GROUP MOOD-BOARD
On Monday the Womenswear team came together to put all of our research images onto a presentation board so that we could clearly see the different aspects of inspiration, helping us to pick out certain bits to create our final concept.
There were a lot of ideas, some very different from others but all linking in some way. We had inspiration from; Spring Heeled Jack, Dracula, Steam Punk, London Weather, Animal Skulls, Darwin Theory, Fire of London and a lot more.
We were joined by the Communication, Menswear and Print teams to talk about our own inspiration points so that the other teams could both be updated on our journey and to offer opinions. The other teams had time at the end of the discussion to tell the group which aspects they thought went well with their own concepts and narratives.
 |
| The whole Womenswear board |
 |
| Disintegration / Dracula / Whitby / Dead Flowers / Animal Skulls / Winter Walk / Taxidermy |
 |
| Victorian Fashion / Teddy girls / Pollution / Weather / Skulls / Steam punk |
 |
| Everyone sat around for presentation |
Menswear comments on Womenswear research:
-Liked decay of fabrics/ Buildings
-Hints of red
Communication comments on Womenswear research:
-Liked Spring Heeled Jack
-Liked Taxidermy hybrids
-Liked Darwin
We then moved to see the Menswear's Mood-board and finally moved to discuss the Communication's ideas and research. This was a good way to see what the other groups were working on and helped us to pick out aspects of the research that reappeared or that related to all the groups.
 |
| Menswear Presentation |
 |
| Menswear's inspiration from the Boer War |
 |
| Pincushions |
 |
| Letters made of senders clothing |
My notes for Menswear research:
-Women would cut off parts of dresses
-Men would cut off parts of uniform
-Messages would be painted on
-Khaki was introduced
-Heart shaped pincushions
-Torn/ distressed elements
- Union Jack colours revealed without intention
-Rustic reds and blue colour pallet
-Aged look
Communication comments for Menswear:
-They liked the idea of 'Ageing' as they could use that for their filming
-Ideas for a Lana Del Rey style film
-Noticed a theme of red
Womenswear comments for Menswear:
-Worry that garments may look 'too Costume'
-Liked the personal touches of the messages
-Careful not to go overboard with distressed elements
-Liked the idea of words used in print
-Vivienne Westwood feel
My notes for Communication research:
-Taxidermy
-Skulls
-Darkness
-Historical concepts with a modern twist
-Still has to sell
-Not too aged (thinking about consumer profile)
-Religion/ Sacrifice
Womenswear comments for Communication:
- Recommendation for a visit to a coffee shop / Taxidermy in Brighton
- Liked the rich colours and references to food tables
REFLECTION
I think that taking the time for everyone to overlook the different specialisms was worth doing. It was interesting to see other's inspiration and to hear feedback from an outside perspective. It helped us all to see if there were any running themes throughout all of the specialisms which would then aid us to pick an overall concept.
Being encouraged to stand up without notice and speak to the whole class (20-30 people) about my work is both extremely scary but pleasantly challenging. I personally really struggle with public speaking. I get very anxious and nauseous and always have done but I haven't ever asked to not participate, I push myself to do it because I know that the more I try, the better I will get and I always feel really good after I've finished. In this project, I've noticed there is a lot of opportunities that arise where I have to speak up at unexpected times and although it makes me extremely nervous, I oddly appreciate being thrown into the deep end.
DECIDING ON AN OVERALL CONCEPT
We have to both decide on a concept for each individual specialism ( Womenswear, Menswear, Communication) but we also have to pin an underlying concept that links all of these specialisms together. We all came together at the end of the day to discuss and define each specialism with key words.
With our Tutor, Ian, we collectively came up with key words starting with Menswear, then Womenswear and finally Communication.
KEY WORDS | MENSWEAR
- CONTEMPORARY - MESSAGES WITHIN GARMENTS - WORN/AGED
- PATCH/REPAIR - MILITARY - PRACTICAL
-MAPS - SENSE OF EMOTION - KEEPSAKES (LONGEVITY)
- TEXTURE -DAMAGE/DECAY
KEY WORDS | WOMENSWEAR
- RICH TONES - DECAY - DETAILING
- ROMANCE - SULTRY - REDS/RUST
KEYWORDS | COMMUNICATION
- RELIGION - WAR - FAITH - TAXIDERMY
- SKULLS - ANXIETY/STRESS - EMOTIONAL
When looking closely at all these words, we really started to see a pattern of some sort of emotional stress or damage. In all of the specialisms, we had seen elements of decay / war / fire / loss / death / emotion. There was a very deep underlying theme throughout and we realised that a lot of these ideas in some way of another left some kind of impact, leaving the world to pick up the pieces. We then decided to label our collection theme as AFTERMATH.
The word aftermath suggests the effects after an incident, for instance, the aftermath of war, the aftermath of the London fire or the aftermath of decay and wear. I really like this name. I think that the one word on its own says so much without really saying anything at all. The word hints at an explanation but leaves you wondering.
