Garment make up- Day 9

Today I began sewing up my skirt in the real fabrics; I started by over-locking all of the black and white pieces. Jill suggested edge stitching the suede to make it look finished and professional but after talking with Lynn she said I was best off leaving it as it was in case it got scratched on the machine. We agreed on just one layer of suede to start with and to see if it stood out enough on its own.  Sewing it all together was pretty easy as I made sure to put notches in to indicate front and back pieces which could have gotten confusing because they were all similar shapes. 

I edge stitched around the underside of the suede to make it stand up a little more and also to hold down the seam on the inside of the skirt.

Photoshooooot

On the morning of the shoot I got to college nice and early to set up. I used a lint roller on my dress and hung it up ready, I also had makeup inspiration images out for the makeup artist to see. I wasn’t sure if Marta would have a coral lipstick so I bought one on the way to college. When Lauren got to college I talked her through what I wanted as far as poses and facial expressions. She tried on the shoes which were difficult to zip up but they gave her the extra height I wanted. We went down to the photography studio, while we waited for Marta to arrive, and I introduced her to Gary who was setting up.

Marta arrived and she got started on Lauren first which I was pleased about as Gary’s area of the studio was ready and we were already behind on time. Once we were ready it took a while to get the lighting right so that the front of the dress showed up. We tried putting gels in front of the light too to give a pink/red glow, this looked great and gave the sixties feel we were going for. I liked experimenting with the circular props and creating boxy shapes with the poses.

The atmosphere in the photography studio is very different to our fashion studio, there is a lot more noise and movement which makes the pace of work seem unusually quicker. I enjoyed the busy feel of the room and how everybody jelled together and gave advice and opinions on each other’s work.

Lauren worked really well and had the confidence to be bold with poses we were asking her to do. It would have been a hard morning if she was shy or unsure but for her first time modeling she was great. Gary came up with lots of different shots which have given me a variety of photos to choose from to edit.

Photographer -Gary Barret

Model- Lauren Fairley

Dress- Heather Smith

Makeup Artist- Marta at Costa Chic

Check out my new fave blogger Daisy

I know Daisy as she was a model for the BBC Blast fashion show, she looked fab in my final dress (best photo from the show!). Her blog Ihearttreasure has been going a while now and she has a page on Facebook too.

Being a keen photographer, and having a great sense of style, sets this blog apart from others I have seen. It has a truly English feel yet is still very current. With regular posts about key high-street pieces and hidden gems online too, I'm sure Ihearttreasure will gain further success with fashionistas world wide.

See it for yourself here.

Garment make up- Day 8

I started my morning by cutting out the suede pieces to insert into the skirt seams. I have decided to curve them slightly to make the outer edge longer as I noticed it bending downwards on the toile.

 I also cut out the rest of my fabrics for the shirt and dress. The white cotton drill I have for the dress wasn’t big enough to cut it on the grain line so Lynn said it would be better to cut it across the grain as there was no difference in the stretch either way. I had tried buying more, as what I have was left over from another project, but Dainty’s don’t stock it anymore and they don’t know if they can order any in. 

Garment make up- Day 1

Garment make up- Day 7

In order to create the print for the front of my skirt I needed to make copies of the sample print I did on the computer. I then began cutting and laying them on a piece of paper I had cut to fit the skirt pattern piece, repeatedly holding it up to the toile to see if the placement of the print was suitable. Once I had the print example ready I took it to Steve in the textiles room and asked the best way to get it onto my fabric. He suggested digital printing but when I mentioned the heat press sample I have he agreed it would be quicker and cheaper. I did some more samples with the fabric I am using for the final garment. They have slight marks on because of the nature of the transfer paper when it is photocopied but for the final print I have used a scalpel to remove some of the marks. I also cut the rest of the fabric for my skirt, but I still need to do the pattern for my linings.

Probably the best advert I've ever seen..

For a moment I thought I was watching the beginning of a film, its amazing. I love the way it all looks so crisp, luxurious and romantic. It follows a leopard prowling around a rich, surreal world that is dripping in jewels and gold. You can see the full version in all its glory on the Cartier website. There are also behind the scenes videos with comments by the producer Bruno Aveillan. Very interesting and worth a look..