Final Jacket Design

This is my final jacket after creating some adaptations which I decided it needed. I changed it from my original design by adding another collar inside the original which gave it more volume which balanced out the jacket better improving the design. After this I added some boro inspired surface design. I added some patchwork-like frayed fabric panels and also frayed some of the lower hems to give the worn look boro had. I also linked in my attachment element of harnesses with a belt detail down the front.

Overall I am happy with the design of the jacket now. Adding the larger collar and altering the shape of the left panel that goes round the arm balances out the shape. I also think adding the little bit of surface detail adds interest to the jacket and compliments the mix and match design.

If I created the jacket again I would think some more about the surface detail. I was inspired by boro in the mixing of fabrics but to improve or move on I could think about trying to create some of my own boro designs by sewing fabric onto each other and thinking about ripping and layering and fraying them. I could also have thought about using some of my boro prints I created and having panels of the prints mixed with other fabrics and sewing decorative stitches into them all. 

(Images: Authors own: 26/10/14)

Development of Final Piece

So far this week I have spent it constructing my final piece. I used the pattern pieces I created from my stand work to work out the panels in each of the four fabrics. Now I have constructed it, I am not totally happy with the outcome.

I am happy with the combination of fabrics and the overall look it has but I think I need to work into it. I don't think it hangs quite correctly and the collar isn't quite big enough to balance out the garment. So from this step, I am going to play around on the stand with altering sections to create a more balanced jacket as well as creating another layer to the collar so it has more impact.

From this point I also now want to think about surface decoration and adding further boro ideas in that I have explored in my sketchbook as well as incorporation my structural element of harnesses and restriction.

(Image: Authors own: 23/10/14)

Development of Final Design

Today I created the pattern for my jacket. To create it from the draped piece of fabric I cut it up into sections before redrawing it onto new calico and adding seam allowances. To do this was experimental as I wasn't sure it would work but I did it in sections putting them onto the mannequin as I went and I am pleased with how it worked. The next step is to create it in my chosen fabrics. I also feel I want to work more into the surface textures when I have constructed the garment, thinking about stitching into the fabrics and patching other fabrics onto it thinking about fraying of the fabrics. This will give my garment more of a boro influence.

Today I also spoke to Rebecca about my sketchbook. She gave me some really helpful feedback and aspects I could work on before assessment. Some of her feedback included that I could have more designs on some of the pages so that I have fully explored some of my subjects better and that these designs could feature some more experimental and less safe silhouettes. She also suggested that I work more with scale and working into designs, exploring how they could look different in different sizes and well as working more into the way fabric can be manipulated and the stitchings that could be used especially with the boro influence. I also need to think more about the pages being less busy in some areas, I especially think this applies to my accessories section which I do feel is too crowded.

In reflection, I think my final piece is developing well and once I have basically constructed it I can begin to work into it more to create a more exciting piece with original design features. I also want to work more into my sketchbook, exploring more into surface work such as fraying and stitchings as well as going back and thinking about how I can improve some of my work.

(All images: Authors own 20/10/14)

Concept Development Week

This week we spent organising our own time, we are coming to the end of the project so starting to create final outcomes realising our research. I did find it difficult at the beginning of the week to sort my ideas. I had a lot of designs in my sketchbook and wasn't quiet sure which direction to take my final piece in. I knew I wanted to create something using the ideas I had researched about boro as well as incorporating my attachment ideas of harnesses and restriction. 

Becca told us to start working on the stands draping calico. It surprised me how helpful this was in creating shapes as the shapes were much more interesting and free than what I could just draw in my sketchbook. From this I found a shape that I wanted to create into a jacket (design below). 

I then started to decide the details of the jacket such as the surface decoration and fabrics. I decided to incorporate the ‘boro’ look I want to use four different materials so the jacket is in panels of shades of grey and that I want to incorporate leather belt straps in like an abstract harness.

To move forward now I need to create the draped jacket into a pattern which I can use to make the final garment. 

(All Images: Authors own 19/10/14)

Structure and Attachment- Ideas Development

How my ideas developed:

STRUCTURE —> woven —> Saatchi dupe sacks —> distressed seams —> boro and Japanese textiles.

ATTACHMENT —> melted straws —> saatchi huggers sculpture —> harnesses and restriction

I am pleased with the influences of my project and I think I have researched them well. I do think to improve I need to try and think a bit more conceptually and try and research into more obscure ideas so I have some more creative and original influences. 

Design development looking at distressed seams and the joining of fabrics. I was looking at raw on-show seams and Ibrahim Muhama's dupe sacks from the Saatchi.

From the idea of raw seams my tutor Becca recommended I looked into the Japanese boro technique. I found it really interesting and that it related well to what I wanted to look into. I started to look at joining of different fabrics as well as into some of the ideas and history behind it. I particually like the ideas that boro was created out of a necessity and lack of money and resources as well as the ideas that stories were sewn into the fabrics. If I had more time I would explore these themes further so I could incorporate them more strongly in my final designs.

