Initial designs

To gain an idea of what the dresses might look like in a complete collection I drew rough designs. They aren't brilliant drawings but I only wanted to see how they would appear together to work out if they went well or appeared mismatched. As a result, I think they work and would like to continue with these and developing them in a more presentable way. I am not going to use felt tip pens anymore as the colours aren't exact to what I imagined them to be and they so not have a nice finish and therefore make the drawings almost disorganised. I want to work on the blues as well as I find them too dark for the other dresses. I'm finding this project is enabling me to explore different styles of design and this will help me for the final project. 

Figure 1 and 2

Figure 1 Authors own 2014
Figure 2 Authors own 2014

Digital pattern design

Two of the designs I have made focus on the two cultures I am looking at. Using Photo shop I have tried to design two patterns that are subtle but unique. Using the black and the blue allowed for there to be a simple background and this provided me the chance to be bold with the prints. Out of the two prints I designed I prefer figure 2. To achieve this I used the blossom photo I took and cut out a flower and cut and pasted it onto my first layer. I then decreased the saturation so that it became more white and increased the transparency to give the idea that the flowers have blended into one. I then pasted it onto a solid black background and decided to repeat the pattern. After this I opened the Coca Cola logo and using the magic wand, cut out the background so it could be pasted onto any layer. I pasted it onto the original design and repeated it again. Although I am not a print designer, I enjoyed doing this as it allowed me to develop my ideas for prints and my Photo shop abilities. I think they will both work well on my dresses as they are what I was hoping for.

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 1 Authors own 2014

Figure 2 Authors own 2014

Pattern design

I've decided to produce some initial thoughts when thinking about patterns and colours. I've done this to see what colours may or may not work with certain shaping and styles. My initial thoughts included florals, stripes, gingham, fans and leaves and sketched them in order to get a brief idea of what the patterns might look like. I decided to do some research into Japanese patterns and found the following images. After, I decided to copy the photos but change the colours. I wanted to copy them in the colours blue, yellow and pink because these are the colours I want to focus on them especially. This has helped me understand the colour scheme I want to use as now I know what is too bold or bright and what colours go with what. I would prefer to use yellow as a background but will explore different options. 

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Figure 10 and 11

Figure 12

This is a photo of blossoms I took, I am thinking about using some sections in photo shop and exploring different prints. I want to keep the flowers white as I think this adds a classic aspect according Japanese design.

Figure 13

I thought I'd draw some quick designs just to see whether I should just use patterns I create or carry on taking inspiration from traditional patterns. I definitely want to use both the pencil and full skirt 50's style for my dress structures but include tiny elements of the Geisha style such as draping (I'm going to have the hair and make up inspired by the style). As the pattern will be highly inspired by Japanese surroundings, I think this will be enough inclusion to realise that there are two culture influences. I'm going to explore some more ideas and continue not only developing the project but my opinion on print design. 

Figure 14

Figure 1 Authors own 2014

Figure 2-11 Unknown source (book)

Figure 12 Authors own 2014

Figure 13 Authors own 2014

Figure 14 Authors own 2014

Patterns and further flats

After looking at different shapes I decided to do the same process with patterns as even though I'm not at the stage of finalizing the prints, I have a lot of knowledge on classic patterns and want to begin trying out what works best. Although they might look basic and completely focused on floral, I want to start with simple patterns and develop it as I want to know what I can work with when It comes to merging the two cultures.

Figure 1

Another set of designs I did focus more on the way the pattern fits into the shape. Figure 3 is an image of some more prints I sketched but put more detail into colouring as I want to develop the whole outfit. If I continued to only thinking about the print and not the background, this may have caused problems in future development as they might not have coordinated nicely. Sometimes this is a positive thing to include in fashion design but for my theme I want people to recognise the inspirations so will need to be particular in my choice. I like the use of black as it allows for the patterns to really stand out. I'm going to stick with the use of yellow, blue and red as I find these are bold but are not fancy; they are original colours that work well with both traditional and consumer lifestyles. For example, a lot of Japanese art contains this colour scheme and in brands like McDonalds and other food chains they are also apparent.

