Urban Classic
Alexandra Black H00015225 PAD Document BA Fashion 4th year
Theme outline The final aim is to have six final outfits which fit into a cohesive collection for autumn/ winter. The theme came from a lot of research and development around sixties and Andy Warhol. In my opinion Andy Warhol’s work was a lot about making something not inspiring look artistic and for people to see a simple object in a different light. In this collection I want to show what I feel would inspire Andy Warhol in the present day, Graffiti has been the main modern day inspiration for this project, it is inspiring art which is frown upon by modern day society. The aim is to create something magical that embraces 60s elegance and class. The prints for this collection will be inspired by graffiti images and the silhouettes will be inspired by a sixties style. Colour The colour is a very important aspect in this collection, they are very wacky and contrasting. This is to convey the different spray paints in graffiti. The colours will work well together and are appropriate for the target market. When deciding on a colour palette I thought a lot about 60s fashion and pop art. Fabrics
The theme must be kept close at hand when the fabrics decisions are made. As the collection is for the autumn/ winter season, warmer fabrics are more suitable. Fur fabrics will be used to give it that sixties cosy vibe and will be an opportunity to make a statement with colour choice. There will be small parts of brightly coloured wool that will match the printed fabrics. The dresses and some other garments will be made with a printed cotton drill to give it some structure for the bold sixties look, the master piece and blouses will be made with silk..
Mood This collection is all about creativity and to respect all forms of art. Graffiti is an art form and is a great way to express artistic ability anonymously. The aim is to show graffiti can be made into something beautiful and is not simply vandalism. In this society there are many crimes that are a lot worse than graffiti and street art, it should be in great interest to express artistic ability, may that be on canvas or on the streets.
Silhouette The collection silhouettes are highly inspired by the sixties, with some modern twists to keep it relevant to the target customers. The collection is made up of mainly girly garments for example skirts, dresses and blouses. The garments will all work together and be interchangeable. The shapes are simple but with the colours and prints the silhouettes are suitable.
Print Print will be a major influence in this collection. The inspiration for the prints came from a trip in London, the images where from a skatepark where all the graffiti was layered on top of each other. After a lot of editing the images to create exactly the right colours the program AVA was used to create a perfect print.
Overview of research
Theme I realised I had looked a lot into graffiti, pop art and street art. Therefore I wanted to find a way to take this forward and make it into a theme. I find that there is a very significant link from pop art and street art of today. Andy Warhol has always been a huge inspiration to me his work is unusual and unique for the 60s, which I really admire and he was not bothered that there was a lot of people that at the time questioned his work. Andy Warhol was extremely clever and used bold statements to get a point across. I feel my style has always been very bold and bright and this for me is the time to really push myself and do something very wacky. I find the link between pop art and graffiti is freedom of expression for people, graffiti is very inspiring on its own. It's all about people being able to express themselves in an artist way without anyone knowing its them. Although it is illegal it is also art and can bring a horrible dull city to life through colour.
My colour palette is mainly Orange, blue and pink but there will be accents of other colours for example purples, green and yellow. I chose these colours after Going to London and taking photos of graffiti that inspired me. I want my colours to contrast with each other in the final collection to really give that 60s Andy Warhol style. When I first started my design development I was designing a street style look. As I went on I realised this wasn't my style. I decided to bring the 60s into my design development. The silhouettes within the sixties era suited my style. I feel my design development has came on a lot from taking this on board. I designed a lot of shifts dresses with different panelling and pockets this is something I will take forward to the final line up. I like the classic peter pan collar and shirt shape from the sixties. I would like to use slightly flared trousers and A-line skirt in the final line-up. I feel these pieces will all work really well together in creating a 60s inspired collection. For my fabrics I decided to make a really wintery warm collection. I have decided to use printed cotton drill for the dresses to give them a nice structured look. For my master piece I would like to use a silk to give it a more evening wear look. I will have some wool and wool blends for panels and for one of my coats I will be using a soft pink faux fur.
Prints I then decided to use the computer program AVA to make my images come to life with print. I took small parts of each photo and mirrored these parts to make them into a faultless print.
