CONCEPT
Continuing the research into medieval and high fantasy dress with an emphasis on womenswear. Each outfit will include trousers to cater to women, like me, who don’t feel comfortable in skirts and dresses.
All heavily embellished with various metal and glass pieces to sign my designs.
Age Range: 20-30 y/o
Gender: FEMALE
Price Range: £80 - £200 - mid-range slow fashion
People who are looking for high quality, unique pieces that fit their niche aesthetic.
Who want to show off their style in a fashion sense rather than a costume way.
Finding these pieces may be easy if you shop in the men's section, however, adjustments always need to be made if you are the average woman or smaller; it's more time spent.
The main garments will be patterned out in Clo3D and then sewn into physical items as it is easier for me to work with. I also want to explore different mediums to work in ‒ beading, wire and leather ‒ on top of the base garments to really add the 'character' and maximalism that I'm going for.
Glass beading using old and found beads and chains rather than buying new ones
LOOK 1
The grand enchanter of a school of magic users, Aurelius is and elven mage that takes pride is his appearance and everyone knows it.
Breaking the gender norms of men's fashion, he is my biggest muse in my work as he allows me to experiment with masculine shapes and proportions in a feminine way.
Aurelius' wardrobe is as free-flowing as his personality. Mostly made up of silks and satins, capes and cloaks and made up of many beads and chains, his highly decorated outfits are an unforgettable sight. He is still very masculine in the garments he wears, steering away from skirts and dresses, however, the flouncy and dramatic flairs each item has keeps it from being rigid or stereotypically masculine.
For my final collection, I used Clo3D for all of my patterning, making use of all of the universities facilities to create my garments. This meant that I felt less worry about using too much paper for my patterns and I was confident that they would create the silhouette that I wanted when constructed.
I made every piece to my own measurements as this collection was very personal to me so I had to create custom blocks to work off of.
I used the book 'Metric Pattern Cutting' by Winfred Aldrich to create these blocks, using my measurements and following along with the instructions provided.
I made sure to toile each block and test them before altering them to my designs.
Images of my final patterns (above and left), altered from the blocks to my drawn designs, ready for printing off and toile construction.
LOOK 2
Vincent is a warlock who gets his power from the Fey or fairies and their realm. He has a sarcastic flair to him that can rub the recipient the wrong way but also a charm that always gets him out of trouble.
He presents a very regal front to cover up for the poorer background that he came from, sometimes overdoing it to a point.
He is my more masculine character, making use of more rigid and domineering shapes but is still fantastical in his own way. The furs create large silhouettes that compliment long, sweeping garments, leave lots of room for the smaller details. They're always fun to include, experimenting with new ways of stitching and embroidery, metal details and combinations of different fabrics.
I wanted to incorporate some traditional stitching techniques in my final designs, one og them being smocking to create an elasticated cuff without modern elastic.
Also creating interesting patterns that draw the eye and and increase the amount of detail in the garment. As I’m going for a maximalist design, the more details I can add, the better.
To begin the smocking a full pattern piece is needed with the grid marked out. Running stitches are sewn across the marked out lines and tied at one end before they’re pulled tight.
Then the smocking stitches can begin (shown below in test velvet fabric)
Throughout University, I used Clo3D for all of my patterning since being taught how to use it. I find it easier to visualise my designs and check the patterns more thoroughly before using the actual materials to construct the garment.
Especially with the variety of fabrics they offer, it’s more helpful to colourways and draping in this way for my larger garments.
For the smaller details, such as the smocking, I left for testing on toile and samples of fabrics; they’re too complicated to test on the software.
LOOK 3
Sera is a developed and fantastical version of myself. Using her as a base, I can experiment with my creativity in a storytelling way to aid with my design process.
I knew this project was going to be very personal to me either way, so incorporating a character that has grown and changed with me as a person helps to fill out any specific garments I want to incorporate.
She is the most feminine presenting of the line-up of three, using a mix of stiff and flowing fabrics to create a fitted and feminine figure. She is designed to wear corsets and shoulder pieces, often mimicking armour and weapons for an obviously fantastical flair along with lots of shiny metal or beadwork to create interesting points for light to reflect from.
By repurposing leather from a sofa, I wanted to create a corset that created a very gender-ambiguous silhouette. It takes the curves away from the bust area, making it look bandaged down and intentional.
This piece was, in particular, made with myself in mind as I do not have much bust to work with, therefore playing with the lack of support I required was fun and new.
Using actual medical bandages wrapped around my front, I used the lines to draw out the patterns for the leather corset. It looks more authentic that way and gives me a much better idea of how the strips are supposed to sit on the 3D form.
The walking foot was used to stitch through the leather pieces and add the inner lining, before the holes were punched through and eyelets were added.
A cord was used rather than ribbon for the ties in the back to keep with the more masculine look.
I created custom chains for this garment using glass beads from a stash my mum wasn’t using anymore. Creating them adds more of a personal flair to the designs, and more of an interesting detail when the garment is in movement.
The piece, shown right, is a necklace that I’d made prior that inspired the whole thing. I made sure it was removable from the trousers to use as intended.
