Future Plans

Our Graduate Fashion Show is fast approaching and it has got me thinking, what will I do once I finish my degree?  What will my purpose be as an emerging designer?

I have actually thought about this quite a lot however I do not want to set any plans in place just yet.  I want to keep my options open in case any great opportunities happen to come up.  I definitely intend to enter numerous Australian and international fashion competitions in order to gain experience and exposure as an emerging designer, which will also help to establish more important industry contacts.  Ultimately I would love to create my own label, however I think it would be ideal to work for another smaller label first (or intern) until I gain a better understanding of how fashion business's work.  I also won't rule out possibly undertaking some further study, whether it be some more short courses at Central Saint Martins or completing an MA.  I would love to further my knowledge in print design and other textiles in order to create a true point of difference within my work.  As my current collection was heavily based on the images that I took in Versailles throughout my travels, I would love to increase my image library and continue travelling to interesting places and take more photos that could translate to future collections.  

I am also applying for the NSW Business Chamber award where I will propose my business idea.  If I win the award I will receive essential help in starting my business as well as $5000.  If this happened I would definitely focus on starting my business and working to earn the funds needed to get started.  

Overall, I am leaving my options quite open, however I will enter as many competitions as possible, apply for jobs in Australia and overseas and see where it all takes me.

Design Aesthetic - Part Two!

Earlier this year I brainstormed five words to describe my design style and aesthetic.  Read this post here.  I chose structured, playful, excess, textural, and eclectic.  Whilst going through the design process some of these words still relate and others are not so relevant anymore.  Eclectic is still the main word that ultimately defines my aesthetic.  

Playful is probably the only word that I would remove, since my print designed have evolved on such a large scale.  A more suitable word to replace this would be sophisticated and contemporary.  Although some of my looks are very tailored with interesting panelling that dissects the body, my work has also become quite minimalist in form and structure as the garments have become a canvas for my prints.  Although it may seem odd to see the words excess and minimalist in the same sentence, these two words ultimately define my relationship between garment design and print.  The prints are very excessive, however the garments are minimal.  The word textural still relates to my aesthetic however it is not literal in its meaning.  My concept explores illusion and how these prints appear very three dimensional and and textural, however in reality they are all completely flat.  The prints that I am now working with are also very opulent in nature, giving them a very high-end and modern feel.  

I have now expanded my five words to ten, which reflect my recent design developments and I am sure they will keep on changing throughout my design process.

Point of Difference

Today we were talking about the importance of having a point of difference and a purpose as an emerging designer.  I think that my background plays an important role in determining what my point of difference will be.  I started in the industry as a model when I was 16 years old whilst I was still in school.  Once I completed my HSC I then tried out for Australia's Next Top Model TV Series and made on to Season 5.  This was such an eye opening experience for me and completely changed my view of the fashion industry.  I met many people in the in the industry such as Alex Perry, Charlotte Dawson, Sarah Murdoch, Wayne Cooper and even walked in Dion Lee's first TAFE Graduate Show 'The Four Boys'.  I worked with a lot of start up designers on their look book shoots and walked in numerous Fashion Weeks which allowed me to see everything that happens behind the scenes.  The experience was invaluable and confirmed for me that I eventually wanted to get into the design side of the industry.  I am still currently signed with the agency London Management Group which is even more helpful now than ever before in gaining industry contacts.  

http://londonmgtgroup.com/sydney/women/view/reference_no:332/adele-thiel

The fact that I have been so heavily involved in this industry since the age of 16 really gives me a great understanding of the industry from all aspects such as runway, look books, editorials, fittings and therefore really feeds into my point of difference from a lot of other fashion graduates.  

My other point of difference as an emerging designer is my design aesthetic.  Although the industry has been saturated in digital print, I am approaching it in a completely new and different way.  Some of my prints have a more subtle approach through creating the illusion of texture but they are tonally all the same colour whereas others are large scale bold placement prints.  The imagery that I have incorporated is quite new and innovative and when it is explored on such a large scale, it becomes extremely interesting and eye catching.  The complexity of these prints and their placements challenges the prints that we see in the commercial market today.   

