Design perspectives. A collaboration between the London College of Fashion, Ballets Russes and the V&A.

On the 19^th of November the V&A  held an amazing event of  a collaboration between the English National Ballet and the London college of Fashion.  The Late Night Friday sessions at the V&A exhibited a film screening as well as a performance from the ballet dancers.

In 2009 the English National Ballet invited LCF students to watch their rehearsals of Sadler’s Wells and explore the Ballet Russes though dance, set and costume designs.  

This linked in with an exhibition this year on the Ballet Russes in the V&A.

I went into an early session of the short film by Thomas Elliot and James English of Bunker Design. It showed close ups of the dancers which was wonderful to see exactly how the moved, the detailing on the costumes and the emotion on their faces.

The costumes and the way of filming them were slightly odd with different shots of the same outfit shown fast. I would have liked to have seen more of the behind the scenes work and who was involved in its creation.

The performance however was great. We were lucky enough to be standing at the front so I could see but there were so many people that the queue was forming around the corridor. It was only 15 minutes of dance but it was so fantastic to watch, especially in the Raphael gallery with its beautiful back drop.

There was a small display in the middle with weird and wonderful set design and lovely bags and shoes. The quality of the photography was in particularly impressive.

Walking around the display was models showing of the outfits created by the students. They formed a catwalk around the display and it was really exciting when they just appeared from no where.

Overall it was a very good event and it was all free!

Sciene Museum. Trash Fashion

Science Museum 

I find the science museum truly exciting and energetic. It has a buzz in the atmosphere which makes you want to engage with the objects around you.

The Trash Fashion ‘designing out waste’ is the same. All the original garments are on display with interactive computer screens offering more information and short films explaining the techniques and processes of the featured designs.

I enjoyed seeing the video clip’s because some of the processes are complex and it’s easier to understand how they work. Some of the garments I loved but others I didn’t understand how they would work or who would invest in them. However, all are incredibly creative and imaginative.

            One of the things I’ve learnt today is it’s actually possibly to create a leather like material out of a tea bag! The process is called bio couture, made from sugary sheets of ‘bio film’ produced by the microbes that ferment tea. The fibres, when soaked form together to create a woven effect. Suzanne Lea from Central Saint Martins is the creator of the bio couture jacket. I am not sure what I think about this, it does create a leather like material but its opaque and the video clip does suggest that it’s heavy and gooey to wear.

           

From the Trash Fashion exhibition at the Science museum, Bio couture by Suzanna Lea

The sample fabric swatches is a good idea. Being able to touch these exotic fabrics make them more believable. Such is the case of the Nettle dress. This is incredible and the material looks exactly like wool.

This idea is all about renewable fibres. It’s a new fabric which looks and feels good whilst being environmentally friendly.

            These Nettles were bred from a variety of fibres similar to wool, making the dress wearable. Its really stylish and I would definitely wear it. This was created by the textile Engineering and materials research group, De Montford.           

            Another idea which works well is the ‘Cocktail frock’. This involves piecing together fabrics with no stitches so it can be reworked to produce a new style and fit. Like a jigsaw it has small diamond shaped panels that ‘click and fold’ together.

With no stitches or zips it’s easily recycled and with no toxins in the dye the wool would be safe to eat.

Made by Berber Soepboer/refinily eco-effective design.

The garment which I love the most is the ‘cut out zero waste’ dress. It’s exceptional and very chic. Made by producing absolutely no waste in the pattern cutting process, Mark Lui’s deigns are made like a jigsaw, designing around the way you cut fabric out.

“you have to be able to visualise the 2D pattern and the 3D design…….You’re basically acting as both fashion designer and pattern maker at the same time”

“I have broken and reinvented the rules of tailoring to design out waste”

Mark lui

 www.consideratedesign.com/news/science-museum-trash-fashiondesigning-out-waste/

The Materials Gallery is fascinating, there’s so much to learn and get involved with.

One cabinet is dedicated to fashion and using alternative materials to create a unique piece. It show-cases one dress designed by Kyoko Kumai. It’s entirely made from steel. This seems bizarre because steel is traditionally seen is a heavy metal, used in construction.

