Rational; 25th February to 31st March

I am picking back up on the Alternative Miss World project for the five weeks leading up to FMP. For this project I will be creating three final designs based around a contestant that I create. I am going to use this time and project to further develop my design skills, to work on the process I go through to create my final designs and to build on my technical knowledge I have about garment construction. Working on this will help me when it comes to creating garment/ garments for my FMP.

I am carrying through the theme of Britain but rather than moving away from films and physical items I will be looking at a variety of famous British figures and seeing how they could be interpreted within a garment and whether they would create an interesting contestant. As Alternative Miss World is about everything odd and eccentric I had the idea of putting a twist on the traditional but I need to do research into whether that would work as an idea. I will then take the final designs that I have and experiment with creating them with different materials to see which would work best. Alongside improving my designing and knowledge I want to use these weeks to work on my time management and balancing everything so that all my work gets completed on time. I have created a basic timescale to keep what I am doing moving and so I achieve all the things that I want to;

Week 1 (25th February-3rd March)

Collate and look back on previous research to see where I am with my work currently. From this I will extend my research moving toward the way I want to take my work and start to pull influence and ideas from the extended research.

Week 2 (4th March- 10th March)

Look at the initial ideas I have got from the week before through doing further research. Take stronger ideas and research further into them to create design variations and general design progression.

Week 3 (11th March- 17th March)

Narrow down the designs that I like and think work the best, from these look at the influences I had for them and what I could use for the contestants name. Start looking at the designs I have done to see whether they would work with the three rounds of swimwear, daywear and eveningwear, from this further develop designs. I will have the first draft for my SOI done so can see whether alternations need making to it.

Week 4 (18th March- 24th March)

Narrow down the designs I have to move towards the three final designs for the contestant. Refine these designs and ideas to create the final designs and look at the colour pallets and the patterns that I want to use with the designs.

Week 5 (25th March- 31st March)

Experiment with fabrics and materials I could use to create my final design. Create a coloured up version of my three final designs to give and idea of how the colours work together. Look at making basic mock-ups of some elements of my design; pick back up on my basic making skills ready for my FMP.

 

Charles Dana Gibson

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USAdana.htm
Charles Dana Gibson was an illustrator. He became famous for his drawings of American high society. The young women in his drawings became known as Gibson Girls.  These are some photos showing the iconic 'Gibson girls'. 

I am going to use this as the influence for the hairstyle in my evening wear design. 

History of hair

I needed to look at hairstyles for the Victorian era so that I got the hairstyles on the designs right. I found the history of hair website which I can use both for this project and future projects.
http://thehistoryofthehairsworld.com/

Victorian era; 19th Century
http://thehistoryofthehairsworld.com/hair_19th_century.html

Calico Corset; Session Three

I have put the first couple of layers of PVA onto my corset. Using supports under the sides meant that I could PVA them and they have started to keep their shape I just need to add a few more layers of PVA to strengthen the shape further.

Some Garment Construction & Pattern Cutting Links

Just a few websites that show and explain the basic stages of garment construction, pattern cutting etc.

• http://chestofbooks.com/crafts/needlework/Garments-For-Girls/Chapter-II-Garment-Construction.html
• http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=avoUQR-ULO4C&lpg=PA48&ots=1sAyH0fNHO&dq=technical%20side%20of%20garment%20construction&pg=PA48#v=onepage&q&f=false
• https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:1aEF1HxQN48J:cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0131/0182/files/BeginningGarmentMaking.pdf+&hl=en&gl=uk&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESjstOxKhqqTpvaKV6bg3QuXaLNjJ1IISTC3ekJvYre8H72DXvSebculA2nKZ70AYSd9-ir3HKkhJeEnERJ55-CI1guCkddzadI3py3OyBi4eC6m-QkpT6hfSwegP6tcXHP_sy82&sig=AHIEtbRikdFX5gKDJXhtYzu14mNksmTXpA
• http://cool-chick.hubpages.com/hub/How-to-make-your-own-sewing-pattern
• http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=CwBpQfZvQFUC&pg=PA22&source=gbs_toc_r&cad=4#v=onepage&q&f=false

Calico corset; Session two

This is were I have got up to with my second session of constructing my corset. I have spent today finishing off the edgings to give it a better finsih and putting the ribbon in to create the corset. All I have to do now is PVA it all to add more of a structure to it and change the ribbon so that it goes downthe whole length of the corset.

 

 

 

Some corset Info

Victorian corset information
http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/c/corsets-and-bustles-1880-1890-from-over-structured-opulence-to-the-healthy-corset/
By the 1880s the corset had become a very elegant and desirable object in a woman's wardrobe and much attention paid to its design and execution. The rapid growth of the corset manufacturing industries meant that there was greater variety in materials, colour, size and fit. The most expensive might be made of satin, brightly coloured corsets also became more acceptable.

http://pinterest.com/elvenwonder/corset-making-techniques/

Corset boning information
http://corsetmaking.com/category/boning-information.html
There are many types of boning available and sometimes choosing the most appropriate type can be a confusing task. The comparison chart below is to help you decide what corset boning will be best for your particular project.

