**Friday 19th February 2010**
Today was the first day back of the new design module. Karen presented a slide show presentation on Fabric technology which was very informative. She talked about natural and man made fibres and the fibres she found in a garment. Karen spoke about the different fibres characteristics, where its produced, its recovery, performance, absorption, what was the benefits of the chosen fibres being woven together. She then set our task for next week. The task was to find a garment from the designer we are researching and find out about the different fibres used in the fabrics in the same way that Karen did. The garment i chose was a black light weight jacket with crystal embellished lapels.
(See fibre research post for more information)
We then got into assigned groups to talk about our findings from our designers. My group consisted of Henzah, Chloe, Taz, Rachel and Le Thuy. We all brought in research and inspirational imagery to put together individual conceptual boards. I found this process enjoyable and informative of my own work as well as others. Although i have been researching my designer and collecting inspirational objects and imagery, i had never laid it all out and looked at them as a whole. This process confirmed to me that i was on the right track with where i was planning on taking the Chloe brand. Feedback from my group members also confirmed to me that i was heading in the right direction. Some constructive criticism and suggestions helped me to improve what i had and where i needed to go.
We each took it in turns to describe our designers brand and our personal views and takes on their style. It was interesting hearing about designers i had never heard of, or more information on designers i had touched on through the years. We each wrote buzz words about our group members conceptual boards to try and generate titles for each other. I love working in a group for design because you can bounce ideas off each other and create something bigger and better than you could of on your own.
Words that my group felt reflected my concept where:
- Romantic
- Soft colours
- Faded animal prints
- Feminine
- Detailed
- Silky
- Liquid
- Flowing
- Embellished
- Natural
- Texture
- Caramel
- Knitted
- Nomadic
- Cream
- Rural
- Bohemian
Here are my groups concept boards:
-----> Chloes, Givenchy
------> Rachels Vivienne Westwood
----> Le Thuys, Ann Demeulemeester
-----> Henzha, Burberry
Karen and Alexis then came to discuss our boards. They gave useful tips to us and pointed us in the right direction. For me they said i have got my theme i just need to start experimenting with samples if i am to carry on with the knitting, surface texture etc. Possibly trying to make my own felt and moulding with felt. This i have yet to research but i am very interested in the process..
**Throughout the week...**
So this week i have managed to upload my fibre content of the Chloe jacket. I found it very interesting researching and learning about fabrics. Very glad this has been squeezed into our module! I have also uploaded some images of leathers and initial fabric samples i collected when i popped to central on Wednesday 17th. (see mini mystery shop post). I went to my final knitting class this week where i learnt to cable knit!!! so proud of my achievement as i could barely even hold needles 5 weeks ago!! (see wonders of wool post) Thursday i went to my first Tailoring class with Karen and Rose. It was a lot to take in but i felt i have followed it the best i could. As soon as i start practicing i am sure it will all fall into place! Looking forward to the next class! On Friday 19th after fabric sample shopping i went to a museum called The Wallace Collection on Manchester Square. This was gorgeous! Such a nice huge old house. Each room had a different colour theme and had a great royal feel to it. ooo wish it was my own house! ;-) here are some images i took of some of the rooms and some inspiring art work!
Gorgeous colors, prints, drapes.
Love the freedom in this painting. The pure naked bodies in their moment, but surrounded by something dark. Its such an intense contrast but it made me stop and stare so i had to take a photo.
This image above gives me a great feeling of femininity and strength. I was inspired not with the period or the colours of this painting but by the women. I am inspired by strong women and this is event in Chloes brand as well.
Horses seem to keep cropping up in my research. The colour tones and sense of running wild and free came up on my concept board.. Visiting Chloe of Sloane Street, another horse appear in the form of a door handle. Now i was greeted with this painting of horses in the entrance to the museum.... hmm, maybe its a sign.. :-)
This may seem a bit boring but when i walked through here me and my friends thought what a fantastic place to have a fashion show! Good size, length, unusual setting. All a bit of an idea though, i really doubt the people in charge would allow a uni catwalk to be held here but just an idea!
This was in the museums shop....Random, but how funny!!!
LOL!!!
**Friday 19th February 2010**
Today five of my class mates had to present their designer findings to the rest of the class.
Rachel.L. = Vivienne Westwood
Fran. = Jitrois
Monikh = Dries Van Noten
Jasmine = Marni
Hakeem = Boudicca
These presentations were great! Again, gave us all a great incite to each brand and what they design.
Me Alex and Jo had to talk about our fibre findings. Apart from some very complicated words that i couldn't pronounce i felt it went well. Again i am really interested about fibres, why manufactures blend what with what for different qualities and characteristics or material.