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 1 Authors own 2014

Figure 2 Wanczura, D. Hokusai Katsushika - 1760-1849 [Online].Available at: http://www.artelino. com/articles/hokusai.asp

Figure 3 Authors own 2014

Researching culture

I just wanted to start my research off by sketching what I think best represents Geisha and American culture. I think this is a good starting position as I'm displaying what I already know and what I can improve on and what I need to research more into. I need to look up the inspiration for the Japanese prints and collect my own photos that link to the information I find. For the American culture however, I want to use iconic logos and edit them so they create prints for the final collection. The two logos I'm paying attention on the most are McDonald's and Coca Cola as they are obviously recognizable and I've began to research into Japanese patterns in the hope that they will contrast. I really like the layered patterns as I want the prints I design to appear quite busy and bold and after doing the research, I discovered I really like the flower and fan ones. 

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Figure 5

Figure 1 Authors own

Figure 2 Authors own

Figure 3 McDonalds golden arches. 2009. Creative commons wiki [Online]. Available at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:McDonald%27s_Golden_Arches.svg

Figure 4 Unknown author. 2012.Coca-Cola makes EPA list of largest on-site green power generators. [Online] Available at: http://www.rewmag.com/coca-cola-epa-green-power-success.aspx

Figure 5 

Quick flat designing

Due to focusing on the 50's for my context I know I want a full skirt so I am focusing mainly on the top half of the garment. An aspect I tried to incorporate in some of the designs is layering. I noticed that on a lot of Geisha outfits, there are belts that are layered that cover most of the waist. I really like this idea as it appears a modern feature but is recognised as something from Japanese style. I want to experiment with layering more than unusual structures and cuttings as I want the style to be obvious of America in the 50's. If an usual style is used then the pattern may not be the centre of attention and that is the element of this project that I want to achieve my best in and be the most interesting out of all the different fashion features.

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Figure 3

Figure 1 Authors own 2014

Figure 2 Authors own 2014

Figure 3 Authors own 2014

Culture project

The topic for this project is 'culture' and how when mixing two, a new style can be produced. I decided to combine Geisha tradition with American consumer culture. I want to do this to see how two completely different styles can possibly combine and what can be created from anything discovered. I chose Geisha tradition because the patterns of the robes and dresses are one of the things I am mostly interested in. The floral designs are clearly influenced by the surroundings (seen with blossoms and other flowers). I then chose American culture (paying attention to the 50's) as this was a time when consumerism was at its high. Brands such as McDonald's and Coco Cola were becoming increasingly popular. In this project, I want to explore patterns and how two cultures influenced by there surroundings can be completely different. Below is an initial mood board I created to see what shapes and patterns could inspire me. Considering I've never looked at print, I think this is going to be a challenging choice for me and I'm looking forward to see what I can create.

Figure 1

Figure 1 Authors own 

Final designs

I decided to draw my final designs as I felt that the set of colour and structures I have looked at are what I need for my collection. I wanted to make these designs stand out from my other work so I wanted to keep them simple and have the fashion bold and bright. To finalize my designs I used the work I done on the stands and used them as shaping on the garments. They allowed me to add cut out shapes and interesting structures such as shoulder straps. The sport wear influence can be seen with the elasticated bands and the pleats in the skirts/dresses. I decided to design low neck lines and cropped pieces to add a modern feel to the clothes. The patterns seen on the garments were influenced by St. Pauls Cathedral. The inside of the dome has highly detailed paintings and repeated shapes which allow for a mix of mediums and results in a grand piece of architecture. Although St.Paul's is known for it's architecture as a whole (it is a major part of the London skyline) this feature is what gained my attention. I decided to draw repeated patterns inspired from the outline of some of the shapes. I really liked the curves and blocks so thought they could form a simple but detailed pattern. 

Figure 1

To conclude, I really enjoyed this project as it allowed me to explore the possibility of designing something for the high street and possibly a new trend.

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Figure 1 Bullimore, K.(2003). St Paul's Cathedral in London England. Available at: http://www.hotels-london-hotel.com/st-pauls-cathedral/.

