Threads

My mum recently gave me these lovely vintage threads (among other things, scraps of leather, old lace, black and white postcard - i love getting these little parcels!) which belonged to my Grandmother. I mostly love the packaging, and how they are wrapped in tissue paper. I think the navy thread in particular will be really useful, its so fine that it will be beautiful for satin stitch by hand. I think the fineness of this thread will help keep my project away from the crafty look i normally go for, and make it look a bit more sophisticated. Looking forward to the printing stage, so that i can then get on with embroidery and embellishments!

Velvet

Another lovely picture of Ally - in a floor length very very dark blue velvet dress. Its another dress from the vintage section at Barnardos, Ally was thinking of buying it when she got payed next. Hoping to use some velvet in my collection, its one of Ally's favourite fabrics to wear. Will make a change for me, havnt worked with it before. Maybe a bit of appliqué? Might have to cheat and buy the fabric in a colour, bet its almost impossible to dye! Especially in the dark colours i would want, velvet always looks best in really dark colours - dark green, navy or dark purple i think.

Sonia Rykiel for H&M

Know that Ally really likes the designs by Sonia Rykiel at H&M - but couldnt get it them Glasgow. My favourites are these old fashioned sets, love the peachy colour. They also come in black and dark purple, with chunky zips on. I like that you can get old fashioned shapes, but with modern detailing and colours. We arent making or designing garments for this project, just samples but might do some fashion illustrations showing some lingerie like details.

Vintage Nighties

Ally loves vintage nightwear and underwear. This photo was taken in the vintage section of Barnardos - we raided the stock room for this nightie - it really stood out because of the unusual polkadots. When Ally lived in London she loved the nightwear section in Beyond Retro, and told me all about it when i moved down here. Love the lilac with the dark jade green head scarf - nice colours together.

Colour

Possible colour palette, just chose some colours from the photos i took of Ally. She told me her favourite colours are lilac, bright orange (the one that Luella uses!), black and really really dark blue, and she wears these colours a lot. I added a nice jade green colour and a sort of dirty cream colour aswell, as they look quite old and 'vintagey' which i know she likes. Im just trying to use the computer a bit more - slowly slowly easing myself into learning photoshop!

Barnardos

Thought i would mention how i know Ally - when i lived in Glasgow i volunteered at a Barnardos charity shop where Ally was the assistant manager. For anyone who doesnt know, Barnardos is a charity that works with children - you must have seen the adverts? Anyway, our Barnardos is the best charity shop ever, thanks to Lynne (the old manager) and Ally working extra hard to make it so special. Theres a vintage section, and the window displays are always amazing. Heres some photos or displays that Ally set up, you can see what a good eye she has for this sort of thing. I especially like the 'bed time' window, loads of vintage nighties, lovely!

Designers

I asked Ally about her favourite fashion designers to try and get an idea in my head of what sort of techniques and colours i might use. We have pretty similar taste. Here are some of her favourites - Luella, Mui Mui, Danielle Scutt, Rodarte, Viktor and Rolf (my fave!), Moschino, Sonia Rykiel, Vivienne Westwood, Peter Jensen and Chloe. Over the next few days i will have a look at all the collections Ally particularly likes, and also maybe some that i think suit her. Heres another photo i took of Ally before Christmas, this time looking quite gothic in a black vintage lace skirt and body. Love her big sparkly brooch!

Ally

Have chosen my pal Ally as my muse. Heres a lovely picture i took of her. We both love this dress, the bright colour and the ruffled details are beautiful. Some of Ally's favourite things are - Kittens (especially Audrey), vintage clothes, macaroni cheese, black and white stripes and old fashioned underwear.

Muse

My second project at Chelsea, 'Muse'. Will be shown at Indigo in Paris in less than 2 months so better go and get started!


Aims - You are required to design a collection of fashion fabrics to exhibit at Indigo, Paris, in Spring 2010.

Breif - Dictionary definition Muse : A source or font of inspiration for an artist, designer or writer.

Throughout history artists and designers have been fascinated and inspired by particular characters - sometimes an acquaintance, sometimes a relationship and often an obsession.

Choose a contemporary or historic muse ( an inspiring character ) Consider : Their life, their beliefs, their practice, their style, their careers, their appearance, their encounters and relationships, the space they inhabit, their belongings or their vision..

For example a political figure, an artist, a writer, a designer, a cartoon character, a scientist, a musician, a fictional character or someone you know personally.


Research - Your research should be wide-ranging and include first-hand drawing and photography.

Analyse and reflect on the nature of your muse respond visually to personality traits and issues, rituals and habits. Create a visual ‘finger print’, build a diary of response and reaction.

Consider a meeting of minds, an encounter, a narrative, or a conversation. Collect and collate information in all forms. Build up a body of work, around, about or for your subject.

Your collection of fabrics will communicate the particular identity of your muse in its visual and conceptual form.

Develop your ideas into collections of fabric samples no bigger than A2 size. Your collection (at least six samples) should consist of key pieces and coordinates, considering scale, layout, colour, distribution, complexity /simplicity. Samples should be coherent as a group but different enough to be sold separately (recognisable images should not be repeated). Combine techniques and processes, fabric weights and qualities.