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.