First Final Outfit for Collection!

Happy Easter to everyone! Hope everyone is enjoying the holidays.

I realize that I need to take time out to keep on top of my blog. But the truth is with the last couple of weeks; I have had to get the first outfit of my collection designed and made which has taken all my time up!

After the Easter holidays there are only 6 weeks left of my 3 year degree and it feels as if this will be the most hectic and worked period! For the last two weeks I have been going to the studio everyday Monday to Friday and usually drive in for 9 o’clock in the morning and I’m not returning until 7 or 8 at night. And all this for only the first outfit…!! I dread to think how the others are going to go; working out one out per week.

So my final collection is based on Cruela Deville; mostly on half black and half white. I researched the half and half hair originally created by the English author Dodie Smith in the book 101 Dalmatians and explored it more as a theory of half light and half dark or good and half bad. I also looked at it as split personality, looking into schizophrenia which is something I feel I can relate to. So taking this and converting it onto what I would perceive Cruela and what she would wear, I also looked at people such as the heiress Daphne Guinness, who could be interpretated as a modern fashion conseience celebrity.

Cruela in the original drawings for the Dodie Smith book.

Cruela Devil in the Disney movie 101 Dalmatians.


Daphne Guinness; heir of the Guinness brewery empire.

My idea is that I would use the theory of half and half and apply it to everything; half black, half white; half structure, half drapery; half hard, half soft…etc. So as a place to start I designed what I was hoping was going to be a dress which would be made up of a top half that was half black chiffon and half structured wool. Carrying on with Cruela in mind; she always wore very structured garments, skirt suits with shoulder pads and pencil skirts. So this influenced the design and helped me to create a half a jacket on the top half of the dress. As I carried on exploring the design, it ended up becoming a skirt and top as the fabric I was using made this easier. So after 4 toile’s I decided to make the final one! I feel it has gone relatively well, I feel I need to look at the skirt again as the fabric; which is black sequins that don’t sit correctly on the waist band but all in all I feel quite pleased with the result.

Versions of the toile before the final one.

 

A beautifully sewn piece... that I then realized I had to unpick!

 

Final top; half jacket with collar and lapel with half chiffon top with 3/4 sleeve.

Side view.

 

The icing on the cake is that Wednesday there will be a photo shoot where my first outfit will be professionally shot in a studio by a professional photographer. I am really excited for this and hoping to get a couple of extra accessories done in time to also put into the shoot! As soon as their taken and ready I’ll pop it on here so everyone and have a look and tell me what you think!

A picture of a half way through an accessorie....

 

Designer inspiration; Stephane Rolland and Alexandre Vauthier.

So the third and final year is well on its way. I have to say it is the quickest and most presure project I have done throughout my degree.

For any future textile or fashion designers that are going onto Colchester School of Art; this is when you need to pull your finger out. Me and most of the students in my group are coming in every day even though we only have a structured class once a week; as you learn that every day is precious and the closer it gets to the deadline the more you have to fit in to each day to make it worth wile.

So for the first couple of weeks I needed to work out what on earth I am doing; what my theme is and the base of the collection, my colour palette, my market, work on a mood board and start designing garment ideas. Throughout this process I was researching designers and the latest collections when I came across a couple of designers that I hadn’t overly heard of but fell in love with their collections.

I will also make this point of buying expensive magazines or trend books even though I know they are sooo…. expensive and you grudge paying it-bit I have found it is really worth it as they have some amazing images and can help you plan to know if you are heading in the right way with trends and colours. This is where I found these designers in a magazine bought from Selfridges in London at the cost of £15 although it had all the couture spring/summer collections shown at Paris Fashion Week.