The dress designed is actually a wedding dress. The dress and shoes on display aren’t actually wearable and would hurt to wear. This idea was then developed by creating a wearable form of steel. It’s soft and kind to the skin. Made from the fibres it can now be worn and looks elegant, a houte couture piece worthy of the catwalk. It’s actually made from a common grade of austenitic steel. (18% chromium, 9% nickel).

The light touches it beautiful; it shimmers and glistens from every angle.

Titanic at the O2

Titanic, The Artefact Exhibition

The Titanic exhibition showcases some of the precious items recovered from the shipwreck. Held at the O2, the exhibition is very professionally put together. The lighting adds to the atmosphere as well as the music which changes as you go from room to room. Travelling around it, you get the story of the Titanic told through the passengers, the rooms and cabins and its journey.

Amazingly if you were to buy a first class ticket today, it would cost around £60,000. People who bought these tickets were the who’s who of London in 1912, including famous fashion designer Lady Lucy Duff Gordon or, ‘Lucile’. It was even rumoured that Lucy Duff Gordon, with her Olympic husband Sir Cosno Duff Gordon, their daughter and maid escaped by commandeering a lifeboat through bribery!

Lady Lucy Duff Gordon or 'Lucile' in 1919.

The passengers included a scent maker, who was travelling to New York to sell his perfume, carrying with him miniature scent bottles, found in a leather bag still containing perfume.

The stories of the travellers are amazing. In some cases it feels like the ship and its people were doomed, with many passengers being transferred to the Titanic from the Atlantis, which was delayed due to a coal strike.

When I arrived at the exhibition, I was given a boarding pass. These are individual, giving the name of a passenger, information about them, and which class they were travelling in. I was given Mrs Henry William Prauenthal, a first class passenger who survived.

My Boarding pass
www.theo2.co.uk/inside/titanic-the-artefact-exhibition.html

Summer bits and pieces

My reading and Grecian inspired summer project.

I like to read a lot, mostly fiction and all kinds of genre. Sometimes I take inspiration from the books I read and the clothing the characters wear. Over the summer I got really excited about a book by Kate Quinn called the Mistress of Rome. Set it in times of the gladiators it tells a story about a woman who rises from a servant girl to the Mistress of the Emperor. The story is also told through the fashions she wears.

         

Mistress of Rome by Kate Quinn and The White Queen by Philippa Gregory

This inspired me to do some research into Grecian dress’s, drape and material manipulation. Flicking through magazines I researched into what I could achieve. I love small overlapping section of draping as well as plaiting and twisting the fabric.

The book mentions jewel colours when describing the dresses and I was really excited about the colour emerald green.

Magazine cut outs

I’ve drawn and tested some design work. Pinned to a dummy using white cotton I was able to see what my drawings would look like and visualise how to construct it.



My design work with illustrations and photo's translating the drawings into fabric.



Final design witgh more detailed designs.

My Weaving

WEAVING

For the last two weeks I have been trying out weaving. Being a completely new skill to me, I think I adapted to it well.

 

 

My weaving samples, on the loom and reconstructed fabrics.

I think my weaves have a slight ‘Chanel’ resemblance. The texture of their woven jacket’s is similar to some of my designs, as well as some of their patterns. 

Left, Chanel, Spring 2010, Centre, Spring 2011, Right, Spring 2010

Future Beauty Celebrating 30 Years of Japanese Fashion at the Barbican

Future Beauty Celebrating 30 Years of Japanese Fashion at the Barbican

This is the second fashion exhibition to be held at the Barbican and it was just as exciting and stimulating as the first. The exhibition covers two floors with many rooms and many Japanese fashion designers. It covers designers from the 1980’s to now and how Japanese fashion has evolved and altered the trends of today.

Takahash, from the ‘Undercover’ collection of 2006.

The ground floor represents aspects of traditional fashions with hints of the classic Kimono shape and old fabrics. However what links all the designs is their revolutionary experimental design. One design by Jun Takahashi, 2007, uses a laser cutter to cut skull shapes into red organza. It’s not instantly recognisable as skulls and therefore doesn’t have that gothic theme surrounding it.