How to make
http://foundationsrevealed.com/200-about/slideshow/359-how-to-make-a-corset

Victorian corset; Calico

I have tried making the Victorian corset from my design in basic calico. Through doing this I am trying to pick up on my making skills and my understanding of a pattern. I think that it has worked well up to this point. I am going to cover the whole thing in PVA to make it stronger and maintain the shape i want it to.

1980's Colour and Pattern

http://www.ehow.com/info_8202238_popular-colors-patterns-1980s.html

Neon Colors

• Bright neon colors were very popular in the 1980s. Neon pink and neon green were among the more popular choices for neon clothing and accessories. Neon colors were used for everything from bathing suits to prom dresses. Neon accessories such as jelly bracelets and shoes and neon sunglasses and hats were also popular.

Geometric Prints

• Geometric prints featuring random shapes and a mix of colors were used on both clothing and decor in the 1980s. Prints with triangles, squiggly lines, circles and checkerboard squares were popular. Spandex and cotton, along with cotton and polyester blends, were among the fabrics that used geometric prints.

  Metallic Colors

  • Metallic colors in bright, bold shades were popular in the 1980s. Metallic fabrics had threads of Mylar woven through them, which was what gave them their distinctive reflective shine. Dresses and sports coats made in metallic colors such as hot pink, teal green, deep purple and emerald green, along with black metallic, were especially popular.

  Acid and Stone-wash Denim

  • Acid and stone-wash finishes were popular on denim garments and accessories in the 1980s. To create an acid wash, pumice stones soaked in bleach were used to create contrast in the dye pattern of the denim. To create a stone-wash denim, stones were used to give the denim an already worn appearance. These washes were used on denim jeans, coats and dresses, along with denim accessory items such as purses.

  Polka Dots and Stripes

  • Patterns such as polka dots and stripes were popular in the 1980s. Polka dot patterns came in traditional shades of white and black or red and black, along with bolder neon colors and muted pastels. A variety of colour combinations were also used to create both horizontal and vertical stripe patterns. Stripe and polka dot patterns were used on everything from leg warmers and bathing suits to T-shirts and leggings.

Colour Schemes

I am going to look at colour schemes from different eras rather than just stopping with the 80's. This website I found creates a pattern using certain colours which I think could help with the surface patterns of the fabrics I want to use.
http://www.colourlovers.com/

Life Drawing

I have focused on the structure and shape of the face today to see whether I could improve the faces in my drawings.

I think that for a first attempt at focusing on the face they aren't too ad,I need to look at the structure a bit more and the shading to make the face have more depth.

Vecona Clothing

http://synesthesiagarden.com/2009/09/01/vecona-clothing/
Vecona is a German couturier that makes Victorian-inspired, long-skirted, many-petticoated, tattered, Frankenstein-esque wisps of affairs. Their style ranges from historical gowns to deathrock-inspired clothing, but the Victorian influence is definitely a heavy, prominent one. 

19th Century Clothing; Women

http://victorianeracnr.blogspot.co.uk/
The Victorian era was the time between 1837 to 1901 when queen Victoria was the monarch in England. The women's dresses in this time were very elaborate because of the style of the dresses they would effect the way in which women walked, sat and moved their arms. the dresses were cut in a style to show off and accentuate a women's figure but in a modest way. These are the layers that a women of the time would have worn:

• Drawers
• The slip
• Corset
• Petticoat
• Camisole
• Crinoline
• Bustle
• Underskirt
• Finally the top skirt and jacket, shoes and any other accessories would be put on.

The undergarments would change slightly as the top skirt and jacket changed style and shape through the Victorian era. The dress was worn in two pieces and would have been attached with hooks or ties. 

The dress was worn in two pieces and connected with hooks and ties. The style of sleeves changed many times throughout the Victorian Era. The neckline was worn in a high V-neck. Either one or two skirts were worn; with two skirts the underskirt was longer, forming a short train with the top skirt forming an apron. The underskirt flared from the knees down to create fullness. Around 1880, the skirt was cut narrow all around the body, forming a slim outline. The dress was made in different colors, from pastels to darker colors. Different shades of green were very popular. We can see the evolution of the fashion dresses in this picture:

Shawls, cloaks, mantles, scarves and little aprons were also accessories. Gloves and parasols were popular. Large brooches were worn at the throat and large and small earrings were also worn. The use of fans was also very common. Boas made of feathers or fur were also very big. 

Victorian Swimwear; Women

As I am looking at the Victorian era for my contestant of Alternative miss world I need to have a good understanding of the style and shape of the clothing that would have been worn as Day wear  Nightwear and Swimwear as these are the three rounds that are in the contest.

 

From all of these pictures you can see the basic shapes of Victorian swimwear, the style is covered to retain women's modesty.