Professional Photo Shoot of First Final Garment.

So this week was my first experience of taking part in a professional photo shoot. As part of my last year doing my Fashion and Textile course, we (the students) pay to have one professional photo of one of our final garments of our collection. This will then be used in the end of year broachers and our own individual postcards that will be also be at the end of year shows such as Graduate Fashion Week and New Designers

I look at it as the first example of your work that will be shown to the public, to showcase your abilities as a designer. So I felt very aware of what I need to do in my now final year and how I wanted it to be portrayed in the photo shoot.

My years final garments ready for the photo shoot!

 

If I’m honest my final collection is turning out to be something totally different to what I had anticipated although I am trying to go with the flow, as time is not on my side and things need to be getting done! So what was originally supposed to be my final outfit could actually be one of my first designs in the collection, as I realized I wanted to make more structural outstanding pieces.

Toile of the top half of the garment.

 

Although with all this in mind, I am still proud of the construction of the garment (even though it was longer than scheduled!) I took the time to bind all the inner seams and finish all the hems correctly and I am still very content with that.

Interior seams.

 

Me-slaving away!

 

The photo shoot went well in general, all the models were lined up in order for each student and we were lucky enough to have professional makeup artists and hairdressers on sight to get the models ready. Once the hair and makeup was done; onto getting the garment on.

My model Claudia getting her hair done by Feathers Salon Group from Colchester.

 

 

The make up company MAC were in charge of the make up on the photoshoot.

 

Pablo finishing Claudias make up.

 

I never realized how small I had ended up sewing the skirt-it was suppose to be a size 10 and was originally made form a size 10 pattern-but I must have sewn in smaller and it ended up being tiny! Also the length had been increased by about 10cm! So it was a good job the model was long and slim so it fitted her beautifully. It possibly was a little snug around the hips, but gave a lovely tight look to the tubular skirt.

Ready to take some photos.

 

Once in the studio, the photographer was really good and helped get the model into position and guided her poses. After a few minutes, he found a stunning pose twisting the top of her body and lifting her arm to behind her head; elongating her and showcasing the clothes.

Claudia posing for the photo shoot.

 

I was like a mother hen; I didn’t realize how protective and paranoid about my pieces I would be! I was constantly fluffing them-pulling the collar into place, pinning it, pulling the hem down… I know I must have been a pain to both the photographer and the model but I felt it needed it to be perfect, I had such a high expectation of how it would be.

And I would like to think it went quite successful, I think the mood and feel was what I had envisaged-creating a posh, stuck up attitude that looks very sleek and slender.

It went well until….  I had to get my British bulldog into the studio wearing her matching jacket! She was good although will all the people and the attention she was quite excited and hyper which made it difficult to place her for the photo. I admit I probably wasn’t helping as I was getting more and more stressed and uptight, but all was well in the end!

Me getting Elizabeth-my british bulldog, ready to go into the set.

 

The coat from the top.

 The photographer said he had the shot (I wasn’t sure) so we will have to wait until after the Easter holiday to see the final picture! Hopefully with the model showcasing the garment and then also the dog wearing a matching coat with matching lapel, it will have a sophisticated but slightly funny-possibly tacky, tinge to the shoot!

Claudia and I... 

The Secret Vintage Fair in Colchester.

Last weekend I was lucky enough to take part and help out with the planning of a Secret Vintage Fair that was based in Colchester Castle… and it was amazing!

I had heard about it through a tutor at the Colchester School of Art so I decided to put myself forward to help with the planning but then also for modelling. The fair consisted of various stalls and stands selling vintage or vintage inspired merchandise and was to be held in a secret location; which then turned out to be Colchester Castle!

 

The stalls where spread out over two floors inside Colchester castle (which happens to be the oldest Norman castle in England!) which looked amazing with the old brick walls and high ceilings. Being in a castle, it could have been hard to keep warm but the organizers had made a wonderful job and it was comfortable and snug. The only negative was it was rather dark in there although I think it added to feel.

Most of the people who were working on stands and also visitors, had dressed up for the occasion with most people inspired by the 1940’s and 1950’s; wearing curled up-do’s, red lipstick and fitted little pencil skirts. Throughout the day here was also a long list of “vintage style” performers such as the Haywood Sisters (who were amazing!) that added to the whole feel of the day. When you entered the castle it felt as if you had entered a time warp as you walked in as everything changed and you went back in time.

The inside of the castle.

 

 

 There was live music all day either by groups or singers performing on a stage situated on the bottom floor and also two fashion shows at 12 o’clock and at 2 o’clock. The outfits for the shows were from the local stalls at the fair such as Revolver-based in Colchester and others that had been given mood boards based on the themes within the fashion show.

The fashion show themes were

·         Cute and Kitsch; based on dolls houses, pretty pink bows and feminine flowers.

·         Spring/Summer 2013; based mainly on the monochrome that has been popular this year.

·         Eveningwear and Bridal.

 

Cute and Kitsch.

 

 

 

Spring/Summer theme; influenced by this seasons trend of monocrome.

 

 

 

 

Eveningwear and Bridal;

 

 

 

The grand finaly!

 

The castle was bursting at the brim and queues were reportedly backed down into Colchester high street. I believe a good time was had by all!

I didn’t realize how popular an event like this would be but it sure showed that there is a market for it and there are plenty of people that enjoy the vintage, retro style. The next time there is anything like this on again round this area I will defiantly be attending, I enjoyed helping out with a bit of the organizing and also with the modelling. I feel I also learnt a bit about vintage styling. I found the whole experience really inspiring seeing all different past fashions and fashions that people had done their own spin off; making it more modern. I came home wanting to completely change my entire wardrobe!

To find out if and when there will be anymore Secret Vintage Fairs happening soon, check out their face book page The Secret Vintage Fair.

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.