Project 3: Catwalk; Evaluation and Results

So with my laptop outta use, I've found it harder to keep up with the blog, but going to post a variety of posts today to catch you up with all everything that's been happening.

Project 3: Catwalk ended a couple of weeks ago, and rather successfully I may add. I've posted pictures of me modelling Natalia's piece, so I'll upload a couple of Suzi modelling mine. I chose Art Nouveau as my inspiration and spent most of my Christmas holidays tearing up vintage Vogues and researching various designers including jewellers, glassmakers, interior designers, furniture designers and illustrators. I focused mainly on the work of Rene Lalique who crafted these beautiful intricate costume pieces, often with a macabre edge to them.




I love how elaborate his pieces are but how they also have a somewhat sinister air to them, and this was something a really wanted to incorporate into my own work.

I also focused on furniture designers of the period, in particular Louis Majorelle, whose Nenuphur bed was a endless source of ideas.




I wanted to manipulate the heavy solidness of the furniture into my headpiece and my first idea was to carve the headpiece out of wood. However, after much debate and deciding that it would be both too heavy for the wearer and too time consuming to construct, I settled on combining brass, reminiscent of the feet from the bed, and branches; the main inspiration for the Art Nouveau artists was nature afterall.

I created a lily out of brass and etched a pair of eyes on two of the petals, giving the viewer the impression of having someone stare back out at them. I wanted it to be subtle and not instantly recognisable.

One of the main components of the brief was to use colour in this piece and for this, I used flocking; namely a textile technique for velvetising surfaces using a static charge and coloured fibres, and used acrylic paint and gold leaf to make the inside of my flower as lavish and decadent as possible.





For the photographs I got Suzi back in touch with nature and dressed her up in a sheet and had her wandering the campus. I think they worked really well, and my only issue with them was the college in the background which if I'd had more time, I would have edited out. Also, it was the middle of February and I think it may have been too much to ask Suzi to travel much further in her toga without catching hypothermia!