Print and Form Development

After changing my direction to incorporating engineered placement prints within my collection I started to experiment on the form by printing out the large scale photographs that I want to use in my engineered garments.  This approach allowed me to realise the potential of my collection and to see my prints on a much larger scale that I could not see on the computer.  

© Adele Thiel

This way of thinking about prints allowed me to see how the prints worked on the body as an engineered piece and these drapes with paper almost dictated the types of garments I should be designing according to how the prints were reacting with the body.  I have also started to try come up with ways to pattern make whilst using minimal seams in order to minimise interrupting the prints and keeping the garments as clean and professional as possible.  This way of designing seems to fit in a lot more to the high end designer market  that my mentors are a part of through the complexity of the designs and the quality of finishes that will be incorporated.  

It is also evident how I will be able to pair these pieces with structural tailoring and all over prints to break up the large scale prints.  

Print or Fashion Designer?

Throughout this year I have had the constant battle of finding a balance between being a Fashion Designer and a Textiles Designer.  I tend to have a preferred way of designing which is quite tailored, panelled and structured which seems to be conflicting with my textiles and print designs.  It is important as a textiles designer to design your garments in a way that will showcase your abilities in print or textiles.  I have therefore had to alter my approach to my collection and will be focusing on large scaled engineered placement prints mixed with some more structured tailored pieces featuring all over prints whilst playing with direction.  The engineered prints will be featured looser styles with little shape such as maxi dresses, long shirts, tops and skirts.  The garments will then truely act as a canvas for my prints and can still be paired with my signature tailored pieces.  

© Adele Thiel 

This print is an example of what I could be putting into an all over repeat which can be incorporated into more structural garments with differing directions for different panels.

© Adele Thiel 

This print is a section of one of my Photographs from Versailles that I have altered and could be printed on a large scale and then be engineered or placed on specific panels of the body.  It can then be used to its full potential rather than breaking it up in a panelled garment.  

Many of my mentors that I have researched this year such as Mary Katrantzou and Josh Goot also design with a combination of these prints.  Now that I have changed my approach, it will be important to go back to the work of these designers and look at the techniques that they use to alter the patterns to the body.  I will also look at the types of garments that they use to show their prints to their full potential.  

Think Positive Designer Prints - Scholarship

A few days ago I received the most incredible news - I won the Think Positive Print Scholarship that was available to Fourth Year UTS Fashion Students!  This is extremely exciting for me and I am beyond grateful to be chosen and to see that people have faith in my upcoming graduate collection.  As a part of winning the prize I am taking up an internship with Think Positive until the end of my collection.  This will be a fantastic learning experience for me as prints are my passion and I cannot wait to further my technical knowledge when it comes to creating prints as well as printing them.  It is also a great opportunity for some mentoring on my print work from people in the industry.

Personal Design Profiles

In class last week we discussed "Personal Design Profiles" or "Designer's Statements" and how we would interpret our own work and creative process into a refined statement.  It is actually really difficult to put this together for the first time and to actually think about your design process! 

In order to put together this statement it is important to consider the following questions;

What do you want to say as a designer?  This question is particularly hard for me to answer however it is definitely something that will develop through designing my first collection.  Overall I hope to emphasise the importance of supporting local designers and Australian made goods and explore concepts that show a narrative with subversive undertones.

What kind of impact would you like to make?  I want to create garments that are quite overbearing and excessive through their prints but there is always a deeper meaning to be unveiled.  I want people to question my prints as to whether they are three or two dimensional through textures.  

What is your style?  My style is quite eclectic and playful through textiles but structural and tailored in garment form.  Feminine and body conscious with an edge.

What are your inspirations?  My inspirations are often derived from varying cultures and ways of life as well as opulent details in baroque architecture.

What areas of fashion and design are most interesting to you?  I have always had a strong interest in print and textiles and creating patterns.

