AD208 Little Black Dress Manufacture

After finishing AD203, the initial research for the LBD, I was introduced to AD208,

the manufacture of the dress.

For this, I have been asked to create a final dress, toile, paper pattern, costing sheet, final flat spec drawing, and a sketchbook documenting my journey from pattern cutting, to toile making, to the final garment, commenting on my feelings, successes and failures in a weekly diary format.

Over the past 2 weeks, I have started the project, where I have recently finished creating the pattern for the dress and have began creating the first pieces of my toile.

Although I have had some setbacks in the project, I have managed to overcome them in time and created a better design to construct and excited to get sewing!

Beginning on pattern cutting and toile making:

Little Black Dress Final Design

After weeks of designing and researching, I finally arrived at my final design!

Final Design

Final Fabrics -

Lace, Tulle, Cotton & Lining

I chose this design as I wanted to include the hip padding, corset, bow

and tight fitting silhouette of the 1950's, which I feel I have

managed to accomplish.

The design consists of a corset, a lace overlay top with 3/4 length sleeves, a belt around the waist,

a tight fitting skirt, gathered hanging waist panels, a zip on the back and a neck panel

coming from the corset which pulls through over the lace top and ties at the back as a bow.

When I construct the final dress, I have decided to use fabrics from the 50's,

such as cotton, lace and tulle and I will also add lining to the dress.

Cotton: Corset and skirt

Lace: Overlay top

Tulle: Neck piece

Lining: Inside of the dress

AD202 CAAD & AD207 Work Placement Briefs

Over the past week, I have been introduced to AD202, the CAAD module,

where the work I will produce will be generated from the Little Black Dress projects.

I have been asked to build on previous experiences of CAD from first year, using my skills and a provided template to construct 8 A4 technical specs of my ideas. I have also been asked to produce an evaluation and a 300 word essay on my understanding of the role of digital applications within the fashion industry, such as flats, illustrations and pattern cutting.

After having one session already, I feel like I have learnt alot, although im still unsure on it, from having lost my grip on it from first year.

I have also been introduced to AD207, my work placement module,

where I have been asked to complete 120 hours of work placement.

For this project, I need to provide evidence of the company I will work for,

aims and objectives within the business and a file documenting my experience whilst on placement, things that I have learnt, experiences, my contribution to the company, design work produced, notes/photos/sketches from meetings, live briefs, problems encountered, visual images of work participated in and my personal achievements.

After many decisions of where I would like to go for work placement, after hearing that help is needed to create our final fashion show next year, I decided that this would be a good opportunity for me.

For this I have been asked to help organise the final fashion show, where I have recently been asked to come up with themes and venues where it could be held.

Alexander McQueen Spring 2012 RTW

Once again Sarah Burton has managed to create a beautiful masterpiece that is

the McQueen Spring 2012 show.

Inspired by the three G's; Grès for the pleating and draping, Gaudí for the architecture and Gaia for the sense of ocean life that gave complexity to the clothes.

The clothes were of a translucent soft palette colour, almost like the inside of a shell, which featured shell detailing, barnacle pattern jacquard, ribbed oyster print chiffon, oil slick looking 

leather and gold pleated organza to give the sense of real life pirates treasure, with

the models walking like how "jellyfishes walk in the sea".

Burton really does bring the queen out of McQueen.

Watch McQueen's 2012 show below:

Youtube.com

AD203 - Little Black Dress SWOT Analysis

Strengths -

• What strengths did I have? - My strengths were spending the majority of my time on the portfolio work and getting inspiration quickly from having a strong view on what I wanted and needed to produce. My time keeping was also a strength, as I had set myself enough time to complete each section, concentrating on one thing at a time to get the best results.
• What do people see as my strengths? - After speaking with tutors, my strengths seemed to be in the portfolio doing moodboards, gathering all the information needed and spending most of the time creating it to my best abilities.
• Which of my achievements am I most proud of? - I am most proud of creating the final body blanks quickly and getting them to look as I had planned without much help, as I find illustrations to be a personal weakness. An achievement was also overcoming problems in a short time.
• Which section of the work did I complete well? - I completed the mood boards well, spending the most time on it rather than the written and sketchbook side and completing the portfolio quickly after not having much work produced at the beginning for it.

• Weaknesses- 

• What tasks did I avoid? - I mostly avoided the written file side of the project as I feel I am better at the creative part than the written part and I also avoided adding colour to the final line-ups as I feel it to be a weakness, not getting the results I had hoped for.
• What do others see as my weaknesses? - My weakness seemed to be not spending enough time on the sketchbook and adding colour on the final designs and not getting inspiration quickly enough at the beginning for embellishment placement.
• What held me back? - What held me back was my lack of confidence when creating the final line ups and not getting inspiration quickly enough at times to carry the project on.
• What are my negative work habits? - My negative work habits were again focusing my time on the portfolio rather than the sketchbook work.

AD203 Portfolio Work Update

After many, many weeks of little black dress researching,

I have finally completed the project, managing to create

a sketchbook of research, historical and contemporary boards, pioneer of the LBD

boards, trend boards, embellishment placement boards,

theme boards, sample boards, shop report boards and pages

of design development and final line-ups, along with an evaluation.

Overall, I have really enjoyed the project and found it quite successful and now look forward

to making the actual 50's style dress for AD208!

Some pages from my portfolio:

Haute Couture Historical Board

Haute Couture Contemporary Board

Trend Board

Embellishment Placement Board

Theme Board

Design Development

Final Line-Ups

AD203 Sampling

After deciding upon a 1950's theme for my Little Black Dress project,

I knew I wanted to add embellishment to the dress but was

struggling with placement for it, and even after researching

where it was placed in the 50's, such as bows on the waist, pin tucks and

corsages, I still struggled with my decisions. After

contemplating it for days upon days, I created

two fabric sample boards inspired from images from Show Details magazine

where I found the most successful pieces to be embellishment

on the pattern of the lace and on hems to add that extra glamour.

After this much needed inspiration, I have decided to add

black bead embellishment onto the pattern of the lace on the final garment.

Bring on the endless bead sewing!

Sample Board

Sample Board