Final Major Project - Inspiration and Primary Research

 

For my final project at college we had to write our own brief and choose a theme, so I chose to do 'Growth and Decay in Nature' because I felt there would be a lot of different elements to my theme which I could explore and design from.
My silver spray painted sheep skull which my uncle gave to me (not your typical 18th birthday present but I'd been after a decorative skull for my room for aaaages and I absolutely love it) proved to be the first object I photographed as a starting point for the project. I then took a series of photos from inside the conservatory in the Botanical Gardens in Sheffield of any plants that were in the process of blooming or decay which I found interesting - focusing on shapes and textures. I also had a look around Weston Park museum to see if I could find any animal skeletons/bones, however I hardly ended up taking any photos and the ones I did take I wasn't pleased with so didn't include them.
 

 

Em x

Victorian Inspired Garment Design

 

Hello!

So for college we have been asked to design a garment inspired by the Victorian Era, as we have been studying the period in fashion history.

For my design I took inspiration from various pictures above I'd found on pinterest and decided to incorporate a Victorian ruffled blouse with a high neck collar and Amelia Bloomer 'Bloomers' (trousers for women which were introduced in the dress reform in the late 1800s due to the Suffragettes) and modernise both garments by creating a jumpsuit. I shortened the sleeves and added a draped shape which ties in with detailing on the sides of the trousers at the hips that relates to the draping of layers of fabric on most Victorian dresses (as seen above). This was because the desired sillouette during the period was an hourglass, a tiny waist and large hips created by the corset, aswell as a large behind created using a bustle (masses of fabric wound around a frame) , and a full skirt created using a crinoline (a circular cage). I have replicated the silhouette and emphasised the hips with this detailing in my design.

As the top of the jumpsuit is quite detailed I decided to go for a simple tapered leg trouser instead of the wide leg 'bloomer' shape, I think this works well with the top and can still be linked back to the dress reform look. To finish off I added a brooch (which could be a classic cameo design or inspired by the one ) to the blouse and replicated this with the shoes, so it tied the whole look together. I feel my design is quite versatile as depending on the colour of the jumpsuit, it can be worn in S/S aswell as A/W. For example white/cream for S/S which would look clean & fresh teamed with simple jewellery or black for A/W teamed with a dark red lip for an overall gothic look.

Hope you like the design! Thanks for reading :-)

Em x