Detail- Week 2

This week I focused on generating ideas for the detail project using my collected research and imagery. I also had to focus on creating my portfolio both online and physical which has slightly interrupted the project. I'm really enjoying this project so I am doing it as a three week project meaning I can use this week to fully develop my ideas rather than create the outcome too.

TUESDAY- After collating all my research and drawings I started by photocopying the details and collaging them together to generate ideas that were quite conceptual but that I could then work from when designing. This worked out really well for generating ideas as I could create them quickly layering the photocopies and meant they pushed my ideas to creating abstract and quite interesting silhouettes. Although these didn't create wearable ideas and were too busy in places I can take elements from them which I can develop into further designs. I started to do this by photocopying the collages and drawing into them to create garment ideas from them, this allowed me to see how the victorian details could be combined with more simple shapes to create a modern end outcome.

WEDNESDAY- I then created similar collages as yesterday out of blocks of colour and fabrics from gathered images to generate more ideas to then design from. I found creating these collages very helpful as it made me be more creative with silhouettes which is something I found I needed to work on from previous projects where I have gravitated towards similar silhouettes. It also helped me to work out how I could use colour in the project which is also something I have been trying to improve throughout this course. Having a clear colour scheme throughout this project has helped me with this as I have been thinking through the whole of my design development how I can combine the colours and what works well rather than just deciding at the end of the project which is something I have done before.

WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON AND THURSDAY- I started to design from the collages I created the past two days, thinking about my favourite details such as ruffle trims, covered buttons and oversized sleeves. However I only started the designs quite roughly expanding on one or two of the collages as I spent the majority of the rest of my week finishing my portfolios for submissions and interview on Monday.

Next week continuing this project I am going to work towards my final six outfit line up by creating many quick sketches to decide what details and features I shall work on most. I need to remember to think about colour and fabrication especially nearing the end of the project.

(Online portfolio pages showing detail project development so far, authors own, 6/2/15)

Detail

Today we went on a research trip to the V&A and the National Gallery. It was interesting visiting the V&A as I had seen the fashion section a lot of times before but this time I focused on the victorian era and really tried to look for details in the garments. Seeing the garments for real rather than just in pictures was very helpful for this project. Although I would have found it more interesting to see the construction of the garments, it was good to be able to see the decorative detail on the dresses. I particularly found the bodice detailing fascinating, the delicate lace and ruffles and the fastenings such as the row of covered buttons used I think will be very useful for the project. Noting down these key features using sketches was very helpful, better than the books and internet I had been using as was primary research so I was understanding the details I was seeing rather than just looking at them. I found less useful research at the National Gallery but there were a couple of paintings around the correct era I am looking at. These were interesting as they were someone else's interpretation of the dress code then and many still showed the intense detail in their dress so I could still draw from them. 

Now from this I can go on to collate this research and work from my drawings to generate quick sketches incorporating the details I saw. 

(left: Dress at V&A, Authors Own, 29/1/15)

(right: Mr and Mrs Edwin Edwards, http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/ignace-henri-theodore-fantin-latour-mr-and-mrs-edwin-edwards, accessed: 29/1/15)

Detail

Today I started deconstructing the images I collected yesterday so I could begin to understand the construction of the Victorian dresses. I have mainly been focusing on the details I can see in the images I collected. Focusing at this initial stage at Queen Victoria and her mourning period a lot of the dresses she wears have a similar style. She wore dresses with typically square necklines and covered buttons down the front, they also had quite simple detailing, lace around the necklines and cuffs and trimmings on the skirt. I began by drawing these today which I think went quite well as I had been finding it difficult to see the detail in the images at first. I can now try experimenting with them, photocopying and enlarging them so I can collage them onto figures as well as experimenting on the stand. This will give me a starting point for generating some initial design ideas. 

What I now feel I need to do is researching more into the general fashions of mourning dresses of that era and the specific construction of the dresses. It is fascinating how the gowns are constructed such as the layering of skirts, the hidden pockets for watches and belongings and the fastenings used. Once I have a better understanding of this I can start combining it with the aesthetic decorations. It will also help me with creating a unique construction of the garments in my collection rather than them just having victorian influenced fancy decorations on their surface. 

(Sketchbook Pages, Authors Own, 28/1/15)