Grey Gardens #8

All photos taken by Charlotte Doherty check out her lookbook.nu profile!

So here's some of the photos from todays result. Charlotte, Zoe and I went out in Aylesbury and did a mini photo shoot in 2 hours, which was a bit pressured, but Charlotte managed to get the photos she needed - it was mainly for her and Zoe's purpose than anything, as they are doing a retail project based on Grey Gardens, but they could choose to promote on of the design students collections and they chose mine! So far Charlotte has posted 10 photos on Facebook and these are just my favourites...

What do you think - dress and photos?

You wouldn't have thought that I spend bloody ages pressing that dress, it looks so creased! But in general that linen isn't very cooperative as you would have hoped for!

Got some other good news today from my tutors; my form tutor reckons that if I do everything to the standard that I have done so far and keep working hard and pushing my boundaries my predict grade for the my final diploma would be D*D*D* - so the highest you could possibly get, translated to UCAS points thats 460! Wow, above an beyond, lets hope it all works out for me! No pressure as my form tutor Ali said!

Penny from Printed Accessories said if I hand in a beautiful sketchbook which contains all the work it should have tomorrow and I do some hemming and I can bring the scarf home! Hurray - watch out Mum that's your present! (Don't worry she already knows...) So NO preview pictures before Christmas Eve unfortunately for you guys!

I'm also currently working on filling out my UCAS application, only a few bits missing, which I need help with from college. There's different types on National Diplomas so have to sort that one out, which one?! Then there's the personal statement which Ali, is brutally sorting out (5th draft will there ever be an ending?) and of course the famous five choices... Won't be revealing those anytime soon, way to scary! And hopefully all this will be done by Friday, all paid for and accepted by Ali, with the reference too, send of! Hopefully with no regrets afterwards, fingers crossed!

Hope you have a lovely week!

xoxo

Hannah

Grey Gardens #7

So here's the illustration that I promised to post, I don't really like doing fashion illustrations as its not really my strong point, although I do enjoy drawing... Any thoughts, to my otherwise simple illustration? The actual outline has been done by my dear hands, the backdrop and the image has all been done on Photoshop.

The madness is over... I handed in my Grey Gardens project today and the past week has been pretty rough with trying to get everything finished for today, even ended up doing my Power Point Presentation on the bus on my way into college this morning!

Living the wild life of a teenager, naah not really...

I am beyond relived that I have finally finished this project, the projects always tends to drain me when I'm nearing the end, because I'm desperate to finish, as my patience is starting to ware of.

The next thing that's on the to-do-list is write that review of University of Westminster,perhaps updating a review on AUCB as I revisited that yesterday with Daisy. We had such a nice day together, her Dad took us there, really nice guy he's in the creative industry himself so there was loads to talk about, even though we attend the morning sessions I didn't get home till 7 pm as we ended up at TGI Friday for a late lunch, they were desperate for food!

I will also be starting to brainstorm ideas for my Final Major Project tomorrow as I will be starting to write the brief on Friday! Scary and exciting at the same time!

Hope you have a great week!

xoxo

Hannah

Grey Gardens #6

Wuhu! I have finally finished my collection that consists of 18 designs, which was the requirement in the brief. The thing is that I tend to work a bit backwards, even though I finished this collection line-up the other day - I finished my final garment yesterday, which probably not how the tutors want me to work, but it works for me!

Am I pleased with the outcome? Well lets just say that I'm never satisfied and I'm a great believer in that you could always do better. The problem is that I constantly change my mind about what should and shouldn't be in the collection, think I have done over 60 designs for this project and still not pleased with the designs that I have done... and yes quality is better than quantity.

Anyway its done now and thank God for that, but I won't show you the final garment, before the illustration (which I haven't done yet) and you will have to settle with the camera from my phone, because there just isn't enough time in a day to get the photo studio booked on a Friday to get the pictures taken...

Oh and btw I still need to post one last university open day review and that is from University of Westminster, but that will probably not be up until a few days.

