Recycled Fashion

The next past of Sustainable Fashion was looking at recycling clothes. I created 10 different garments from op-shop finds, to create a range of clothes that could be worn by both men and women. It was not quite as simple as this, however... I was investigating 'gender', and how the stories that are associated with clothes (what a garment MEANS), is becomming less and less gender specific. For example, skinny leg jeans are worn by both females and males when historically they originate from leggings; a male garment. Also, the clean, crisp look of a suit and shirt that men strived for is becoming less emportant as a signifier of status, but more of an everyday fashion look.

The following selection of images are outfits formed by three garments;
-A shirt made from a reorientated shirt and T-shirt
-A pair of shorts made from a skirt (also quite reorientated)
-A Tie made from scraps, and
-My favourite, a vest made from the back of a pair of pants (front used for another jacket)

I tried to make the garments modular so firstly they could fit a man well, and a woman well, and also to increase sustainability and interest.

Full outfit worn by a man, shorts hung low on hips, slouchy look

Shirt worn as dress on woman, boyfriend shirt style

Shirt worn with shorts; pulled up to show off waist (buttons for change of fit)

A variation on wearing the shirt (the shirt has three sleeves, the two shirt sleeves on either side and a hidden T-shirt sleeve)

Full outfit as worn my man above...

Cordelia x

Sustainable Fashion

As part of my university course, we are required to take a unit called Sustainable Fashion. We study the environmental and humanitarian impacts caused by the fashion industry and stud designers and design houses changing their ways to reduce the problem.

As students, we have been looking at ways to make our own garments more sustainable. For this project, I made a simple, sustainably made dress... Check it out

-Modular (able to be worn different ways)
-Organically produced fabric
-Fair trade
-Energy saving (minimal seams etc)
-No fabric wastage (all parts of 1x2 metre piece of fabric used)

Simple Skirt

Dress design

Off sholder

Mini dress

Mini dress 2

Another skirt desing

With two draw strings, stretchy fabric and loose sections, the garment has endless possibilities

Cordelia x

1010 Modelling

As I have always been interested in fashion, I have also been interested in modelling. I have the view that modelling is great if you can get it (who wouldn't want to be paid to wear pretty clothes and prance around in front of a camera?), but to not hang every hope on reaching the top in such a fickle environment. Being 2 inches below most agency's requirements, I have no hope of reaching the top.

From Googling 'commercial modelling agency', however, I found a particular modelling group which specialise in finding work for more average sized people. After emailing a question, they invited me to a seminar and complimentary photoshoot. Yep, that was cool with me.

This particular company has a few streams and aim to connect models, photographers, stylists, make-up artists and fashion designers. I am thinking this will be a good area to get into for industry experience even if I don't become a world famous 'commercial model' (er....?)

The following photos are some from the shoot. They haven't even been touched up! Gotta love awesome lighting, cameras, photographer and a great environment...

And my beautiful boyfriend too.........

Cordelia xx

Shape-Shifting Clothes

This last semester has been rather un-fashion related. I have had two english-like classes, and a design class where I learnt (or tried to learn) the skills of Photoshop, Illistrator and InDesign. One elective, however, was fashion related; Form and Structure. In this, we looked at 'shifting the shift', and used pleating, bias cut and darts (amoung others) to change the form of the shift dress.

For our final assessment we were to choose a concept exploring the idea of 'shape-shifting'. I chose to look at the theory of evolution, relating to the change in animals over time as well as looking back in history to discover the change in function of the shift dress. To first explore the theory of evolution as the change in animals, I created clothes that can be changed so that they become a number of different dresses in one. As for the style, I chose to link to the Great Depression era where sacks were cut into simple dresses- the early shift.

The following images are the three dresses I made and examples of how each can change. I limited my photoshoot to 4 styles per garment but each can become at least 3 more.


Garment one; The volume dress.

Style one; In its simplist form

Style two, volume in skirt

Style three, volume in shoulder

Style four, volume in bodice

Garment two; The flow dress

Style one, in its simplest form



Style two, back and front up



Style three, back detail

 

Style four, front twisted around waist

Garment Three; The Silhouette dress

Style one, in its simplest form

Style two, messy tie up

Style three, tight dress

Style four, strapless dress

  I studied Hussein Chalayan's S/S 2007 collection which explored different fashion eras. The collection also had garments that changed shape by use of a remote control. Amazing! Check out  http://www.husseinchalayan.com/ for the S/S '07 collection and Click Here to see the video of one of the dresses changing.

I also studied Italian designer Susanna Gioia creates garments which change dramatically. For example, one garment may change into a top, a skirt, a dress and then turn into a jacket. follow this link to see the transformation of  'The Cow Dress'.

Cordelia xx





Fashion WA turns one

Saturday the 28th of August, all of who's who in the fashion world of Western Australia gathered in Claremont to celebrate the first year of Fashion WA. Amongst the who's who were the 'who's them?' that were the helpers for the show. I was lucky enough to be one of these helpers for the day, to make the night as special as it proved to be.


