Story (Boards) Time!

So I developed some storyboards for F/W 2012:

I call this one Dahlia, it's inspired by dramatic floral colors and vintage dresses- there's lots of texture and relaxed shapes with a cool, rich color palette. I saw a lot of texture on the haute couture shows and thought it was really inspiring and feminine.

This is my grey and yellow story- it's my favorite color combination and I'm starting to see a lot of yellow everywhere, which makes me happy- I think grey and yellow are a nice duality because yellow is a happy, vibrant color and grey is a subtle, more low-key neutral so they're very different but harmonious.

What do you think of my storyboards? Which do you like best? One of them will be turned into a collection!

Fashion Inspiration 2012

I think the Hunger Games movie is going to be really inspirational since:

• I think it's going to be HUGE, like Twilight huge, which is great because I love the books so much.
• A lot of the movie is about personal branding and perception within the world of the games because of the competitive advantages it presents so it already has this message about styling and fashion built into the story.
• The characters have distinct personal styles and the stills from the movie that've been released so far are all really inspiring:

I LOVE EFFIE TRINKET'S CLOTHES and I plan to make an Effie costume for when I go see the movie. It's pretty dorky but I look forward to having my paleness be an advantage for a change :)

 I love the exaggerated shoulders of her clothes, I think it's nice that the costume designer chose to emphasize the shoulder in all the looks I've found so far. 

The dystopian fashion thing has been done already; I don't mean to imply that this is a new thing, but I think it's very cool. I think a lot of people will be inspired by it in fashion, whether it's uniform details like the people in the games wear (they all have the same clothes) or the flashy couture looks of the Capitol citizens. 

If you haven't heard a lot about the movie, watch the trailer- it's going to be great!

Trendspotting- Keepin' it Tights

Lately I've been admiring the colorful legwear of UNT ladies- tights are back in a big way, in every color you can imagine. A colorful pair of tights takes the edge off an all- black outfit and adds a touch of whimsy to bohemian layers, not to mention fending off the chilly wind here in North Texas.

What Inspires Me....

Historical Costume in Movies and Books:

 

My friends and family always pick up interesting historical fashion books for me, they're so sweet.

I love cityscapes and interesting/old buildings:

I tend to buy fabric and then ask myself what it should be:

For example, these fabrics make me want to make sundresses real bad.

And I tend to make outfits for specific occasions- for example, I made a sixties-inspired cocktail dress to go see Michael Buble, I'll make a dress just for the holiday season....
I also get inspired to create garments for me, a plus size, based off what I see in misses' sizes and reworked to be more flattering.

When I work with specific clients for custom work I think it's more a matter of problem solving, per se rather than inspiration. I mean yeah, I'm inspired by the client and what they say they want but also I have to figure out how to give them what they want in a way that flatters them and their figure but also looks good to me- looks like something I'd make. So it's more like....discovering something hanging in the ether rather than being inspired to create something completely out of my head.