Handcrafts, stories & friends: May 2013

Friday, May 31, 2013

Practice makes a master (and brings out the magic)

Someone said something similar, and at the moment there are two new areas in my life where I am experiencing on my own skin how can practice make you better: my fashion design course and yoga.

With yoga I am trying to bond for the past five years, and only few months ago i managed to get into a practice routine that unveiled the magical touch yoga can bring in my life. The result, I feel like I can't live without it and from now on, I am sure nothing will stop me finding the time for yoga, no matter how busy I am. I have to add one little comment, practice is important, but a great teacher will inspire you to find the love for for practice.

As per my fashion design course, I don't feel I practice as much as I should, but I am always alert to absorb any knowledge that is coming my way. Although I used to say I am not that interested in creating gowns, I can understand why everyone is doing it and why girls love so much to dress up - it is like bringing a little bit of magic from the fairies land into our lives.

That's what I done today. I wanted to practice more the rendering of different fabrics: satin, lace, tulle.

Monday, May 27, 2013

Experimenting colour

I've always been "scared" of colour, hence I would stay safe with black, white, red etc, but the good thing about being able to draw an outfit that you have in mind, it makes experimenting so much easier. And while I was experimenting on the paper last night, I think I found that "inspiration" i need to create my portfolio for the end of the fashion design course (Finally!)

Sunday, May 26, 2013

Sixth week of fashion design course and still loving it :)

So here we are, six weeks completed, four weeks left. In the last two weeks I tried not to bore anyone with all the details of what we learned, but shortly we have been through rendering different types of fabrics, types of sleeves, collars or neck lines.

We are actually more into practicing and learning by doing now, also discussing the fashion industry, trends, how to find inspiration, designers, fabrics.

Now the stories of the pictures below. The following is what I did in the class while assigned to draw a design that has as inspiration WATER. I thought a sailor collar in a blue shade (using just the only blue marker I have), a top with a tortoise pattern (which I imagine more like a corset, with some kind of applications to build the pattern) and a pair of grey long pants will do it. While there were many easy options like a flowy blue dress etc, I wanted to do something in a more unusual contrast of colours and textures. The belt is gold. (There are many markers I can't find, inclusive black, gold, silver and I still miss lots of colours that I would like to use.)

The second design is the result of an assignment to draw an outfit which included a jacket. I used a normal black permanent marker for the dress which is not really great. The jacket is a simplified and better version of a sketch I did a couple of weeks ago.

The third design story goes back to almost two years ago when I bought this beautiful Korean silk - which is still a piece of fabric at the present moment. I never knew what to do with it, so I am starting to apply my knowledge and skills learned in this course to a very real situation. I kind of like the dress below and is something that would fit my style, however I am still trying to imagine the back: would it be simple, like the front, or with a V line going down lower than the middle of the back? If it's simple, the black belt will be tight in a small bow in the back, if not I would probably have to have it tightened at the base of the shoulders with a bow, so it doesn't fall off the shoulders (or maybe with a fine golden chain?). Anyway, I have to go to the tailor very soon with this one.

Thursday, May 23, 2013

DIY - How to transform a cheap and rather boring cardigan in something better

I haven't been shopping in more than 2 months, and I'm quite proud of myself. But today I just couldn't resist a "buy two get one free" offer at H&M. I'm always in search for cardigans, as we always need them in Dubai to cover when the AC is set at 17 degrees while outside is over 40. So I bought these three cardigans and one of them, below, is black (although it looks grey in the pictures) and has some kind of details, but it's still quite boring. I thought I'll do something to make it look more expensive and classy, and I started searching for something I have home and I can use. I found these cute textile cufflinks, brown and blue, which I never used and I have for almost 5 years. The pictures taken with my iPhone don't show exactly the real colours and textures, but believe me, a small detail makes a big difference.

Monday, May 20, 2013

Milestone - first free hand croquis

This is my first free hand croquis that looks quite close to what a fashion figure should be. No ruler, no measurements, no tracing paper. Milestone, of course.

Sunday, May 19, 2013

Fifth week of fashion design course - Use your talents

So we finished the first half of the fashion design course and I must say I can see some progress, if I am not too critical with myself. Yesterday I was not the most inspired person in the world, but once I got there I managed to pull out something that I am quite proud of. We are getting into detailing and learning tips and tricks on how to make our designs look really good. The question that remains is: will we be able to find that inspiration, that source of creativity that will bring these skills to another level? As far as I am concerned, I take it step by step and enjoy the process. Where ever this thing will bring me, I already know I made a really good choice to follow this course.

I found this quote this morning while browsing, and it fits like a glove to what I feel now. I used to think that whatever I do, I have to be the best at it, otherwise it's not worth the effort - meanwhile I changed my mind. It is better to express your emotions throughout whatever creative endeavor, rather that let them die in you.

"Use the talents you possess: the woods would be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang best" Henry Van Dyke

Thursday, May 16, 2013

The history of fashion in images - from ancient times to 2000s

I am getting closer to the moment I have to find my inspiration for my first collection (this Saturday I will start my 5th week of fashion design course) and I am nowhere close to find it. Is in this context that I started to study a little bit the history of fashion and before getting into details I really felt the need of having a compilation of images to easily illustrate the evolution of fashion. There are many resources on the internet and many interesting articles focusing on specific fashion eras, I just picked different images that are relevant for what I am looking for. I am aware that some of those images might be subject to copyright, so I am going to mention the source for every image.