Developing my toile for the top piece of my design.

Hall of Mirrors - Design Development Ideas

As part of my design development I took the idea of the 'work clothes'  and boiler suits and decided to dress myself in one, but in keeping with skewering proportions and placement notions I put the legs of the suit on my arms. This helped me generate some interesting garment ideas. I also like the idea of a pocket placed on the shoulder or even on the front of the chest. I would like to work the high vis vest into my design, perhaps in the legs. 

 I like this design idea using the shapes generated from the boiler suit. I would like to create a vertical neckline like the one I've drawn (a neckline not very common in menswear). I also plan on using the idea of the pocket on the shoulder and the use of eyelets along the front.

 I carried through the 'drop-crotch' 'baby-grow' idea from previous development. I like the idea of work breeches, but incorporating the shape and construction of the sleeve taken from the tweed jacket.

'No Fun at the Funfair' - Workwear Research

In my research so far I have been drawn to the idea of 'work wear' within the theme of 'Fairgrounds'. I like the rough 'n' ready look of the workers, and the idea of durable design and fabric use. I looked at brands like Dickie's and a vintage 70's Wrangler denim jacket for research and inspiration. I experimented with jean buttons and eyelets and hope to use these ideas in my designs. 

Drawing from back in March. Caravans & workers at Plattfields Funfair.

Wrangler denim jacket, brass button, pencil sketch. 

Introduction to denim button machine. 

Researching denim as a 'work' fabric, and pockets. 

Drawing of Dickies work jacket and high-vis vest.

Boiler suit flats.

Research into traditional workwear. Experimenting with eyelet puncher on hessian and denim. 

Research into dungarees and denim. Images from HBO show 'Carnivale'.

Research - Cullens Fun Fair, Derry, 'Not All Fun and Games'

On a recent trip back to my hometown, Derry, I was able to access a travelling funfair, ‘Cullen’s’  as it was just about to be opened. It was a great chance to see the hard work and graft that goes into making the fun fair, well, ‘fun’. I was attracted to the high-vis vests and waterproof work wear of these rough ‘n’ ready workers. I am interested in exploring this side of the fair further. Instead of going for the obvious bright lights and show costumes of the circus, perhaps I could look instead at the durable work wear of those who construct the rides and the tents.

Designer: Alan Taylor

Alan Taylor, graduate of NCAD in Dublin, was approached by Simone Rocha, with whom he worked closely for 3 years before venturing out on his own and developing his own brand. Alan Taylor now shows in the London MEN Collections, showcasing new young menswear designers pushing the boundaries within such a typically restrictive market. Taylor's work is based on creative pattern cutting, taking preconceived notions of garment construction and throwing them on their head.

Technical drawing and Illustrator exercise

In class one day during our garment drawing research lessons we were asked to technically record the shape and measurements of an old riding style jacket using graph paper. This was quite a challenging excercise for me as I am not the most acurite and technical of thinkers. Together in pairs we had to record the jacket exactly how it was onto graph paper; the outcome was very rewarding as we were pleased with our representation of the jacket. Then using Adobe Illustrator I scanned in the drawing and developed the drawing further on Illustrator, getting to grips with layers, drawing with a cursor and adding colour etc. I am quite pleased with my outcome.

I also experimented marring both the deconstructed jacket work and the accurate observation of the riding jacket. 

Hall of Mirrors - Jacket Deconstruction, placement

Some sketches illustrating ideas developed from the jacket deconstruction. I quite like this idea of a dropped-crotch, 'baby-grow' kind of feature.