Hope you have a great weekend!

xoxo

Hannah

Grey Gardens #5

Just to show an example of what I have been working on lately, when I have finished the final collection I'll post it, so you can see it. This collection was specifically requested by our Creative Director as for the main line is requested by our Construction tutor.

Hope you have had a lovely Monday, but if you ask me a Monday is a Monday.

I had to meet up at college at 8:30, that meant a early start - 6:00, we had to do a trip into London, to attend a seminar with six people doing each their own talks. A print artist, a graphic designer, two animation designers (they did it together) and two photographer (individually).

The trip didn't really have much relevance to what it is I'm studying, but the most interesting was definitely the photographers, can't remember their names right now, I know lazy, but will post their names when I get around to get!

xoxo

Hannah

Grey Gardens #4

Grey Gardens Project, Play (Printed Accessories) and Personal. 4

Currently drowning in research - Grey Gardens, you guys are going to hear loads about that, this project is first going to be handed in on the 28 November! Well honestly is stupid for me to say: first, because it really just around the corner and the weeks are going to fly by. The first week of college is over and it feels good. The first week is always a bit hard, a LOT of talk from the tutors and not so much work from the students. Although I do think that little miss Emma (construction teacher) has been a bit hard on us, perhaps new at the teaching game, slightly shy and us students are a hard nut to crack, bless her! Oh my, that sounds so British! Unfortunately she hasn't been so kind to make us a time-line, that guides us through week by week, so we know exactly what we are doing, because right now I really don't have clue about; when I should be finishing my research and start doing my designing...

Been flicking through some of my ELLE magazines to find some inspiration, in the current October issue, theres Poppy Delevingne in a gorgeous Gucci dress, amazing print! And so in for this A/W season. Should probably have scanned in the images, but I'm so lazy! Sorry! There's also the 'Dolly Mixture', could imagine Little Edie wearing that if she moved to NYC right after her mother died, although all this clothes is from the newest collections; shearling coat and silk-organza shirt both by Prada, plastic cuffs by Marni, baby blue suede gitter and snakeskin boots and wool skirt by Prada, and then there's the boxy clutch bag which is also by Prada. Lots of '60 inspired dresses and shoes for that matter. I've also been looking into fabulous mature women such as Daphne Guinness, Didder Rønlund, Gitte Lee and Iris Apfel.

The other thing that I'm currently drowning in is ... again research, but this time is all about universities! You are going to get so sick and tired of me talking about this, but hey, this is important to me! So originally my idea was to apply for a few English universities, such as London College of Fashion (LCF) and Central Saint Martins (CSM) (a girl is aloud to dream) and few Danish, such as the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts - The School of Design and Kolding School of Design, but as I was speaking to my parents over Skype we came into a longer discussion about universities. I mean free education in Denmark vs £9000 per year in the UK, which one would you jump for? It's clear and with out a doubt that CSM is one of THE best fashion universities that the WORLD could possibly offer, but last year the whole fashion department had 3,500 applicants and the were only 25 available places for Fashion Design - Womenswear! Talking about competition! The short of the long is that should I go global? Meaning should I try and apply for some of the most prestigious fashion uni's in the world? Isn't that a bit insane? I mean we're ONLY talking about BAs and not MAs. Should I really put the effort in to applying to universities like Parsons in NYC or Antwerp in Belgium? Would I be able to survive mentally, when I'm so far away from what I know?!

It all seems a bit crazy to me, do I even have the talent? And financially, I should just be dropping this immediately, there's no way that either my parents or me could afford doing crazing things like this. Yeah, you could always apply to satisfy some curiosity, but filling our various different application forma, personal statements, that probably can't been used for all the different universities, one needs to be in Danish and the other in English, its all a great deal of work, and do I have time for it? Especially with the amount of coursework that I have got to do.

Wise words are appreciated...

Speaking of coursework, got a new project on the Friday, assignment description goes:

PLAY - 12/09/2011 - Part one: 31/10/2011 and Part two: 05/12/2011:

"A silkscreen can be remarkably versatile tool in the hands of an enquiring mind and an attitude of curiosity. Endless possibilities exist in terms of line, shape and texture. Capable of perfect precision and repeat pattering, the screen can also create marvelously organic, fun and spontaneous results" - Leslie Morgan, screen printer.

