Sketches.

 A few sketches drawn a while ago when I was in Brighton but I thought I'd share them! 


I looked at photographs I liked and drew them in a way to emphasise the 40's style within them. The top two are drawn in pencil, in a realistic style and the bottom two started to look more stylised as I drew them, so I decided to make them represent the style of fashion illustration from the 40's. I scanned in the sketches but a few areas haven't come up very well!...

I loved the finger waved hair, very simple hair style but its very striking!
A4 size.

This scanned in a little weirdly, the pencil is more subtle in person but this is a modern version of the 40's hair.
A4 size.

I loved this faux fringe, I kept her figure very basic but added all the detail to the face and hair.
A4 size.

I drew the eyes with thick line to represent the classic black eyeliner, I think drawing an actual eye wouldn't work.
A4 size.

 I drew these with a normal graphics pen, but left blank areas where the highlighting areas are, to later go over with a wet paintbrush to add subtle shading, a little bit like watercolour paints. Make sure you try out the pen before you draw as some pens don't fade like this, they can turn greeny/brown or just don't work at all.

The best fashion illustrator from the 1940's (In my opinion!) Rene Gruau. He literally dominated the 40's and 50's illustration world and was in constant demand at Dior, documented Dior's new look in 1947. I love how bold and simplistic the brush strokes are but they are able to really show the form, and how elegant the female subjects are. 

Thanks for reading,

Kate xxx

College Collection.

EXHIBITION

I set up my exhibition to look a bit like a dressing up box, so I showed what bag, jewellery and shoes I'd style it with. I'll be uploading more photos from this project after its been marked, so it will show how I got to this point.

Abit of a blurry photo, but these are my final illustrations.

Helen again! They were printed of A3, I think they helped to show the mood and styling I  intended for the collection.

Backstage before the fashion show.

FASHION SHOW

14-06-12

India wearing my first look, I hadn't had a fitting with her before the show so I just had to hope it fitted!  The dress really suited her, I was so glad! 

Katie wore my second look, I'd had a few fittings with her, but it turned out she had the same measurements as me so that was easy to check when I was sewing, This silhouette complements most figures so it would be 2 of my key pieces if I had my own line :)

Georgia in my third look, Again I was very happy with the fit and the skirt moved beautifully on her, I wasn't going to use a bandeau top under the jacket but just wearing a bra looked a little cheap.

I modelled for my fourth look, I made this look after the others as I wanted the last look to fit in with the others. It's a cross over top and pencil skirt but looks like a dress!

Finale.

Thanks for reading, Kate xxx

Photoshoot time!

As promised here is my latest work, Ive been working on a collection at college thats based on the 1940's (Even though certain looks got a little influenced by 50's/60's ) I hope I managed to maintain the style of the 40's. My muse for this project was the gorgeous Hedy Lamarr, it's not surprising that she was known for being 'the most beautiful woman on film' but also she had a unique style which set her apart.

Below are my final shots from the photoshoot! We went to the Needle Muesum in Redditch last week just before the heavens opened! My beautiful sister Helen modelled for me, We decided to go for a classic hair and make-up look, I wanted to throw in a few rolls but they just wouldn't stay. All of the looks are made up of 2 garments, which allows the collection to be mix & matched. Let me know what you guys think :)

With this look I decided to add a PVC panel at the bottom to give it an contempory feel and its printed with 40's style netting. The top is a simple crepe cross over with pleats so it hangs beautifully:)

Now this look turned a little 60's but i really wanted to create a fully PVC top with the print designed by me. I feel it keeps the modesty of the 40's.

This top is from the same pattern as the top above just without the sleeves and i created a tight long pencil skirt. I Really love this look and looks very effective in person.

For this look I used this check salmon fabric, it isn't as dull as this in person, I added a plastic collar to keep the PVC looking cohesive.


These garments and photos will be exhibited at the Artrix in Bromsgrove for all of next week along with other students final major projects. 




 


"I'd rather wear jewels in my hair than anywhere else. The face should have the advantage of this brilliance."
Hedy Lamarr

"I'm a sworn enemy of convention. I despise the conventional in anything, even the arts."
Hedy Lamarr




Thanks for reading,

Kate xxx