Let the 2nd Term Begin!

Well i have been back at uni for 4 weeks now, and have already started new briefs, units and topics. My final design project for this year is based on fashion v sport, taken from the exhibition that we visited in London, at the end of last term. I have researched into the history of sportswear, found clippings from magazines and have also looked at recent designers collections, which have a sportswear appearance about them. My designs are well under way, however during my tutorial yesterday, Az suggested that i develop my designs further. My final design needs to be chosen by next week. I also received feedback from my two modules last term and was awarded a 2:1, which i am very pleased about! I feel that i can improve my work this term by paying more attention to detail, analysis, development of designs and my organization skills.

I have also started the buying and merchandising unit. Today we had an introduction to the unit, and i found it very useful and interesting to find out what buying, merchandising and garment technology actually is. I became very interested in the buying side of the unit, and hope to find out a lot more about it throughout the duration of the module.

Last Week of Term!!!

This weekend was pretty good, i went and saw Pendulum in Brixtons Carling Acadamy which was brilliant! I was also able to catch up with some friends from back home, which was great as well! I also finished my current project, which was called 'Necessary, Unusual and Beautiful'. I based mine on the philosophy 'Tailored Elegance', where i designed a beige/camel coloured trench coat, with a wrap round white shirt and high-waisted black trousers.
This week consists of completing projects and my pattern cutting and garment construction folder. I also have to finish making my shirt and any un-finished ict work.
I have enjoyed my first term at AIB, and have learnt many new skills in my new course. I particularly enjoy pattern cutting and construction, as i think that design is my weak point. I am looking forward to starting the new term after Christmas!

Fashion V Sport Exhibition V&A Museum

London 1/12/08

Its been a while since my last post! However we had our second London trip last monday, which was fun! We first stopped off at the V&A Museum in Kensington, to look at the Sports V Fashion exhibition, which was very interesting. There were many displays of various types of sportswear garments, designed by a wide range of designers. Items included hoodies, tracksuits, skirts, dresses, surfboards and trainers. My favourite piece was the Chanel surfboard and i also found their fishing kit amazing as well. We spent about 2hours in the V&A, and after that Steph, Emily and myself went and grabbed some lunch from Pret A Manger. We carried on walking down the road which the V&A is located on, past Hyde Park, Harrods, Leicester Square and finishing off at Covent Garden. We stopped off at many shops on our way to Covent Garden, including the famous Harrods! I left London at around 4pm as i went home for a couple of days!

Pattern Cutting Update and Illustration

Last Thursday was our pattern cutting lesson and the aims for our lesson were to complete the hip block pattern from the pervious week, create a circle skirt pattern and a plain skirt pattern. I found the circle skirt pattern very easy and simple to do, and I even made one to my own measurements.

On Friday we had an induction to illustration, with Sam our illustration tutor. She gave us a short seminar on what illustration is and the different types of illustration. Sam also showed us examples of her own work, which gave me ideas and inspirtations for my own projects. I particularly liked how she created simple silhouettes, which turned a piece of work into something interesting, amazing and creative. Once the seminar had ended, we were given an activity, which was to pick out a quote, poem, rhyme or a clipping from a newspaper, and then illustrate the article. I chose 'Humpty Dumpty' and drew three small images to represent the rhyme.

R D Franks Fashion Book and Magazine Store, London

London - Fabric Sourcing Trip

Last Monday was our first trip to London so far on the course. We were split into groups and were given a certain type of fabric to look for. My group had to find natural fabrics, such as cotton, wool, linen and silk. When we arrived in London, we were all given a map of where the fabric shops were located, many of them were situated either down the same street or nearby elsewhere. The first shop that we went into was called the 'Cloth House'. The staff were very friendly in there and we were allowed to take upto two free samples each. I got samples of a very thin, pale green linen, and a white cotton that had been brushed on one side for a softer feel. As we carried on down Berwick Street, Soho, we stoped off at many other fabric shops, such as The Silk Society, Broadwick Silks, Textile King and Soho Silks. Out of all the fabrics shops that we went into, I found that Soho Silks was the best. The owner was very friendly and helpful and he managed to find us some interesting natural fabrics. He also allowed us to take a few samples and we bought a few pieces as well. My favourite fabric that we saw and bought, was silk chiffon petals on silk habotai. It was pale pink and very expensive - £39 a meter!
Once we had gathered enough fabric swatches and information, we were free to do what we wanted for the rest of the day. So Steph, Emily and myself decided to go shopping down Oxford Street and then we wandered around Camden Market. We also stopped off at R D Franks, a fashion magazine and book store, and Selfridges.