London Trip 2 - Sport Vs Fashion

Sport and fashion have never been what i would call a great style mix. 

Personally I'm all about the fashion and could easily leave the sport side of the clothing industry. I don't own a single pair of trainers or tracksuit bottoms and to be honest i'm not that keen to start my collection!

However the 'Fashion vs Sport' exhibition at the V&A di

d open my mind to how the two can be incoprated to make a pretty awesome look. The collection's aim was to show how sports styles can be adapted to make fashion statements and had two angles; street style and lifestyle fashion.

I loved the customizing part of the exhibition as i thought it was such a simple yet effective way of vamping up sports wear. However it was the exaggerated pieces from Westwood and Chanel which grabbed my attention. Westwood had produced pieces which were challenging even the craziest of street wear and which were completely impractical for playing sport in, and Chanel produced lifestyle pie

ces which were stylish, pretentious but wearable, such as the jersey suits and the infamous Chanel fishing rod.

It was these exaggerations and twisted veiwpoints on sports wear that changed my mind on the concept of this branch of clothing. And so im looking forward to creating my own take on this challenge.

Independent PCCP - Shirt Project

At the end of the term we were given the challenge of cutting our own pattern and constructing a short sleeved shirt by ourselves. The tutors were meant to give us minimal help and instruction and it was really a test to see how much we'd learnt and whether we could apply our skills to an independent project.

At first i was really nervous about doing this as my construction skills are still a little tentative but i was fine as soon as i started pattern cutting as this is the area in which i am most confident. Finishing my pattern early meant i could start constructing my shirt with maximum time to complete it, which i really needed.

Although i had a few issues to start with when constructing my shirt, i got into a good pace quickly and had completed most of the bodice within the first day. The sleeves and hem line gave me a little bit of trouble but i think they turned out okay in the end. Doing the collar was a big step in my skill development as it was the first time i'd done this particular part of a piece of clothing and we had to learn whilst doing it and quickly.

I was pleased with the finished product and although i think it could be tidier and some finishes could have been better, i think for my first independently produced piece it was a good effort.

Shakers/ Philosophy Design Project

The Shakers were a group of religious believers who had a very firm and easily recognizable design philosophy. They believe in Form after function and that everything they designed should have a purpose before it was made elaborate. Although it was not the intention at the time, these designs had a kind of simple, clean beauty about which makes them highly desirable even today.

Our Project was based around the strong shakers philosophy and we were to come up with our own philosophy on how we design, dress and style an outfit. I loved this topic from the word go as my design style is prominent. My designs always have a sense of playfulness, of childhood fun and a sense of disappearing into the fantastical and i wanted this project to be the embodiment of all that i feel about fashion and life.

My Philosophy:

I will always be without limits,

I always disreguard the box,

I am personal and impractical,

I am Technicoulour, not black

and white,

I am fantasy,

I am your childhood

Fairytales,

I am couture and art,

and nothing else...

I looked at some of the most difficult items of clothing to wear in the fashion industry such as the corset, the crinoline and ruffles. I used PVC, chiffon and metal bars in my final design to uphold the impracticality element of my philosophy and i used balloons, carousel horses and gem stones to elude to the childhood fantasy element. In my theme boards and research i used images and references from my own youth to make the design more personal which i believe fashion should always be. To me everything you own and wear and design should have a part of yourself within it.

I spent some time looking at a crinoline in the making as my housemate was building one for her costume course, which i found really helpful as its easier to design something once you know how it fits together and works. I also took apart a corset to see if using just the boning from inside would work in my design.

I really loved my final design as i thought it brought together every element that i wanted it to and it appealed to every part of my personality. It was in short, the ultimate fantasy dress.

FOLK DESIGN PROJECT 2

Folk Project - final design

I finally handed in my folk project on Monday and I have to say I was so ecstatic about the outcome. At first I’d struggled with the concept of Eastern European Folk Costumes but after our trip to London I decided to take my design in a completely abstract direction. I used the detailing I loved as the main aspect of my shirt and decided that making exaggerated sleeves, made solely from ribbon and detailing would be more on my wavelength. I started to design huge puffy sleeves out of ribbon, but after I couldn’t find any strong inspiration I moved into a new area.

