Initial line up includes a combination of garments constructed from original 40's/50's menswear patterns, reconstructed in to a contemporary womenswear. Imagine nostalgia.  bomb shelter. elegance. layers. rush. texture. beauty. contradiction.  whilst some how working in unity with one another. This collection reflects elements of utility with femininity. Demonstrating a relaxed and confident approach to clothing and dressing the body. Showing a respect and admiration for past shapes and styling whilst still relating it todays sophisticated city woman.      

I watched atonement the other day again..the character played by Kiera Knightly really inspires me. Her effortless beauty and style crossed with her ability to mix feminine and masculine clothing together, gives an insight in to my collection. Another element of what 'my girl' is all about.  

Atonement Pictures - Rotten Tomatoes

Atonement Pictures - Rotten Tomatoes

The images below are a mix of Acne garments from their A/W 10 collection.

Images of my grandma who was in the land army in WW2.

Elements of garments and family photos from the 40's..things I love...pockets.. collars...utility...pretty

 such as Acne and Dries van Noten and COS.

 

designs by couture designer Elie Saab. His drapery is so beautiful.

Flock of birds...shadow.... drape.... utility....

my main areas of inspiration

here are some images that have inspired me

photographs from wilberforce

Initial Concept.

The concept for my final year collection relates to shape and shadow. My initial ideas came from an old 1960’s bird book, which had an inspiring black and white image of a ‘flock of birds’. Whilst investigating further in to the concept of a flock of birds, I discovered some photographs I had taken one morning of sunlight shining through the blinds and reflecting on to the wall in my flat. I live in a Victorian town house which has big beautiful sash windows. I loved the sunlight shining through the blinds as it created interesting shaped lines on the chimneybreast so I took lots of photos of the shapes and shadows it created. This image alongside the picture of the birds inspired me to look at shape and shadow.

I feel that this idea will relate to my love of drape and structure. The fluidity of the birds alongside the structure and clean lines of the shadows form a strong basis for design as these two concepts can relate to fashion design.

Areas of concentration

I plan to concentrate on the construction by focusing on the patterns and sewing of the garments. My initial experimentation is to work on the stand and focus on draping. I have been sketching my ideas alongside draping fabric on the stand and taking photo documentation of this for my sketchbook.

My Objectives

My objectives are to develop a strong concept by looking at the relationship between structure and drape. I love the idea of a garment being practical and structured. Looking back, I have take inspiration from 40’s/ 50’s utility wear and the creative and beautiful drape of Grés.  As well as looking at an era of dress and past designers I have also taken inspiration from contemporary design by researching into Swedish design house Acne for its minimalistic style and  Elie Saab for his creative draping.  

initial ideas

Initial idea came from one of my dads old bird books from the 1960's. There was one image in this book that inspired me to look further in to the concept of a flock of birds. I find the movement of  birds in a flock  amazing. What really inspired me was the shapes and the lines they create whilst in motion.

This has lead me to look at shadow and shape..