ChloeP's Blog

Design developments for Noa Noa

chloep — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 12:17:52 +0000

We have had to design 15 outfits/ 5 mini ranges, for three garments to be picked for us to make up and show at the end of year fashion show, Here is a picture of our illustration board:

Do you think they fit with the Noa Noa style? My favourites are – top row second left, top row first right bottom row first right and bottom row second and third right.

Noa Noa project

chloep — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 12:05:34 +0000

Here is a look at some garments that were in Noa Noa when we did our research into the company and a shop report on it. As you can see they offer feminine clothing to the higher end of the higher street, selling garments that are classic pieces that could be worn through many seasons. The attention to detail is high, offering great quality in all their garments. Visit their site – www.noanoa.org.uk

Noa Noa project

chloep — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 11:58:53 +0000

We have now moved onto a new module in which we work with the Danish company Noa Noa. In groups of three we have to design a mini Autumn / Winter range for Noa Noa, consisting of three outfits which will feature in the end of year fashion show in June.

Our theme for the collection focuses upon war armour. we began by researching into our checked Prince of Wales fabric and so chose an Equestrian theme. However we wanted to bring something new into this theme and looked into cavalry. After a visit to the royal armouries in Leeds we decided to naturally progress to war armour.

As part of our 15 design developments we looked at the shape of war armour – tight wasits and layering and tried to create garments that were more feminine from this to fit the Noa Noa look. The collection features nipped in waists, assymetric cuts and layering of garments.

These are our mood and storyboard, created for a presentation on Wednesday:

Critical Studies Journal

chloep — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 10:18:33 +0000

Last Monday i got my folder of work back – lecture notes, handouts, shop reports. promotional analysis, magazine/newspaper articles of interset, exhibition photos, etc. I have a lot to do in it before the final deadline February 22nd – I need to get more articles, more notes and reading to fill my folder up with loads of info. I also have to do another 3 shop reports, I think I am going to do Topshop as it is a big successful high street leader, H&M as it is a cheaper alternative high street store – I’m not too sure on the last one so I’m going to have to have a look around for another good store that is different to the others already done, Mango and Blue Ballroom.

I am going to be very busy the next few weeks with this and my fashion drawing and illustration module!

Fashion Illustrators

chloep — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 10:53:12 +0000

For Contextual Studies over the Christmas holidays we have had to research two Illustrators and prepare a presentation and handout about them. We had to pick one off a list of historical illustrators and we were free to choose another contemporary illustrator of our own choice. Off the list I chose Christian Berard, a French illustrator, artist and designer of the 1920s, 1930s and early 1940s. I choose him as he had a free drawing style and showed the human figure in a sophisticated way and also as he worked closely to famous designers such as Christian Dior, Coco Channel and Nina Ricci and so I thought it would be interesting to see how he portrayed their designs.

The contemporary illustrator I chose was Lovisa Burfitt, a Swedish illustrator and fashion designer. Her illustrations make a strong impact and are bold and unique in the way she adds media. She uses splashes of inks, felt tip pens and crayons in bold colours – only adding to part of the garment to create a bold impression of her illustrations. I have studied her technique in my fashion drawing and illustration technical notebook too and tried to add some of her style to my drawings.

This research has inspired me to be more creative and experimental with my drawing and style and to be more confident in using different media.

Fashion Drawing and Illustration . . . .

chloep — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 10:32:39 +0000

So we have been given a new brief to fit alongside our Fashion Drawing and Illustration technical notebook. We have to visit York art gallery and research into their exhibition on Japanese Sashiko Textiles and over Christmas we have started to collect and record information and design ideas in our sketchbook, I am really enjoying this module but have got a lot to do in my sketchbook as at first I found it really hard to get into it. It has been hard to record info as you aren’t able to take photos of the garments in the art gallery but I have found a great website with all the images and info of the exhibition – www.sashiko.org.uk

A lot of it is all about texture so I am trying to produce loads of samples, fabrics and trims. The hardest part is that it has to tie in with our Fashion Drawing and Illustration technical notebook that we have been doing since September so we have to link them by developing our illustration style and producing and developing figures and using them in our sketchbooks. Unfortunately I am not too keen on the illustration side and it isn’t my strongest bit so I have kind of neglected the drawing in my sketchbook, which isn’t too good when it is an illustration module! I’ve got a lot to do for the February deadline – finish my sketch book, 10 design developments and 3 boards!!!!! Lets hope I can get some inspiration and get drawing!