After these presentations we were let loose in central to find some interesting fabric samples to burn next week! (see Swatching!! post)
So.... homework uploaded... this weekend i will try and knit with leather, and research collars and cuffs!
**Mini report of my week!**
Another week and another lot of work achieved! Sorry i haven't been interacting with blogger much this week but work has been happening!!
This week has been busy busy! Researching trends for my marketing group work and catching up on paper work on this took up a little while, but once that was done i moved onto my other creative bits.
Tuesday, woke up feeling like death! Muscles felt like they had been through an intense circuit of the gym! With my Beechams honey n lemon i cracked on with my Chloe sketch book through out the day, pooling my inspiratory research and creating more pages! This was cut short for me to make time for my first Photoshop class! This was lots of fun but rather intense, i was starting to regret taking the "advanced" course! Soooo many short cuts and tools, my memory could not contain it all and my notes were barely legible but i persevered. Home time = bed time! rest my limbs!
Wednesday i worked back into my mood board and colour board and printed these out plus compiling my favorite fabric swatches for my colour board! I then carried on with my collar, cuff and silhouette research for Fridays design class. This was all rather interesting but i found it hard to research these and relate it to Chloe with out them looking boring. Chloe use very basic and smart collars and cuffs, so i looked at ones which i would possibly like to introduce to my new collection. Evening = me in bed still unwell, knitting like an old granny! :-)
Thursday, tailoring!! Another informative class and this week we were looking at pockets, vents and linings. Sounded a bit tricky, but once all broken down it was easier to manage and understand. Back home, carried on pattern cutting then ran out of scotch tape! eeek.
**Friday 26th February 2010**
Today like every Friday we started off listening to some more designer presentations, and again all informative in one way or another. Was dreading my name coming out the hat as i didnt have my best voice on! Almost feeling well but not 100%! We then had a presentation from Karen about burn testing fabrics. Burn testing is a good way to identify what yarns a material is made up of. There are many different characteristics that occur when burning fibres and this can give a good indication of the type of fibres that have been woven or knitted into a fabric.
After lunch we got into our design groups, put up our research on collars, cuffs, silhouettes, mood boards, concept boards, colour boards and fabric boards. This was to generate ideas in our timed design exercises. In these exercises we had 20 minutes to draw as many silhouettes as we could, then again for collars then again for cuffs. This was a great exercise, (although i was a bit skeptical at the start) because it forces you to think quick, draw quick and not to be too precious with your work. This is the area where i need more practise with. I tend to think of an idea then spend ages drawing it, adjusting it, colouring it in etc. Then i loose the essence of the design and focus on making it look pretty. So this exercise took me out of my comfort zone and forced me to speed up. Next week we will be doing the same exercises but focusing on sleeves, shirts and skirts!
**Friday 5th March 2010**
Today the morning started off with designer presentations. This was all interesting although it did drag on slightly.
After a coffee break Karen presented her presentation on fibres and fabrics. She went into detail about different types of woven and non woven fabrics, their appearance and how they are woven.
*Fibres are twisted together to make a yarn, this is either as an "S" twist or a "Z" twist. Novelty yarns are made with special effects such as slub fibres to create an interesting texture to the fabric.
*Textured yarns tend to be man made and are a continuous filament, some of these fabrics have an uneven nobbly effect. This is called a Boucle fabric.
*Stretch yarns are made by being tightly twisted, heat set then untwisted. This type of fabric is called Spandex.
*Woven fabrics are made on a loom and contain a warp (vertical yarn) and a weft (horizontal yarn)
*Plain weave is a combination of a Z and a S twist. This is woven with yarns going over and under another yarn in the opposite direction creating a the Crepe fabric which has a slight mossy appearance.
*Seersucker is a permanently crinkled fabric which is achieved by a combination of a tight weft yarn and a slacked warp. This fabric is popular for kitchen tea towels.
*A basket weave is a combination of two yarns going over and under one warp/weft creating a basket type look to the weave.
*Twill weave will have a diagonal appearance. This is due to two yarns going under and over two other yarns. Another diagonal looking weave is the hound tooth pattern to a fabric. Herringbone is the same principle apart from the pattern breaks at certain points and then goes back the other direction, giving the "V" look to the fabric.
*Satin weave is when the warp travels over around four-five yarns and under one. These yarns are known as floating yarns as they do not weave in and out very often giving a smoother, luxury appearance. A fabric call Brocade is an example of this weave.
