Fashion Photographers

Tim Walker was a photographer i came across in Vogue Magazine whose photo shoot really stood out for me. He had chosen the theme of Russian dolls to inspire his makeup and shoot creating a rather magical and exciting looking shoot. I love that these models are not only showing the clothing but are transformed into characters for the shoot. 

 

Another photographer who jumped out at me is Patrick Demarchelier, this set of photos called 'Stardust Memories' depict model Jessica Stam as a cabaret star. Once again bringing the fashion to life using a character and inclination of a story.

Final outfit

This is the top and hood of my final piece so far. I have kept with the fabric and most of the components i originally chose but have added the use of chains to give an edge to my outfit, these also enable the outfit to be adjustable.

Comic Strips

Axe Cop is a black and white superhero comic written by an 8 year old boy and then illustrated by his older, 25 year old, brother. This comic has a brilliant comedy edge to it which makes it more assessable to a wider audience. It is illustrated in simple black and white cartoon type drawings and text is kept minimal.

The Enigma of Amigara Fault is quite an unusual and creepy comic, the story tells of an earthquake revealing human shaped holes in the side of a fault line. People begin to recognize these shapes as their own and are beckoned into the holes and once they go inside do not return. The story has a great ending and i would recommend this as a read.

Photos at the beach

These photos were taken at a beach using my phone camera. Some were edited using the facilities on my phone, some using Photoshop and others not at all. Although i love these photos i wish i had been able to use my SLR camera because the quality of some of the images are rather grainy and none of them are good enough quality to be printed out large.

Glossop

These are a few photos i took on my phone whilst flying the kites in Glossop, i then edited a few of them using Photoshop once home. I love the vastness of the sky and how the billowing clouds show just how insignificant people are.

My kite

After watching a programme on Sky Arts about tribal masks in africa i was inspired to take a look at my old photographs from New York where i visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art which had a large section with african sculpture and masks.

I find it fascinating how the human face is represented in these masks as rather brutal, sinister and deformed. Tribes from all different areas of Africa have somehow ended up with this in common.

African masks are used for ritual dances, whether it be to tell a story, commemorate a death or to bring good health.

Inspired by African masks i chose to make a kite using the design of a tribal mask and produce a 3D kite so as it would appear to curve like a mask would.

The aim of my kite is to create my own kite which will perform a ritual dance in the wind as it flies,like African masks are used in tribal dances.



Unfortunately my kite did not fly very well once i took it outside, i think that i did not make it long enough to get a good amount of air inside it. Ether that or adding supports inside to keep its shape may have enabled proper flight.

GIANT kites

Shockingly big blue whale kite! Its a huge 30 meters, makes the sky look like an ocean.

The worlds biggest kite is a massive 10,000 square foot! I love how graceful and light the huge pillow shaped kite flies.

The most popular giant kite appears to be the octopus kite. There are many videos of these huge yet graceful kites, the tentacles float about beautifully in the wind and make the octopus look as though it is swimming through the sky.

Kite Battles

Kite battleing makes the idea of flying kites seem much more exciting. There have been many different types of kite battles, each country having different techniques, kites and rules. The most dangerous of those being the Caribbean kite battles; they attach sharp objects such as knives or razor blades to the tail of their kites in-order to try and slash the opponents kite.

 





The most popular type of kite battling which can be seen regularly at kite festivals is the Rokkaku kite battle which came from Japan. The aim is to either cut the opponents string, tip over the kite thus making it fall to the ground or to block the other kites wind also leaving their kite falling to the ground.

Sky Arts

Having finally got sky TV on my laptop has been a savior, many great programs to chose from including a huge selection of art based programs on Sky Arts.


Art Of Faith travels the world revealing the facinatiing art from different faiths. The most captivating one i have so far watched was on Hinduism and included many shockingly detailed and colourful hand carved buildings including one sculpted from a rock, carved down from the top to end with a huge, stunning temple.






