Pattern making & toiles
Look 3- shift dress
Look 3- Shift Dress The first pattern I decided to make was the shift dress with the peter pan collar for outfit 3, I first of all took the basic dress block and shortened it slightly. I then used the cut and spread method to give it that 60s shift dress look. For the collar I used my pattern book and followed instructions on how to make the collar. I also used the side dart and made it into two separate pieces so the dart is shaped into the two panels. I went onto cut out the dress pattern and used a cotton drill for all the pieces as this represents my final fabrics accurately. The look I am going for with this is simple but effective and well made. I want my collection to be classic, this was a great outfit to start off with as this dress gave class and elegance and is the main silhouette for the collection. I started with the top piece on the front sewing it to the bottom piece this created a nice curve at the bust as the dart was moved to be in the seams of these two pieces. I am very pleased with the shape at the bust as this is something I normally struggle with. After this I done the same with the back two piece sewing them together the back pieces were also sitting nicely. Once I had the front and back pieces both sewn I then attached the shoulder seams and side seams leaving the back open as this is where the zip will go. The collar is something I sometimes struggle, with help from my pattern book this allowed the process to be a lot simpler than I first thought. I cut four pieces for the collar two for each side then these where sewn up one for each side with the top left open to be attached to the neck of the dress. These where simply sewn on with the raw edges left, then this was over locked and turned down, I then stitched on top of the overlocking to really secure this in place.
Look 4- fur coat
Look 4- Maxi Dress
Look 4- Maxi dress I then decided to make my master piece which I used the master pattern that I made for the shift dress. I then traced this off and extended this to make it a floor length dress and added enough seam allowance for French seams. The collar piece will be made from a cotton of the same print as the silk for the skirt piece of the dress but in a cotton fabric to give it a bit of weight. For the collar I measured where I wanted it to start and finish and made a pattern piece so I could turn it over and attach it to the neck. I really want this to be a statement with the print and with the use of silk it will really give it a luxury look. The bottom of the dress will be finished by simply double turning it. I decided to do this toile in a chiffon fabric for the skirt piece and a cotton fabric for the top piece, these where the fabrics that best represented my final fabrics. The toile for this piece went well and no changes were needed.
Look 6- Flare trousers The trousers for my sixth look I started by taking the trouser block and made them flare out at the bottom by cutting and spreading. I then added two pockets, and decided on having a zip at the back. I wanted the fronts focus to be mainly on the pockets. The pockets will be lined with the print in a silk fabric. For the waistband I wanted a small one therefore was only a 5cm waistband and at the back the zip will go through the waistband. For these trousers I want to make a statement with the flare at the bottom to really show the late 60s period. For the toile I used cotton as my final fabric is the same. The toile looked exactly the way I intended so I didn’t need to do anymore to it. The fit was exactly the way I wanted it.
Look 6- Flare Trousers
Look 6- Heavy t-shirt
Look 6- Heavy t-shirt For the top on my third look I used the t-shirt block I wanted it to be quite tight fitting at the bottom so it sits tight at the waist. I will be using wool for the body and a printed cotton drill for the sleeves. I made the sleeves slightly shorter to give it the exact look I wanted. This toile worked out well but the shoulders looked slightly dropped on my first toile so I changed this on the pattern and then also made it slightly tighter again at the bottom. Once I done this I feel this is ready to be made into my final garment.
Look 5- A-line skirt with patch pockets I started off with the a line skirt for this look I used the basic skirt block to start off with and made this slightly shorter. I decided on a size for patch pockets and made the pattern for this I wanted it to be big this was made 15cm by 10cm. I wanted the pockets to be quite big but not to oversized. The waistband was just a simple 5cm wide. For the toile I used a cotton fabric for both the skirt and the pockets. The main fabric on the final will be wool but the cotton will be heavy enough to show what it will be like. The skirt was easily constructed but I wanted to make sure I would get the pockets in exactly the correct place so I measured on the skirt where I wanted them and marked it with chalk. I then used a hand stitch to secure it in place to be machine sewn. The toile worked out well and it will be able to move forward into the final.
