Fashion&Textiles - Developing Ideas

Day two of the Fashion&Textiles Transition we created miniature garments in relief using models and figures from magazines. We started by developing some of the designs we created prior to this, we were instructed to focus on one aspect of the body and create different designs around this area, i focused on the main body creating dresses. We focussed on the use of illustration to enhance our textures creating aesthetically pleasing visual responses. The purple designs shown bellow took inspiration from the triangles created when i folded paper, i cut out loads of little triangles to create a textured dress and slightly bigger ones to create a lengthy coat, on both images i then added in drawings with a similar colour scheme that fitted nicely with the garment. I also experimented with using plastic bags to create textures for garments, i was pleased with the results from this experiment.

Design Ideas Using Illustration&colourful papers, Author's Own

Once we had completed experimenting with different textures and papers we had to prepare for the next day by illustrating some ideas we had for a final piece. We had to design a minimum of 20 different ideas and below i have displayed several of these ideas, they range from skirts to dresses, capes to trousers, I even had a go at designing a bra and a cape. I was really surprised by the variety of different designs that i managed to achieve, of course they were all based around the concept of a pencil shaving, some designs proved difficult to combine with this but id' say overall the ideas worked well...

Fashion Illustrations, Author's Own

Bellow are a few examples of me thinking outside the box when creating my fashion illustration designs... Instead of sticking to the brief set i decided to experiment with my idea of pencil shavings, i realised that my initial illustrations were too conspicuous and it was apparent that i had tried to create a concrete garment. To improve my design ideas i decided to use the material intended to replicate and translate my concept, i gathered authentic pencil shavings from an old sharpener and found a pretty interesting collection of shavings. I used these shavings to then design organic and structural body garments, i use the term "structural body garments" because i wanted to explore abstract possibilities with my designs rather than designing something with a preconceived idea of what i wanted to achieve. The two designs that reflect this intention are the outer two, the first one shows a figure modelling strategically placed circular pieces of pencil shaving. I am fond of this because i didnt follow the shape or outline of the figure which gives it a much more interesting effect rather than creating something figure hugging. The second design is my favourite, i feel that i was really experimental with this particular design, it shows black pencil shaving with a red rim, the dramatic contrast between the two colours really accentuates my idea but it does not over power the unique and abstract nature of the garment.

Design Ideas Using Pencil Shavings, Author's Own