I Think I'm Done..

So my final product is this:

I perfected my last sketches and I am really happy how the final product turned out. I think I also did well on how I incorporated all my influences together.

 

It's coming together...

This is a quick sketch I made of the ideas I had for my Task. I compiled my ideas of the McQueen dress Design, The painting of Queen Elizabeth and the dress from the Movie Black Swan.

I chose to make the dress big and extravagant like all the objects I took from the various topics. I took the lower part of the dress and made it look like an Elizabethan type dress but at the same time I incorporated the main design of the Black Swan ballerina dress, taking the black fabric, diamonds and feathers and finishing it off with a 'hood' style at the top replacing the collar of the Elizabethan dress and the crown from the Ballerina dress.

For the make up I decided to give the model a whiter/pale face and upon the eyes just add a black stripe to replace the heavy eye shadow from the original Black Swan ballerina.

McQueen, McQueen, McQueen..

Alexander McQueen, 2009. Fall Collection. [photograph] Available at: http://www.fashionologie.com/Alexander-McQueen-Fall-2009-Twisted-Fantasy-2911219?page=0,0,33#44 [Accessed 13 January 2013].

 

This photo is taken from Alexander McQueen's 2009 Fall collection where he has exagerated his designs in a magnificent and artistic way so I wanted to use these designs in my task.

 

Lee Alexander McQueen born on the 17th of March 1969 was a well known british designer. As known for his own designs he is also known for his work with Givenchy from 1996 to 2001. He has been announced with the award of  British Designer of the Year four times.

After years of success , By the end of 2007 he had opened boutiques in London, New York, Las Vegas, Milan and Los Angeles.

 

Wikipedia, 2001. Alexander McQueen. [online] Available at: <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_McQueen> [Accessed 13 January 2013 ].

 

McQueen made it a must to make a huge impression at this fashion show and as an intro to his designs people in the crowd wittnessed red lighting, smoke, and a runway with a huge trash heap in the middle, full of metallic pieces and salvaged props from McQueen shows of the past.

 

fashionologie, 2011. NatAlexander McQueen Fall 2009: A Twisted Fantasy. [online] Available at: <http://www.fashionologie.com/Alexander-McQueen-Fall-2009-Twisted-Fantasy-2911219?page=0,0,33#2> [Accessed 13 January 2013 ].

 

''The models had on Leigh Bowery clown-like red lips, skyscraping heels, and headpieces made of empty soda cans wrapped in black latex with umbrellas strapped to the top. But most importantly, amongst all the houndstooth and feathers, McQueen proved that in all the doom and gloom, fantasy still lives '' (quote taken from http://www.fashionologie.com/Alexander-McQueen-Fall-2009-Twisted-Fantasy-2911219?page=0,0,33#2)

 

I chose this particular design because of the headpiece I think it would be an interesting take on the Elizabethan styled dress and it would give it a modern flare. I also think it wouldn't be too overwhelming and just the right amount a style.

My Black Swan inspiration

Natalie Portman, the character starring in this 2010 film portrays her character as Nina, a ballerina in New York trying to make it big. Produced by Scott Franklin it was released on the 17th of December.
Nina takes part in the famous play 'Swan Lake'. When Nina is casted as the White Swan, after time she starts to get more in touch with her twisted dark side which more likely fits the black swan role.

I particularly chose this movie as inspiration because my thoughts were directed to the black swan dress. It's elegance yet edginess interested me and I think I could incorporate it with the exegerated dresses of the elizabethan era. I think it would be an interesting mix.


This dress was designed by Amy Westcott  whilst the other dresses that were seen in the movie were designed by Laura and Kate Mulleavy which are known for their own line 'Rodarte'.

Another thing which also interested and I would like to incorporate in my design, are the crystals I want to add some more shine to the elizabethan styled dress making it look more modern.

This is a Youtube link which I found very helpful and interesting consirning this issue.: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXO_coXVJWs

 

The make-up and costume accesories also interested me, and I wanted to change them up a bit and make them more abstract and plain to make the viewers eye go straightly to the dress.

 

 

 

 

inspired by Elizabeth

For this task, I wanted to do something that really interests me, I have ideas to design a dress, incorporate elegance and edginess in one. I also want the product to scream out my name so I grabbed some of the topics which interested me and looked even deeper, one of them is the 1500's style over the top dresses.