Visual Studies Research finished!

chloep — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 10:10:29 +0000

So on the 14th December it was finally finished – sketchbook, design developments, story boards, illustrations boards and working drawing boards were in and there was nothing more that we could do to them! I am so relieved to finally have them finished knowing I couldn’t o anymore to them. But I also felt bad as there was still more I wanted to do to them – it was a bit of a mad rush at the end trying to get all of the illustration and working drawing boards done, and I decided to add some more work in and re-do my story boards! They were definitely more professional after doing them on Photoshop but unfortunately my other boards suffer and they weren’t as good as I wanted them – I’ll remember that for next time and leave myself more time! Now I can forget about that and move on to the next module . . . . .

Design developments deadline!

chloep — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 09:33:58 +0000

Last week we had a deadline for our sketchbooks and 40 design developments so it has been very stressful trying to get everything done! The deadline on Friday 4th was a formative deadline but it was very important to meet it so we could get feedback on our work and see where we need to improve to get a good mark! I got everything done in time but it was a bit of a panic when we found out we had to do 2 storyboards, one for each category – I thought we only had to do 1!!!!! So I had to do both in one night!!!! Hopefully it will be ok and I can have the chance to improve it by the finall deadline of the 14th – that’s only 1 week away!!!!!!

Adapting a basic sleeve block to fit a bodice

chloep — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 10:24:36 +0000

We have already created a bodice using the moulage technique, so we now have to fit a sleeve into it from a basic sleeve block. Therefore we have had to learn how to adapt it to fit in an already constructed bodice. We traced the sleeve block onto pattern paper and then measured around the sleeve head, we then got our bodice pattern and measured around the back and front pieces armhole and added the two together. We then took the armhole measurement away from the sleeve head measurement. The difference between mine was 7.2 cm meaning that the sleeve was 7.2 cm too big to fit into the armhole – if it had been a minus number it would have meant the sleeve was too small for the armhole. Therefore we had to adapt the sleeve, we did this by cutting down the armhole in stripes and just leaving it attached at the wrist opening – I made three cuts (down the centre point and then down half each of these), it is important to make these equal so that the armhole is adapted equally from each side so that it is still accurate. Then as the sleeve was too big for the armhole I overlapped the pieces of armhole by equal measurement (2.4cm in my case) to take the total away. If the sleeve had been too small for the armhole I would have bought each stripe out by an equal measurement so there was a gap between them. This is then secured by sellotape. You then get another piece of pattern paper and re-trace the adapted sleeve off. As the sleeve head is not consistent you have to draw the head by hand and round it off using your pattern master. You then have to check that the armhole is the right measurement and adapt it accordingly if not. When correct sut the pattern out and then cut the sleeve in calico and fit into armhole of bodice.

Design Developments

chloep — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 10:02:34 +0000

So we have moved on from the sketchbook for Visual Studies Research module and have now started the 4o design development pages!!!! We have to do 20 for each category – work wear and evening wear. I have had some problems with this and have started again quite a few times!! I think I am now on the right path and it going ok – just have to do all 40 by Friday!!!! They take quite along time as they have to have working drawings, colour and annotation as well. The colour story I have chosen is pastel pink and purple, grey, gold/yellow and teal. The only problem is now I just have find fabric samples for them all. We also have to do a story/mood board on A3 – this includes a rationale (a description of the collections and the client it is for), also colour story, fabric story and any inspiration for the project – I need to collect some 1920s images and key A/W trends – draping and structure.