From boro I also had a little look at other Japanese fabric techniques in the book 'Structure and Surface: Contemporary Japanese Textiles'. I particularly liked the folded or distressed looking surfaces which work well with the ideas of boro as well. I also thought this could translate into a loose knitted piece using the honeycomb technique that I could use to create a piece that restricts movement such as around the arms.

(All images: Authors own 15/10/14)

Styling Week

This week we spent working on a small photo shoot for our accessory. I wanted to create a simple look using black and white where the figure takes up much of the page. The girl has quite a innocent laid back attitude but also a hidden strength shown by her dark lips and slick hair. I wanted the accessory to be the key feature so I styled it with an oversized white shirt.

I am happy with the styling of the shoot and I think it works well in showing off the harness. I like the impact of the dark lips with the sleek hair compared to the casual white shirt which compliments the grey textured harness.
If I did the shoot again I would maybe try a black background to try and get a more mysterious feeling which would contrast greater with the innocence of the girl. I like the darkness of some of the images on my mood board which I have tried to achieve on a subtler level with my photographs but which I could emphasise further if I did this again.

To move on I believe I need to incorporate the idea of having an attitude/feeling and type of woman into my project so that it has a stronger more solid overall look. I could take the type of woman I have used here and incorporate it. I also want to explore harnesses further so these can be a feature of my final work.

(All Images, Authors Own, 10/10/14)

Magical Mystery Fashion Tour

Today we were sent on a magical mystery fashion tour around central London in order to gain a better awareness of the world of fashion. Although the weather was against us we wandered round our list of streets and shops exploring how collections and brands are presented as well as visiting some fabric shops for samples. 

My main observation was how brands present their collections in store compared to the usual high street shops I would visit. It is a lot more considered and there is a lot less on show. This means that everything feels equal and can be seen unlike on the high street where everything is crammed in over the top of each other. The shops also felt more like experiences rather than just stores. The design was created around the clothing. This was particularly the case in places like Dover Street Market where the conceptual design theme continues throughout the store where the cleverly designed collections are complemented by birds in cabinets and a giant boat as you enter. This experience makes you enjoy the clothing better and appreciate its artistry. I also found that a lot of how collections are presented in store and in their windows reflect the brand, a good example is Moschino's bright, almost 'tacky' and fun window compared to Ralph Lauren's window which was subdued and girly, which each reflect the different images they have. 

Another observation I had was that the clothes didn't feel like they were there to please everyone, they were designed for a specific type of person. Some of the collections (specifically in Dover Street Market) didn't even feel wearable but were stunning, clever pieces. I think this is an idea I can take forward with me in my designing as sometimes I do find I'm designing thinking too much about wearability rather than just creating something exciting and new. I also think picking a type of person for the collection could help with my designs and give it a stronger direction. 

Finally I found looking round the fabric stores we found around Berwick Street helpful as it helps to see what is available. I found it was helpful to look for the fabrics within my colour as it meant I could see what textures could work together such as a silk with a rough cotton or a denim with a wool. This is something I want to continue researching as my project develops. 

All Images (Authors Own, 06/10/14)

Accessories- Day 3

Today we began to create our accessory. I decided to create a harness as an accessory using faux leather to create the basic structure and then using the small foil trays and paperclips to create the design. 

I found that it is starting to come together now, the leather worked quite well to create the shape of the harness however if I made it again I would choose a heavier material as it would hold the shape better.  I have started to build up the foil trays around the harness to create surface decoration like I was creating on monday and wednesday. I am going to carry on building these up to create a more exciting shape especially around the shoulder. 

To finish the harness I am going to carry on adding the foil trays to it till I am happy with it and I am also going to finishing adding paperclips to the leather straps to create a more metallic look. Once I have done this I want to spray paint the whole thing a matte grey colour as I don't like how at the moment it is a mixture of black and silver. I also think being one colour it'll disguise the fact its made of foil trays and appear more as one interesting structure and shall fit in with the mono theme of this project.

Image (Goodwin Jade 03/10/14)

Accessories- Day 2

Today we were starting to develop our accessories ideas from monday using our samples we made. We did this by doing a carousel of workshops. The first was working with the same items as monday to create more samples developing from mondays ideas. The second was using large photocopies of our various samples and pinning these together and onto the stands to create shapes and ideas. The third was to use tiny photocopies of our samples and to put them onto a4 magazine figures to create ideas.

From these workshops I found the second worked the best as it meant I could physically create and alter shapes to see what works better on the figure and as an accessory. I liked working with the foil tray photocopies as there appearance is bold and the rounded shapes made them good to join together to create shapes that could come away from the stand.
I found the third workshop the least helpful to me as it was hard to manipulate the images onto the figure to make them look like accessories as they appeared quite flat. However I did prefer this on just the head as it was a larger scale and worked quite well in creating headpieces.

It surprised me how experimental you could be in these workshops and helped me to understand the sorts of accessories or body adornments that could be created instead of the usual typical accessories such as bangles and rings.

To go forward I am going to work back into all the workshops and combine all the shapes and ideas I created so I have a better collection of imagery to work from in designing my accessory. I am interesting in looking at possible headpieces and harnesses as ideas for my final design.

Images: (Goodwin Jade 01/10/14)