Week 8

Halloween:

I originally planned to make a skirt this week, but I did not have the materials I wanted, so that'll have to wait. I'm running low on fabrics and I plan on getting some more this week. Talking about this week, it's almost Halloween! For the last few years, I've made my own costumes and this year will be no different.

I am thinking about creating a costume inspired by the work of one of my favorite artists, Yayoi Kusama. Born in Japan in 1929, she has been associated with many movements and her work has many classifications from Surrealism and Minimalism to Eccentric Abstraction and Feminist Art. Kusama's symbol  - if there is one - is the polka dot, which appears in many of her pieces. The story goes that when she was young, she observed a flower with circular petals. When she looked up, Kusama saw those circles everywhere: the sun, the moon, the earth. One of her most interesting projects is when she painted polka dots on volunteers to show that everything will eventually self-obliterate into its original form. These occurrences were called "happenings" (1965):

Although she is in a mental hospital, Kusama continues to create art. The following is from her exhibit titled "I pray with all of my love for tulips" (2012):

I hope to incorporate some of her ideas not only into my Halloween costume, but any future clothing pieces I make.

How I feel:

I'm a bit frustrated with how little time I have between school assignments and college applications, and I wish I could have constructed something this week (but que sera, sera). I'm still excited about this project, and I'm especially happy that I have an inspiration for my future pieces.

Future Plans:

After buying more fabric, I plan to make the skirt that I could not make this week. At the same time, I plan to continue researching about all aspects of this project.

Week 7

Junior's Top:
This week I made a junior's top. This one was fun to make. I didn't start with a concrete design, but I pictured it as I was making it. This allowed me to adapt to limitations or even mistakes. Things do not always go as planned; however, sometimes mistakes can be the impetus of a new idea. When I accidentally sewed a little off to the side, I actually liked the sewing better than what I originally had in my mind. Here is the piece I made this week... voila!

How I feel:
Although the top isn't perfect by any means, it's a good start. I didn't do much research this week because I spent my time making the top. I think one of the best ways to get into this project is just to keep making clothing. Research is important too, but making clothing is more important. In about a month and a half, I will be giving my final presentation, reflecting on this project. By then, I hope to have made many other pieces of clothing. It is unlikely I will be able to accomplish what I originally planned in the remaining weeks and open an online clothing store, but I hope to have mastered the basics of making clothes by the time of the presentation. I haven't completely given up on my idea (second semester project extension, perhaps?). I'm happy with what I did this week and I'm excited for next week.

Future Plans:
I will keep working on construction. Each week from now on, I plan to create a different piece. Next week I will create a skirt at home and use the In-Class time to research how to make one.

Week 6

Progress:
The more I research, the more I am realizing how little I know. This week, I explored color mixing, which is an important part of any outfit.

Complimentary Colors:
First, there's the mixing of colors within an outfit. This includes patterns and how colors are best combined. Loud patterns generally go best with neutral tones; however, clashing patterns can also look spectacular. Complimentary colors usually "compliment" each other. On the color wheel, complimentary colors are located opposite from each other:

Value Contrast:
Then, there's a color contrast between an outfit and a person, called value contrast. The value scale was developed by Albert Munsell, who also pioneered much of the visual color theory we use today. He ranked dark to light on a scale of 1-10. Often this is used in hairdressing where 1 is black hair dye and 8 is blonde. The value contrast is the difference between our lightest and darkest features. A high contrast individual looks best in high contrast clothing. Likewise, a person with low color contrast between his or her hair, eyes, and skin looks best in clothing that is also low contrast.

Future Plans:
I will continue to research all aspects of clothing design and construction (surprise, surprise). This part of the project is fascinating because there are so many different points of view in fashion. It's important for me to explore everything I can so that I have a working knowledge when I begin designing. This week I focused a lot on ideas and stylistic conventions; next week, I will focus more on the constructive side of design.

Quick Note:
In the fashion arena, there's the new and the old, the feminine and the masculine, or the scandalous and the boring. Right and wrong? That doesn't really exist. Some designers aim to create art through clothing, and in doing so, ignore all conventional guidelines of form and line in order to convey an emotion or idea. Other designers seek to make clothes that is most flattering. Even between contrasting concepts such as new and old, designers will try to avoid being dated. For example, Jean Paul Gaultier challenged traditional feminine and masculine clothing by making androgynous outfits:

In other words, there is no "right" or "wrong" when it comes to fashion. Everyone has their own unique style and their own preferences. For the purposes of this project, I will continue researching conventional rules so that I have a working knowledge of design basics. These guidelines are generalizations of what clothes look best on people. I will keep these guidelines in mind, although I probably won't follow it all the time as I explore how to design and make clothes.

Week 5

Research, research, research!

This week I continued researching. I learned about different types of collars:

• a Peter Pan Collar, which is a type of "roll" collar 
• a convertible collar, which can be worn either opened or closed 
• a sailor collar, which is usually found in childrenswear 

YouTube Videos:
I also found some helpful YouTube videos that explain how to draw fashion figures very clearly. I watched a couple of ten-minute videos by Gloria titled "Fashion Design...Everything Starts with a Sketch." They explained how to begin by drawing lines for shoulders and hips as well as a central vertical line that captures the form. If the shoulder is shifted, so is the hip; however, if the shoulder is slanted, the hip is slanted the opposite way. These tips help me draw fashion figures more accurately.

Book Resource:
I looked through a book called Construction: Basics Fashion Design by Anette Fischer, which also contained information about drawing fashion figures. Another interesting thing I found in the book was fashion silhouettes through the ages.

Future Plans:
Next week, I will continue to explore this book as well as other resources to learn more about designing clothes.

How I feel:
I feel content with my project so far. I'm learning a lot about fashion design, although there is still a lot more to discover. One concern I have is that not all resources have the same information. Yes, that's the case for any subject on the internet, but it is especially true for clothing design. Everyone has their own perspectives on how a process should be done or how a piece should be made. There is not much of a standard, which is partly due to the vast number of amateurs who dabble in clothes making. As one of those amateurs, I have many options to choose from and try.