Look 5- A-ine skirt with patch pockets
Look 5- The shirt
Look 5- The shirt The shirt for this look I decided to use the shirt block which I then shortened, I also wanted it more fitted so took the pattern in slightly as well. For the sleeves I made a tight cuff round the wrist and marked the gathers onto the bottom of the sleeve pattern piece. In the sleeve vent I also added zips instead of having a button I done this to give it something a little different for a simple shirt. The collar is a peter pan style. I measured round the neck and made a pattern piece for this. Going forward into the toile for the sleeves I wasn’t too sure how I would do the sleeves with the zips. I just fitted the zip the same way you would with a dress or skirt zip which worked pretty well.
Look 5- Coat For this coat I used the tailored jacket block and made this longer I wanted it to be the same length as the skirt when it is on a model. This jacket is going to be a double breasted coat but. Only the first row of buttons will button up. The cuffs of the sleeves will be made of fur to show another aspect of fur in the collection. To give it a real 60s flare I will also use fur around the bottom and face the bottom with this fur also to really give it that wintery look. The coat is made of both a silk cotton and fur around the collar, hem and cuffs. I feel with the fur and print will really shine through originality and will open up a niche market for me. The toile went well, I used a heavy weight fabric and found a bit of fur that I used for the collar piece. For the final I am going to change the fit slightly to make it a bit shorter.
Look 5- Coat
Look 2- Long Sleeve shift dress
Look 2- Long Sleeve shift dress This look consists of one shift dress with sleeves. I used the pattern for the first shift dress to get the correct length. This dress is going to be a more panelled dress. I traced off the top piece of the shift dress to be the same as outfit one’s front and back. For the bottom half of the dress I used my pattern from outfit one and traced this off front and back. I want to have 3 panels on the front and 3 on the back. I measured the length of the panels I wanted on the front and done the same of the back. I made sure the middle panel would be the biggest both front and back. I then decided to make the high neck collar piece. For this I measured round the neck on the collar adding 1cm seam on both sides, I did not want the zip to go right to the top of the high neck collar piece so I have left 1.5cm before the zip where the collar would end. I wanted a basic sleeve with big cuff on then. After making the big cuff I decided it didn’t quite match with my feminine sixties vibe. Therefore I have changed them to be in the orange wool and just simple cuffs.
Look 1- Cropped Jacket The jacket for outfit 6 is a small cropped jacket with 4 big buttons on the front. I am going to make covered buttons for the jacket. I started off with the tailored jacket block. I wanted to go for the two piece sleeve for this jacket as I wanted it to really look like a smart outfit within the collection. I measured on myself exactly what length I wanted it to go to on my back. After tracing round the block I then first cropped the length of the jacket. I then measured how much I wanted to take the jacket in by as the block is quite baggy and drew the new measurements on the pattern. The collar pattern I used my pattern book to learn how to make a good collar piece. I then measured the length I wanted my collar piece to be and toiled this to make sure it worked. I also done a quick tester of the cover buttons to make sure I was able to make them, these turned out to be quite easy and I think they will work perfectly with the print for the cover buttons.
LOOK 1 - Cropped jacket
Look 6- Shirt
Look 6- Shirt For the shirt I decided to toile this again even though it is the same shirt as outfit 4. I wanted to have a full range of toiles to really give an insight into what the collection will look like. I used the same pattern for this shirt as before and made it in the same way. I felt it would be beneficial to have this toile and in the review it also gave me some more practice at this shirt.
Look 6- Skirt The skirt for this outfit will work as a two piece with the jacket. The skirt will be a-line with a panel of print around the bottom. I started off for this skirt by using the skirt block and removed all the darts. I wanted to take all the darts out as this skirt will be made of a heavy wool and this can look too bulky. I wanted to create quite deep pockets for this skirt. Therefore I lightly drew onto my pattern where I wanted my pockets to go. I then copied this off and made my other pocket pieces. The panel at the bottom I simply measured round the bottom at the front to make a cut on fold front panel and done the same at the back I also wanted to make sure the two skirts in the collection would be the same length to ensure it all works together nicely as a cohesive collection. The waistband was the same as my skirt in outfit 4 which was 5cm.
