Rome

maybe irrelevant to work but just got back from Rome which was the most inspirational place and note to self to do a project on it next term be perfect as there is so much architecture and paintings and sculptures to work from. I was strange to see the Italian style was as smart and well dressed as I imagined but they didnt seem to have obvious trends like in the uk which i guess is good as everyone and the shops didnt look the same and the most were all designer shops. I wrote down a lot of names so i must look them all up maybe discover a cool Italian designer hmm.

toile review

Totally worth the hassle of bringing a friend in to model for me as she looked good and was hopefully a bit different. Mad rush preparing again I really should learn by now to be organised say this in every blog. but got it done and shouldnt have been so nervous, it went well :) happy I know where im going with this so much more focused than my last project Im glad I learnt form all those mistakes well one main one just to narrow down starting point makes so much more sense.

buying and merchandising

Oxfam wouldnt be a shop most would go to for a fashion project but I personally am extremely bored with highstreet shops and have never really got to see how a charity shop really works. I have worked in new in the past so would have been a good idea for me to do that so i hope this is an interesting enough project for me to get the marks, but the people were just so unbelievably helpful anf friendly I got to see eveything anyway including the stockroom and even put my name down to help out with the next bridal catwalk show brilliant! as the dresses were amazing.

Lectra

Ive found out a lot more to the Lectra company than expected and was interested especially in the 3D design which saves a certain amount of toile making as it gives the designer an idea, maybe more digital is the was forward?!?

fashion week!

Fashion week was amazing I cant begin to imagine what the main one was like ahh wow the shows! I have so much in my memories of parts of shows and rehearsals mainly ill just put washing glasses and 12 plus hour shifts to the back of my mind but that was all good glass collecting and long shifts isnt somthing im not used to just used to getting paid haha. soo worth it though and I need to look at doing it again definitly in Paris if I can afford it or london again. I dressed for a few shows in which i have uploaded some of their designs off the website was so exciting to see how everything worked backstage but very very stressful alot of pressure to get it right first time, dont blame the designers for wanting there show perfect would be the same i guess. I was shocked more than anything at how down to earth most designers were I was worried that the demanding superficial type would put me off I guess I have learnt I was wrong to be stereotypical myself, that made me very happy and enjoy the whole experience. Talking to Yan To gave me some confidence as hopefully I can follow up work experience with him and he was happy to chat away and even asked what I was up to! This is what Yan To has said quoted off of the on off website, and a pic of his work. "What do you consider being ON?"
"I believe in attitudes, not trends. For me, sexuality, sensuality and integrity are always on. Black, gunmetal, red. The cut suggests but never flaunts and the textures are always thoughtful. Subway. Christopher Lambert, Isabel Adjani, Richard Bohringer. To do what I love is all the inspiration I could ever desire."

"What do you consider being OFF?"
"Following trends regardless of self appraisal is off. All colours can work in context but prints are off. Cuts that hide the body are off. Overstyled image. Visible logos. Pulp fiction. Self absorbtion."

tshirt

its great to see the transformation off the computer to a cut out tshirt but jersey is harder to work with than i thought :s but practice with overlockers in general makes perfect

buying and merchandising

bit of a shocker today as i've always known that its like 1 in 3 businesses in general make it but that not just fashion, as the lecturer mentioned its far harder in fashion and to just break even after one or a few years is really good. Ive always been realistic but now im prepared to go bankrupt to set up a fashion label but obviously id love not to have to haha!

design

Ethical fashion has always interested me and having tried to shop for some myself a fashionable range is hard to come by. This design project has got me thinking more about my future and pushed me towards owning an ethical company, and we are in need of a fashionable one! Loving Barbara Kruger in past art projects I wanted to introduce the style into a fashion design project, alongside my interest in ethical fashion as they could easily go hand in hand using irony.

buying and Merchandising

I find the Lectures extremely long but so interesting especially as he has working in the industry and don't so well even pretty much setting up tammy i went there when i was small! I will try to take as many helpful notes as possible as I know its a slightly too long lecture for me to handle but it will help me most definitely in setting up my own business.

ethical

Writing a Manifesto for design is a very different take on these project which is interesting but very confusing, I love the idea we can pick what we want as our inspiration for the project :)!!!

Lecta

starting Lectra this week its very daunting as Im not the best at remembering links and shortcuts etc on computers they don't agree with me, but I can easily see the use of Lectra in business etc so that plenty to spur me on to try hard.

design deadline

The designs did work well and staying up till 5am payed off to display the designs on the board hopefully this will pull up my mark from my sketchbook which i don't feel is my best work.

back from xmas

trying to work over holidays is almost impossible for me but forcing a bit of work helped but now again i've learnt the hard way and trying desperately to catch up on this culture project. Thinking of making such a board starting point work and look more focused is 10x harder than just focusing in the first place. I find quick scribbled designs are working but linking that through the sketchbook is such a challenge. I need to focus my ideas instead of wanting to do them all. it doesn't work :(.

culture moodboard

I need to change the way I think about displaying moodboards and a general project by again squeezing too much information and visual aspects into one thing instead of less but more effective statements. criticism hit me hard after 3 hours sleep but it was totally right and changing my moodboard looked a lot better and I could then see more improvements to make for the next project. I always learn the hard way :)

I loved the last black and white design project as it was different and couldnt wait to get stuck into the culture project as I have wanted to do a cultural project for years, and only had the chance to do it in art. I learnt a very valuable lesson that less is more in a sketchbook with research just picking the most important sections to use. this is something i must do for the next project.