Have fashion and design always been a part of your life?  Always - My mum has a sewing background so I started sewing from a very young age.  I studied textiles at school from the age of 12 and broke into the industry at the age of 15 through modelling.  This allowed me to develop a strong understanding of the fashion industry from a young age and see it from a different perspective.  Straight after school I became a finalist in the fifth season of Australia's Next Top Model which was an incredible insight into the industry and allowed me to develop further contacts and be a part of many shows at Australian Fashion Week.  I then decided this was the only industry I wanted to work in and started design.

Are you compelled to design, or is it more of a career skill or both?  Both - I feel as though it is a skill that is being developed as well as something I am compelled too.  

What would the world be like without designers?  Boring!! Everything requires some level of design.  

Can you talk about/write about your approach to fashion? design? life?  In my approach to fashion and textiles I aim to portray the aesthetic excess of todays world especially through print.  I approach fashion and design in a way that is very visual which is also my approach to life.  I am inspired by all things beautiful.

What are you resistant to in terms of design?  I am resistant to anything that is too overly designed.  I like garments that are quite simple in structure with small innovative details.  

Is design an action or a reaction for you?  I often design in reaction to what I am inspired too.  Sometimes I will be on the train or walking around and the smallest thing can cause a design idea to pop into my head...

What would you say about your design work in terms of the following;

Colour? Brights, unexpected, unusual, harmonious

Sophistication? Tailored minimal shapes with an edge

Visual Impact? Excessive, opulent

Pattern? Stripes, diamonds, geometrics, pattern in relation to the body

Textiles? screen printing, foiling, hand painting, laser cutting explored in a digital sense

Narrative? always incorporates a story with a muse in mind..

Ginger & Smart - MBFWA

SHAPESHIFTER SS13

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-p6MVlws8A

I am currently interning for Ginger & Smart and have been there for almost two years now.  It is such a great insight into the industry and really allows me to understand Fashion as a commercial business.  This was my second time helping out at Fashion week with Ginger & Smart which is always extremely full on but is also a very rewarding experience.  It is great to see the effort that goes into making these shows happen and the countless overtime hours contributed by all of the staff.  Ginger & Smart speaks into my own design practice through their structural and effortless tailoring along with their eclectic prints.  This collection defined their aesthetic perfectly and it was great to be a part of the success.

Backstage SS13
http://gingerandsmart.com

Backstage SS13
http://gingerandsmart.com

The collection was beautifully tailored with a mix of textures and prints that included bonded lace, leather, woven textures and graphic florals.  These were my favourite looks;

http://gingerandsmart.com

Last year I helped to dress the models and all of the little odd jobs in between but this year I got to sit in the front row and help to video and Instagram the show! These are some of the pictures that I took from my Instagram;

http://instagram.com/adelethiel

Collection and Research Progress!

Our UTS Graduate Fashion Parade has been moved from the usual date in December to the 31st of October!  The thought is quite daunting, however it is also very exciting knowing that we will be done so soon!  This means we will have less time to complete our collections and everything has been pushed forward so the toiling process has now already started and looks are being put together.  This post is a little update on my research process which outlines my inspirations and some print ideas for my print/textiles based collection.

Research Page in my Visual Diary

These pages show some macro and micro images that I took when I was at the Palace of Versailles and I then collaged them together to create a sense of excess and opulence that the Palace showed.  I literally took hundreds of photos of every little detail that I could find such as tapestries, decorated rugs, marble, embroidered chairs, lattice fences, gold encrusted walls, borders on doors and walls etc.  These details can be seen in both the above and below images where a sense of aesthetic excess is created.  This is what initially inspired my collection by researching Marie Antoinette and her frivolous life in the walls of this Palace.  After further research I then began to uncover the rebellious nature of her lifestyle behind this mask of perfection.  This allowed me to come up with the concept of illusion and uncovering the realities behind these portrayals of perfection.  I will show this through prints that appear three-dimensional such as the peeling walls and photographic prints but are actually two-dimensional in reality.

Research Page in my Visual Diary

Research Page in my Visual Diary

The above image shows a collage of Marie Antoinette's bedhead, a macro shot of a sculptural wall, gold encrusted walls and the Marble that Marie Antoinette's Trianon is made from.

