Three whole years of work, stress and tears for less than two minutes on the catwalk. One did think to myself if it was all really worth it? Yes, but maybe not for the reasons that originally spurred me to come to uni.
So now its all over. But the story is still yet untold. The story of my final collection. I must admit I became tired of repeating my concept at every review, to all the tutors and friends and students that would dare ask what my collection was about.
In the end I would simply say ..........
Periods.
And yes it was. The confusement and shock upon peoples was genius! And is something I'll never forget. But why they were so upheaved by it I just dont know.
My final collection is titled Dripping in Daisies and Rolling in Roses.
It is a tale about A girls first period. Consoled in confusion, these adolescents are stuck between being torn into womanhood yet their childhood still has a firm hold of them. The contradiction of innocence and naivety clashes with feminine sexuality trying to burst through. Subtlety is key, creating a delicate collection, with a coy flirtatious and playful essence with an awkward nature as the girls are out growing their old self and re-growing into something new.
Cropped hemlines ending slightly above and below the crotch reveal dainty panties underneath reflecting the essence of outgrowing your clothes and self. Cups seamlessly run throughout the range indicating the development of the breasts, either bursting through the garments or lying flat waiting for puberty to hit. The heart became a defining feature of the collection, and is more than just a decorative feature, as it is symbolic towards periods and puberty. The curves of the heart encase the breasts which are an ultimately feminine attribute, and the point of the heart directs the attention towards the crotch where the period happens. Children's nightwear and lingerie are strong influences due to their closeness to the body. Nudes are the colour pallet representing the body and innocence, with splashes of crimson red symbolising blood and life. The delicate floral print is not as beautiful as it may seem to appear as the flowers are in fact menstruating female genitalia. This metaphoric notion portrays women hiding behind a mask of femininity that conceals a darker element.
The collection is very concept driven and I was adamant to stay ultimately faithful to it. It didnt bother me whether I created clothes that were going to be in an up and coming trend or if my colour scheme and jazz was 'so last season' or even if people thought my collection was crap, which I'm sure people did, I really couldnt give a craps tentacle. My collection is a story and strives to tackle a subject society forced into taboo. Not to become the latest fad where horrid famous people would wear it, then be popularized in all those horrid magazines, "how to dress like a horrid celebrity" then before you know it a watered down version of your design is in Primark.
No thanks sailor.
But enough of my rants.
Heres the catwalk shots of my collection at the UCA Fashion show at the Dockyards, Chatham, Kent, 06/05/2009
I absolutely adore the two blonde models! The girlie wearing outfit four is only 16 and totally encaptured the essence of my collection. Her face is amazing! And the girlie wearing outfit six is beautiful! She looks like a swan, she was so graceful. It really pays to have professional models. They can totally make your clothes shine.
The photo shoot for the collection was located at Hellingly, an abandoned mental asylum. I would like to thank to Lacey Jane Clements for her photography skills and Victoria Jolly for her modeling skills and patience.
Outfit one.
Outfit two.
Outfit three.
Outfit four.
Outfit five.
Outfit six.