Stephane Rolland is a French designer who shows at Paris Fashion Week and who I fell in love with his 2013 spring/summer collection. His collection was clean cut and although elements of tailoring with lapels and stand up collars the overall feel was a beautiful flowing, feminine collection that consisted of long straight dresses and fitted fish tails. Fabrics included where what appeared as heavy although possibly cut on the bias as they flowed wonderfully and detailing on trains and hems such as feathers and beading. I thought the collection looked so pure and striking as if every part had been made to perfection. It was clean cut and I feel the fabric and colour helped to portray this clean cut effect.

 

  

 

Stephane Rolland 2013 spring/summer collection.

Another collection that has had an impact on me and I recognized it instantly as a collection I would love to take influence from was Alexander Vauthier. His 2013 spring/summer collection included tailoring in jackets and trousers but also drapery in tops and dresses. The overall feel was sophisticated, using black throughout the collection made it more powerful and including different textures of fabric made it stand out. Matt fabrics such as structured woollen fabrics and leather contrasted against softer fabric such as sheer, chiffon types and sequined shinny fabrics giving the collection a depth.

   

 

Alexandre Vaulthiers 2013 spring/summer collection.

I feel that both of these collections have what I was originally looking for which was the contrast and looking deeper than that the schizophrenic change between the feminine and airy against the heavily constructed and dramatic pieces. This is also linked to my colour palette of only black and white-which can be perceived as good vs. bad or heaven vs. hell which can link into my schizo/ two faced theme of the collection.

Textile Forum and Fashion Fabric Show in London

This week I travelled down to London and went to the trade show; Textile Forum the Fashion Fabric Show.

It was a little textile show based in London that was open to artists and designers in the industry and also students. I was amazed at how small the show was, in comparison to other shows such as Pure or Premier Vision which I have visited; this was simply in two small rooms with maybe no more than 30 stalls.

 

Each stall represented a brand or company that where selling textiles and prints and had brought with them samples of their fabrics. It reminded me of my work experience in Vanners Silk Weavers in Sudbury Suffolk; where I had cut the sample fabric and mounted them onto boards to be shown at shows. So it was nice to see the other end and be the on the other side looking at the cuttings.

I did however, find it quite intimidating as there was only a selection of stands, the workers of each stand would watch come up to you, asking you questions which could be a bit scary. But once I had started talking to people and showing a hidden confidence it became easier and I really enjoyed it.

I managed to get quite a few cards of different companies and I also managed to ask for a few samples which will hopefully get sent within the next week. Companies I really liked were;

·         G H Leather; which I recognised as they have visited the Colchester Institute. They had a stall there which showcased some of their skins from cow, goat, snake and stingray. I fell in love with a white leather that was a Japanese hide. The hide is from a cow that is massaged everyday making the meat and also the skin softer and leaner and leaves it looking gorgeous. When I touched it, it was so soft it was like touching air.

·         Laurent Garigue London; Based in Kensington London, they had some beautiful woollen fabric and thicker materials as well as pattern fabrics. I have ordered some samples from them including hounds tooth and black and white check wools.

·         Bernstein &Banleys LTD; Based in South end (which could be handy!) they have an assortment of linings and trimmings. I sadly didn’t order any samples or view very much while at the show but I will be having a look online.

·         Bennet Silks; These were one of the first stands I went to and I wonder if they could smell I was a student as they were the only stand that charged for samples to be posted. They had some beautiful silks, bridal fabrics, georgette and chiffon. I had a look at their dupions and duchess silk, in so many different colours and mixes. This was where most samples where ordered and will hopefully get sent next week.

·         Pongees; this had amazing woollens! I fell in love with this black mohair they had on their rail that is £87 per metre! I have asked for a sample of this although this may take up to 4 weeks. They had beautiful wools and heavier weight fabrics.

I found the experience of going to this really helpful as it made me come out of my shell and have the confidence to approach different people within the industry. I feel I have picked up a lot of knowledge and hopefully some future contacts. I am also looking forward to receiving the samples from the stalls and having a root around in them seeing if I can use them in this collection.  I defiantly will try and go again to this textile fair and indeed any other show as I am finding really interesting and a good source of inspiration.