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The 10 Commandments of FCP

Summary:

Today Claire's lecture was titled 'The 10 Commandments of FCP' and included 10 things we must all check and do with any printed work before we print it. This will be a great list to refer back to when doing printed work to help us to make sure work is presented at it's best.

The 10 Commandments of FCP

1. Thou shalt not present pixellated or distorted images 
2. Thou shalt use a grid structure 
3. Thou shalt respect the 10 commandments of type
4. Thou shalt not use unnecessary elements on the page
5. Thou shalt not use standard printer paper 
6. Thou shalt consider the aesthetic of the brand
7. Thou shalt use spell check and proof read
8. Thou shalt avoid design that does not work in context
9. Thou shalt always do a test print
10. Thou shalt use thy reflective journal 

Within my sketchbook, I have written these up along with my notes from the lecture:

Recommended Reading:

Taste Makers Lecture

Lecture Summary:

In today's lecture Tim spoke to us about 'Taste Makers' and the importance of knowing who is who in the history of fashion. Within the lecture he gave brief summaries about the most important people in fashion history; these were divided into the following four categories: 

1. Media, Retail and Press 
2. Patrons, Collectors and Socialites 
3. Muses and Creatives
4. Lifestyle and Interiors

Below I have typed up my notes from the lecture:

Media, Retail and Press

Patrons, Collectors and Socialites

Muses and Creatives

Lifestyle and Interiors

I have also translated this into my sketchbook:

My Opinion:

Personally, I found this lecture really interesting and insightful. It is always great to learn about people and trends in history that you were not previously aware of, as this encourages further reading and research of my own. I plan to look further into many of these famous fashion and lifestyle figures from throughout history as I feel that it will be useful in the future to be able to reference these key figures, styles, influences and inspirations.

The lecture was also a great way to spark our own imaginations and make us think about who or what it is that inspires us, who are our own personal taste makers? Within the seminar, Tim followed this idea up by setting us a brief that allows us to explore and research who we believe to be our own two taste makers. 

The Perfume Brief

Jack Wills Research

Trend: Metallics

Project One: Final Moodboard

My Final Moodboard

Here is an image of the final moodboard I created to represent Mason Martin Margiela. It consists of 10 images which are both images from the brand and designer himself as well as images that I believe sum up or represent the designer's ideas and brand's image.

Feedback

The feedback that I received from both my tutors and peers suggested that I need to structure my presentations clearly during preparation in order to make sure I include the necessary information and points that I wish to get across. They also suggested that including words within my moodboard could help to create a stronger feel for the message I want to portray, as well as helping to give me 'reminders' that could help me to stick to a rehearsed structure within my presentation. 

It was also suggested that my moodboard could be improved with more images that are not directly from the brand as this could create a better idea of what my interpretation of the brand is. 

It was also commented that I had clear skill with using photoshop. 

Sketchbook

I also recorded all of the above in my sketchbook, as you can see below:

Be Inspired by the Best: Karl Lagerfeld

Karl Lagerfeld

Visual Contrast

Visual Contrast

Project One: Martin Margiela

First Project: Brand Moodboard
For our first project we have been given a specific brand to study, research and produce a moodboard for. The brand I was given is Martin Margiela.
Below are images from my reflective journal sketchbook of some of the initial 'fact file' style info I sourced about Martin Margiela and his label 'Maison Martin Margiela'.

Collated Research
This is a Powerpoint Presentation that I created in order to collate the information I found on my brand, as well as the images and some final moodboard ideas:

Be Inspired by the Best: Anna Piaggi

Anna Piaggi

Be Inspired by the Best: Vivienne Westwood

Be Inspired by the Best - Vivienne Westwood

Seminar Activity - Semiotics

Analysing an image using semiotics:

In today's seminar we began to use semiotics to analyse and look at images or other visual texts to find both the obvious and hidden/symbolised meanings. Below is my chosen image (an outfit from Martin Margiela's S/S 2005 collection) and my response to the tasks given. 

1. Initial Response (Words/Phrases)

Layered, Dark, Scruffy, Disheveled, Contrast, Rough, Covered Face, Emotionless, Collage, Simple, Business wear, Number, Writing, French, Possibility of underlying complex meaning, Roland Barthes - "The terror of uncertain signs". 

2. Description of Visual & Purpose

Photograph from photoshoot, model is wearing an outfit from Spring/Summer women's wear collection 2005. Could be classed as advertisement or documentation. 

3. Denotations

A woman/female model in collection outfit

All black clothes - some contrasting nude/flesh/white tones - white shoes

Hair is not done - slightly scruffy/disheveled looking

Black line across eyes

Straight face - quite emotionless

Strip of paper over-layed with typewriter style typography - states what women is wearing - written in french

Number in the corner - place in order of collection

4. Connotation
Combination of scruffy, disheveled clothing, mixed with ideas of business dress - goes against conventional ideas, pushes boundaries, tries to move away from traditional tailoring 
Black line over eyes and straight face - shows no emotion - makes clothes the focus of audiences attention - more about what they were than the face -  the clothes may tell more of a story than the face
Writing in French - French company - French associated with elegance and perfection/precision - this emphasises a point of going against the conventions

5. Q&A
What is it?
An outfit created by Martin Margiela at his company 'Maison Martin Margiela' for his Spring/Summer 2005 Collection
Who produced it? 
Martin Margiela under his label
When was it produced?
Made for 2005 S/S so most likely 2004
What else was going on at the time of production, both in the field of fashion and in the wider social and historical context?
Does it belong to a specific trend or movement? What immediately preceded it?
Did any specific ideas or theories inform its production?
Who was it produced for?
What technology/media/materials have been used and why?