Look 6- Skirt
Final Garments
Look 1 I started off by making the skirt cutting out the main pieces in the pink wool blend. The wool turned out to be quite difficult to cut due to the weight of it. I would start by manufacturing the pockets as this is something I struggle with. I cut out the back piece of the pocket in the main fabric, this is the piece that will be on show, I made this quite big so the pocket bag will never be on show. I done a stay stitch on the main piece attaching it to the main front skirt piece. I then attached the two back pieces to the front, this secured the pocket piece at the sides. I then went out to add the waistband which is in the heavy wool material this fitted just perfectly. I overlocked the other side of the waistband as this will be turned down and attached to the lining. I went onto construct the bottom panel in the printed cotton drill, then stitched the back and front pieces together and attached this to the bottom on the main skirt. This skirt is fully lined to give it a real professional finish with a soft lining. The cropped jacket has been changed slightly since the toiling stage, I decided to make this into a more cropped jacket, also adding large cover buttons and a collar piece. The jacket is fully lined with the same lining as the skirt to make it really look like a two piece in the collection. The jacket was easy to construct as the wool fabric is very easy to work with. I started by manufacturing the front pieces sewing the panels together then doing the same with the back pieces. I attached the front and back pieces and then constructed the sleeves. The jacket needs some adjustments made to it as it is sitting slightly off at the front. Constructing the shirt was bit more difficult than I first thought. The main body is made of silk and the button stand, collar and cuffs are made from the wool. This made it quite difficult to attach due the different weights of fabrics. I thought I would really struggle putting the zips into the sleeve vents but this was actually quite easy. The collar will need to be fixed as the wool is simply too heavy for the silk so I think I will do this is a cotton or have the under collar as cotton and the wool on top.
Look 1
Look 2
Look 2 A long sleeved dress makes up outfit 2. I started by cutting the panels in both the cotton drill and the wool jersey. The orange really makes the print pop. This garment didn’t look the way I wanted it to for a long time, one day I pulled it all together and it had became one of my favourite pieces. I constructed the back and front, then attached this both together. I also done a full facing on the inside of the dress at the top and will attach the lining to this as well. I left the sleeves as these look fine not lined. I then made up my sleeves attaching the orange wool cuffs as well. The sleeves then got eased into the armhole. For the collar I fused this to give it more structure and attached this between the facing and main piece of the dress. An orange zip was then inserted in the back and this dress was then lined apart from the sleeves.
Look 3 This simple shift dress with peter pan collar makes up outfit 3. This dress is made up with blue wool and printed cotton drill fabric I started off by making up the top piece in the blue wool fabric like outfit 2 I wanted to make a full facing in the wool fabric. After making this piece I cut out the cotton drill and cut the inseam pockets this was in a printed fabric also. I made up the printed collar and inserted this by attaching it to the main body of the dress and to the facing piece, I really liked the way this was sitting. Once I made this dress up I found it looked simple so I adding a wool panel to the bottom. I thought it would fit in really well with the skirt on outfit one and its panel. I really love this dress after adding the changes. I then attached the lining into the top facing making it fully lined.
Look 3
Look 4
Look 4 The outfit consists of a long dress and full fur coat. This will be my master piece within the collection. I really struggled a lot with the dress, I made the top piece the same way I made this other dresses top pieces. For the main body of the skirt this is made with a silk to really give it a floating elegant high end look. I wanted to add a panel on the bottom of this dress just like the other dress but due to the wool being so heavy and the silk being light this really didn’t work. I am not overly pleased with the length of the dress now because I thought there would be a panel on it so it is slightly shorter than what I imagined. Overall I do think this outfit still does look good and does stand out nicely. The fur jacket construction took me a very long time to actually cut out. This was done with a knife to make sure I didn’t cut through the fur. The pattern pieces where very simple I wanted to keep it that way and let the fur really shine through and speak for itself. I attached the front and back together at the shoulders and then inserted the sleeves. The fabric is very difficult to move when its under the machine because it is thick. This was a good challenge for me as I had never worked with fur. I was going to add fur clips to this but I like it just left. The facing for this jacket are also fur and it was lined with a pink lining.