Print Development Page from my Visual Diary

The above image shows some of my print developments which have been created using parts of the photographic images derived from my research into the Palace of Versailles.  There are a mix of photographic/digital and hand elements in the prints as I have screen printed and painted layers on top of the original prints and then recreated them into digital repeats.  The sense of illusion can be seen through the peeling wallpapers, textural bricks and woven/knotted stripes which also all contribute to the feeling of excess that I am trying to portray.  There is a focus on recreating the stripe and geometrics which all can  be used to create body illusions through stripe direction. These prints have also recreated my colour palette from the original images due to references from New Romanticism.  I revised my colour palette by colour picking sections of these new prints to come up with the following;

Colour Palette Page from my Visual Diary

Fabrications page from my Visual Diary

Fabrications are also essential in creating the roughed up opulent mood to my collection and is generally all about contrast.  I am looking to contrast heavier leathers and cottons with beautiful silks to bring through the slightly subversive vibe.  I am mostly sourcing base cloths as my collection will be almost entirely print based so it is a matter of varying sheers and opaques and  textures.  I want to find base cloths that will add depth to my prints and maybe will add to the textural illusions.  

Drape Workshop - Visual Diary

In my drape explorations I have focused on deconstructing tailored garments and recreating them in new and unexpected ways. The deconstructed mood is derived from my research of New Romanticism and Punk as a way of rebelling against the norm.  I also explored stripe detailing and direction in garments and how paneling can be a way to inform this.  I aim to create quite structural and edgy tailored garments with a focus on paneling to showcase my print work.

Sketching workshops - Visual Diary

Following on from the drape workshops, we had a sketching/drawing workshop in order to turn the drapes into garment form.  This technique has allowed me to come up with garment ideas that I could not have thought of without this draping process.  

It is now time to start toiling the first look!

The Fashion Show as a Spectacle of Illusion

Today I had to present my Thesis subject titled "The Fashion Show as a Spectacle of Illusion".  It was quite nerve racking as it was the first time to present my solid idea of what I have been researching.  This title links into my original research that started off with the Palace of Versailles and the frivolous life of Marie Antoinette by researching the excessive nature of the fashion show and how it has developed into a theatrical production throughout time.  I look into the beauty of the palace and the lifestyles that were once lived there and uncover the rebellious and frivolous realities behind the idea of perfection.  It also explores the fashion show as a form of representation of fashionable ideals.  In order to link it to fashion theory, I then began to research the feminine ideal and how the fashion show is a type of representation of which to portray these excessive ideals and expectations.  

Page from my Research Diary:
Marie Antoinette's Trianon and Bedroom

I also look into the history of the fashion show, which were previously known as mannequin parades and how these parades evolved throughout time and developed as a spectacle. The fashion show can simply be defined as a presentation of a collection of clothing on moving bodies for an audience.  I will look into Charles Frederick Worth and Lady Duff Gordon as the first “designers” start these mannequin parades in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

Lady Duff Gordon was the first known dress designer to produce fashion shows of which models had “stage personas” according to Christopher Breward which pushed the idea of a fashion show turning into a theatrical production. 

Models performed the fantasy and lifestyle that the designers were trying to portray through their designs, which allowed them to become a form of illusion or fantasy that was desired by their clients.  The designers created an atmosphere through these fashion shows, which often created the illusion and aura of exclusivity, which is what the clients bought into as Evans (2001) quotes;

…Behind the enchanted spectacle, this was business.  Part of the mystique of couture is that the client feels she is the unique purchaser of a model… (Evans 2001, pp. 286-287)

Throughout time, the fashion show has continued to develop as a theatrical production which can be seen through designers such as Alexander McQueen, John Galliano, Viktor and Rolf etc.

 John Galliano for Dior, Haute Couture, Spring-Summer, 1998.

Photograph by Niall McInerney

The above picture shows the John Galliano collection for Dior in 1998 where the models are celebrated like actors in theatre and shows evidence of the extravagant nature of the fashion show.  

