FMP Progression

I feel like the project is really progressing well now, as I have my final line up of 6 decided with prints and have started making this week. I got my digital printed fabric back on Tuesday, so I was able to start making. I was pleased with all the prints; they were mostly the correct scale I wanted apart from one which was slightly larger, but still works well. I also have my pleating, which looks really effective alongside the print. I am really excited to see the final pieces being made and brought to life.

Laser Cutting

This week I have been finalising my laser cut patterns and getting them ready to be sent off. I am having some patterns cut in leather from drawings I have done. Below is an example of leather laser-cut from one of the laser websites I have been looking up, and it seems to cut really well...
I was really inspired by Loewe's S/S 2010 collection, where a whole dress was delicately laser cut creating a lacey effect in the leather. It had a really interesting, detailed effect which I love, and aim to create in my leather pieces...

I found it has been a lot more difficult than I thought to get my images ready for cutting. They have to be in vector format to send off to the laser cutters, which means doing it in illustrator. I had my drawn patterns that I wanted cutting, but they needed to be copied and changed in illustrator to the correct sizes and formatting, etc which took quite a lot of time...

These are the drawings that I am going to get cut, and have prepared in the correct format. I wasn't able to do the third pattern I wanted for my jacket, because the pattern was too close together and complicated, so wouldn't work. I could draw a similar pattern again straight into illustrator, but this would take a lot of time, so I may consider doing something different for the panels I was going to have cut...

I am really pleased that I got the patterns done, because I have learnt a lot of new skills using illustrator. I had never used it before, but now I know some of the basics of how to draw and format etc, which will always be useful to me.

Toiling

This week I have been concentrating on the toiling of my designs for the final line up. Having now sent off my print designs to be digitally printed, I am hoping to start making when they come back this week, so my designs need to be perfected. I had done initial toile’s of most of my designs, but felt that most of them could be better and needed altering. Some things, I found, I have made more complicated then they needed to be. I have realised it is the more simple design shapes sometimes that can work better and are more effective. The flared dress below was one of my originals, which has panelling all the way round for a design feature, adding fullness and movement. However, I decided this was unnecessary, especially with the prints that will be going on the dress, and it would work the same without the panelling. It is small but important things like this that are found out when toiling, which highlights how much of an important part of the design process it is.


I have also been finalising and developing patterns for the leather to be laser cut in for some of my designs. These will be small details, such as a collar or hem, but I think should make a statement with the contrast to the fluid lines and soft fabrics and prints.

Balenciaga, Fall 2010

This is a really interesting dress by Balenciaga, with the lace effect hem detailing. The shaoe is very sinilar to some of the shapes I have been designing with the layers and volume in the skirt. I love the delicate felling of the outfit, and the lacey pattern is the effect I want to create with my laser cut leather details. I am inspired by the way the pattern at the bottom filters up the dress, and is repeated on both layers


I also find this an inspiring dress, with the interesting placement print against the pleated effect hem and neck and the contrasting sheer sleeves. there is lots of details in the feminine dress which makes it unique and special.

Zac Posen, Fall 2010

I love the bright, exciting prints in this recent collection by Zac Posen. The fuchia pink flowers on the black background really makes a statement and makes an effective all over print. This is a similar look to some of my prints.

I love the print on the light sheer dress, as it has a soft, feminine feeling and has a completely different look on the second outfit. The all-over print is effective on a consrtucted outfit, as you don't loose any of the print with it all over and bold.

Digital Printing

I have had back my digital print samples which I sent to the silk bureau last week. I am really pleased with them, and they are really effective on the silk satin and silk goergette fabrics that I chose. The colours have come out perfectly, and I now have a really good idea of what the collection might look like. The patterns I created are hand drawn and then manipulated on Photoshop, and I was concerned that the hand drawn quality might not be so good when blown up or printed. However, I was pleased that they all looked really clear and effective.

After getting back my prints, I have now chosen my final line up of designs with the print details for each outfit. I decided to choose mostly simple shapes for my garments as there is a lot of detail in the print and embellishment details, but was inspired by the 1920s and Chanel, so did include some interesting constructed and pleated detailing. The shapes and fabric are quite feminine, with light-weight goergette and satin for movement and a delicate summer mood.
On Friday I took a trip to London and went to Shepards Bush Market for my other fabrics. There will be pleating and some panels with no print, so I needed to buy some silk goergette and silk satin fabrics for this. I want to use silks, to make the collection feel really special and luxurious. There was some really good shops at Sheperds Bush, and I was able to get all the colours I needed in the right fabrics, so came away really happy.

From my initial research of the royal collection and the queens jewellery, I was really inspired by the diamonds and jewels. Along with my prints I will be having areas of beading on my outfits, inspired by this, to make the outfits really special.

This is a sample I did with swarovski crystals, which is really effective, giving a glamourous, sprakling effect. I love the swarovski crystals, because they are special and have an exquisite diamonte effect. While I was in London on Friday I went to the creative bead shop near carnaby street, where they have lots of different kinds of beautiful swarovski crystals to choose from, and brought a collection of them to decorate my outfits with.

FMP progression

My final project is progressing well, especially with my print designs. I have come up with many that I really like, and feel that it is changing the vision of my collection slightly as I go along. I was going to have lots of embellishment and embroidery detailing with the prints to compliment. However, as I am loving so many of the prints, and how they all go together I am wanting to use more of them, and maybe less or no embroidery, but still some embellishment for detail. It is very much going to be a bright and exciting collection with lots of detail, and I am happy with where this is going.
(all images subject to copyright)

Anna Sui

Anna Sui's latest fall 2010 collection is fabulous. I admire Sui for the detail and research that is put into her collections. She always achieves an exciting combination of prints, embellishment and craftmanship, creating eclectic mixes to admire. The symbolic meaning and values in her clothes really shines through which makes it very special, and is inspiring to me.

I paticulary like the bright colours and soft floral prints in this recent collection, which have a very feminine, ethernal feel.

The floral print on a sheer fabric is really effective, and has a soft, delicate feel. This collection has an almost vintage feeling, with the colours and mixture of art deco and floral prints, which I like. This is the mood I am going for with my current collection.

I love the embellished dress, which has 1920s references with the dropped waist and shaped hem. I admire the way delicate embelllishment and bright, exciting prints are combined in one collection, and it is this mix that I aim to create, but brought together in one outfit for more of a statement.