Jeremy McConnell
Instructor: Rosemary Tyrrell
30 January 2012
20th Century Designers- GNST 1200
Designer Project Plan- A Guideline to Success
What is the muse of your inspiration? Many individuals, myself included, are inspired by past decades in the world where we can find a source to channel our creative thoughts. The spirit of the times, also referred to as the Zeitgeist, is reflected within each decade making one decade just as unique as another. For fashion students studying history it is very important to understand the past of each decade to provide and spread knowledge, be able to trend forecast, and create a solid foundation for yourself within the industry. This is why I have chosen to do five different designers in five different decades. That way I will immerse myself into different eras of fashion history to build a very important platform for myself in this industry. I have decided to research and do my project on Salvatore Ferragamo (1950’s), Mary Quant (1960’s), Halston (1970’s), Muiccia Prada (1980’s) and Derek Lam (21st Century).
It is important to begin the designer project with strong researching methods in place in order to receive credibility and have a powerful final project. For my researching tools I plan on using a wide variety of research to successful implement quality work which will include: Stylesight, WGSN, Women’s Wear Daily, Encyclopedia Britannica, The Vogue Archive, The Met Museum online and of course a wide range of books found in the FIDM Library. All of the listed sources above are considered to be very reliable and academic resources. Websites such as Stylesight and WGSN are key industry researching tools that individuals look towards in order to gain information on the latest emerging trends in the world. Also these websites will provide me with exceptional quality photos that are essential to the designer project. The Vogue Archive is a source that I can use because it will provide valuable information from Vogue magazines dating back to the 1920’s in regards to advertisements and evaluating the Zeitgeist in greater detail. Other sources such as the Met Museum online will give me in depth yet, insanely accurate information in regards to the designers I have choose. All of the sources that I will be using in order to complete this designer project can be found through FIDM’s library resources in the Portal or the books on designers can be found in the library. This is how I know all of the sources I will be using to make a fabulous designer project are academically acceptable.
It can be safe to say that I am looking for a challenge when it comes to the designer project (in a good way). I really do not know a lot of pertinent information about some of the designers I have chosen. I know that I have seen segments of each designer yet, I could never go into great detail to discuss each designer’s latest collection over lunch. This is part of the reason I decided to go with the designers I did. It is to push myself to do better, more in depth research. How boring would it have been to do a designer project on designers I am already familiar with? For example, I have always kept up to date when it comes to a designer such as Marc Jacobs and Alexander McQueen. I have done independent research by following their collections as well as researching their history through books I have read. Therefore for my designer project I want to push myself to learn about new designers that I have always known about yet, never actually knew all that well. This will be a way to express my creativity and stimulate my learning to another level.
It may appear as if I choose my designers in a random order but, the truth is that I have chosen each designer for a very specific reason. For starters each designer is specifically designated to different decades of fashion that I wanted to study. My next step was to decide from the list of options which designers I wanted to do within each decade I preselected. This required research which allowed me to decide on a specific designer. I choose Salvatore Ferragamo because I felt that during the 1950’s there was not a lot of flash yet, Ferragamo was able to bring flashiness to the world in a very understated sophisticated manner which gave off a feeling of youthfulness and prosperity. When I was researching Mary Quant I noticed that she was not afraid to make a bold and loud expression through her designs which intrigued me. For the 1970’s I choose Halston because anyone who knows me understands my obsession with the 1970’s disco fashion and that is what Halston was all about! Muiccia Prada is a lifestyle brand that caters to a higher demographic and demonstrates a unique twist to tailoring I have always appreciated and that was why I felt a connection to Prada. Last but not least, I decided to research Derek Lam because his designs are the freshest thing I have seen in a very long time. All in all, it took me awhile to finalize my designers but, I feel as if I have chosen very wisely.
Ever since we have been assigned the designer project, my mind has been a brilliant mess of thoughts. My self-conscious wanted so badly to take the easy way out and do research on the designers I was already knowledgeable of but, in the end the student who is eager to learn won. Like I briefly mentioned before, the designer project is meant to challenge you and make you learn more about designers than you have every learnt before. This is why I ultimately decided to research the following designers: Salvatore Ferragamo, Mary Quant, Halston, Muiccia Prada and Derek Lam. I know that I will be creating a marvelous blog that can be referenced to by future employers and fellow classmates. I also know that by using the resources I have available the sky will become the limit to what I choose to create.
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