categorising images

In one of our seminars we got given a number of cards with all different kinds of people. We were told to categorise them in anyway we felt that was right. So we went through different types such as Eras, Actors, Authors, Models, Artists/Musicians, Influential People/Presidents, Companies, Designers, Products, Single, Couples and Groups. We then had to choose one from the pile that inspired us, I choose Andy Warhol as his pop art is wonderful.

Then we had to pair up and show a picture of ourself in an everyday outfit and try and sum up our 'Personal Style. My partner told me that I looked polished, glamorous and minimalistic. I feel as thought I don't have a specific style and that I change all the time, I can go from really girly, to punky, to gothic, to colourful and to dark. I don't stay away from anything I just choose what appeals to me. It can be vintage or new, it can be something I wouldn't think anyone else would wear and that you have to be quite confident to wear such as a bold print. I really love to express myself through fashion and put different types of outfits together. However my 'everyday look' would have to be whatever I feel to most comfortable and whichever keeps me the most warm/cool for the weather that day. Therefore a lot of my clothes tend to be quite high street and plain on these types of days. I had fun completing this task and looking at what other people wore and their styles.

my personal manifesto

I completed a personal manifesto so that it would inspire me and encourage me to be creative and to think positive. This includes basically everything that I aspire to be and everything is life that people should think and follow. Of course there are some specific things that only apply to myself like 'fashion' or 'stylish' but the others are great thing to look back over if you are feeling uninspired have a 'creative block' or just need help to get you through the day. I thought this was a really nice idea to complete one of these and enjoyed finding and choosing words that put a smile on my face!

S.W.O.T.

Whilst in one of our lectures, it was suggested that it would be a good idea to do a S.W.O.T. This includes my strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and treats.

First I started out with my strengths, the first ones that I choose were things I have been passionate about since a young age. Photography, photoshop design, editing and blogging. I have been through my fair share of different types of blogs, including fanfics, graphic blogs, nail art blogs and currently I have my own fashion blog. I think this shows that I love creating these in my own time and being a part of something as well, such as the bloggers community. I started my design work on paint when I was about 7, from there I was given photoshop and couldn't stay away from it, I've spent countless amounts of time on this programme and still enjoy every part of it. Then I moved on to say I am good with time-management as I always (normally) get everything done for it's deadline. I also feel as though I have a great passion to achieve and produce things, meaning I don't always see things as work but as something that inspires me and something I would do as a hobby anyway.

Now moving onto my weaknesses, this is something not everyone likes to talk about, but I have to say that I have very little self-confidence, of course this has been building over the years, and I am well on my way to not only being confident in myself but comfortable speaking and expressing opinions in front of other people. I feel as though I am weak at creative writing but I don't have a large vocabulary, and tend to not speak using 'fancy' words, although I will work hard to improve this.

My opportunities are basically working on my treats so they are not a problem to me anymore. I can see myself making sure I achieve highly and wanted to complete all my work to a high standard.

brand comparison; chloe, reiss, tom ford, bottega venteta

As part of one of our seminars we were given the task to compare a product from each of our brands, we completed this task first and found that each other them seemed to be something that would be found in a tailored sections, that seems quite smart and that looks expensive. We also saw that the colours seemed to be neutral/pastel colours ranging from black and nudes to pastel blues.

Once we had compared our brands products, it was suggested that we should place all the images we have so far around our products and find any other commonalities between our brands, this is the first time that we had looked at the similarities and differences. We found that our brands were quite similar including the fact that they sophisticated and classic. We also found that Tom Ford and Bottega Veneta seemed to be more sleek and for an older target audience, when Chloe and Reiss were for a more feminine consumer. Each brand made fashionable and stylish clothing that were in an expensive price range.



From the pictures of the runway/collections I can see that Reiss and Chloe seem to be very simple and neutral. The clothes seem to fit lightly on the body and have a certain elegance to them. I can see that Tom Ford and Bottega Veneta seem to have darker runways and also have darker colours, the styling of the women is also darker make up. Tom Ford seems to be the only brand mixing bright colours and patterns. Bottega is not afraid to use prints but keeps them all in a similar colour theme.