The use of a silkscreen is a varied and experimental, form posters, t shirts, fashion and scarves, to wall hangings and abstract art.

You will need to learn a range of techniques to ensure you have the skills to be able to do all these. Many of the techniques you will learn can be used for all manner of printed outcomes and it will be up to you to choose the best ones for the job.

EXPLORE - DOCUMENT - LEARN

To understand the process of screen print and dying fabric, and how it works - you need to get your hands dirty!

You will be given a series of techniques, showing different outcomes, textures and lines but all using a silkscreen, you will need to practice each techniques and document it in your journal.

You should produce a 'technical journal' in a 'book' of your choice, but as always, be creative, use an old school book, a small photo album, anything that is personal to you.

Included in this journal should be small sections of detail on print practitioners who inspire you, can you copy their techniques, can you learn from them, try...!

xoxo

Hannah

Grey Gardens #3

Grey Gardens - Back to Basics Part Two

It looks a bit strange, but that is because it is a jumpsuit and it has legs, and this dummie wont fit a jumpsuit. This is a development from the top that you have previously seen in pattern paper, this is a toile made out of calico.

My imperfections: Seams that aren't lining up! I redid this around four times and I still couldn't get it right.

It was really rather annoying since the other side was perfectly lined up!

Things are really going to get crazy now, I haven't really showed you much of Grey Gardens, but don't really feel like boring you to death with lots of research. I would take snap shots of my research pages, but as my camera is nothing to get excited about, I will spare you from that.

I have ready started my designing and I'll be scanning them in during the coming week, so will try and post some of them - got 32 so far and need 50 by Wednesday! Plus a rough collection line up of 18 outfits, as the retailers are coming to see us that day, to get a feel of what we are doing, as they have to promote our collections.

xoxo

Hannah

Grey Gardens #2

Grey Gardens Project; Back to Basics. 

As the headline says we went back to basics in construction this week. Playing around with reconstruction a basic bodice block on the stand, I was working with Siân, thats the girl you can see in the second picture. This was done yesterday.

I must admit that its Siân that is more into the 50's kind of style compared to me. When we did the 1950's summer loving last year, I thought it was a nightmare! But hey ho, the important thing here was to find out the endless possibilities that you could do with a basic block. And we even might find it easier to experiment and come up with designs, by doing this, compared to sketching it out.

Talking about sketching the reason why these images look like this, is because I played around the the features on Photobucket, and I think it looks quite cool, the effects totally works for what course I'm doing! Haha, honestly I did it to compensate for the ridiculously bad quality of my cellphone camera! The first two images I have used the 'thin' effect and the last three images I have used the 'thick' sketch effect, otherwise you weren't able to see the details on the pattern paper.

Today we were working on darts and stitching samples - regarding to the samples, I think that its a right pain in the back side, considering we did a least eight really good ones, in the last 5 weeks of our first year - so now we have to redo most of them.. Learning how to pivot the dart was a great thing to learn and our teacher, Emma, even gave us a handy link, just in case if we were interested to look at other basic pattern alterations. I'm going to be ever so kind, because I'm going to share this link with you guys, just in case you were curious: lutube.leeds.ac.uk

Sorry for the late post, but the amount of work that I have to do for college is madness and we haven't even started yet. Okay so of it might have been my own fault because I got carried away. Like printing out 100 photos in the size of 9 x 13 cm (that should be about right?) - lets just make it clear I am not exaggerating(!), cutting them out and putting them into a A5 black journal, that seriously STINKS, because of some weird glue, since the outside is made of faux leather. I did this, because we are supposed to be preparing for our final major projects, that starts in December or otherwise it is after christmas.

Well better stop now, before this becomes to long and dreadful, which it probably already is! Haha!