 

[English Renaissance Gown, Early-to- mid 1500's.] n.d. [image online] Available at: <

http://pinterest.com/pin/85849936618605759/> [Accessed 12 January 2013].

[Alessandro Allori 003.jpg] n.d. [image online] Available at: < http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Alessandro_Allori_003.jpg> [Accessed 12 January 2013].

But I wanted to concentrate on one icon of the 1500's, which is Queen Elizabeth the first.

[Darnley stage 3] n.d. [image online] Available at: < http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Darnley_stage_3.jpg> [Accessed 12 January 2013].

Elizabeth was queen over England and Ireland for 45 years (17th November 1559 - 24th March 1603). She was born in Greenwich as daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. She was later officially crowned as queen in 1559 at age 26, Elizabeth was also known as ''The Virgin Queen'' and ''Gloriana''.

Wikipedia, 2001. Elizabeth I of England. [online] Available at: <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_I_of_England> [Accessed 12 January 2013 ].

Wanting to do this dress inspired by the Elizabethan era, I had to research the Fabrics and styles used at the times.

 

Colour, Fabric and Material of clothing ranked on Elizabethan according to English law. These laws were called sumptuary laws.
Upper class people wore clothing made out of velvets, fur, silks, lace, cotton and taffeta.
Other lower class people wore clothing made of wool, linen and sheepskin.

Elizabethan Era, (no date specified). Material and Fabrics used in Elizabethan Era Clothing. [online] Available at: <http://www.elizabethan-era.org.uk/material-fabric-elizabethan-clothing.htm> [Accessed 12 January 2013 ].

The particular painting I will be reffering to in this task is the one done by
Marcus Gheeraerts the Younger.

[Queen Elizabeth I ('The Ditchley portrait')] n.d. [image online] Available at: < http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Elizabeth_I_(%27The_Ditchley_portrait%27)_by_Marcus_Gheeraerts_the_Younger.jpg> [Accessed 12 January 2013].

 

Marcus was a very well known artist at his time. He was described as  "the most important artist of quality to work in England in large-scale between Eworth and Van Dyck"^{[1]  (caption taken from Wikipedia article named '}Marcus Gheeraerts the Younger'). His father was also a painter known as Marcus Gheeraerts the Elder. When he painted this painting of the Queen he became much more popular with the royal court.

Wikipedia, 2001. Marcus Gheeraerts the Younger. [online] Available at: <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcus_Gheeraerts_the_Younger#Elizabethan_success> [Accessed 12 January 2013 ].

 

 

 

I chose this painting over the rest because it is very well known and I also look at the colours, I wanted to show a contrast, the dress is very white and grand and I'd like to change that and make it darker.

FMP ideaa !

So I scraped my previous idea to go with the location furniture and found a new concept this morning, I was thinking about how I could incorporate film, art and design and the idea just came to me.

I havn't seen black swan yet but I am familier withe the clothing used, and I was thinking about taking the famous black ballerina dress and somehow designing it to merge with a Queen Victoria and Princess Elisabeth concept.





Queen Victoria
                                                                        Princess Elizabeth



Black swan dress and Make-up



My main idea for this concept is to create a whole new look using these ideas and I think it would be interesting to see how this piece is going to turn out.

Alessandro Mendini born in 1931 in Milan is an Italian designer and architect. He experimented and mixed different cultures , he wrote several books, created graphics, paintings, sculptures and architectural monuments.
Later on in his career he made huge leaps in art history ''In the seventies he was one of the main personalities of the Radical design movement. In 1979 he joined the Studio Alchimia as a partner and here he worked with Ettore Sottsass and Michele De Lucchi. In 1982 he co-founded Domus Academy, the first postgraduate design school.'' (taken from Wikipedia article named Alessandro Mendini)

Wikipedia, 2001. [online] Available at: <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alessandro_Mendini> [Accessed 14 December 2012 ].

One of his works that I immensely liked was his redesign of Reitvelt's ZigZag chair. He transformed this piece into his own.



Rietvelt's ZigZag Chair
















                                             Mendini's take on the Zig Zag chair

I feel that this is an amazing transformation because at first glance Mendini's work varies drastically from Reitvelt's but it's support system from beneath is the same but Mendini just transform the back supposrt of the chair, making it maybe more risky , it being a cross.

If I had to buy one of these I would defiantly choose Mendini's over Reitvelt's chair because I feel it is more daring and more appealing to the public and the human eye.