Each of the brands are based in a different country. Chloe - France, Reiss - United Kingdom, Tom Ford - America, Bottega Veneta - Italy.

We still have to compare two other brands to these which are Puma and Rapha, these brands seem to be more sport based and not typical 'fashionable' pieces of clothing. We will set up a pinterest board to help us to compare these brands in the next couple of days, ready to provide a team response.

Pictures Above - First - Reiss, Second - Chloe, Third - Tom Ford, Fourth - Bottega Veneta

//sarahprowse

further Bottega Veneta research

I decided to do some further research into my brand, Bottega Veneta. I came across an interview with the creative director Tomas Maier for Vogue on Youtube. He was interesting to listen to and had a slight German accent, he was a very captivating person. He became the creative director for Bottega in 2001, he has transformed the business and kept the individuality, craftsmanship and quality. He was appointed to be creative director by Tom Ford when the company was acquired by Kering (Gucci Group).

Vogue described Bottega to be a heritage brand that is extremely luxurious, they continued to say his collections are 'so new and fresh and unique every time'.  They asked Maier how he balances his newness with the heritage of the brand:

"The type of product and type of quality we work in as if you want to come back to a place and see what you have bought in the past and at the same time to go and discover something that you didn't expect to see. I think the two work together and are as important as the other"

He also went on to mention the brand going online and he said that it was expected and he wasn't nervous with the garments being sold online as he thinks this is the future. He said that going online is all about the service and  making things easier for customers to shop and that it is a client that already knows about the quality and the make.

A quote from the New Yorker says 'His goal as a designer is to strip away all unnecessary parts until a dress or a shirt or a bag has been reduced to its functional essence.' Maier has increased to sales eight hundred percent in the past nine years and has brought the company out of near bankruptcy. I think that Maier has been exceptionally successful with this company and has made a name for it.

//sarahprowse

1950's

Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening.

-Coco Chanel

My Nannan passed away not too long ago, so I took a rummage through some old photos of her and was shocked with what I found. I had not looked at photos of my family this old before, and I couldn't believe how much of a stylish lady my nan was. Some of these photos are back when she was of the same age as myself. These photos also include a few of my Grandpa as well, who looks like a very smart young gentleman. It amazes me all the lives that have happened before our time, as well as the evolution of fashion. How I would love if this style was the 'Now', the clothes look so beautifully made and comfortable. I also like the fact that these pictures are just what the 'everyday women' wore to get on with her life, go to work, meet her friends and her boyfriend, rather than it being what they wore for magazine shoots for Vogue. It gives a real insight to what people were actually wearing in the 50s.

In the 1950's the war rationing ended and therefore there was a wide variety of fabrics to be used. Women's dresses were bursting with large quantities of fabric, in which case they used multiple pleats, intricate gatherings and collars. The fabrics they used included taffeta, nylon, rayon, wool and leather all in the brightest and boldest colours and patterns. Tiny waists and visible curves returned and women no longer aspired to be 30 years old. Bikinis also seemed to be high-waisted therefore covering a women's stomach. I think the fashion in this era was extremely beautiful and such a wonderful thing to look back onto.

//sarahprowse

Diana Vreeland

As part of one of our lectures we were introduced to a film about Diana Vreeland called 'The Eye Has To Travel'. I thoroughly enjoyed watching this film due to how much of fashion history was exposed as well as many famous names, giving me the opportunity to investigate and research. It also inspired me to take a deeper look into fashion history. From her quirky personality to her intriguing eye for fashion, I saw her as a great inspiration. I thought the photography and creativity in this film was truly out out this world. As it said in the film the magazine was to give the reader something that they couldn't get at home, which in my opinion, this was definitely portrayed.

