Design Portfolio Part 2

Here's the final collection. Hope you enjoy. I'm not going to lie, it was stressful putting this all together, but I'm so, so happy with how it came out. It's funny, you would think that it'd be easy to design without boundaries, but actually it's extremely difficult. I was completely stuck until J suggested I focus on one design inspiration. I started with something completely random, tulips and started sketching. Even though I didn't end up using those sketches, the exercise really helped me break through my mental block and the designs just flowed from there.

(l-r: blush silk charmeuse, yellow silk georgette, red cotton twill)

(l-r: yellow silk georgette, gold silk charmeuse)

 (l-r: ivory raw silk, blush silk taffeta, gray cotton with slight sheen)

 (l-r: white wool/linen blend, gray cotton twill, blush silk charmeuse, chiffon print)

 (dark navy blue silk/cotton blend, nude bemberg rayon lining)

I really tried to think about my actual final collection when putting this together, so if all goes well, you'll see a lot of these pieces come to fruition as part of my final collection for the patternmaking program. In fact, the first piece I'm working on is the suit jacket as part of the tailoring class I'm starting this week.

Design Portfolio Part I

Relieved. I can't tell you how happy I am to have finished my design portfolio for class. Looking back over the last 4 weeks, I can see how it all came together in the end, but it was lot of hard work getting to the finished product.  


I'll talk through the design process in a series of posts, but first, here's my mood board. Hopefully it gives you a sense of what you'll see in my final collection.  

The photos were taken by J on our honeymoon in Paris. In particular, the inspiration for my collection came from the photo on the left. We were walking by this cafe at closing time and the chairs were stacked high as the owners prepared to go home for the night. When I look at this picture, I remember what it was like to be a part of Paris. No one cared that we were tourists, no one treated us as if we were just visitors, they just let us be. That's what made me fall in love with Paris, because I was allowed to experience it for myself, make sense of it however I wanted and bring a piece of it back with me.


I wanted to infuse my collection with that same sense of excitement and anticipation you have when you experience a place for the first time. In my every day life, that translates to that moment in the morning, when I stand in front of my closet, trying to decide what to wear for the day. I think about how I need an outfit to work for me, to carry me from work to meetings to dinner or class.


I'll show you the collection in a series of posts, but for now, here's the cover board. Ignore the giant watermark. I'm trying to figure out how to put in watermarks on my pictures without them being too obtrusive, but I don't think I've gotten my it quite right yet.  

Me-Made-May Days 4, 5, 6

I think technically the polka dot fabric I used for my shirt is a quilting cotton, so it's stiffer than most, but it works well layered under a soft gray wrap cardigan.


This is a shirt I made, oh maybe four years ago when I first started subscribing to BurdaStyle magazines.  It's surprisingly well made, which I guess is why I hung on to it.  This challenge is really making me pull out clothes I might not otherwise wear, so it's been sort of a styling challenge for me as well.


Since the weather was so beautiful on Friday, J and I road our bikes out to our favorite restaurant.  This is me post bike ride, pre drinks and dinner.

Day 5 I wore my jacket again from Day 2, with a lavendar gingham shirt I also made made.  I didn't get any pictures, but I'll probably wear the shirt again so I'll make sure to get a pic then.  No pictures of today's outfit either because I was a bit lazy and just threw on a tank top I made under my sweater.  I finished the tank top yesterday - I figured I needed just a basic white knit base layer to help me get through the month!

Class Updates: Fashion Illustration

So, according to my teacher, everyone can draw, it's a matter of practice.  I still think some people are just born with an artistic eye, but after several classes and hours and hours of homework, I'm starting to think that everyone can get better at drawing, it's just a matter of practice.


Right now I'm working on rendering fabrics in color so you can get a sense for they type of material.  It's fun trying to figure out how to convey shine or plush fur through pencil and marker.  I've cut off the head of my drawing because I am still ashamed of my ability to draw faces, but I think I did a pretty good job of rendering the leather jacket, so I thought I'd share.  

It's kind of fun learning to do something you never really thought you could do.  I always forget that most of the time, all it takes is a little perseverance.

Me-Made-May Day 2

This is the jacket I designed for my patternmaking class.  It's made of an olive green cotton twill, interlined with flannel for warmth and stability.  Instead of using darts or princess seams for waist shaping I used a drawstring casing for a more casual look.  


I wore the sleeves folded up yesterday, but they're regular full-length sleeves with a simple cuff.  In all honesty, I simply got dressed yesterday and then remembered I needed to wear something of my own, so I threw on the jacket.


There's lots of little details I put into this jacket that make me feel special when I wear it.  All of the buttonholes are bound, the pockets are single welt pockets, and although you can't see it in the picture, I added a high napoleon collar for extra drama.

Me-Made-May Day 1

Day 1, a dress I made last summer from a printed cotton I purchased from Elliott Berman Textiles during a NYC trip.  I didn't have a chance to take a picture of myself yesterday, but here's the outfit on my lovely dress form (who still needs a name!).

If you look closely, the print is pixelated.  I love how it changes from yellow to green to pink to black.  

Me-Made-May 2012

Sounds like a challenge.  Why not?


'I, annaminiac, sign up as a participant of Me-Made-May '12. I endeavour to wear at least one self-made creation each day for the duration of May 2012'