PE JOURNAL ELIZABETH THOMAS
EXHIBITIONS
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In the summer holidays I went to see the ‘Ballgowns: British Glamour since 1950’ exhibition at the V&A. This exhibition charted 60 years of evening wear including beautiful ballgowns, red caret evening dresses and catwalk showstopppers all beautifully displayed within the newly renovated fashion galleries. Slideshows showing David Hughes’ photographs of the dresses were projected onto the alcoves to add a more dynamic feel to the exhibition I have a particular interest in fashion history, so I was fascinated by the archive footage of debutante balls and catwalks they displayed. They further emphasised the context in which some of
the dresses were designed. It was fascinating to see catwalk dresses close up. Dresses that I had seen before in magazines and on the internet were given a new dimension as I was able to see design details and texture that had not been apparent in print. For example there was a dress by Erdem which I remembered seeing in his AW08 collection which I assumed was a digital print on silk. However at the exhibition I discovered that the design went beyond this as the skirt of the dress featured embroidery, quilting, beading and sequins.
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Hollyw
wood Costume Having enjoyed the ballgown exhibition I decided to go to the ‘Hollywood costume’ exhibition at the V&A. I went on the opening weekend which meant that it was very busy. However I was still able to appreciate the items on display. The exhibition showed interviews of costume designers, directors and actors which discussed the narrative of the film and the characters within it and how it was reflected in the costume. It was fascinating to see the attention to detail and how the smallest of things such as the use of cufflinks could tell us something about the character. The level of narrative within the garments was inspiring.
FIRST CUT
The premise behind the First Cut exhibition in Manchester was inspiring in itself. Take one material, in this case paper, and see what can be done with it. The range of artwork that was exhibited was staggering. From dresses made out of maps, birds flying across the walls and a magical walk through forest.
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The Valentino retrospective at Somerset House showed 137 examples of the designer’s work from the 1950’s up until the present day. It was humbling to see the calibre of people he has designed for, including actresses such as Elizabeth Taylor as well as royalty including princess Margaret. However what was most interesting was a series of samples and videos showing how some of the techniques showcased in his created were produced. I was fascinated by the Budellini technique where double charmeuse silk is rolled and sewn around a looped length of wool to create a long chord which can be sewn to any number of chords which can wrap round the body and create a strong linear effect. Another interesting technique shown was the Pagine technique where disks of organza piled to create a page effect.
Pre-Raph The Pre-Raphaelite exhibition at Tate Britain provided a wealth of colour and interesting ideas. The artists at the exhibition effectively rejected their teacher’s belief that the Italian artist Raphael (1483-1520) represented the pinnacle of artistic achievement. They looked to earlier art whose bright colours, flat surfaces and truth to nature they admired. Whether painting subjects from Shakespeare, the Bible, landscapes of the Alps or a view from a window, the PreRaphaelites brought a new
haelites beauty and intensity of vision to British art. The exhibition showed how William Morris was inspired by the PreRaphealites and the medieval past. He revived older forms of production in protest against the cheap, mass produced goods made by the industrial revolution. I think that this has been reflected in the last few years as it has become more and more fashionable to make your own clothes or household items instead of simply buying a mass produced item. Fashion also reflected this move towards craft last year when
items such as woven leather handbags and ikat woven or printed clothes became more and more popular.
INSPIRATION
TATTON PARK ORGANIC REPEATED PATTERNS SYMMETRY ARCHAIC RESTRICTION
ANNA MORTIMER DELICATE FRAGILE PLEATS TRANSPARANCY THREAD
COMME DES GARCONS VOLUME SLIHOUETTE IMPACT LAYERS CONSTRICTION
VICTOR & ROLF DARK RESTRICTIVE SINISTER LAYERING BOLD
FRESH REPITITION COLLARS & CUFFS PRINT PLAYFUL
V&A
RESTRICTION DETAILING FEMININITY SILHOUETTE VOLUME
PLATT HALL
RUFFLES PLEATS EMBROIDERY LACING LAYERING
REFLECTION
Having not done an art foundation I found it hard to cope with the difference in work load from A levels to this project. I realised too late that I was effectively doing a years worth of work in the space of eight weeks and that I should have been more proactive from the start. As a result my sketchbook was not as well presented as I would have liked it to be. I made sure that any images from my research were presented in my book. However as I kept on finding new areas of interest, I decided to leave things like annotation and accompanying drawings and sketchbook to the end of the project. However this turned out to be the wrong decision to make. I suffer from migraines and towards the end of the project I was getting four or five migraines a week which meant that I was constantly fighting to finish the project. This meant that the jobs I had left to do at the end were not done at all and the final garment that I had made was rushed.
Another element which let me down was my initial attempt at design. Everything tended to look like a piece of costume or simply a slightly regenerated version of the 18th/19th century clothing that I had been looking at . I also found that I could not draw quickly enough to keep up with the demands of the unit whilst maintiing a relatively high standard of drawing .