Rei Kawakubo 1998.

The upper floor emphases individual designers and showcases their past and recent collection with video clips of catwalk shows.

Issey Miyake’s work is a real highlight. His work is almost origami. The cloth is folded flat and transforms when on the body. The exhibition shows both the flatness of the fabric on the ground and the dress on the dummy with a video explaining how it is achieved.

Jun Takahasi 2007. Synthetic crepe dress with uneven hemline, appliqué, stitching and threads.

A textile theme runs through the exhibition, with print, knit, stitch, weave and embellishment throughout the garments. Tao Kurihara has two knitted, crocheted and laced corsets with shorts. It’s the classic Victorian brassiere turned excessively feminine.

Tao Kurihara 2005. Crochet and knit corset and shorts.

 

For me, the most extraordinary collection is Jun Takahasi’s 2001 ‘Melting Pot’. It’s camouflaged to the extreme with the jackets, sweaters, skirts, trousers, scarfs, belts, bags and gloves all in the same patterns. My favourite is the embellished floral pattern outfit.

Tao Kurihara 2005. Crochet and knit corset and shorts.

 

 

Collecting things and people lecture and the British museum

Collecting things and people lecture and the British museum

Dr Clare Rose took our lecture last week. She’s extremely knowledgeable and a real eye opener. Whilst she was talking I got the feeling that she had travelled the world and she had many stories to tell. The lecture discussed issues museums have to deal with when displaying and collecting work.

One matter she spoke about was the Benin (Nigerian) expedition of 1897. Many precious treasures were taken when the British invaded and they were put into the British Museum. Nigeria has fought to have them back ever since. Included in this collection were 50 bronze statues and plates.

Therefore Dr Clare Rose raised the question, “Is this addressed around the collection and are they displayed rightfully?”

Yes, the captions are not misleading and it clearly states that the British acquired these out of force. And yes, I do think the way they  are displayed brings out the best of the collection. It makes the bronze plates the centre of attention and much more like a work of art then an object in a glass case.

Displayed proudly in the centre of the Life and Death hall is the work of textile artist Susie Freeman, titled Cradle to Grave. With the help of David Critchly and Dr Liz Lee she created a long knitted cloth with pockets filled with individual prescription pills. 14,000 is the average estimate of drugs prescribed to someone during their lifetime. The work shows two prescriptions, from a man and a woman with each documenting their lifetime through the pills sewn into knitted nylon.

'Cradle to Grave' by Susie Freeman, David Critchly and Dr Liz Lee.

The Tree of Life by Christian Aid was a project run by Kester, Hilario Nhatugueja, Fiel dos Santos and Adelino Serafim Maté Maptuo in 2004. It’s a celebration of the end of all conflict in Mozambique. The people of Mozambique were asked to give up their weapons in exchange for ploughs, bicycles, sewing machines, tractors and so on. Once the weapons were collected they were cut up and moulded into the Tree of Life and Throne of Weapons sculpture. 

'Tree of Life'

Photographer Tim Walker

Tim Walker's work is incredible. It’s a mix between fine art and photography through a fashion slant. His ideas are very original and often quite comical. He uses a lot of installation art to photography which creates a huge impact. Walker has worked alongside Cecil Beaton and I think this really shows in his work.

His photographs have appeared in the British, Italian and American Vogue editions as well as being featured in the V&A and National Portrait Gallery.

Otis Ferry and his hunting hounds, Shropshire, England, 2007

Lily Cole and Giant Watering Can, Northumberland, England, 2004

The Dress Lamp Tree, Northumberland, England, 2002
www.timwalkerphotography.com/

Pop up. Bond Street discovery

Money, money money: a collection of receipts

After walking the lanes of Bond Street, I decided to start collecting old receipts found on the roads. I picked up about 15 receipts mainly around the Oxford Street, Bond Street and Piccadilly area. These were all dated 8/10/2010 which was the day I was out.