It began, for me, around 1:00 when - around the back of Claremont hotel, down an ally way, up some industrious looking stairs and through some grey doors - I found myself in the gallery, namely the 'Grey Door Gallery'. Small and cramped, the Gray Door Gallery was small but artistically decorated with purple paint and street art on the walls. From the ceiling hung 3 lights, each contained by a painted birds cages. A small Bar sat in one corner, a DJ set in the other, bright gold 70's style couches around the edge and a small T shaped runway in the middle.



Inside there waited about 200 gift bags ready to put together by the helpers which included 2 other students from Curtin which I hadn't met before. Once these were done, we were able to see (and touch!) the garments that were going to be on show later that night, before sorting and steaming them.










Even though we were mere helpers, we were still able to mingle when the guests arrived (after a quick outfit change). The night was amazing with 16 models wearing 16 outfits by 16 different designers.

At the show;


Danica, Jade and me


Me


Here are a few of my favourite pieces;


PINCHANDSPOON


OF CABBAGES AND KINGS


LITTLE GRACIE


Photos from WAtoday(Matthew Tompsett
More photos at
http://www.watoday.com.au/photogallery/lifestyle/fashion/fashion-wa-first-birthday/20100830-13y26.html

FashionWA.com new look website is coming soon!

xx Cordelia

Stripes, Checks and Florals in fashion

When you are given the brief, Pattern and the Body; Stripes, Checks and Florals what comes to mind? Upon receiving this, images of pattern clad models, almost lost under a sea of colour come to my mind. You begin to consider how you may be able to place these patterns together to create an aesthetically pleasing, and maybe even a wearable result. Could you use small patterns with large patterns? Similar colours maybe? Or something to break up the obscenity? After these initial thoughts, I began to think of ways to have stripes, checks and floral in a representational manner, rather than having three different types of fabrics competing for attention.

Firstly, I thought of material made into flowers, for example checked fabric made into a rosette. But even if that combined two elements in one, how could that ever go with a striped dress or blouse? This kind of internal debate continued until I had to step back and look at the brief from a different angle. This idea came to mind; if I was going to try and represent some patterns to down size the clash, why not go the full turn? I decided to try create a garment which had stripe, check and floral by using absolutely no striped, checked or floral fabric. Good idea. But… how?

Firstly I had to consider all the ways to represent each factor. I then had to pick one from each representation which, when put together, would not still clash (or even throw a whole new obscenity my way). I decided on weaving fabric for checks, bundled fabric for stripes and iron on flowers for floral. Thought had to be taken when putting these components into a design as too much of each would also result in another horrible clash. I decided on having a neutral colour, as I believed doing this would ensure I hadn’t added another factor into the garment, taking attention away from the main three. I decided on a silky cream fabric for most of the dress. For the lined bundle which is around the middle as a sort of belt, I decided on a sheer fabric. The light look and feel of the fabric, I thought, would stop this section weighing the garment down, and from taking all the attention.

So has my journey lead to success? Well, I have made a garment that has stripes, checks and floral. The dress is full sized and wearable for a size 8-10 (standard Australian sizes). And, from my own expectations, I have placed them all together without any clashing effect. What do you think?




(close up on weave detail of bust)

Cordelia xx

Pretty but Powerful; Concept in fashion

This project required us to re-create, re-think and re-design; that is, we got to go on an op-shopping spree, taking what we found and making them awesome! Feel free to skip straight to the pics, but for the concept behind the collection, read on;

Pretty but Powerful; What’s it all about?

Pretty but Powerful explores the juxtaposition of beauty and supremacy and broaches the question that asks “why is there a line drawn between the two?”;


The “I am beautiful/powerful” concept board outlines the concept in a representational manner. Firstly, it shows a man- masculine and powerful- baring the words “I am Beautiful”. As he fits the stereotype of powerful more so, the viewer automatically begins to consider why he is beautiful. We can come to the conclusion that it must be because of his power. The women has the same basis, but from the other angle. She fits the beauty stereotype but bares the words ‘I am Powerful’. She therefore must have power in her beauty. This concept was the basis for my collection.

The garment style and fabric are the basis in representing the concept. The lace represents the ‘pretty’ due to its delicate and fragile form while the leather represents the ‘powerful’ through its strength and durability. Together with the way the fabric sits, and positioning on the body, the fabrics show the two aspects. What particularly shows the concept, however, is the result reached when adding the two fabrics together. Leather and lace together creates a quite aesthetically pleasing result; the leather does not dominate, they do not clash in texture and the colours of each work well. The clothes presents a certain harmony between the two aspects, showing that maybe there is no segregation at all;

Beauty is power and power is beauty.



This garment was made out of an old leather shirt-style jacket and a lace dress



This Dress was made from an old corset, some lace, and one of those sheer masquito nets you have over your bed. Quite easy and it looks great, if I may say so myself...

The last outfit is the professional pic up top. We were all very lucky to recieve a free professional pic by photographer Penny Lane. The skirt was made out of a curtain, I just re-styled the top and jacket.