Look 5 Outfit 5 is made up of a shirt, skirt and printed statement jacket. The shirt was constructed in the same way was outfit 1 except in different fabrics, for this shirt I am going to change the collar as well to make it sit slightly better. The skirt is made up of a blue wool with cotton patch pockets and waistband. I really like this skirt the wool makes it really sit nicely and gives it that real sixties vibe. I first of all cut out all my pattern pieces. I wanted to start by first of all putting the darts in. I then went onto add the pockets doing the same as I done in my toile, I took great care when placing the pockets making sure I got these in the right place. I then constructed the main body and added the waistband. I added a wool facing at the bottom to give the skirt a bit more structure. This skirt was then fully lined in a printed lining fabric. The jacket had lot of changes this was originally going to be a wool jacket, after my review I decided to make this a statement piece in a printed cotton. I feel this was a great decision and it is now a really unusual piece. The collar, hem and cuffs have fur on them to really give it that sixties feel. I made the front and back first then attached them together this was a two piece sleeve I decided to attach the cuff and then added to the armholes of the jacket. The fur around the hem turned up like a facing as well. The jacket was then lined with a bright orange statement fabric.
Look 5
Look 6
Look 6 For this outfit it is made up of flared trousers and heavy t-shirt. I started off with the trousers, I love the way they looked in the toile and really wanted to create that late 60s period with these. The shape looks very flattering. The trousers are made with the cotton drill printed fabric with silk pockets and orange wool waistband. these ended up looking exactly like my toile which is what I wanted to achieve. These where left unlined and the zip is in the back. For the top, I wanted the collar to stand up and sit well just like my other dresses with the same collar I made this piece first then cut out the main body and sleeves in the printed fabric. I then used an open ending zip at the back this made it slightly easier to get on and off. I wanted this piece to be really warm for winter.
What I would do differently
If I was to do the collection again there are definitely a few changes I would make. I would like to have had more images of graffiti to have more prints to choose from when it came to the making stage maybe from different areas of London. The design process from me was quick due to me changing from a street style look to the sixties. I would of like to have had more time to really explore the sixties era in a more in depth way. Within my make process I would have liked to have thought more about my fabric choices and how they would work together. The silk and wool where simply to heavy together, maybe if I used a cotton this would have been more suitable. I would of also really concentrated on the lengths of my garments in the toiling stage. Overall I feel I have learnt a lot throughout this project and I would change any of my decisions as I have really gained experience in problem solving and I feel this is really valuable with the fashion industry.
Accessories
For accessories within the collection, I really wanted to have a few things to add:Scarf- With my big focus on print, I feel it is important to think about scarf designs. I made 6 different scarf ’s in case I wanted to add these in the collection for the show. These where made with a cotton voile which is a really soft cotton the scarf ’s where have a metre each. These where roll hemmed to give them a high quality finish. Bags- I decided to find old vintage bags and cover them with my printed cotton fabric. Hair bands- I really think the sixties period is all about big hair bands so I decided to cover 5cm hair bands in my printed fabric to really give something a bit extra with this collection. I find all these accessories really finish off the collection nicely.
Photography
I decided to do two photo shoots, The first one I decided to do in the studio to really get some clean shoots of the garments in good lighting. I then decided to do an on location photo shoot with two models and a photographer. I thought a lot about the location, I didn’t want to do something quite obvious. The location I chose was in Dumbarton and near the shore, I thought a lot about my Andy Warhol link and this is where I feel he would hang out if he lived in this time period, it would be like the modern day Andy Warhol factory. The photo shoot for me went really well I feel I got enough images to use in my portfolio and I am very glad that I done two as there were some garments looked a lot better in the studio, due to it being an extremely windy day during my photo shoot. I also done a short behind the scenes video from the photo shoot using short clips I took throughout the day.