 John Galliano, Spring-Summer 1997. Photograph Patrice Stable

This is another example of how Galliano places the viewer in an altered sense of reality.  Models were once again placed in a theatrical production and danced around the stage dressed in extravagant outfits.

The next video I will show you is another great example of one of these shows in motion.  The models are so over the top in their movements and very dramatic.  The first two minutes of the show allows a story to be told and then the collection begins to unfold...

John Galliano for Dior Fall 2005

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2XGs-7xsZE

Chanel's Resort 2013 collection is an example of a collection with similar opulent and excessive inspirations to my own.  The inspirations behind this collection was creating a modern day Marie Antoinette as if she were to live in todays period of time.  Although my collection will be entirely different this is still a great way to see how another designer has used similar inspirations.  The show was also set in the Gardens of Versailles surrounded by fountains and the palace itself.

Chanel Resort 2013
http://www.style.com/fashionshows/review/2013RST-CHANEL

I aim to use this research in relation to my design practice through the theme of illusion in fashionable ideals and how these ideals are portrayed through the excessive nature of the spectacle.    I also want to contrast this with the idea of alternative dress in rebellion to these ideals.  The excessive, beautiful and heavily ornamental nature of 19^th Century dress will be the main inspiration along with the fantastical nature of the spectacle due to the emphasis on excess and illusion.  My collection will be heavily textiles based through digital print, which is where I want to bring in the illusions by making the prints appear three-dimensional and excessively trick the eye. I want to portray the illusion of excess through print and contrast this with modern streamline garments and the rebellious undertones will come through the structure of the garments, which will incorporate tailoring and also relate to the idea of dress reform.  The garment forms will be very angular and geometric and the use of line will be essential in exploring garment structure in relation to illusion by making the body appear a different way to what is reality through panelling and print. Overall, the key themes in my collection will link to ideas of excess, illusion and rebellion.

Alexander McQueen - Placement Prints

I was just searching through some images on my computer and found a collection of images that I saved a year or so ago from http://thecuttingclass.com/.  They feature images from the Alexander McQueen Spring 2010 RTW Collection alongside the print lay that the garments have been cut from.  This allows you to have an inside peek into how placement prints work which I found incredibly fascinating and relevant to my design practice.  I have only ever been taught one way of creating a placement print which involves scanning in your pattern pieces and tracing them out then creating the print within the piece.  These Alexander McQueen images present a new technique where you still outline the pattern pieces however you create the print in a rectangle around the pattern piece whilst keeping in mind the shape of the pattern.  

These images are a great source for understanding placement prints and their relationship to the body.  I am still unsure as to what detail I will be exploring placement prints however this is another way of which to understand them and look at mirrored prints in a non obvious way.

Images Courtesy of:

www.alexandermcqueen.com 

www.style.com

http://thecuttingclass.com/

Kenzo Resort 2013: Electric Jungle

This campaign for Kenzo's Resort 2013 collection is essential in understanding the brand's aesthetic and style.  Clashing mix-and-match prints and bold colours define this aesthetic through this exciting digital perception of the upcoming collection.  Carol Lim and Humberto Leon have taken on the role of Creative Directors for Kenzo with perfect consideration of the history of the aesthetic of the brand.

Print Preview!

Print Developments

© Adele Thiel 2013 

In the beginning stages of researching the concept behind my collection "Kalopsia", I have also started to experiment with prints through my visual inspiration to my trip to Versailles whilst also trying to incorporate the idea of illusion and creating a 'new stripe'.  Kalopsia is defined "the delusion of things being more beautiful than they really are" which fits in perfectly with my inspirations of rebellious opulence.  This print incorporates manipulated images of marble pillars, beautiful tapestries, gold encrusted walls which is contrasted against an image of a decaying, peeling wall which metaphorically shows the underlying turmoil that used to exist in the palace.  This fits into my idea of things appearing more beautiful than they are in reality due to the "unseen".  The idea of the illusion fits into this concept of decay as well as some of the three dimensional illusions of the print which aim to trick the eye as they appear to be textural but in reality they are two dimensional.    It allows the fabric to appear to have a different woven structure.  