As I’d felt trapped by the narrow criteria I started looking to pictures of cages and prisons as inspiration and decided that I would create round orbs of ribbon, which would form the basis of my sleeve. As I began to design the orbs I fell in love with them and my whole outfit just took shape.
I paired the shirt, which I’d cropped short, with a simple pair of black short shorts and bare feet so not to distract from the sleeves, which I wanted to be my main focus. In the end I think my design looked amazing and I’m just really glad I don’t have to actually make it!

Lights, Camera, Action!

Photo Shoot

I was lucky enough to sit in on one of the second years photo shoots last week. The promotions side of the course get the chance each year to completely style a photo shoot which includes choosing the outfit, deciding on poses and props and generally directing the photographers.

The shoot I watched had a sixties theme and the outfit was a very innocent, simple white vintage dress and balloons were used as props. I personally thought the whole picture was amazing – it had a youthful, fun and innocent aura and it was a great experience to see what the promotions students do, as I’ve never really considered taking that path before. However after watching the shoot it’s changed my mind a little and I think I’m going to look into it in more detail. I would really love to style my own shoot and to have complete control over how the garment was sold to the customers, as it can make or break an item.

Thanks to Steph who let me watch!

Fabric Sourcing - London

London Trip

The fabric sourcing trip to London was incredible. To be honest I think that sentence sums up the day nicely, but there is reasoning behind it. I love London – always have, always will. I love the atmosphere, the complete frenzy of the people who live and work there, the enormous versions of the shops, the fact that I know the tube routes like the back of my hand and of course the pretty fantastical fabric shops! Seriously I’ve never seen so much fabric in my life – the stores were like the chocolate factory in Willy Wonka, with crazy fabrics exploding out from every corner.

We had to research and get samples of stretch/performance fabrics, which was pretty easy I felt. I picked up the basic Lycra’s and Jerseys and threw in PVC and velvet for kicks; although I can’t ever imagine wanting to wear sportswear made of velvet! The samples were incredibly expensive and the fabric shop owners were obviously not that keen on students but it was completely worth it.

I loved the area of London we visited – Berwick Street – because it was jam packed with loads of retro and vintage shops and once we’d finished collecting samples we had time just to meander through them. We hit Oxford street on the way back to the V&A museum which is always awesome and then stopped off to see the Dale Chihuly sculpture in the entrance hall of the museum, which Sarah had told us about. To be honest, even though it’s incredibly striking, I really wouldn’t want to be working beneath it…

And even though the samples were expensive and we only spent a few hours in the city, I can’t wait for the next trip!

FOLK DESIGN PROJECT

Our next design project is based on the theme 'Folk (costume)', especially that of Eastern European countries. This is a slightly more difficult project for me as i find little inspiration from the idea of folk costumes and would have preferred to take a more whimsical approach to the project by looking into folklore and more abstract inspirations. However, i've started to research countries such as Turkey and Russia and have found some inspiration in the colours and trimmings of their traditional folk costumes, on which i think i will base my design. They use intricately woven/patterned detailing and elborate cuff designs on their shirts which i am going to try and incoporate in my own design.

So far i have simply created my first theme board, so watch this space for updates!

Peclers Presentation

The Peclers presentation last friday was one of the hghlights of the term so far. I've been obsessed with the idea of fashion forecasting since we were introduced to the books in our second week, and have been using them as inspiration and a guide for my own themeboards since.
I love the layouts of the pages and how they follow the trends through from inspiration to key looks to colour palets.
The presentation introduced us to the inspirations and trends for A/W 2009-2010 and did not disappoint. I liked the eco / green vibe from the trends and the fact that they were clearly inspired by relavant issues of modern society and not just fashion. This gave the ideas an edge to them and made you consider them in a new way.
I also loved the idea of use and reuse and the trend of well loved clothes, of quality over quantity and charity shop chic, as i think this is such a relevant trend at the moment. i think people are over the idea of throw-away fashion and want to reinvent their exisiting garments for the new season. This trend also touched upon the mixing of different cultures and becoming more aware of other cultures' fashions - "culture is what's left when everything else has been forgotten".

