Still Catching Up!!!

Been through a number of projects that I haven't mentioned on here. "Applied Fashion Design" and Application of Design" before that, and I am in the process of "Research Practised" which is handed in next week. So coming up to the end of my 2nd year and the project I have enjoyed the most as well as achieved the highest mark is "Application of Design". I designed and created a pair of menswear shorts, this was the first time I have ever made anything ready-to-wear, and they did fit me for a bit, but it seems I may have lost a bit of weight, so now they fall down! When I get a bit of time I am going to either put some elastic in the waistband or put belt loops on them. I have used a picture of me in the shorts as a background for me CV.

"Applied Fashion Design" was the project we had before the Easter holiday's, a group design project. We went on a day trip to Manchester in the first week of this project. The aim of this trip was to see first hand the brand we had chosen to design for. Ours being MARC BY MARC JACOBS, I was in a group with Jennifer, Rose, Vanessa and Amelia. We met up briefly on the day to compare notes and discuss what we were looking for. Rose and myself were designing for menswear so we had a look around at the diffusion ranges for some other brands, like Paul Smith, Hugo Boss to name a few. I managed to take quite a few photos in the store which helped the group when we were thinking about layout for our presentation and other little details.

Catch Up!

I haven't posted anything for a long time now, mainly due to time, and a bad memory. Since my last post a lot had happened, PPD2 has nearly finished, Theoretical and Contextual Studies is all handed in and marked (could have done a bit better with it) started looking into dissertation for next year, got to have it planned by the end of term. Think I may follow on from my essay, goin into everything in more detail. Enterprise and Innovation had been completed and I had a presentation with Angie, which left me realising I hadn't followed the bried correctly.
I lost track of the whole idea behind the "£10 business" and put in more money to start with. I could have comfortably made a similar amount of profit if I had followed the brief as my business idea has been a great success.
A lot of time and effort has been put in to finding a work placement, which was supposed to happen in the first 2 weeks of June. Along with most people on my course I am yet to find something, so I am looking to do something in the Summer. I'm looking for either a styling placement, a design assistant placement which would allow me to get involved in the making side, or something with a magazine. So far I have only had one interview with a designer called Charlie Le Mindu, "www.charlielemindu.com" I've uploaded a photo of him to the right. He is a designer from a hair stylist background, if you look on his website which I have quoted above you can see the kind of stuff he does, a lot of millenery. It's not something I would usually be interested in, but I felt it would give me a great insight into a small up and coming designer.

Nearly Christmas!

Since my last post, which seems a while ago now, quite a bit has happened. Started our second project and its a week till deadline for that, which has been interesting but also fairly difficult.

Tailoring Processes. We had to visit the "Heroes and Heroines" exhibition at Leeds City Museum as well as produce a shop report focussing on tailored garments, so I looked at Paul Smith, and all the different jackets and blazers that include interesting and quircky details that I felt could help influence me when it came to me designing my own jacket. We went on a class trip to the West-Yorkshire Playhouse where we looked at all the costumes they hold in their costume department, we were given the chance to wonder round try on some garments as well as draw and photo them. I didn't really enjoy this and found it hard to motivate myself to get on with it. I've stuggled with all the hand sewing that was needed to produce each of the samples that where essential as to submission for deadline.

Business and Enterprise. Another ongoing project we've been working on is "the £10 business" that we are supposed to be starting even in a group or alone. Again I've had no motivation towards this, and have so far just come up with a few ideas for a business. More importantly to me is getting a part-time job, as I think after christmas the money struggle will begin. Having spent too much over the festive period.
In our PPD we've been looking at our CV's and discussing work placements for next year, aiming as high as possible like Paul has urged us. Ideally I'd love to find a placement working in a big store where it gives me the chance to mix with other fashionistas and get my name out there. A job styling would be great although my self confidence may need improving on for that to happen.

2nd Year!!

Been back at uni for around two months now and just had our first deadline. So I thought now would be a good time to post my first post of this very important 2nd year. We had work to do over the summer holidays that would set us off for this new 20 credit project. Research and some cool hunting, to the right is one of my pages of research from this summer work.

The work seemed none stop since we started back in Mid-September, but I feel although I started slowly I pulled it round and caught up with what i needed. After under achieving last year and making it one of my aims to do better this year from the start I had something to proove to myself. And I feel it helped living with some of the girls off my pathway, as we'd sit and work together in the evenings.
Photo of our house on a night out.

I'm fairly pleased with how this project has turned out, although I have yet to find out how I've done grade wise. The trend book itself got a bit sloppy towards the end when time was running out, and I wish I could have included some of my illustrations and desings.

Here is my trend book, which was inspired by my shop report that had to be done as the second part of this project, I chose to report on Paul Smith and after a visit to the shop and the taking of a few photos and a look around I came up with the idea of using an old vintage stlye book, leather bound and sort of shabby looking.
Below are a number of photos from pages of my book.

