'Deconstruction' is the taking apart of something once 'constructed' or put together. 'Reconstruction' literally means putting something back together. In relation to this project however 'reconstruction' entails reworking and reimagining an original, perhaps banal, item of clothing and elevating it into something creative and new. I love the project brief. Working with fabric and existing garments is something I feel very confident with. This is owed to the fact, as a child, and throughout my life, the materials available to me, to realise my creative thoughts, were often existing products, hand me downs and clothing waste. I feel at home turning an old rain coat into a dress, my brother's rugby shirt into a jacket or even a dog blanket into a evening gown.
Towards the end of the 'Structure and Attachment' project, I felt my collage work was among the strongest of the development styles utilised. I am happy with my decision to work with the method again and believe the 'Frankenstein collages' I have created are an effective catalyst for the new project. The collages succesfully challenge my typical, go-to silhouettes and encourage a far more creative vision in regards to working clothes and shapes in flat.
Having felt restricted by the 'monotone' criteria of the last brief, and having been encouraged to explore colour more thoroughly in my assessment, I am focusing on developing a colour scheme throughout this mini-project.
One particular collage has become the catalyst for my concept with this brief. When arranging my exaggerated forms in a uniformed line I immediately thought of lines of workers; lines of 'construction workers'. I like the idea of looking at the word 'construction' in regards to 'construction workers' and not just the construction of a garment. I put aside the concept briefly, in order to fully concentrate on my primary research of existing garments, but hastily returned to it for further development.
Sketchbook work and collage Author's own with muse from GQ magazine
I feel that looking at existing garments is an extremely effective initial process for design. I am pleased with my pencil and pen sketches of folds, buttons, towelling, ruffling and more, and believe my mark marking skills are becoming more succesful, the freer and more fluid I do them.
Working garments on the stand is a resultant process. It has allowed me to re-imagine classic cuts and shapes and interact with the body in a more prolific manner.
Working at high speed leaves little time for fussy and unnecessary perfection, resulting in raw, originative outcomes.
Unconventional combinations of fabrics, during the primary research stage, may inform later outcomes. My work with camouflage and pink towelling felt particularly succesfully as well as inventively witty.
The silhouettes I have been creating during research have resonated with me in regards to 1930's style imagery. Crossover night gowns, elegant draping and tea dresses have all sprung to mind and later, when working with denim and rough linen, the masculine 1940's worker accompanied this 'old Hollywood' aesthetic and encouraged me to research further into the era, in order to develop a concept within the 'Deconstruction' brief.
When working with a wacky, lurid green, velvet scarf, 'lettuce' came to mind. Instantaneously, this lettuce connected in my head the dream of "livin' off the fatta the lan" that the character Lennie holds in the 1930's novella 'Of Mice and Men' by John Steinbeck.
I felt then that, what with previous explorations of lines of construction workers, rough denim and linen, as well as the Golden Age Hollywood, that 1930's Dustbowl America via Steinbeck's 'Of Mice and Men', would be a succesful concept for further research and development.
I am pleased with my extensive research into the famous novella, turned play, turned movie and certain quotes have provided vivid inspiration for design.
The character Curley's wife's dream of being a glamourous actress is contrasted by the dirt and denim of a Salinas ranch and the overall image is brimming with design potential. My research into Steinbeck's writing has resulted in finding inspiring quotations like 'coulda been in the movies and had nice clothes', 'I like beens with ketchup' and 'she wore a cotton house dress and red mules, on the insteps of which were little bouquets of red ostrich feathers'. I felt my further use of the frankenstein collage technique to develop this research was effective because it combines my primary research of the deconstructed garments, with my self-instigated concept.
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