Mood board

This is my first mood board for my final project. I used images from the 20's, costumes and current runways. I wanted to show similar aspects in all these fashions but at the same time show contrasts. I have included photos of women's swimsuits being measured and also runways which display crop tops and Victoria's secret. I aim trying to pay attention to how much flesh can be shown when fashion is included. I want to work out the line between freedom and advertising.

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Figure 1 (Authors own)

The V&A

At the V&A museum, there is currently a few items of clothing from the 1920's. I wanted to see these in order to gain a first person view on clothes from history. The main items were drop waist dresses and mid heel shoes. Something I noticed that was a common element in all dresses were the details. I feel this is extremely important for my project and final piece as it enables people to recognise the time. Embellishment and embroidery are some of the main elements of the era and although I may combine styles from a different decade, including strong details will provide my piece the historical feature that is needed. One of the aspects of these clothes that surprised me however was the colours. The bright, colourful shades made me think how much womens fashion changed since the start of the decade to the twenties. Once wore structures, bland clothing to now wearing sophisticated, loose dresses, women were now more independent and fashion was a huge part in developing this idea. I am excited to explore this era as even though it is already my favourite time in history, I'm hoping to learn more about the era and how it has changed the perception of women. 

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Figure 1 Authors own

Figure 2 Authors own

Figure 3 Authors own

Figure 4 Authors own

Research

To begin my project, I began to look at styles from history and how they have evolved. Here I have focused on the shapes of women's clothing in the early 20th century. The figure was very tight around the waist, the necks were extremely high and the shoes covered the feet to the ankle so that no skin was seen. I then demonstrated the fashion of the 1920's that completely contrasts the opposite illustrations. The sheer fabric and loose fit allowed for women to become more independent in what they wanted to look like. They could dress in boy fitting clothes and show flesh (without sheer fabrics or not). This is something I want to focus on when I'm looking at present fashion as sheer has been frequently used in 13/14 style.

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Figure 1 (Authors own)

Figure 2 (Authors own)

Final major project

For my final project I am looking to base my work on the first major change in women's fashion: the twenties and modern fashion. I want to research into how this was a time when liberation in women's style was appearing and they were allowed to wear what they wanted without the restrictions of society. Dropped waists were introduced, corsets were gone and hair was cut short. A common thing about the past fashion and modern style is the amount of flesh shown by women. In latest s/s14 trends, brands have been using mesh and cropped tops in their designs. I am going to research into historic styles, current trends and how in modern day, are things designed to provide women with the freedom they gained in the 20's, or are they created to sell brands.

Final culture project

For my final illustrations I wanted to draw my designs but instead of using pens like previous work, I wanted to experiment with pencils. I wanted to draw a piece that had a soft finish and pencils were the best medium to achieve this result. I wanted this because I think pencil drawn fashion illustrations have the nicest appearance. Although some prefer the neater, digital versions, I think this allows for most detail and becomes more personal. Most designers use software like Photo shop to finalize their designs so I wanted to do something less professional. At the start of this project I was concerned that I wouldn't be able to come up with an interesting combination of cultures and would only think of obvious ideas. But this has helped me realize that sometimes things do not need to be perfect in order to achieve something you're happy with and can show your skills. I never would have thought about mixing Japanese culture with American consumerism, so not only am I happy with the skills I've developed in the project but am pleased that I will now experiment with odd styles and try as many different ideas as I possibly can.

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Figure 1 Authors own 2014

Final collections

                      

I have finally decided on my final collection and am very pleased with the result. Although I was weary about focusing on prints I'm glad I did as I'm now more comfortable working outside my comfort zone. I chose to use brush pens and markers to complete my sketches as I wanted the colours to appear really bold as this would then draw attention to the patterns. These are not my final illustrations but this has helped me realise what I have for my final pieces and what I should create in order to present them. Since my previous designs I have changed the McDonald's dress so that the skirt is white. I did this to balance the lighter side of the colour scheme as only a small amount of white is used on the dresses and I feel that there needs to be a break in the dark tones. I think this project has helped me develop my drawing skills, I used to use subtle colours and little prints but now I am confident when creating bold designs.

     

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Figure 1 Authors own 2014

Figure 2 Authors own 2014

Photo shop

After designing my draft collection and deciding I didn't like the finish of the pens I then tried using Photo shop to see what I want to create for my final illustrations. I found this an educational but challenging experience as although I obtain Photo shop skills, this was very different to what I have done before. Using the colour scheme I already chose and the patterns made in Photo shop before I started to create the digital designs. I simple cut around the shapes I wanted and filled them with blocked colours and patterns. I had trouble during the process as my scans wouldn't transform to layers and each part wasn't detected, which means I had to (using the paint tool) fill in the body. I decided I didn't want to draw an outline round the body as I found the result without it added a cartoon effect. This allows the designs to not appear that serious and this works with the style as it has a vintage/pin up feel. I really like the final result and have gained a lot of skills I don't think this has the detail I want for a set of final illustrations. I would like to carry on drawing as I feel this will stand out more.

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Figure 1 Authors own 2014

Figure 2 Authors own 2014

Figure 3 Authors own 2014