They have the bank or shop’s logo at the top with small writing stating the bank details and card holder’s information. Most of them are withdrawal receipts from NatWest and Lloyds TSB. They have the date printed on them, the location, withdrawal, and amount of balance in your account. The figures on the receipts range from a balance of £389.09 to £1829.13.

Mostly I think about money when I look at these as well as wealth, waste, cost, shopping and consumerism. If a whole range of receipts were collected around Bond Street it would be interesting to put them into a different context, such as a gallery or museum. It would document the wealth and type of people visiting the area.

My collection of receipts picked from the street.

A bag from the Royal Academy of Arts gift shop

This bag really excites me. It’s a fashion garment made unusually out of ring pulls from cans. It was made by a fair trade organisation called Escama Studio. This company offers men and women in a community to help create the bags and earn their rightful wage. Therefore the bags are all individually signed to enforce their fair-trade value. The clutch bag I was looking at was valued at £40.

The whole bag is silver, the ring pulls, thread and zip. The ring pulls are layered over the top of one another and sewn together, using a crochet technique, through the gaps in the rings. Most importantly the ring pulls are made from recycled aluminium.

When looking at the bag I instantly think, recycled, re-used and fair-trade. I think it is becoming trendy to be associated with these words so therefore I also think of the wealth of the person buying the bag. It also reminds me of chain-mail with a discreet medieval theme.

The bag is artistic and therefore would fit also into an art gallery or perhaps because of its hand crafted quality it could be mistaken as couture in one of the designer shops.

My own recycled chain mail using ring pulls I found on the streets.
Here is link to the Escamo Studio page.
www.escamastudio.com/

Manolo Blahnik’s pop up collection in Liberty’s of London

Liberty's of London created a collaboration with Manolo Blahnik to form a pop up shop. Blahnik is famous for his shoes as well as his beautiful illustrations. The illustrations for Liberty's show a range of shoes in the traditional Liberty prints from their archives. The shoes displayed are on sale for between £200 and £700 and as well as his shoes you can buy scarves and books with his drawings printed on.

An illustration which really inspired me was the Rose Bud Shoe for Liberty. It’s deep purple in colour with a section of closed rose buds running down the front of the shoe like ivy. To exaggerate the texture, the painting has white highlights, giving it a PVC effect. Like all of his paintings it’s abstract, unique, stylish, expensive, sophisticated, quirky and imaginative.

The Manolo Blahnik Rose Bud Boot illustration, sold on a pillow.
www.liberty.co.uk/fcp/categorylist/designer/manolo-blahnik?resetFilters=true&designer=true

HEELS ONLY!

To demonstrate the characteristics of Bond Street, I thought I’d make a collection of stickers. One say’s “Heels Only”, the other “Paying Customers Only” and the last “No Just Looking”.  Riskily I decided to stick them on the windows of Tiffany’s, Prada and all the big labels on the Bond Street.



My Bond Street badges

This was quite scary and Kim and I made a system of ‘stick’, ‘photo’ and ‘run!’ before the security guys got hold of us!

Pop up place project

My My  Grandad’s drawer…..

In my grandparent’s house they have a small table with a drawer containing the most wonderful set of surprises. The drawer  belonged to Aunty Glad. My Grandad’s Aunt and my Great, Great Aunt.





  

It’s a mystery how she acquired these bits and pieces and they date back to the Victorian era. Gladys was born in 1892 and worked as a telephonist at the Aldershot military base deciphering Morse code and was eventually awarded a CBE for her work during the war. She looked after a gentleman and when he passed away he had no family to pass his belongings onto. Therefore Aunty Glad acquired this draw full of treasure's and my Grandad has added to it over the years.

My mum says, “She was quite a character, she learnt to drive before driving tests were introduced and she just carried on driving. She introduced me to strawberry jam sandwiches with cheddar cheese……but she was terribly deaf."



My favourite items were the small smelling salt bottles. My Nana told me;
"When ladies corsets were done up too tightly they used to pass out.
 Small bottles of smelling salts were then put to their noses to bring them round."

This is an image of my photoshop work based on my drawings of the little glass bottles.