"Any form of rhythm is essential"

From the film I learnt that you can achieve anything you are passionate about and to never give up on what you love to do. She proved this by when she was dropped from Vogue editor, she then became a special consultant to the Costume Institute (Metropolitan Museum of Art) and created a two-dimensional magazine spread feel to the place. In the institue she pumped fragrance into the vents and painted the walls and mannequins, all of this added to the feel and environment of the time she was displaying.

To me I thought that the work she did at Vogue was exceptional and would wish that magazines were to one day appear as they looked then. When I look at a Vogue magazine now, I just don't get the same feeling as when you see the tropical theme of her work and how much thought went into each photo. I am in love with the colours, the patterns, the images and how each image is completely different and unique. Also in the film you can see just how dedicated she was to the magazine, how her family life suffered because of it. The magazine also featured many upcoming celebrities such as Cher, The Beetles, Mick Jagger, Twiggy, Barbra Streisand and many more. 

//sarahprowse

Bottega Veneta

After we had finished our first moodboard, we were then given another brief 'Brand Visual Analysis'. This module asks me to explore the main three elements: The Then, The Now and The Other. Our first project however is just to look into the The Then and The Now. I will do this by completing a moodboard independently for a given brand, the brand I have been given is Bottega Veneta. As well as working independently our team work will be tested. I have been placed in a group of six people, all of which have been provided with different brands, this includes: Chloe, Reiss, Tom Ford, Puma and Rapha. We will be asked to provide a team response to the following questions:

What commonalities exist between each of your brands - making connections? 

To start me off with this assignment, I decided to do a quick mind-map into the designer, including general research. I had not initially heard of this designer, which therefore made the task interesting for me to complete. I found that the brand uses a signature design called 'Intrecciato' which is a leather weaving technique, using Italian luxury leather. They are a discreet no-logo brand and often use the saying 'When your own initials are enough'. They seem to view themselves in a extremely prestigious light, suggesting that their quality and craftsmanship is of a very high standard, but at the same time like to think they are current and 'on trend', combining these into the 'New Standard Of Luxury'.

//sarahprowse

givenchy moodboard

Week 2 - Moodboard - Givenchy

We were given a brief in which we had to create a moodboard for 'My Favourite Designer / Brand'. For this task I choose to do 'Givenchy' but following the designs of 'Riccardo Tisci' he became the head designer for Givenchy in 2005 for womenswear and menswear. 

What I partially like about his designs is the gothic themes and darkness, he is not afraid to think 'out of the box' so to say, and has made the brand well known by teaming up with celebrities and rapper 'Kanye West' who has a large following and also has a presence in the fashion industry and influencing many of the 'Urban' scene. He has also made the brand known by a Rottweiler and many has lusted over this design printed onto a black sweatshirt. Most recently he has brought out another version of a classic black sweatshirt with Bambi printed on the front, this has also proved to achieve great success. I thoroughly enjoyed carrying out this task and getting to be creative and independent in choosing our images and placement of the board. It was a great way to get into the course and be ready to start work on a final moadboard piece. 

“Black is always elegant. It is the most complete colour in the whole world, made of all the colours in the palette.” 

-Riccardo Tisci

//sarahprowse

street style - men about town

For week one, I was given a task as part of a group. We were given a brief in which we had to get street style photos of outfits that were not necessarily the current trend or our 'style' but rather something that we found interesting as a team. As a group of 5, we went round the streets of Nottingham and happened to notice that a lot of the men here were rather 'fashionable', therefore the title of our project became 'Men About Town'. We found a range of styles, but what seems to currently be on trend for men are trainer shoes and caps, even if these were styled in completely different ways, they seemed to cross-over between different 'tribes'.

As a first task to start everyone off on this course, I thought it was great, not only did it test our team abilities but it opened us up to pinterest, this is where we posted our images. We were told it would be a good idea to start our own pinterest and so I did that. To get me started on it I decided to do a board each week with anything that inspires me. We also presented our work to a small seminar group, which allowed to to express our opinions and share our voice on our street style projects. I also enjoyed looking at what the other groups had created. Overall I took a great delight in the first week and couldn't wait to get my hands stuck in the other tasks provided.

//sarahprowse