The presentation, other then inpsiring me, made me think about different jobs witin the industry - apart from design - and i think fashion forecasting would be a different and intriguing pathway to take.

PPCP

I had my first lessons in construction and pattern cutting last week and quite frankly found the whole thing overwhelming! I've had extremely little experience with using a sewing machine (domestic or otherwise) which proved to be somewhat of a problem... but as they say practice makes perfect, and after several early starts and late mornings practicing, I've finally been able to sew a straight seam, without freaking out that the industrial sewing machine is going to eat my fingers and learning that you should always make sure the needle is out of the fabric before pulling it - re-threading a bobbin approximately thirty times does that to a person. I have a feeling that construction is going to be the hardest of all the classes i take, but its definitely worth it when something turns out amazingly!
Pattern cutting on the other hand is one of my favorite classes so far - i love it! i like the logical aspect to it i think, as it gives you complete control over the end product. In theory as long as you put all the darts and seams in the correct places your garment will be perfect. Even today's task of creating a block pattern straight onto the mannequin and then transferring it to paper, which was full of potential errors, didnt change my mind. It actually made me aspire to create a better pattern next time around and to learn from the errors that i made. So i guess if desinging doesn't work out, pattern cutting's where its at!

INSPIRATIONS

THE ONE WHO STARTED IT ALL

From an early age the designer who has influenced every item of clothing I've purchased, every design Ive drawn and the way I view the fashion industry is the incredible Coco Chanel. Her inspirational ideals about style and her ability to revoluntionise the industry have made me aspire to create not just fasionable pieces but timeless ones, and to look at everything and think 'is this stylish rather then simply fashionable'. Although high fashion sells and is at the forefront of every designer and customer's mind, the idea of style is always lurking in the subconcious.

Chanel brought many statement pieces to the fashion table throughout her career, including the Little Black Dress – still a permanent fixture in every woman’s wardrobe - the Chanel two piece suit, which was elegant and embodied success, independence and confidence, and costume jewellery.

Chanel was also instrumental in the designing the image of the 1920’s flapper – a move which brought controversy to the brand.

Vivienne Westwood is one of the most influential and intriguing designers in British fashion. Her original creative pieces and pioneering efforts to use taboo subjects to influence her designs has been a constant source of inspiration of mine. The inspiration comes in the form that there is no limit to how far an idea can be taken. Westwood designs outrageously, passionately and unconventionally.

THE ICON

Another major influence in my own designs is the late Isabella Blow, a true original. Blow inspires me to see the world of fashion in different and abstract ways and to understand the importance of individuality.

THE NEXT BIG THING

Gareth Pugh started out as a costume designer for the English National Youth Theatre, aged 14, until his formal education at Central Saint Martins, during which his final collection attracted the attention of the senior fashion editor of Dazed and Confused magazine, who placed one of his designs on the cover shortly after. After participating in several shows and articles, Pugh finally got his chance to show a collection at an alternative fashion week, which brought him to the attention of Fashion East, who invited him to show in its Autumn 2005 group show.
Pugh’s solo debut was in London Fashion week in 2006 and has since shown collections for Spring 2007 and Autumn 2007, in which his collection was hailed ‘an un-missable show’. One of his trademarks is using balloons to depict the movements and joints of the human body.
Gareth Pugh’s work is elective, original and unique, and the designer himself is a great example of hard work, dedication and passion - and one of the most forward thinking new designers on the catwalks.

Induction To The AIB - A Fresher's Thoughts

My first day at the AIB was possibly the most terrifying experience to date. It was the feelings of the moment in the horror movie when you turn the light on, turning up at school without your clothes and free falling seven hundred feet - all wrapped up in 24 hours. The information overload was overwhelming as well as the prospect of making small talk with forty new people, although i can now say it was worth all the panic and fear. Despite being completely thrown by the situation at first, the support and amount of resources available to all students leaves me in no doubt that i've made the right choice determining course and uni. I also love the fact that everyone on my course has the same passion and interest in fashion as i do - i'm no longer the only one constantly talking about hem lengths and tailoring! I hope that the rest of the year continues in the same way... X

Welcome!

WELCOME!!! 

Welcome to the best fashion blog in the AIB! X