Fame in the Frame is a series in which an artist does portraits for well known celebrities but does them in the style of famous artworks. Artist John Myatt is the painter who does this show and is actually a former con-artist who ended up in prison for forging artworks. Its good to see he has now put his great skills to some good use.

Accessories

I have experimented with different ways of producing jewelry and other accessories using the two different techniques i am thinking of involving in my final piece.

Firstly i tried out using fabric to create a necklace, i love the torn fabric with the metal pendant, it gives a rather unique and pleasant look.

Below an image of the fabric bracelets i have tries can be seen. I have tried both and frayed edge ones for different looks and used different components on them.  I also made a simple chain bracelet using a chain and large clasp which i admire.

I also experimented with duct tape as a means of creating accessories. 

This one is a plain ring, the silver duct tape creates the effect of a chizzled metal ring.

This tape ring has a fabric bow attached to the front using a small wrap of tape around the center of the bow.

To create this bracelet i used a long length of duct tape and folded it in half. I then cut a slit for the button to come through and attached the other side also using tape.

A wider bracelet has been created here by folding the tape length-wise rather than sideways. The colorful buttons complement the dull gray colour of the tape.

All taped up..

Another sample which i decided to develop further was the use of duct tape in my garment.  I made a top using the tape as a means of joining the seams and finishing hems. The bottom of the top has been tuned under using tape so as it can not be seen but still creates a neat finish.

Although i like the look it has created, it is not the look i am after for my final piece. It is too futuristic and cyber-like.

Chained

For this top i have tried out using chains in different ways such as as fastenings and straps. This was to give me a quick idea of weather using chains in my garment would work or not.




I have used one long chain for the straps to hold the top up, looping it through eyelets and then holding it together with large rings.










At the back i have fastened the top using firstly a velvet lace tie and then a chain looped through eyelets and fastened with a small heart shaped clasp. Using the clasp makes ti easily adjustable and simple to take on and off.

I am satisfied with the look the chains give the garment, they give a quality, edgy and funky appearance to the top.

Unusual methods

To add my own element to the Japanese Street Style project i have been making samples of unusual ways of joining the two fabrics apposed to stitching. This also gave me the idea of having a design which can be attached together to create an entire outfit and then taken apart to be worn individually. I tried out many different ways including using bathroom sealant, hair slides, elastic bands, safety pins and many more. Below are a few further examples..

 Saftey pins attached into eyelets make a punk looking fastening which can be easily unattached.

Using Velcro gives a neat finish and also easily opened and then refastened. However, i think that using Velcro is too obvious as it is supposed to be used as a fastening with fabric.

Here i have created a corset tie using ribbon and small eyelets. Although i like the sample i think that using it all over the outfit to join together each piece would be too much and too too busy and perhaps even tacky.

In this sample i have tried out using large eyelets and chains to create an interesting joining of the two pieces of fabric. Although these are not able to be unattached this could easily be solved by adding small clasps like used on necklaces.

One of my favorite samples was using duct tape as a means of joining the pieces but not only on seams but also on the hems. This gave a simple, fast and effective result.

sewing tests & development

I produced a few sample garments using elements from my designs which i am hoping to use in my final piece, some were more successful than others but overall i was rather pleased.

This boob tube top was did not work very well, it looks fine in the picture but the lace was too stretchy and so not strong enough to hold the top up very
well.

 This is my second attempt at a fitted top. In the first sample i had put the darts in the wrong place and it did not shape right. This one was quite successful, the top shapes the stomach and bust well.




I chose to add a beaded lace and sheer fabric at the bottom as decoration and to give a quirky aspect to the top.

At the back the top lowers in a V shape for a flattering shape. I also attempted a corset tie at the back for an east way to alter for the closest fitting.  I am rather pleased with my result, However, if i use this aspect in my final piece i will ensure that i make the top more fitted at the top of the bust by using bigger darts.

 

I did a sample tryout of my own version of legwarmers. I chose to make rather baggy ones but to make them adjustable in height by using a bra strap instead of suspenders. I think that when i produce the legwarmers for my final piece i will make them slightly more fitted than i did for this sample.