Kerrie Ward Hide and Seek
‘Wanna play dress up? Who do you want to be today?’ What if we could put something different on each day and disguise ourselves as someone else just like we did when we were children? Tripping over sleeves and oversized hems, dripping in Mammy’s sparkles and traipsing through the house in Daddy’s brogues, you are suddenly transformed into an adult-like figure. The innocent, care-free eight year old cheeky child remains apparent beneath this disguise but for that short length of time her performance as someone else shines bringing delight to her audience. ‘Wanna play dress up? Who do you want to be today?’ Too often we are forced to follow rules and give up our puerility as we grow up and emerge into adulthood. We sometimes feel trapped and controlled in how we play out our lives. This collection wants to break these rules and show that it is ok to allow that inner eccentric and imaginative eight year old child to sparkle. You can drop the disguise as the serious adult that follows the regulations that have been set by those around you. Let the inner kid peep through. Savour those feelings of dressing up as a child. Throw on your mother’s oversized dresses and tops all at once, plod through your house in your dads shoes, position that princess tiara on top of your tatty hair and discard any stresses you may have took on over time. The aim of the collection is to create six interchangeable outfits that allow the person to choose how they please the format in which they want to follow for their up and coming ‘performance’ that day. Through astute layering, an effective colour palate and textural fabrics my collection reflects details and elements from the trends of Autumn/Winter ’15. As a little girl, anything that sparkles or appears to be fun to twirl round in is a certified purchase in your eyes. I wanted to introduce fabrics that combine these fun characteristics through their textures and instant appearance. Combined with influential materials like rich duchess satin, wool and stiff cotton, my fabrics reflect my main inspirations that I drew from my parent’s closets along with the playful reminiscent times I had as a child playing dress up. My collection is a salute to hand-crafted techniques to show originality and emphasize my identity as a designer. My colour palette was motivated mainly from the amusing yet humiliating images of me mid-performance from which my whole inspiration was triggered from. Certain garments and fabrics I had tossed over me in these pictures stood out to me. I seemed to have been colour conscience even back then. Different shades of these vibrant blues and pinks mixed with glittering fibres gives the palette a youthful and fun vibe which is also fitting for my specific target market. The silhouettes in my collection are crucial in re-enforcing my general concept and theme I want to portray. In keeping with the idea that I am playing dress up in my parent’s closet, most of the garments are oversized and out of proportion. Taking elements from menswear and womenswear each garment should be compatible with each other which allow the collection to be more wearable. Clean cut, non-fussy garments allow for effortless layering and volume. Garments falling off the shoulder and extending passed the standard length reinforce the sense of the care-free attitude that goes with my concept. The aim of the collection is to encourage the audience to take on a considerable new approach to their day to day ways of adulthood. I want to show that not everything has to be serious and humourless and sometimes just letting go and twirling around in a fun dress or over exaggerating features can lead to a happier existence. Furthermore, the collection represents the designer I am and my personal design aesthetic and identity. I would like my collection to stand out for the small details in which I have gone into, the fabrics I have made and chose to include and the quality in which I have made these garments. I feel like they are original and fitting to my personality as a young designer. My target market for my collection is aimed towards women aged 18-29 who have a strong sense of identity and individuality. They have a modern femininity that combines masculinity with pure girly qualities. They are likely to have a profession in the arts and have a strong appreciation of the small exciting details when purchasing a garment.