Triumphant?

Working on the triumph brief turned out to be something I needed. At the start of the semester I don’t feel the pressure to get things done a.s.a.p because I know there’s nothing due immediately. Having the week to fill the Triumph brief I knew I had to get straight onto the work. I started from using the three workshops that we were given in class. Sitting at the mannequin I felt no inspiration hitting me from a lightening bolt, but I did the exercises anyway. I didn’t like the results. I was trying to recreate the function of the bra by pulling in a knit fabric with thread. Sounds simple but because I was using a knit fabric the hand sewing just looked like gathering, and to be frank pretty ugly gathering at that! So I decided I needed to employ more extreme tactics so I started using a paper clip to thread through the knit fabric and I was able to control the fabric a lot more. The wire held its place and I started pulling the fabric and knotting the paperclip which made me think of the underwire of a bra. It plays a major part in shaping the breasts and if not fitted correctly can be really uncomfortable.

Images: Making the underwire pockets, the prototype on the mannequin

When I was writing out my concept for Triumph on Tuesday I described the underwire as something that your really conscious of, rubbing against your skin, pressing into your rib cage, riding up your chest. When you think about the amount of adjusting that a bra causes it made me want to put the underwire on show. I cut out the underwire from a bra and started placing it around the bra. Changing the position created a new shape over the breast. Essentially it was still creating structure and form, it was just redefining it. Repetition is something that I like, for what ever reason I’m not sure but I like it. The crescent shape was so simple yet on the body it created a dramatic difference to the body’s contours. I started cutting out the crescent shape with wire, encasing it with paper and pinning onto the mannequin. It was a slow process and I did have the urge to go to a piece of paper and draw the possibilities, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to successfully translate it with my grade 3 sketches. Instead I kept repeating the process until I covered the front half of the body with the underwire’s. The silhouette and structure on the body was effective, and started to remind me of the skeleton. Photo’s of the ‘skeleton’ were then manipulated in Photoshop to create new give a clearer picture of possibilities of the garment. I wouldn’t be able to imagine these garments without PS so it allows me create shapes first, and then think about construction. I had used PS last year alongside my 2D developmental work and I had a bit of success with the process so it was a good alternative to just the 2D. It was the first time working with Indesign, and apart from some frustrations at the beginning, it was an easier way (in some respects) to using a ‘maunal’ folio. The fact that I could set out the photo’s and text at the same time, without having to go back and forth with printing and cropping, saved a lot of time. However there is the other side which means that I spend more time ‘editing’, which can be a time sucker.

When I moved into the 2D work I realised how out of touch with it I was. The sketches were awfully sketchy and I didn’t feel like they represented what I imagined. Submitting the work I was happy with what I had produced but it was more of a learning curve. Having such a short time to produce something,your not going to be able to be totally satisfied. However if I decided not to do Triumph, I’m not sure if I would have actually have done any work! So basically it was a good kick up the bum to get back into the routine of working. Aaaagggghhh, I’m back to the start!

Image: Final Design