As I mentioned in my last post, I was advised to research into this American artist Enrique Gomez De Molina as a development of my initial research into animal skulls. This artist imported animal parts from Bali, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, Canada and China in order to create these fascinating yet controversial animal hybrids. I picked my favourites to feature in the above picture. I am particularly interested in the animal in the bottom left as I can just envisage it being translated into an abstract print that would fit in very well with Bolongaro Trevor's previous prints.
A TALK ABOUT : REPORT WRITING
On Tuesday morning we hit it off with a presentation with Anna Konig about the do's and don'ts of Report Writing. We are expected to write a 2000 word report about Bolongaro Trevor as a brand and our experience working with them. This was a very helpful session as Anna went into great detail about how to write effectively, using a six-step plan (some of these pointers relate to our specific report)
THE SIX STEPS
1. Approaching the task
2. Examining the task
3. Collecting the material
4. Planning the report
5. Writing and editing
6. Learning from your work
STAGE 1 | APPROACHING THE TASK
- Should be focused, structured and coherent
- Allows you to reflect on your experiences and develop your skills
- Approached positively
- Write down ideas of what you could talk about
- Skills that you have learned
STAGE 2 | EXAMINING THE TASK
- (Report) must be written in third person
- Should not involve your opinion
- Make sure you hit the word count
- Try not to write 'I think' and 'Then I did this'
- Ensure layout is logical
- What do you want to gain from this experience?
- Experiment with question-and-answer approach
- Must have a contents and introduction page
- A SWOT page is a good idea (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats)
STAGE 3 | COLLECTING THE MATERIAL
- Explain company history and it's strategy or syllabus content
- Evidence of continuous reflection
- What is involved within this unit? What are the aims and objectives?
- Do they have a mission statement?
- What is their philosophy?
- How are they currently positioned in the market place?
- Are the aims being completed?
- Details of product / consumer
- Describe environment
- How can I apply these skills in the future?
(CONCLUSION)
- Can be in first person
- Areas to improve on
- Personal goals / feelings
- Use of photos / examples of work
- Make report interesting to read
( FEATURES OF GOOD WRITING )
- Description of events / experiences
- Indication of feelings
- Both positive and negative
- Analysis of work and progress
- Suggestions for future practice
- Extensive use of first person
STAGE 4 | PLANNING THE REPORT
- A good plan makes research easier
- Think about layout logically
- Keep on adding and editing
- Update plan with pictures
STAGE 5 | WRITING AND EDITING
- Use section headings
- (Intro) State aim of report and what you will talk about
- (Main) Each separate idea needs a new section
- Make sure you are referencing properly
- Ensure grammar is correct
STAGE 6 | LEARNING FROM YOUR WORK
(VALUES OF REFLECTIVE WRITING)
- Allows you to stand back and assess your work in a different light
- Allows you to asses how you're behaving (are you speaking up!?)
- Solving problems becomes easier on reflection
- Allows tutors to see progression
- Essential for future life
(USEFUL QUESTIONS)
- What did you find inspiring?
- Incidents that had a big impact on your approach / thoughts?
- How do you feel about what happened?
- Things you didn't enjoy
- Things you would change and why
- What else could you have done?
- Attempting something different - did it work?
- Are there big principals that you could use?
REFLECTION
As you can see, there is a lot to take in here but as I said previously, I did find this session extremely useful. I really enjoy the writing and always have done but it's quite easy to get out of the swing of things when you go from school, where you're writing everyday, for most of the day and then moving on to college and university where the amount of writing drops down. It's easy to forget about the most simple yet vital aspects of good writing so I'm really glad that Anna came in to remind us of the rights and the wrongs.
I now have a better understanding of the meaning behind writing a Report specifically and the importance of reflective writing within my blog (hence why I am currently writing a reflection section) I understand now, that it is a large chunk of what we get marked on because after all- university is a learning experience so it makes sense to write about what you have learned! The 'Useful Question' section was particularly useful to me too because these will help me if I am struggling with content.
BRAND CONCEPT WITH KAIT
Okay, so there's a lot of talk of brand concept and I know you're all probably tired of hearing those two words but you will be happy to know that we have finalised the womenswear concept for the collection. Kait came to visit us to overlook all of our individual starting points and to pick the parts that she thought would work in order to narrow down a narrative.
One of our team members took the time to speak to Ian after hours and decided on a concept between them which was then shared with the rest of us. I was a bit unhappy about this as I felt that the decision should have been made together, not to mention that the team member practically pitched her own idea which meant that half of our ideas weren't considered. When I heard about this, I was automatically deflated and lost all passion I had for the project because I felt as though none of my input was ever going to be valued unless it fit in with this particular person's vision- which is completely unfair.
When Kait came in, she wanted to see everyone's work and asked for us to explain our ideas to her. I jumped up first (which I was quite surprised at, given I have next to no confidence when it came to public speaking) but I didn't want to give up on my ideas. I believed in them and I wanted them to at least be considered in a non-biased manner. It turned out that Kait liked both my ideas and some of the other people's ideas that weren't originally picked in this 'private meeting' and the outcome was much more pleasing for everybody. I could sense that the group was more comfortable and understood out vision better after our talk with Kait.