Sleep well, to all you that must be behind the screens!

xoxo

Hannah

Grey Gardens #1

September 2011.
Grey Gardens Project; Introduction. 

First day back at college! Can you believe it?

Can't figure out if those 10 weeks went quick or slow, perhaps more along the lines that the days went slow, but the whole 10 weeks has gone rather fast.

Today was more an intro day, meet our teachers - Emma (Construction), Allison (Head of Retail - Form Tutor), Will (Digital) and Penny (Print). Some I new, some I didn't. Just to make it clear, I have chosen to do the Fashion side of things rather than the Retail side.

First term will be all about our first project in Construction its called Grey Gardens; the assignment descriptions goes:

Using research based on the film Grey Gardens and the internet through searching for images and articles, compile a series of research pages.

Use these pages to make a mood board about your response to Grey Gardens and then use this to inform your design work when you will design a capsule collection of 18 outfits which would imagine Little Edie wearing if she were alive today.

Little Edie's great dream was always to leave Grey Gardens and move to the city. What would she have designed to take with her?

"My costumes? That's a protest against having worked as a model for the Establishment, believe it or not. A lot of models feel that way. Sometimes their lives are protests against having worked as models. Besides, I didn't have time taking care of mother to get out and buy many clothes. So I used what was left of mine and mother's in the attic." - Little Edie

Keeping the essence of her style and using your own response to the evocative images presented here.

Your research can be rough pages, your mood board must be digital bot paper and your final 18 illustrations must also be digital not paper.

We also got a whole lot of other information but won't bore you with that yet!

xoxo

Hannah

50's Sommer Loving #2

50's Summer Loving Project; Final Outcome. 

Sorry for being so absent! It has been crazy times lately; handed lots of projects and few has been extended and a summer project will be pinging in my indbox at some point. Been to parents evening (which was a  morning) thing and been on a family marathon (don't really fancy explaining that).

So here is my 50's dress, made in French lining and dyed it.

At the moment I'm lost for words, currently still in the UK but tomorrow I'll be heading towards Copenhagen.

Hopefully this will be one of the best summers!

Tired going to bed soon. Oh there MIGHT be some good news on the camera! Which reminds me that I need to reply my auntie Julie.

xoxo

Hannah

50's Summer Loving

50's Summer Loving Project. 

Sources: Topshop and Vintage Patterns. 

I have been working on a project called "50's Summer Loving". The name probably gives it away, but I have been required to create a 50's styled dress in four weeks. Two weeks of research and designing and two weeks of constructing patterns and sewing it. 

These pics are a part of my inspiration, a few traditional old fashioned ones, where I had to focus of the silhouette and the neckline - and as the 50's style dress is "in" very "in" and on trend at the moment, I have picked a few out. Just to show that the industry always goes back in time to get inspiration. What comes around goes around. 

I actually really like the yellow dress and on the other hand, not really. I'm not big on lace. Any thoughts?

Today I chose my final design and next week I'll be making the pattern for it!

xoxo

Hannah

PLAY #4

PLAY - aka Performing Arts Project; Final Collection line-up. 

So here is my final collection line-up for the Performing Arts project (in Construction+Contextual), you have already seen the final outcome. And I would love to show you the clothe on the actual Performing Arts students, but I don't want to publish their faces without their consent and honestly I'm a bit boring like that, cause don't really feel like asking them...

So truthfully I didn't continue working on it last night, cause I really just couldn't be bothered, needed some time to relax and reflect over.. well.. homework! What a surprise.

So I heard from Julie - hello Facebook, so the reason why she has been so absent is she really can't figure out how to use photobucket, and of course she wants to upload some pics. So I'll try and explain it to her again, otherwise sorry guys you'll have to wait till I come home for the summer!

Back to homework then!

How has your Saturday been so far? :)

xoxo

Hannah

PLAY #3

PLAY - aka Performing Arts; Step by Step. 

 Big oversized red hood. 

Patchwork jacket and spraypainted shirt with hood. In case you were wondering, that it me... 

Patchwork hood. 