*Non woven fabrics are when fibres are matted, glued or heat set together. These fabrics are felts (wool fibres), interfacing, or skins/leather.
*Devore velvet. This is a material that has a raised pattern made in velvet. This process is created by applying devore fluid to the negative area of the pattern onto velvet. This will then burn away the pile leaving the pattern in the velvet pile.
This presentation was very helpful and interesting as i was able to understand why certain fabrics have certain properties.
After lunch was time for us to do our design exercises. This week went better for me than the last. I had practiced designing quickly in my own time so when it came to the exercise i was not so put off by my work not looking as neat as i would normally do it. Today was about designing shirts, skirts and sleeves. Designing the skirts was very enjoyable as i could think of a lot of different ideas. The sleeves and shirts on the other hand was not so easy. I was not churning out the sheets as fast, although the sheets i did design i was satisfied with. I will carry on with these in my own time, adding colour and detail.
Preparation for next week is to be 100% confident with my presentation. Research trousers, coats/jackets and dresses as well as carrying on with my Chloe sketch book! Better go and crack on!
**Friday 12th March 2010**
Today we started with our design exercise. The morning consisted of designs of Dresses, Jackets and trousers. Although i found it hard to design an array of different trouser styles i felt that this week i had designed a lot more sheets at a faster rate. I feel as if i am not worrying about how neat the figures are, and concentrating more on the garment shapes.
The tutors liked a few of my design sheets so this was a confidence boost and gave me a feeling that i was going in the right direction.
Through my designs i was thinking of what i wanted my capsule collection to look like. A knitting idea came into my head about seeing what knitting with strips of jersey would look like. I thought that it would have a nice bounce to it and would introduce more texture into the collection. As it stands it is just an idea but if i have time to experiment i will see how knitting with jersey will turn out!
In the afternoon we had presentations from my class mates. Todays bunch were very informative and i liked their presentation skills. Lena had Elsa Schiaparelli, Helen had Balenciaga, Chris had Alexander Wang and Terri had Jonathan Saunders.
Next was a presentation by Karen about Tailoring. I had learnt quite a lot from my learning contract on tailoring so this was a nice refresher but a lot of help to the people who are doing doing the tailoring classes.
Differences between Hard Tailoring, Soft Tailoring and non tailoring:
Hard Tailoring:
- Structured
- Secure
- Moulded
- Traditional construction techniques
- Canvas facings
- Majority hand sewn
- Made out of natural fibres normally a type of wool
Fabrics:
- Wool Gabardine
- Wool Flannel
- Wool Cashmere
- Wool Melton
- Super 100's and 150 suiting
- Camel
- Goat
- Llama fabrics
- Cavalry twill
- Tweed
Soft Tailoring:
- Has some elements of tailoring
- More creativity
- Not as ridged
- Considered more feminine
- Warp knit fusible
Fabrics:
- All wool and hair
- Wool mix
- Silk/mix
- Cotton/mix
- Linen/mix
- (cheaper versions)
Non Tailoring:
- Loose
- Draped
- No structure
- Can be over locked
- No lining
- Light weight
**Friday 19th March 2010**
Today i finally did my presentation! What a bag of nerves that was! Must admit, i am not the best at public speaking but i tried my best all the same. Overall it went well, my feedback was that i should put less text onto my slides and talk around each slide. I have clearly researched my topic and not lifted text straight off a website. I have analyzed the brand and formed my own opinion. The slides are clear and concise with clear headings.
Other peoples presentations went great today as well.
After presentations we set up our work within our design groups to talk about our new collections. I enjoyed seeing what the members of my group have designed. We all gave each other constructive criticism about how they can improve their collection and what to put forward to make. Alexis and Karen also went through our collections to give us points for consideration. Their feedback for my collection was that i have a good range and all the garments are wearable. I could have pushed the designs a bit further but what i have is good. I did not want to make a really exaggerated range as it would not of fit the Chloe handwriting but i agree that i could have pushed my ideas a little further. Then we discussed what i would like to make. I am definitely going to make the floor length tailored coat which they agreed on. We spoke about the pleated trousers and how i love them but are afraid to construct them. Karen told me that i should get over the worry about construction and make a garment that will push me and so that i will learn. This boosted my confidence about this piece and i have now decided that this will be m second garment that i will construct.
After lunch i started to pattern cut which i will be continuing with in my private study time. I will use a mixture of flat pattern cutting and draping to create the right look. The tailored coat will work better as a flat pattern, as i can apply what i have learnt in my tailoring classes to this. The trousers will need to be draped first to figure out the depth of the pleats and how long i want to take them. Then i will transfer this onto a flat pattern.