There are however some aspects of my work that I am pleased with. I am proud of the amount of research I did for the project which came from a range of sources as well as the quantity of work I completed. I am also proud of a collage I did showing the type of person I was designing for. I used an image of Queen Elizabeth I, taking her out of context by collaging modern clothing and placing her in an urban setting. I did this to demonstrate that I was designing for a modern, strong woman who knows her own mind. I like the power of the image. Just before the deadline I experimented with collage further to create some desogn ideas. This was much more effective then my previous attermpts at trying to convey what was in my head. The images are easier to undertand and the proccess was much quicker and more playful - allowing me to enjoy the process of design much more.
I am also pleased with the garment I produced at the end of this project. I think it touched on the main strands of research i focused on including the delicacy of the work by Anna Mortimer, and the buttons running up the back makes it hard to get on and off, hinting at the constriction of the female. Also (although it is hard to judge completely as I am only starting out in fashion this year) I feel it conforms to my aesthetic.
PE LECTURES
SEAMLESS - DR ANNIE SHAW - superficiality in fashion - looked deeper (humanity, anthropology & spaces & environments bodies inhabit - meaning through making &materiality - 3 Dimensiality - reject celebrity & trend driven fashion - designers should strive for originality through research and practice - new technologies driving change - challenge endless & mindless reinvention within fashion. - all new design should be exposed in a post-sustainability context - always generating new stuff. -interested in what design can be at the intersection of practice - knitting and architecture - curated consumption of design -experiance design - design as a community - post mass-production fashion - anti Primark - sustainable - Generic - comes from occupational/military/cultural sources - emotional investment - wont be thrown away - The Scottish Fisheries Museum - occupational knitwear - celebrating mending rather than disguising it. - Cromer Museum - Ganseys - Technology - Shima Seiki - made for mass production (makes a jumper in 20 mins) - Seamless knit jumpers (all exactly the same) - then embellished them - deep fat frying - dipped in rubber - felted
HOW TO APPLY RESEARCH TO DESIGN PRACTICE - critical analysis - fabric research - pattern cutting - old garments - Museums - Measurements - existing garments - Detail - mood - concepts - colour - competitors - keep a book of fabric samples - understand fabric qualities - pattern cutting books in library - understand measurements - book list - draw from real vintage garments - learn proportion - photograph - trace - write down where things are from - tthe V & A - book an appointment - Bath - develop understanding of actual clothes - be technical - Mood - think of words - What woman is going to wear your clothes - Where would she wear them - Interior magazines - Be selective - PRIMARY RESEARCH
RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT OF DESIGN IDEAS - keep collecting - but be selective - What makes a good sketchbook? - sketch - balance between sketches / research - research with design ideas next to it - draw ontop of it - draw around it - don’t be afraid to use others’ ideas - How to develop an idea - Messy Phase - Test ideas - think about fabric - be free - experiment -try out ideas based on research - use colour, practise, experiment, use your research - test out your ideas on body - use pose from magazine - be creative - completely develop every idea - draw from every perspective - experiment, try things out - collage ideas - Plan how you cut the pattern - Plan how you are going to make it - Plan what it will look like - Plan a photographic session - Photocopy research elements to put alongside design.
SARAH EASOM - Clashing natural with natural - engineering in design - tassles and ruffles - pure colour with subtle - handcraft fabrics - dandyism and femininity - fabric manipulations - meant to look like print - SPOSERSHIP - cultural references - try everything - garments that could appeal to everyone - think about tailoring - make your own cloth? - Fashion Fringe - Ponystep - sourcing fabric - think about giving work to others - draping - organza - Foundling Museum - historical - Printworks Trust - Paper pleasure - Bistroteque - Jane Booms - Embroidery - lots of cross referencing - Christopher Shannon - LFW instillation - think about how you present your work
FLUX MAGAZINE - black and white - fanzine - trying to come up with images that weren’t typical/mainstream - trying to create unique images - read & raider exhibition in London - experiment within parameters - trying to break out ever so slightly - not just for the sake of it - perseverence - money vs. principles - constanty fighting for existence - inputs of new energy - stylists / photographers etc - online - global - contacted by people
ALEX RUSSELL - pencil/ paper vs. digital - expected to design fast (2/3 days) - always shows designs in their end use - quickly use illustration - put it with the final silhouette - research print - fashion - interiors - stationary - could be asked to design a range of work which fits the brand - strict brief - produce prints in digital format - serious about print? - know illustrator and photoshop
JASON HUGHES - www.jasonhughes.info - www.julianwatsonagency.com - assistant to Nacy Rhodes - introduced to Edward at ID - difficult to become a stylist straight out of uni - assist - requesting clothing &chasing clothes - fashion is about networking - who you know - 032c - fashion/art/architecture - Mel Bles - Roe Ethridge -Tyron LeBon - Book - 40 pages, everchanging - editorial - commercial (advertising) - celebrity x - process takes about 2 weeks