Now we've pretty much finished our first year of uni just got a few tutorials left to decide on what pathway we shall take next year, I'm still not sure on this and am waiting on the tutorial to help me decide. I'm having to go over my blog adding loads more in as it wasn't up to the standards required... :| also I've had to re-submit work from the last brief, Interdisciplinary as again I hadn't included enough. Which all comes down to my bad time management, and laziness.

I'm going to have to sort a few things out next year if I'm going to be able to cope with the added work load and pressure of second year. I know I can do it, just have to get on with briefs when we first get them and not be shy to ask for help. I'm going to be sharing a house with three of the girls from uni next year as well as my girlfriend so I should have enough pressure to get on with it all from them. I think it will also be useful living with them as I feel I work well bouncing idea's off other people. Not copying or anything but talking through things and I often get good inspiration from other peoples work.

Having almost completed my first year of uni I think this would be a good time to go through my strengths and weakness. I believe i understand garment's fairly well and have a good eye for things. Although I'm quite inexperienced on a sewing machine I have worked well when I've needed to and produced well executed garments. My research and file work often lets me down, as I start it quite late on and rush it or even do things in a backwards order. My sketching has improved over the year and so has my CAD work thanks to Bruce's' workshops. I don't really enjoy using photo shop that much as it frustrates me loads, but I feel I can use it adequately.

I haven't mentioned one of the briefs throughtout this blog Creative Design Practices. This was the project where we had to do a shop report and trend report before we knew what the actual brief was. And of course I didn't start it for a while after.
We then went to Temple Newsam where we carried out research which was intended to be a basis for the project. Where we were going to end up designing a collection of garments for S/S 10 for a shop of our choice which is why we had to do a shop and trend report. I chose to design for Topshop as I felt this was a wide market and one I could design for quite easily. Above is a photo of one of my research pages from Temple Newsam which I went on to use as a structure idea for an outfit.

Here is my first go at a trend board. Which turned out to be wrong, and more like a mood board.
I've taken a photo of one of my design sheets. I did a number of these which had possible outfit's for my collection on.
Three of my final six outfits that would be part of my Spring/Summer 10 collection for Topshop, below is my final trend board for Topshop. WHich shows the fabric's I'm going to use and the inspiration behind it all.

3rd Year

So far I've been made to do mainly research bits for Sarah, my 3rd year photocopying pages shes found or finding my own stuff for her work. She also sent me to find orange shoes from high street shops that would work with her collection.
I'm finding it usefull seeing what sort of stuff the 3rd years are making, and how there coping with it at this late stage, it gives me the feeling I will need to step it up next year. Also getting advice into what pathway I may take next year.
On a seperate matter, we've nearly finished our final project for the 1st year, and its been a tough one, mainly down to having a cast on throughtout it. But i think i should manage to complete it by friday. It's our Interdisciplinary which involves a selection of fabric samples created using different methods, from that we have to carry our research and narrow down our choice of which fabric to use to create a garment, which has to be a maxi skirt.

Above are a couple of examples of my fabric samples and a few sketches I did for skirt designs.

PPD1

Easter eggs me and Jaime got from her mum. :)

First day back after Easter holiday. During Easter I spent most the time at home, working to get some money, then I fractured my hand. Went up to Jaime's after that, to spend a week with her. Had a really nice time jsut the two of us, went to Blackpool Zoo, couple of pictures above. Didn't get any uni work done though. Missed Monday's lesson due to doctor's appointment, first lesson back. We got our handbook for our Interdisiplinary which looks fairly hard. Creating our own fabric to make a maxi skirt. Was supposed to of had 6 A3 fabric samples done by now to help get on with this new project.

Met our 3rd years today also, who we will be working with and assisting on wednesday's for the next month or so, mine's called Sarah Cook, seems quite loud but funny.
She's given me a few tasks to do for her. Some research into eco-friendly clothes and landfill sites and a shopping trip to find her some orange shoes to add to her collection. The research into eco-friendly clothing gave me the idea to use it as a basis for my lastest project, interdisiplinary. Which I went on to use.

Found out that we're going to have to do a presentation towards the end of this year as well, on our first year here in Leeds, using these Blogg's as a source. As the Blogg is supposed to have been updated regularly since started in September..

Forgot to mention my elective anywhere, so I'll add it in here. Quite enjoyed the week of photography it's something I've always enjoyed doing, probably since going to New York on a Photograohy/Art trip at secondary school.
Here's one of the photo's that I took for my final selection, which was looking at the way light and lighting can affect photography and the purposely taken photos that use long shutter speeds to creat great images like the photos off this website which I used for research, 'http://www.smashingapps.com/2009/12/12/45-breathtaking-examples-of-slow-shutter-speed-photography.html'