Figure 2 Authors own

Figure 3 Authors own

Figure 4 Authors own

Colour theme

For this project I want to include something other than white. White is included because of the strong 20's inspiration, so to avoid the designs looking too much like tennis outfits I need to include other colours to make it appear suitable for high street clothing. I have decided to use blue and pink as these are eye catching and add contrast to the pieces. I find these colours work really well together as although you wouldn't chose an outfit while mixing the colours, they add an edge to my designs that provide a more modern feel. Due to only using the colours in small sections, they are not the most obvious element of the collection. The features are subtle but are powerful as the colours are strong. I think this project Is coming along nicely as I am exploring aspects of fashion design that I have never looked at before.

First designs

I wanted to draw a collection to see what different styles work with what sport features and what bottoms work with these. I decided to use blue in the designs as this appears to be a common colour in sportswear. 

As seen with this tennis outfit, blue is used in current tennis outfits and I think this adds a bold element without being too distracting from the rest of the design. This is also a Nike item which enables me to understand other than the elements from Nike town I found, what can be a trend and what athletic people are looking for. Since Nike is one of the biggest sporting fashion brands currently available, this informs me that this is what the market look for. 

Figure 1

I really like the outfits that include shaping that is unique and futuristic. I want to keep using these structures because I feel that not only does this take me away from my comfort zone, but will contrast the classic shaping of the simple tennis dresses women used to wear. This then allows the outfits to feel more like a high street pieces. I'm really enjoying this project because It's different to anything I have ever done. Despite still basing this on costume, I'm combing the past and modern designs in order to explore my abilities and ideas.

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Figure 1 http://www.fitsugar.com/Get-Your-Butt-Gear-Trendy-Tennis-Clothes-1897159
Figure 2 Authors own
Figure 3 Authors own
Figure 4 Authors own

Colour scheme

I have designed further concept boards to experiment with not only style again but colour too. The first board includes a range of colours, however I have stuck to basics because I want to gradually work on a variety of colours. I like the idea of using blues and red tones in my work as I find they work nicely against white; yellow is too similar. The board below however focuses more on darker blues and how they are used in modern fashion. One part of the first that I am interested in developing is the use of angular blocking. I do not want to include great amounts of colour so am aiming towards infusing the line creations with colour and so including unusual sport stripes.

Elements of sportswear

 During a trip to Oxford Street, I went into Nike Town for research. I took photographs of various features of sportswear but chose elastic bands and sport stripes for my repeated aspect in my designs. I want to use these because I believe these will provide contrast to my collection and will add a modern aspect as well. I do not want to create designs that are extremely accurate in terms of the era they are inspired from and by involving these they allow for an interesting twist and allow for a mix of decades to be shown. I am curious to know how I'm going to incorporate these features as I never design sports items.

I decided to quickly draw some flats to have an insight into what I can create with these ideas and what progress may come in the future. I really like the idea of using the stripes as this could maybe create a pattern or a simple logo. I have only done a few pieces as I know what the bottom half of the dress will look like (this is the piece that will be similar to that of a 1920's dress) which means I have to decide what top I want.

Stand designs

Something I don't often focus on is odd structures and decided to put a lot of effort into this activity in hope that it will help my vision on design expand. Continuing my theme of tennis clothing I used straight lines as in a lot of sportswear there isn't really materials that are loose and flow; rather than include material such as chiffon, cotton is commonly used. I thought this activity was a really good start to the design process as it is different from putting a pencil to a paper and just drawing whatever initial thoughts one might have, this allowed me to see what shapes work best on the shaping of the body. I wanted to use a few of these in my first set of designs in order to limit my choice and see how I can develop the shapes. 

Here are some designs I quickly did after this, I wanted to do this immediately after as I then understood what items would work with which lines. I decided to try both classic tennis shaping and some contrasting shapes to avoid looking too similar to traditional sportswear. I am definitely going to use these lines in my final designs, whether they are add material or a print as I find they provide a futuristic effect. Considering the start of my project payed attention to original features, coming to a conclusion on the design process where I will include modern shaping displays development in my project. It shows that sportswear can influence high street fashion despite the context. I want to look at colour now as I don't want to continue with the black and white.