Creating the collection

I have started to make my first garment in my collection, a simple fishtail gown with beautiful embellished beaded trim. The manufacturing is going well so far, with the major time going on the hand sewing of  the trims. It looks very professional so far, and hope this will continue to run throughout my collection.

My next garment is under construction too, with my second toile already made. I now need to go fabric hunting so i can begin manufacturing.

Fancy Dress Fundraising



Fabrics!

I have chosen my fabrics based on typical bridal fabrics.

Taffeta and Chiffon

Netting and Duchess Satin

Olivia trim and Jupiter trim

The base fabrics will give a range of textures within the collection, as they all have different desirable properties. The trims will allow me to add that element of glamour to my collection.

Fabric qualities:

Taffeta - strong, lightweight, easily structured so will hold shape, delicate sheen.

Chiffon - lightweight, beautiful drape, sheer.

Duchess satin - strong, thicker than satin so is more structured, delicate shine.

Netting - used for the underskirts, is strong and structured so will hold its shape.

Olivia trim - scalloped edge is delicate and flattering, pre-beaded

Jupiter trim - heavily beaded so will add sparkle.



Range plan presentation

Yesterday was the range plan and concept deadline, which went better than i had originally anticipated. I managed to get myself all set up in my usual organised way, and was really prepared for what i was about to say. Even though i was incredibly nervous about speaking, i managed to pull through, thanks to my organisation =)

Here are a few of the boards which i presented to my peers, underneath each image is a small description of what each represents. This is the basis of my whole collection, and is what my ideas for my garments have come from.

My concept is based upon Hollywood Glamour, which reflects the stereotypical 1930's hourglass silhouette which was a desired shape for female film stars. Stars like Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn really stand out to me as being sophisticated and very glamorous. So my collection will strongly reflect the hourglass silhouette and glamour.

As for my colour palette, i have opted for a classic colour range. I have chosen ivory for my base fabric, which is slightly more flattering against the skin than a stark white. A slight variation in pearl colours will shine through too, which comes from not only the scalloped lace trim which i intend to use, but within the heavily beaded trim around the waistlines. There is also a hint of silver, which comes from the beaded trim. I am using luxury trims to embellish my garments so that they will really stand out and sparkle to emphasise the glamorous aspect.

Ivory, Pearl, Silver

      

My client was a difficult one to put a face to. I knew the qualities of my client, before i had a face to put to them. My ideal client would have been:
Aged between 25 and 35
Be a tall hourglass shape
Be ambitious and dedicated
Her overall style would be stylish and up to date, elegant, sophisticated.

I feel that Ann Hathaway would be a fantastic client, as she fits all my desired qualities.

This is the first board of my range plan, which showcases the first of my 6 designs. The first is an empire line cut dress, and the second a sheath style dress with a fitted bodice.

                                                  

The second board shows the two fishtails within my collection. The first has a wrap over front, with a layered skirt, and the second has a simple bodice with a simple fishtail skirt.

My final set of designs are an A-line gown with a wrap over top, and the second is a short ballgown style gown.

       All my designs may be different in shape, which in technical terms will allow me to learn how to produce a range of shapes, but they will all be embellished with the same trims to keep it looking like a professional collection.

Vintage Village Evaluation

The Vintage Village was great fun, and was a chance for me to use my merchandising skills. I had no idea how the small the space was that we had to work with, so things did appear a bit cluttered at the start! This soon changed, as before we had even opened the stall properly, we had already sold a few items, including a sporran and a hat. Fantastic!

These are a few images that i took on the day, so i can look back and evaluate the stall itself and its success.

Overall, the stall was quite successful. We made around £110, which will definitely help towards the fashion show! It would seem that the right people weren't there on the day, as the items i expected to go, didn't. Surprisingly, the two tops that I customised never came back, so i take it they sold! =)

 There is now the opportunity to do another stall later in the year, as we still have much of our stock left over.

We could however try and sell things in a different way, such as a car boot when the weather gets a bit better.



Vintage Village, 2 days to go!

