Outfit 1

It's been a while since I've posted my last blog, so I'm going to post a few blogs to catch up.

So...I'll take you back to where I left, working on my first outfit.

The first outfit I started working on is a body suit with rigid leather armour at the hips and shoulders. It took a bit of toiling to get it all to work but it is finally done!! I ended up using some stud/rivit things to secure the leather panels to the bodysuit. I then had to superglue each individual leather panel to the next, to hold the shape I wanted.

Hip Armour Toile

New Campus, New Subject

We have shifted TAFE campuses and are now in the city. Our classroom is fantastic, all new and renovated, with big windows overlooking Light Square. Our first day of our last semester and we were all right back into things. Everyone is working really hard to stick to their timelines, we know how quickly the time will go and soon it will be our parade.

I am really pleased with my progress so far, two weeks into the term and I have almost finished one outfit, patternmade and toiled another, and started patternmaking the third. I have cut my leather for the first outfit and have talked to the footwear lecturer about how to attach it to my garment. I have trialed her suggestion and it will work really well, but I am going to a saddelery place next week to see if they have any other ideas. By the end of next week I really want to have two outfits finished

Hong Kong

I'm back from Hong Kong, didn't get any shoes though. It was an amazing experience to be able to tour factories and see the working conditions where our clothes get made.

We went to Sham Shui Po, an area with streets and streets of shops and stalls selling fabrics and trims. It was a bit overwhelming and easy to get lost. There was a set up on one street where lots of stalls were housed inside a dodgy looking tent thingy made of tarpolins and basically whatever else they could find. There were so many fabrics inside and we had to squeeze down the aisles and sort through piles of fabric to find what we wanted. We didn't stay for long though because it was so hot and there was no air circulation so we were ready to pass out - not sure how the workers cope.

I didn't get any more fabrics for my collection either. Not that I needed to, but I looked to see if I could find anything better. I'm still happy with the ones I got here in Adelaide.

Fabrics

I've decided not to go with the whole digital printing idea. My designs are so strong that adding another element like that would take away from the designs. What I have decided is to use leather. Initially I thought it would be way too expensive, but after going to Kinch leather, I've realised that it's very reasonably priced. I have bought a few sides of leather, all black, a couple plain and the others have scales pressed onto them, which ties in my Armadillo/Pengolin inspiration. My car now smells like it has a leather interior after carting them around!

I have got organised and bought the rest of my fabrics too, one printed, the rest plain. My colour scheme will be black and gold, simple but dramatic and edgy.

Another thing that I have to keep an eye out for are shoes for the models to wear in the end of year parade. I don't have to get any but it would be great if they were all wearing the same shoes. The only thing is that I am quite fussy and they have to be completely outrageous. I know the exact pairs I want. But they're over $2000. Each. Can't really justify that and I haven't found anything in Adelaide that I like, so fingers crossed I might find some when I go to Hong Kong in the holidays.

Oh, by the way, we've worked out timelines for the collection and we have two weeks to patternmake, sample and produce each outfit. Two weeks. Freaking out a little bit - I know it's achievable, I just can't get behind.

Designs

It's taken me a couple of weeks but I have now finalised my six outfits. I don't want to post the fashion illustrations though because it would ruin the surprise at the end of year fashion parade. What I can tell you though is that my collection has a futuristic/intergalactic concept.

I have found inspiration from science through images of satellites and electric solar panels. I was also inspired by images of Armadillos and Pengolins, animals that have ubique armour-like scales.

I have stuck to my original plan for my collection to be very structured and there will be lots of panelling detail. The pieces are big, bold and outrageous and only a very outgoing, fashion forward person would wear them. When I was designing I continually asked myself 'is it wearable?' and if it was, I'd scrap it. I want my collection to be different, not something that can be seen on the racks in shops.

Inspiration

After two and a half years of study it's finally time to design and create our own collections! Although now that it's time to start designing and making decisions, I've realised that I don't really know exactly what I want to do. Sure, I've collected hundreds of images and pasted them all into an inspiration folder, but as I flick through the pages of things i love, there is no common theme.

There is one advertisement I tore from a Vogue magazine a few years ago that I fell in love with, and still adore. I love the combination of art and fashion and the intricacy of the design.

There are too many other designer collections to name that I love, but some recent ones are the Victor and Rolf Spring 2010 RTW collection for the structure and use of fabric that amazes me, and the Mary Katrantzuo Fall 2009 RTW and Alexander McQueen Spring 2010 RTW collections for the digital printing. I don't think the trend of digital printing is being used to its potential in Australia so I think it would be great if I could incorporate my love of prints into my collection.

What I do know is that I want my collection to have lots of structure and for people to see it and be shocked and question how I have created such amazing peices.