Batwing jacket with patchwork hoody, inside out jacket, with acrylic ink, electric tape and spray paint. 


xoxo
Hannah

PLAY #2

Play - aka Performing Arts. 

WARNING! If you do not like complaining do NOT read any further!

Today has been a hard day. Group work is almost hell to me, especially with these guys. Nick is a drama queen and almost made me cry today! Can you believe it, just cause he's trying to save his own ass and I go and screw it up for him and then he tells me to SHUT UP! With added attitude. The worst part though was that the teacher didn't even help me out (she was in the same conversation, oh wait who am I kidding, lets say discussion!), she just let that little worm get his way! Every time she tries to tell him of, he will come with some excuse with why it is unfair!

So the thing is our teacher thought that the rest of the group were copping out, because they all said lets just go with Hannah's designs. Today the teacher said: "Oh no, you can't do that, I won't except your work if you only hand in outfits that has been designed by Hannah" That's when hell broke loose. Don't really feel like going into great detail. But lets just say that my day wasn't great and I didn't get much support from my teacher, which I'm quite disappointed about.

The day (at college) has been so stressful, disappointing and upsetting.

I fell asleep on the bus, because I was so tired! Came home, gave my auntie and uncle a happy anniversary card, eat some chinese food, looked at some blogs and now half and half watching telly and blogging of course! Oh and drinking hot chocolate. So tired now, could fall asleep!

Hope you've had a better day! If you had, what did you do today?

xoxo

Hannah

PLAY #1

Play - aka Performing Arts Project

Ink and acrylic.

 Ink, acrylic, water, mess.

Bleach!

So this is what I spend most of my day doing, argh wait, that is actually not true, but thus was the more enjoyable part. Otherwise I have been chasing my dear group members to do some work. Our models weren't there (the performing arts students), there had been an accident and they were all sent home. For God sake, sometimes I really think that the unseen forces the are testing me all the time. I know that this must sound slightly strange, but these days the first thing I do when I come into a classroom/studio is to take my shoes of! Why? Because is makes me feel more calm. In some weird way I feel more earth bound and I don't stress out as quickly. Nick, Cherokee and Daisy should have been pleased, because for once I didn't have a hissy fit at them today. 

Anyway shouldn't really be sharing all my negative thoughts, because then you will be receiving negative energy. 

But hey one of my best friends are chatting to me over msn and just making everything a little but better :)

It's actually hard multitasking - blogging, National Movie Award, chatting and following a conversation with the family. 

Hope you guys have had a good day!

xoxo

Hannah

Tribal

Tribal - Vivienne Westwood Project.
Quick project - alteration to own T-shirt. 

xoxo
Hannah

Collar

Elizabethan Ruff project Februray 2011

xoxo

Hannah

Maison Martin Margiela

Maison Martin Margiela inspired dress that I made in Construction. 

xoxoHannah 

Maison Martin Margiela #2

Part one is going to be about a project that we unfortunately haven't finished yet, it was supposed to be a 6 weeks project, but now the college have extended it to a 10 week one... not good, but luckily it wasn't us students that asked for the extension, actually we would rather not be continuing the project and just move on to the next one, but hey, that's life I guess ;-)

/Hannah

Maison Martin Margiella #1

Now the case is that I'm actually doing this in the wrong order, hope you can bare with me...

Last week we got told what our 4-5 week project is. It is based on Maison Martin Margiela who is a famous designer, which I've never heard of before I got told that I needed to do some research on him. That was probably a good idea.. The course has been so lucky to get the opportunity to work with one of the Margiela pattern. The task is to remodel it, so it would become our own design, but inspired by the Margiela techniques... One thing is that I'm not really facinated by the stuff he does. It's interesting in some ways, but it just doesn't appeal to me unfortunally. Although I do like the idea of being an anoymous designer, which he was. And when his identity was revealed he chose to resign.
Anyway I'll let you scroll through the pictures, I know it doesn't look of much and it really isn't... But the whole point of this exercise was to 'play' with the fabrics and just get inspired...
Have a good weekend!!!

/Hannah