Sketchbook

Below is an image of the notes taken in my sketchbook, which I have then translated onto here:

The Eye Has to Travel

Diana Vreeland and 'The Eye Had to Travel'

In today's lecture and seminar's we watched the film 'The Eye Had to Travel', an inspirational and fascinating film about Diana Vreeland's 50 years of international fashion. I found the film interesting, informative and inspiring. Diana Vreeland was an incredibly creative woman, who saw the world in an entirely unique and almost magical fantastical way; her whole life's work reflects this, and her innovative thinking and interested take on all things fashion. Her interest in what surrounded fashion is admirable; to be able to take in culture, surroundings, era, historical events, revolutions and politics, and see beyond the fabric, materialism of fashion and into the world that the industry creates is a fascinating and incredible feet when done so effortlessly. The result of her ever-growing passion was the power and impression that her work had on the industry, she was on top of the fashion world. She spoke in the film of clothes being the key to everything, she said "you can see and feel everything through clothes" and stated that even a revolution can be seen coming through changing fashion trends. 
Her work was always luxurious, as was her lifestyle, she spent and made money all the time, her world revolved around money, she says so within the interview in the film, stating that "money is everything" and "anyone who says otherwise is mad". Her work was also very much about story telling, something that matched her personality entirely, she lived in her own fantasy world, where things were the way she believed they should be and therefore not necessarily how they really were. She was as aware of this as those around her, but says quite simply that "we live through our dreams and imagination, for really it's the only reality we know". She was a key player in the history of fashion, changing the image of both Harper's Bizarre and Vogue; she always did something new and something different, even when going back to past era's where historical elements of fashion were made her own. She took unusual people and made them into models, she saw something in people that the others could not and the results were incredible, unique photographs. 

Trailer

Here is the trailer for the movie:

Q&A

Did I enjoy it?

Yes, I really enjoyed the film, it was fascination and engaging, the same was it is with other similar documentary style films that give you this close-up and personal take on the lives of these icons to the fashion world. Such as with Bill Cunningham in 'Bill Cunningham's New York', the correlation between these two great people in the fashion world is their love, passion and dedication for what they do. And it isn't always about the clothes and the lifestyle that can often be associated with it, but instead the beauty and almost fantasy of it all.

Was I inspired? 

Yes. I think that the work Vreeland did was spectacular and unique and all together quite wonderful. She had such a individual way of looking at the world, and fashion; she took in everything about the clothes, not just the material, the colour, the cut etc...but the setting, where it's from, why it's been made, who's wearing it, the culture behind it, the fantasy life that can be attached to it. As they say in the film, the magazines for her where always about trying to 'give people what they can't get at home'.

What characteristics made Vreeland successful? Good or bad?

I think that the film makes it clear that there are many sides to Diana Vreeland, not all of them positive, but certainly all of them contributed to her success. For example, her drive, her passion and her love for what she did, her need to work and her need for the industry and the clothes; these were the things that kept her there, she both wanted and needed it. However, as the film portrays, this may have made her less of a good wife and mother to her 2 children, as her passion and love went into her work, she travelled a lot for photoshoots and model scouting. Her daring attitude was definitely a positive contribution to her work, this made her take risks and go all out on an idea without a worry or a second thought or a doubt as to whether it may sink or swim. This head-strong certainty made her swim. 

Would you recommend the film? To who? And why?

I would definitely recommend this film, it's both interesting and inspiring. I think that anyone with a similar interest in fashion, especially those who read Harper's Bizarre or Vogue and are interested in it's history as Diana Vreeland definitely played a vital part in both. However, I also think somebody interested in art, design or media and advertising would be interested and inspired by this film; her way of seeing and interpreting, not just the clothes but the world, is unique and admirable. 

Sketchbook

Here is an image of the notes within my sketchbook in relation to the film:

Be Inspired by the Best: Diana Vreeland

Be Inspired by the Best - Diana Vreeland

Be Inspired by the Best: Isabella Blow

Be Inspired by the Best -Isabella Blow

Bill Cunningham's New York

Bill Cunningham New York

'A profile of the noted and extraordinarily cheerful veteran New York City fashion photographer.'

Documentary/Biography, 2010

Personally, I found this film extremely inspirational. Cunningham's eye for all things fashion is remarkable, and his knowledge of clothing is simply admirable. No one can know fashion like someone who has spent every day, for the majority of their life, out on the streets of New York studying, seeing and documenting every individual style or trend; the someone is Bill Cunningham.

Trailer

Sketchbook

Below are images from my sketchbook/journal; the first is an illustrative image that I have created as a visual stimulus to remind me of the film and it's content. The second is a small fact file that I have put together as a basic referral for all things Bill Cunningham.