Through my research of punk and new romantic subcultures to understand the idea of rebellion, I decided to create 'the new stripe' which is excessively seen in punk clothing.  I want to use panelling to use the stripes in completely different directions to also create an illusion and visually dissect the body.  Geometric shapes are also very important in achieving the idea of the illusion.  I manipulated the images in this print by completely changing and saturating the colours which was inspired by the New Romantic movement.  The colours were originally quite dull, so I changed them to have a more exciting edge and rebel against the norm in a sense.  

I feel like my prints relate to Fausto Puglisi's design aesthetic through their geometric and opulent nature.  He also heavily works with the idea of the stripe and bright colours.  

Overall I aim for my prints to feel quite eclectic.  I will be clashing prints which I want to at first appear to be quite excessive and overbearing, but brought together with beautiful tailoring.

Proenza Schouler Spring/Summer 2013

Proenza Schouler Spring/Summer 2013

I came across this incredible video for Proenza Schouler's Spring/Summer 2013 Campaign video.  This portrays the type of mood I hope to create with my final collection.  I love the overall feel of the video and its intense focus on overly saturated graphics and morphing these together.  It feels quite overbearing but it works which is what I hope to achieve with the prints I create.  There is a great focus on textures and a manipulated sense of reality which directly links to the idea of illusion that I am exploring.  

Mood Board

In our professional practice subject we then then discussed how a mood board can portray the style and aesthetic of your collection.  This is quite different from a concept board in the way that it does not necessarily communicate your concept.  It shows the mood that you are trying to achieve in your collection through colours and pictures that create an emotional response from the viewer.  In my mood board I wanted to evoke the moods behind the words describing my style as well as my concept of "Kalopsia" .  I wanted to show playful colours and textures along with geometric structures and directional lines.  Some of the textures show an underlying sense of decay and rawness.  There is an eclectic mix of patterns which also portrays an overload of imagery and excess.  Beauty can also be sensed.

© Adele Thiel 2013 

Images Sourced from (Left to right, top to bottom)

1. http://auxiliofaux.tumblr.com/
2. My own image
3. www.sassandbide.com
4. http://instagram.com/gregisonfire
5. http://amyclarke.com.au/
6. http://www.mirandaskoczek.com/
7. http://auxiliofaux.tumblr.com/
8. http://turboavedon.com/
9. http://auxiliofaux.tumblr.com/
10. http://prettydressesinthelaundry.com/ (original source unknown)
11. My own image
12. My own image
Background image: http://dilke.tumblr.com/

Style/Aesthetic

In our Professional Practice tutorial we were required to brainstorm five descriptive and emotive words to describe the style of our work as a young designer.  This may sound like a simple task however it proved to be very difficult, especially considering we are still in the process of discovering our true aesthetic.

To brainstorm this I started to think of my strengths that I want to show through in my final collection.  I love to play with colours and prints which is very significant to my aesthetic and style.  I also like to experiment with tailoring and small details and finding different unique ways to portray these details.  Often, my designs will portray a subversive or edgy undertone through these small details which can also come across as modern.  After quite a bit of brain storming I came up with the following words;

© Adele Thiel 2013 

I chose the word eclectic to be the main word to describe my style in the way that it describes my unique and diverse approach to print and textile design.  It can be quite quirky and random at times.  This is also the reasoning behind the use of the word playful.  My print designs often incorporate some hand drawn intricate playful squiggles along with geometrics which can also be quite playful in colour. Excess relates to the importance of detailing within my style, whether it is excessive use of textiles and prints or details or just a general overload of imagery combined with silhouette.  Structured describes the silhouette of my aesthetic and explains the geometric prints and garments that reference to tailoring.  My prints are mostly based on shapes and lines that have direction within a structured garment.  I also describe my aesthetic as textural in the sense that I try to use and incorporate textiles in new and unexpected ways whether it be textured fabrics or creating the illusion of texture through digital print.