My second toile

Even though my first dress is not quite finished in its final fabric yet, i thought i may as well get started on my second toile, which will be a short three tiered dress, with a bodice to the waist. This dress once made in the final fabric, will be edged with the same heavily beaded trim around the waist, as on my first dress, and the same scalloped trim along the bodice top, and also along each layer of the skirt. The final dress will also have more volume, as there will be netting underneath to add structure.

It's getting really exciting now to see my garments coming together, and forming a collection. I am currently in the stages of producing letters to fabric companies, asking for sponsorship of fabric for my collection, as it is proving very expensive to create with the beaded trims. So hopefully i will get some successful responses, and be able to continue with my collection.



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