QUICK sketch - summer 2015
The illustrations above were completed the summer before my thesis began. This was the first direction I took with designing my collection, however, the direction changed over the course of my final internship at The Natori Company in New York City. The color palette remained closely the same, but the overall approach to the garments and their final design became much softer. See my finished thesis collection here.
A MINUTE AREA OF ILLUMINATION
The objective goal of this illustration was to practice the design SCAMPER method - minimize | maximize - choosing a few elements and varying their size in the ideation process. The only requirement was that each designer had to choose a difficult material (fur, leather, vinyl) to illustrate. I had the opportunity to collaborate with a classmate and close friend, Tessa Clark. Together we chose to begin our design process with a self portrait by Egon Schiele - selected for color palette and line quality - the Fendi Fall 2013 RTW collection, and the word pixel in mind. A pixel by definition is "a minute area of illumination," and it is the smallest illuminated unit that makes up an image. We decided to maximize it and make the new image a print for trousers and skirts in our illustrations.
Tessa and I used photoshop to pixelate the self portrait of Egon Schiele to 1" pixels. Next we went to Ace Hardware, Lowes, and Home Depot to select paper paint chips that matched the colors found in our pixelated image. We used a 1" square hole punch to cut out the paper "pixels" and made our image come to life. The finished hand-made pixelation is pictured above, next to our mood board. Next we scanned the pixelation, edited the quality, and placed it in our illustrations. Pictured above are my completed illustrations for the project.
new look silhouette
The objective goal of this illustration was to practice the design SCAMPER method - silhouette. The only requirement for inspiration was to find a piece of mid-century modern furniture or decor to serve as the foundational silhouette for each garment. I chose a black, structurally curved lighting fixture from 1953, pictured in the mood board above. Immediately, the fixture reminded me of a structured collar on a Dior dress coat that I had come across in previous research. I've always admired Dior for his stunning 1947 debut and all fashions that followed the "New Look," so it felt natural to move forward with the new look silhouette for my illustrations. This small collection features the classic hourglass shape with emphasis on the shoulders, a nipped-in waist and full skirt. The fabrics rendered are wool, silk satin, and tulle.
fur design contest Winner - 2013
This illustration was the winning submission for the Kotsovos Fur Design Contest in 2013. The mink cape featured in the center of the illustration was produced and sold at a charity auction and fashion show, benefitting Saint Vincent de Paul. After winning the contest, I went on to participate in a semester-long internship with Kotsovos where I was able to assist in the production of the cape. The experience taught me invaluable skills in tailoring, sewing and the art of alterations.