change of plan

well after a talk with my tutor, ive come to the realisation that my subject is too broad ( again) so ive started researching into a more 'romantic' 'bohemian' style which i think will also be able to incorporate my nature theme as i have found a lot of imagery which could be linked to both. here are some images i have found which i  think define my idea more clearly:

the images below are of Ophelia from Shakespeares 'Hamlet'. i like the mystical element portrayed in these painting. i also like the way she has been styled; fragile and romantic.

 this image is from the 'Valentina' campaign. i like the way the model has been styled, using sheer fabrics and embellishment creates a sense of romanticism and bohemia. i also like the muted, neutral tones in the image as that is the feel i wanted for my collection.

 i am continuing to look for more research imagery, searching for romantic, fragile, draping styles.

natures way research

i realise i havent been blogging much, ive just been trying to get all of my uni work (portfolio/presentation/everything else) done!

so, ive been researching into my 'natures way' idea and found some images that i find really fit the theme and could inspire me to design a collection.

 i found this outft quite inspring, i like the way it has been styled, the same print repeated on different garments, which could be worn with something else, or when worn together, show a strong look.

 i love this dress (obviously McQueen) i like how it looks 'unfinished' and 'raw'. something i might bring into my collection. i could use raw edges to carry on my nature inspired theme.

                     

 i have just come across this photo from Kate Moss's wedding. i love how all of their dresses are so relaxed looking but still look special enough to be worn at a wedding. the 'bohemian' look is one that Kate always sticks to. i was thinking about designing festival wear, something which also could be inspired by Kate Moss.

 i was finding it difficult to find designer references for my theme, so decided to type 'nature' into the WGSN search bar. it came up with this collection. i like how the print and the sheer contrast. i also like how they have carried on the leaf shape to bring in a different silhouette. the mix of sheer and pattern is one i enjoyed doing for my last 'Retro Swing' collection so think this might carry on to my next collection. the sheer is also more suited to the spring/ summer collection i will be designing as it is light weight and can be layered on top of or under.

 i found  this image on lookbook.nu. i thought it summed up quite well what i wanted the message of my collection to be. 

 as i said earlier, i want print to play a big part in this collection. i would like to use photographic imagery for the prints as i like the effect this gives. i also like the contrast of the black and the muted print gives, i could use this once my colour palette has been chosen to break up large areas of print.

 i love this photo. i think it embodies my collection. i have used it to go along with my customer profile story. i think it shows my customer is care free and appreciates beauty. i want the collection to be quite relaxed and girly as  i think that is what summer style is all about.

 i am quite interested in designing festival wear. i like how varied it can be, but the main focus is on being comfy yet stylish. i liked this photo because of the accessories they are all styled with and could think about incorporating them into my designs.

 as i was looking through WGSN, i found this collection. i like the use of bold print and think that the brighter greens contrasting to the white is a really effective contrast. white could be one of my main colours as it embodies summer and goes with every other colour while still looking fresh and crisp.

this photo i found on tumblr. i think is encapsulates the message of my collection as well as the earlier image from lookbook.nu. she looks relaxed but still like she cares what she wears.

 and finally, this reminded me of the photos i took which inspired this theme. i like how much brighter the lavender is compared to my photos. which got me thinking about different shades of the same colour, to build up a gentle colour palette.

natures way?

so ive been thinking of ideas for my next collection and came across some photos i took last summer, which i find really interesting, different and quite inspiring! these are the photos i took:

i quite like the idea of using these photographs as prints and experimenting with print to bring out my 'natures way' theme. i have done some research on WGSN and found some other designers have used this kind of print to achieve really interesting results. i also need to think about what silhouette i want to achieve throughout each outfit, unless i leave it to my design process and see which silhouette suits my theme more.

illustrations

i decided on my colourways and have used that to create my illustrations, here they are :

another deadline

ive been working flat out to get my work finished for the deadline. ive finished all of my flats and spec packs (which i hope are right) and then realised i hadnt experimented with colour for the coats. ive now printed these and and will try to choose the colour ways so that i can finish my illustrations tonight. here are my options:

after ive done my illustrations, i need to compile my flats booklet and finish my presentation, which shouldnt be too hard as i already have everything to go into each, but they are quite time consuming. i also need to do the finishing touches on my sketchbook and il be all done! wish me luck!

final coats?

ive been into uni today to show my tutor my final 4 coats, while there i began to realise they didnt link together enough and wouldnt sit well in the same collection. i came home and began to work back into my designs to see if i could bring some of the features from some coats into others to make a stronger link and better the designs. here is my second draft of the coat collection:

i can see my designs have already improved and can see the coats sitting together better. im not 100% sure on the 4th coat, im not sure how to bring some of the other elements in the other coats into it. 

more research

so after my initial rain coat and puffer coat research i began collaging and designing (previous post) and ive began sticking all the work ive done into my sketchbook and realising i needed more images linking to my retro swing theme. ive also realised that most of the coats i seem to be designing are A line, which does link to my theme (great) i also seem to be designing more 'cocoon' shaped coats, which ive found on WGSN as a predicted trend and very 50's, so i think my research might be a bit stronger on this part of the collection. during a tutorial with my tutor i was told that my research for the first part of the collection hugely let the level of my work down so im trying to focus more on it this time and making sure i have all the imagery i need, which is proving to take a while!

 this is one of the coats i found from the 1950's, i really like how it could be worn nowadays without changing a thing, proving that era's fashions are timeless. the oversized body and A line silhouette are some of the elements i am including in my design process.

this is a classic 60's style coat, A line silhouette and double breasted. i think i need to include more of this style of fastening into my designs so the theme is present throughout. i have also included this style of collar in a lot of my designs, as i did in my collection as i think it perfectly defines that era.

this is just one my favourite coats i have come across while researching. it is very similar to the first picture, so very 50's inspired but with a modern twist, oversized pockets and oversized sleeves. i like the way she has layered under the coat, which reflects the real purpose of a coat, to keep you warm.