**Friday 26th March 2010**
Today we started off with presentations the same as every week. The presentations are getting better and better, Sian had noticed this too. I think we defiantly learn off of each other. Today Ania spoke about Emilio Pucci, Sara spoke about Donna Karen, Chloe about Givenchy, Le Thuy about Ann Demeulemeester and finally Henery about Ashish Gupta. Every one has a different presenting styles and it was really nice to see them all.
From Chloes presentation she had some images that i fell in love with. The photographer was Helmut and the other was Ruven Afanador. I will be looking into their work in my own time and perhaps it will trigger a thought process for another project.
For our research homework we had to look into what a diffusion range was. This is where a designer creates another line which is normally cheaper and a watered down version of their main line or couture line. It is to generate more money as the diffusion line is more affordable, also to generate more awareness of their brand. I started by looking into the brands stated on our module guide, Vivienne Westwoods "Red Label" and Dolce and Gabbanas "D&G".
So then i naturally looked at Chloes diffusion line, "See by Chloe". This is more of a youthful line than the Chloe mainline. It attracts a new audience with lower price points and a wider selection of clothes.
The cheapest item in their collection that is sold on "Net-a-porter" is a tank top for £60:
The most expensive item is this black boned and embroidered dress at £520:
So you can see they have a big range in prices from their entry and exit prices.
As well as clothing, See by Chloe also sell handbags, shoes and scarfs to keep the interest of the consumers.
Sians talk about diffusion lines today reiterated my research. She added the fact that diffusion of a brand can also be in the form of a perfume, luggage and handbags, shoes and Denim. A lot of brands have lines such as "Armani jeans" or "Calvin Klein Jeans" this is a popular way to get the brands name out to a different audience. Diffusion garments will have less detailing and cheaper fabrics but still keeping the essence of the designer brands image.
From this research i am now able to create my own diffusion line for Chloe. Here is my task!
Your designer is so delighted with your range they want you to transform it into a diffusion range. They want four diffusion outfits from you with colour and fabric samples."
I better get designing!
After having a discussion with the reps and the class on out fashion show in May we all got cracking on with our pattern cutting. I had a few questions to ask the tutors about problems i faced with pattern cutting. Firstly Alexis helped me work out how to convert my boxed pleats that i had draped, onto paper for flat pattern cutting. He also helped me as to where i should insert my pockets and how to create fullness within a pleat. I
then had some issues with my coat. The more i looked at it the more i was unhappy with my working drawing. It feels as if the coat is cut in half, looking like a jacket and a skirt. So me an Alexis brainstormed some ideas for changing the panels and fullness to make the coat look how i envisioned it.
Once i was getting my head around that a few more questions popped into my head so i grabbed Karen and Rose for some tailoring questions. I wanted to double check some theories i had as to how i should create fullness in the coat and if it was a good move to make my coat double breasted with no buttons on show. They said i should and confirmed my quires.
I think my next step now along with pattern cutting is to go fabric sample shopping again but for suiting materials and a material that would be appropriate for my trousers. This will take a lot of hunting to get it just right but it is definitely worth it.
**Friday 16th April 2010 + a catch up**
Sorry!!..... i have not been very good with keeping you updated with my life over the past few weeks... East was super hectic!! My plan was...1st week, 3000 word marketing report. 2nd week, crack on with the Chloe design project... But as we all know, things never turn out as we planned!! So my entire easter was me glued to my MacBook typing and re typing till i was satisfied! Now all bound and handed in i can make design my full priority!! (even though i have just been set another 2000 word marketing report!... when does it end!!!??)
This was my easter=------->
So i spent a full 4 days on my tailored coat patterns and toiling!... Thought i made great use of my time and productivity! I love how much length is in the coat. This is the first time i have created a full length piece and i must say i am very excited! I changed my original design because i felt as if it looked like a short jacket with a full skirt attached to it. So through lots of design trial and error i found my design that is luxury but yet still keeps the essence of Chloes femininity. I took away the waist seam and added in fullness to the panels and 4 godets between the seams. One big godet has been designed into the centre back to make the coat walk well and infuse more of the femininity. I re designed the front to double breasted with only a sash to fasten. I didnt like the cluttering of buttons so i left those out. Side seams and under arms will be a contrasting coloured/textured fabric to the main body of the coat....
Although i love the design i am slightly worried about it looking like "just another coat". After agonizing about whether or not i was making the right decisions, my house mate reassured me by stating "its calico Tiff, wait till you buy your final material, it wont look boring then...." Optimism is now in full swing and i am rearing to go.
