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.

designing

i began my design process by collaging other coats and pieces of my retro swing collection together on top of my illustration figures to create new and interesting shapes. i then printed the collages off and have begun to draw over them on some tracing paper to find different ways of building each coat together eg; seams, sleeve lengths and collars. i find this the easiest way of carrying out design development as they are just quick sketches and can be changed and developed more after i have decided on which ones i think would work the best within my collection. after this process, i am going to start drawing them on illustrator on top of my illustration figures again to refine the lines and shapes more to develop the garment. here are some of the collages i have drawn on top of:

i have started experimenting with different hoods and pocket placement from the research i have carried out. i find this helps to mix the two different styles of rain coats and puffer jackets. i am finding it quite hard to input my theme into these coats, but that may be in colour and print as a more subtle element.

new brief

ive been home for the weekend so haven't got as much research as i would like. our brief is to design 4-6 coats to sit along with our previous collection. they have to incorporate a puffer and a raincoat element into each one. ive been thinking about using my prints from my retro swing collection as trims or smaller details to make sure each coat can be worn with a number of different outfits. i was also thinking about using the puffer element for smaller sections like sleeves or collars to make the silhouette more sophisticated. while i was at home, i went shopping and took some photos of current coats on the highstreet to gain some ideas to help me with designing my collection such as trims, fastenings and different ways of quilting.

here are some of the photos taken in TKMaxx in Guiseley, Leeds, which means some are more high end than the usual highstreet:

i really like the way this coat fastens, the design feature of the lapels and the button fastening add another detail to the collar area, making it more attractive to the customer.

i like the oversized hood on this coat which acts like a sort of cape over the shoulders when worn down. i also like the high zip fastening which would make the coat warmer to wear, fitting the brief.

i find the way that only the top part is quilted, which has given me some inspiration for my designs, i also like the fur collar, although it would have to be detachable for it to be suitable to be worn in the rain.

Final push

Got my flats booklet and specification pack printed yesterday, quite pleased with them both.

 Just finishing off some sketchbook work (cutting and sticking) and then I should be done! All ahead of schedule. I've tried really hard with this project and can see my progress since even the beginning of year 3 which makes me feel a bit more confident in my abilities and hopefully means i'll be more qualified to get a job after I graduate. I just hope my hard work pays off!