looks with the t shirts rolled inside it (with slightly nicer photos)

For the lighting part I used the patterns and tried to continue the theme of t shirts and shopping etc etc and printed onto paper bags with cut out sections, the light sits in the bag and just about lights it up with the pattern but I need to get some proper pictures of that. 

As for wall art... hm. I'm not very inspired. I made some flyers for a hypothetical brand that would sell the t shirts but I'm not a huge fan. Might have to do though, tiiiiired of this project now and I've started my final major project sketchbook and I'm way more interested in that now (I'll try update you on that tomorrow). Oh and I'll leave you with a picture of me ahem "modelling" a shirt and the stool, you lucky things.

HOLA FMP

Aaaah okay so the time is finally here for the final major project (FMP), this years gone so damn quick it is craaazy. On easter holidays now so it's research and exhibition visiting time (along with finishing off the last project, working, and vaguely attempting a social life, eek) but before we broke up we had to do presentations and statement of intents and fun things like that.

So here's my presentation, I used Prezi.com which is super cool so I've tried to link that but just in case my slides are chilling underneath too.

PREZI

The slides are pretty minimal I know, I'm so bad at reading off the screen in presentations usually so I made sure I couldn't rely on that and I think it worked kinda well... we'll see when I get my grade though. Anyway I thought I'd put my statement of intent up to to give you a bit more explanation if you're interested...

"I’m going to produce a fashion collection based on the CMYK colour model, looking particularly at the patterns created to test the colours in computers and printing. Because of their structure and vibrancy, the patterns can be extremely striking, something I will utilise to create a strong visual impact. I also like the idea of using a functional pattern for visual purposes. I have an interest and appreciation for a minimalist and structured style which I want to employ in my collection. This ties in with the digital elements of my idea and is something I want to use as much as possible to support and enhance my work. As far as development of my idea goes, I feel the scientific background provides a lot of scope for experimentation and expansion. As well as looking at CMYK, I intend to explore colour in a wider sense. The CMYK colour model is used to create millions of shades and tones; in my work I will explore the makeup and breakdown of colour, exploring chromatography in particular. This lends itself to less structured patterns which will extend the possibilities in terms of design. The scientific and technological aspects provide me with a lot of research to explore the idea in specific contexts. For this I will utilise the internet and books on the subjects, as well as visiting the Science Museum; informing myself in these areas is hugely important to enhance my understanding and to open my mind to new possibilities that branch from my original intentions. In terms of fashion I will initially look at collections that draw inspiration from similar ideas, Holly Fulton and Christopher Kane for example, and as my project develops, designers who utilise minimalist shape and silhouette in their collections. I’ll also look at sixties style for its simple shapes and vibrant prints. The techniques I choose to employ will largely depend on how my ideas develop and which areas I chose to pursue. Thinking about the structured prints I’m considering screen printing, heat pressing, and digital printing, as well as laser cutting and reverse appliqué. The chromatography part of my idea lends itself to freer techniques such as dyeing fabrics and bleaching. I want to create a collection that uses very sharp, clean silhouettes so I intend to explore dense fabrics that retain their shape. At the moment I see myself using white and transparent fabrics to maintain the pristine aesthetic; PVC is something I’d like to work with because of its manufactured quality and the way it reflects colour. Metallic is also something I want to explore for this reason. Throughout my final major project I will evaluate and analyse each stage to look for different paths to take and ways to improve on my work. This process will involve critiques with tutors and peers alongside constant self-analysis. I will use my sketchbooks as tools to record this process, providing me with a visual documentation of my evaluation to refer back to and act upon."

Yup, got a bit formal there, official document and all. Anyway that's what I'll be working on over the next few months, super excited I've gotta admit. I'm gonna try do a blog update every week but  we'll see how that goes. Good intentions at least!

SPADARI

Absolutely looove getting post so I was pretty excited when I got back from Edinburgh last week to find a parcel from Spadari. Inside - a beeeeeautiful cotton shirt from Milan. Check out their site!

They asked for a series of three looks varying from smart to casual which I got round to shooting today. Kinda fun styling it in such different ways.

Check them out and hype/comment on my lookbook

In other news my hair is just about long enough to go up again. Did like the short style for a bit but I can't say I haven't missed it like this. 

So yeah, waiting to hear back from uni's and trying to catch up on my sketchbook after I missed three days of college for interviews last week. Think I've managed to turn an interiors project into fashion so I'm a bit more excited about it now, but once again I've given myself way more work than is necessary in the process. Fun times ahead!

AW 13-14

Time for a retrospective

Okay let's start with Balenciaga, easily the most anticipated of the season. Love love love the monochrome for a start, nice to see Wang exploring it again after his Spring/Summer and it leads nicely on from Ghesquière's final RTW. Minimal structure on the back of certain pieces (third down) was also reminiscent of both. Despite the links the collection was in no way tired or repetitive; sharp silhouettes and clean lines kept the Balenciaga woman simultaneously strong and elegant. By the looks of it Wang's going for a smooth takeover (with which he's succeeded), though it is only his first season. Looking forward to SS14. Bravo Wang.

Speaking of takeovers... it wasn't so long ago we saw Hedi Slimane's first collection for Saint Laurent. While Wang went for a smooth transition, Slimane clearly had over ideas in changing the name and logo of the iconic brand. Then came SS13 - I'm not a fan. And now... ugh. Basically how I'd sum up AW13-14 in a word... or noise. I'm kind of despairing at how far Slimane missed on this one. I just... ugh. No. He's been given a brand with a huge reputation and clientèle and has disregarded all of this to invent his own Saint Laurent girl (note girl, not woman). I honestly don't know who he expects to buy these, the slight problem being that fourteen year old girls who have soft grunge tumblrs can't afford Saint Laurent and people who can afford Saint Laurent don't want to look like fourteen year old girls who have soft grunge tumblrs. The only enjoyable thing about the show was the internet backlash - my personal favourite: "I didn't know Urban Outfitters were showing in Paris". Pull it together Slimane.

In other news... big fan of some of Derek Lam's work this season, mainly the coats. I can't resist minimalism when it's done well though more in shape and silhouette than in colour pallete here.

Again for minimalism you can always count on JW Anderson - big fan despite the shoes (and i'm still deciding whether I love or hate the fur plastic combos. A strong collection from Celine though I'll admit to not being a huge fan of the past the cuff sleeves. Loooved Tom Ford, good to see pattern done well again.  

Simons shines again developing the Dior woman (take note Slimane) while putting his own stamp on the brand. Love the similar motifs to his indescribably perfect SS13 menswear collection. All hail Raf.

Favourite show of all though has to be Chalayan for pure originality alongside a stunning collection of texture and silhouette. Perfect perfect perfect combination and contrast of structure and fluidity creates pieces that fit, flatter and accentuate the body beautifully. Ugh just perfect.

And those metamorphosing dresses my god.