With two days to go, our team of five have managed to sort everything out for our stall on Sunday. We have a range of vintage inspired garments and accessories for sale, at may I say... very reasonable prices!

These are just a few images of our handy work.

Sorting things out into some sort of order for pricing up.

A perfected clothes rail! My handy work of course. It's all arranged into specific garments and colour palettes. And as for the bags; we managed to scavenge these from last years fashion show, and customised them with our brand, 'London Road Studios.' They look really great, and so vintage inspired.

I hope now that people will come along and support us in our fundraising efforts.

Here is the link to our article on the Vintage Village website:

http://www.vintagevillagestockportmarket.co.uk/news/27october2011

Last Years Portfolio

I have finally got around to finishing off the changes that were recommended to me in the portfolio evaluation a few weeks ago. Here are my finished portfolio boards. Now, all I have to do is get them printed, and I am on track.

Looking back at my portfolio from last year has given me some ideas for my layout this year. Last year for me was to get to grips with both Photoshop and Illustrator, as I had never used them before. My portfolio proved to be very experimental, however now knowing more about the programmes, I can produce a much more professional looking portfolio this year. It also freshened my memory of how to use Photoshop and Illustrator again, so I will be able to get on with this years collection portfolio boards. Ideally, I want to try and get some pages done in time for the presentation in December, so that i can visually show my ideas this way.

2011 Vintage Collection

Last years fashion show went reasonably well. It looked very professional, and was well thought out. There are a few things that could be improved and changed, but that can be seen to in the 2012 fashion show. Taking part in the fashion show in the first year has definately prepared me for what to expect this year, and it has enabled me to think well ahead, of what works well and what doesn't.

 



My models last year, showcasing the 'Vintage Group Collection'

I'm really excited about the 2012 fashion show, and can't wait to have made all my garments and get to the styling stage! It's all very exciting already!

Customising

I've been watching Gok's Clothes Roadshow for the past few weeks, and it has really inspired me to get cracking with the customisation of some of the pieces selected for the Vintage Fair. I really loved the gold glitter heels that he customised, and took on board the current glittery trend for a few of my garments that I have decided to customise.

Glitter heels link: http://www.channel4.com/programmes/goks-clothes-roadshow/video/series-2/episode-1/s2-ep1-how-to-make-glittery-heels

I have picked out some of the garments and items that i had already donated to the Vintage Fair to customise.

I have slightly altered the metallic top that I donated, by adding a black triple layered sequin trim around the neckline and around the sleeves. I actually had a look around the local shops to get some inspiration, and saw that River Island in particular were hosting a range that they call, 'DARK NIGHT,' which compromises between soft lace and hard solid textures such as sequins and beading. So I thought it would be nice to turn an old top, into something which is bang on trend, and very party season!

http://www.riverisland.com/Online/women/get-the-look/dark-night/dark-night

I bought this corset for last years customised garment, but ended up not using it due to a better piece turning up. It was a fairly plain Next bodice, with no detailing apart from the panelling. I however, have added a bit of sparkle and a bit of glamour, which makes it more desirable. The trim around the top is the same as the metallic top, but the trim around the waist was made our of three headbands. I think it has an Art Deco feel to it, and really emphasises the waist.

This poncho is quite an open knit, and apart from the scalloped edge shaping, there is little detailing. I thought that it could do with a little touch of colour, so used a thin ribbon to weave in and out of the knit. I think it is just the right amount of colour.

I managed to hunt out some little handbags, which I thought might go well with some of the other garments that have been picked out for the Vintage Village. On the bags, i didn't want to change them too much, and wanted to add some customisation that the buyer could potentially remove with ease. I think by doing this, the product might be more saleable.

On this bag, I actually used one of last years students promotional gifts, and added a few little bits to it. I added a few more dangling charms in the form of beads, and sewed on tiny beads to the bow. I thought it just finished it off. Again, the buyer could take this off if they didn't want it on.

This necklace was slightly broken, and missing some beads, so I decided that it was too nice to throw away, and added some of my own beads to it, finishing it off with a bead at the neck fastening.

These are just a few other things that i have donated to sell, but have not customised due to what they are.