SHAPE / SILHOUETTE
DISCLAIMER: The three mood-boards directly above are NOT my work.
These mood-boards were put together by other members of my team that we're chosen by Kait. I wanted to use the actual file, opposed to a picture of a picture so that it would be clearer for you guys to see.
I am really inspired by the first mood-board, made by Zaida on Steam punk. I don't know much about this era/ trend but it looks like a modern and Gothic take on Victorian clothing. We are to use these images to aid our designing but we are allowed to research further into these concepts to create more imagery to work with.
PRINT / TEXTURE
Kait helped us to group a separate section for imagery that would inspire print and texture.
DISCLAIMER: The two mood-boards directly above are NOT my work
COLOUR
Finally, we had to decide on a colour pallet. Kait really liked these two mood-boards by Maisie and Lauren. She suggested using Lauren's 'Dead Flowers' theme for outerwear, possibly. And Maisie's colour pallet for everything else.
DISCLAIMER: The two mood-boards directly above are NOT my work.
MEET THE CLOTHES x 2
Kait brought in EVEN more garments from Bolongaro Trevor in for us to look at which was great because I really enjoyed looking at the clothes last week. Here are some of my favourites;
DESIGN TEAM
We were asked to split ourselves into teams to make designing easier. In industry, you wouldn't have one designer working on more than one type of garment so we had to choose which category we wanted to be in. I chose 'Dresses and Upper-wear' but for me, I want to design more casual day-time dresses. These are the teams that we decided on;
Team 1 Team 2 Team 3
Maisy Zaida Nicha
We were asked to split ourselves into teams to make designing easier. In industry, you wouldn't have one designer working on more than one type of garment so we had to choose which category we wanted to be in. I chose 'Dresses and Upper-wear' but for me, I want to design more casual day-time dresses. These are the teams that we decided on;
Team 1 Team 2 Team 3
Maisy Zaida Nicha
Yu Lin Lauren Nan
Bethan Abbie Poppy
Shaowai Jade Imani
I don't really like the idea of being limited to designing one or two types of garment because I am so used to designing all of them to create a collection but I am happy that my section involves both dresses and tops.
FURTHER RESEARCH TO AID DESIGN
My next job is to use the Shape and Silhouette research to develop further. I can then use imagery collected to move forward into Designing.
I wanted to create some mood boards of my own, looking into Teddy Girls and Modern Victorian fashion in order to further develop the research already carried out by other members of my team. I also did a bit of reading up on both of them so that I could develop a better understanding of the eras.
I made these mood boards because I wanted to look for images that particularly inspired me rather than just using the images of other's work. Creating my own versions helps me to feel personally connected to the research and using images that I personally resonate with helps me to stay motivated and inspired.
THE VICTORIAN ERA
I know the basics of Victorian fashion but I don't know a lot about it so I wanted to use this opportunity to put together mood-boards Victorian fashion through the 1800's. I thought that this research could be beneficial to both the group and to myself as I have never taken the time to teach myself!
I have used both original images and images of garments that have been inspired by that time of the era. I personally think it's valuable to include both because you can touch into the 'original idea' for reference and then look at how designers have modernised it for today's fashion. For some reason, I find the modern takes more inspiring than the originals so this works best for me. I have also included bullet points of the key movements which are just as useful as the images.
I found these mood-boards so helpful and I'm really happy that I decided to do these. I have learned so much already from these three mood-boards alone and surprised myself at how interested I was. I also feel that it covers all areas of Victorian fashion which ensures that there are no 'holes' in our group research.
Bethan Abbie Poppy
Shaowai Jade Imani
I don't really like the idea of being limited to designing one or two types of garment because I am so used to designing all of them to create a collection but I am happy that my section involves both dresses and tops.
FURTHER RESEARCH TO AID DESIGN
My next job is to use the Shape and Silhouette research to develop further. I can then use imagery collected to move forward into Designing.
I wanted to create some mood boards of my own, looking into Teddy Girls and Modern Victorian fashion in order to further develop the research already carried out by other members of my team. I also did a bit of reading up on both of them so that I could develop a better understanding of the eras.
I made these mood boards because I wanted to look for images that particularly inspired me rather than just using the images of other's work. Creating my own versions helps me to feel personally connected to the research and using images that I personally resonate with helps me to stay motivated and inspired.
THE VICTORIAN ERA
I know the basics of Victorian fashion but I don't know a lot about it so I wanted to use this opportunity to put together mood-boards Victorian fashion through the 1800's. I thought that this research could be beneficial to both the group and to myself as I have never taken the time to teach myself!
I have used both original images and images of garments that have been inspired by that time of the era. I personally think it's valuable to include both because you can touch into the 'original idea' for reference and then look at how designers have modernised it for today's fashion. For some reason, I find the modern takes more inspiring than the originals so this works best for me. I have also included bullet points of the key movements which are just as useful as the images.
I found these mood-boards so helpful and I'm really happy that I decided to do these. I have learned so much already from these three mood-boards alone and surprised myself at how interested I was. I also feel that it covers all areas of Victorian fashion which ensures that there are no 'holes' in our group research.
No comments:
Post a Comment