Worried about my tricky trousers i left my coat on my mannequin and started to think about the new patterns.
I wanted to start the flat patterns before my class on the 16th but i felt the sickness rising through me so knitting in bed was the calling of the evening!
Back in class Friday morning and more designer presentations were happening. I reckon the last week of presentations will be perfection, after weeks and weeks of watching them. Never the less it is good practice for future jobs etc....
After lunch i got the trousers out.. I have never made anything with pleats before so i had Karen and Rose over to go through a few processes with me. As i was creating fullness in the leg as well as a pleated waist i was able to close the dart and carry it through to the hem. (from a tiny dart it is amazing how much it can grow by traveling down a very long leg!!) Once that was shut i couldn't get my head around how i was meant to evenly distribute the straight box pleats at the waist, if the waist has been curved by closing the dart....(have i confused you yet?)... i am still in a bit of a pickle about this and it may sound like the simplest thing but i have an horrible habit of over thinking and confusing myself! Maybe i should share this problem to half it!!
So anyway... once that is cleared up i will be a happy bunny again and able to crack on!! here are some images of my progress!
** Friday 23rd April 2010 + a catch up. **
Finally!!! i tackled the tricky trousers! after a few moans and groans it click and i managed to master the box pleats in my pattern piece! Sewing the trousers was another tricky situation. I had to make sure each pleat was the same size and same level. I also had to make sure that the pleat from the front of the trousers married up to the pleats on the back. Chuffed with myself because i did it!!! yay!
Once my coat and trouser toiles were complete i cut my leggings patterns. These leggings are extremely long so the excess length gets gathered up the leg. This is the look i was going for and it works so i am pleased with the results
Friday was the deadline for the toiles! After the designer presentations it was my time to show Rose my coat, leggings and trousers. The majority of the construction was fine. The amendments that needed to be made were that i needed to slash and spread my collar more to allow it to sit better. I also have to re look at the shape of the hem of my coat and the back godet to create a nicer line. Once more smaller amendment was that i needed to allow more depth to my hems and facings for a greater weight and i nicer finish.
So for the rest of the lesson i carried on with the adjustments and helped my class mates model their toiles. It was interesting to hear about the other peoples work in my class and problems they faced. By trying to problem solve from each other allows you to learn and bounce ideas so i enjoyed this part of the day.
4pm came around fast and time for the rep and tutor meeting to discuss the amendments to the degree. This was very interesting and i must admit i am enjoying the role of class rep along with the other reps.
Before the night is up i will be making sure ll my amend
ments to my toiles and patterns are complete!!
**Friday 30th April 2010**
Well that week went far too fast!! Bit of marketing, bit of sketch book, bit of making, everything needs to be prioritized so it is hard to know what to do 1st!!?? The fashion show is really at the front of my mind this week. Lots of loose ends that need tying up and planned as well as trying to push the ticket sales! As i am on the topic, maybe i will interrupt and do a bit of promo on the fashion show! here is the poster!
So now onto the stack of books i have been sifting through in order to prepare and write another marketing report! 2000 words this time... shouldn't be too hard but timing is of the essence!
So now for the design part of the pdp! Today was like any other Friday that involved presentations in the morning! After this i headed straight for the steamers to press all my fabrics! Although i have spent a absolute fortune on my fabric, i am so pleased with what i bought! Entirely from the Cloth Houses but i some how do not feel bad spending over £200 on material! But i would feel the guiltiest person in the world for buying a pair of shoes that much! So here are my purchases!
This grey suiting is what i will use for the main body of the coat along with the purple on the side panels and under arms.
This gorgeous ribbed jersey will be made into a pair of extremely long leggings that will travel all the way up my models legs! Cannot wait to see it finito!!
The Purple fabric did not start off this colour. It started off as an ivory colour but i fell in love with the texture! So i got my Dylons out and turned it "plum". This does not look like plum here and in fact is it not! After the 4th dye attempt i finally managed to create the tone i liked! I had to add a lot of red to the mix to create a deeper tone than the standard "plum" dye colour...... here are the results!
Bit more depth to the colour now so i am happy!
Now moving onto the pleated trouser fabric! this is stunning and the drape is gorgeous! These photos do not do the fabrics any justice you will just have to take my word for it.
Once all of these fabrics were nice and steamed i began the scary stage of cutting!! I started with my trousers, cut the pattern and fused the waist and facings.
A rather productive day but i had wanted to do much more! I dont know why it took me sooo loong! i seriously need to up my game and crack on!!
On a positive note we sold lots of tickets for the fashion s
how over lunch! And jasmine had fun with her jacket lapels!
