The business side of fashion...

So, fashion is not all about the glitz and glamour. There is in fact a lot of hard work involved, and there is definitely a business side to it! So many people think that fashion is a freely creative venture. It is not.

I had to do a business plan for an outfit from my range. I actually made a profit in this "business", so that was a good sign!  I chose to use my corseted jumpsuit, as I felt that this was the perfect combination of couture and ready to wear.

The business:
Sole ownership
Pattern maker and seamstress
From home
Capital of R50 000


Below are some images of my advertisement and my business card:



Until we meet again

xxx

Website for Bianca Jane

I have officially set up my website for my designs. It was an incredible process, and it was fun.

I used the Wix site, as it is very user friendly for beginners. This website is a good stepping stone from college to the working world, and I am very glad that FEDISA gave me an opportunity in my curriculum to do this.

My website is "bianca jane designs" - click on this link to view the site.

Unfortunately, images will not load, but please take the time to view my website.

Until we meet again
xxx

 

The Scottish Twist

It is our final art week at FEDISA. Wow, three years of inspiration, hard work, highs, lows and a total lack of sleep. But it will all be worth it when I get my degree!

Our final drapery was very fun, and I actually enjoyed it. We had to use 10cm x 10cm strips of fabric, and I had just the right samples lying at home.

I walked into my studio, only to find some awesome tartan fabric. The idea of Scottish kilts was immediately born and I started to research. The idea of jazzing it up Alexander McQueen style came to mind and "The Scottish Twist" went from ideas to reality.

This is my take on Scottish flavour

Until we meet again

xxx

A Blast from the Past

Well, after looking through a few old assignments to get some inspiration, I happened to find my magazine photoshoot from last year.

I was meant to do a kiddies clothing magazine, but there was a lot of paperwork involved with parents. Instead I decided to do a vintage magazine. The photoshoot was fantastic, from the car to the clothes. I had such a ball, especially with the help I got from Nicole Haze.

We drove through Durbanville Hills, stopping on random farms to pose and pout. This was one of the best assignments I did in my time at FEDISA.

Below are some of the unedited pictures:

Until we meet again
xxx

And the next one begins...

The module has been extremely busy, with us cramming every last bit of creativity and effort into our work.

I have just started my next outfit, which is a flared Melton jacket, a corset and tailored hot shorts. Biting off a lot more than I can chew for two weeks, but hey, thats me.

I have spent a lot of time with the patterns as a jacket has many elements, such as three piece sleeves, shawl collar and panels. I have been dreading it, but I can not run away from it any more. So here it goes.

Below are some pictures of my corset patterns, storyboard figures the boning I have done on my multiple panelled corset, as well as the shawl collar I must create:

Until we meet again

xxx

Food, Glorious Food

We were tasked with creating different dishes for the Fedisa recipe book. A recipe book for a fashion design institution, you might ask? Well, of course there was a twist. The models had to be dressed in clothing made of food.

I chose a Spanish theme, starting with ham croquetas, vegetable paella and of course torrijas, a bread and honey dessert.

My model, Nicole was very keen to pose, and after an hour of laughing until we cried, I got my images.

I then looked at the images, and thought that they could do with an extra bit of work. I came up with an extraterrestrial theme, highlighting different aspects to give it an "out of this world" look.

Below are the CAD images:

Until we meet again
xxx

Going fashion crazy

This has been an extremely long week, and while I have felt that I have gotten absolutely nothing done, I have been quite productive.

As promised last week, I have got a planner of what my website layout will be. I am using the Wix site to set up my website. It is so interesting and fun, yet very time consuming (probably only because there are so many gadgets to choose from).

My website will be showcasing, "bianca jane designs". It is not finished yet, so the web address won't be revealed as yet =)

Here is a picture of the planner and logo:

And then, moving onto my fifth outfit. I am almost finished making the outfit. It is a "puzzle piece" design corset dress, with a waist cincher skirt over it.  It is so interesting to work with all of the different textures.

The dress is made of bamboo fabric and upholstery fabric, and the skirt is made of chiffon. Quite a combination. I hope that all of my pieces show my true ability, and my love for design.

 
Below are some abstract pictures of my garments in progress:

Until we meet again

xxx

Assignment Overload

The module has begun, and I can honestly say that I forgot the intensity of being at FEDISA. That was until day one. It was visual week, and after being told that our croquis books (Design and idea books) were no longer allowed to be called that (They are now visual diaries), we began our new assignments.

The first storyboards for this module were client based. I chose the "Party Girl" who was petite, and was interested in skinny jeans and killer heels. The colour palette was nude, dark blue, coral, yellow and a hint of dark green.

I chose the the theme, "Soho Chic", as it is the typical upper London party area.

Below are some extracts from my trend book, and a picture of my mood board and styling board:

Introduction

A client has approached a fashion designer with a request to have two outfits tailor made for their personal style, as well as for these two outfits to be styled with appropriate accessories, shoes and hairstyles.

The client needs her personal traits and taste to be shown through her clothing and accessories.

The theme chosen for this client is “Soho Chic”. The theme emulates the typical London Soho nightlife, which is trendy and fashionable. It is classy, yet risk taking, and has muted colour ways, with a pop of colour throughout.

The client will be styled to attend a VIP party in Soho, or to paint the town red. She will also be styled to enjoy shopping with friends while having a bistro lunch.

This is chic, fun and Soho.

Client Specifications

“The Party Girl”

This client is a young female who is better known as “the party girl”.

She is a vibrant woman who is interested in new trends and is very modern.

Although she is petite, she still likes to defy heights with killer heels or boots, as well as skinny legs and interesting colours.

Her colour preferences include; nudes, yellow, coral, grey and dark green, but she does not like very bright colours.

This client is extremely outgoing, and enjoys the nightlife as well as shopping with her friends.

Her appearance is interesting, with medium length brown hair that is always updated with the latest cuts and highlights.

She appreciates gold and bronze for accessories, as this suits her colouring.

Outfit One

‘Denim Chic’

The first outfit will be skinny jeans with three buckled bands on each leg. 

There will be a buttoned down tank top.

There will be a blazer with mock rolled up sleeves and cuffs.

The silhouette is slimming and the length of the jacket will make the legs appear longer.

  

Outfit Two

‘Slim Chic’

The second outfit is a mini dress with a cowl neck and long sleeves.

There will be tights underneath the dress.

The silhouette will add shape to the body, as it will be tight.

The length of the dress will also add length to the clients figure.

Fabrication

Cotton

Denim

Mini Mat

Polyester

Lycra

Colour Ways

Dancing Denim

Cocktail Coral

Groovy Grey

Bold Beige

Next weeks post will be all about my CAD assignment! A website in progress.

Until we meet again

xxx

Final chapter at Cindy Bam Couture

My three week internship has now ended, and I must admit I am quite sad because I had an absolutely fantastic time and I learnt more than I could ever imagine. 

I finally gave my dress in on the last day, and I think that I did a good job seeing as I don't usually work with satin.

I now find myself drawn to couture every time I do research, and I am actually excited to start my couture gown. The Cindy Bam bridal dresses are such an inspiration.

Below are a couple of images of my last few days:

The ladies :)

Myself, Monique and fellow intern, Karla Hyman

Hand sewing  my dress

Monique hard at work

Steam iron

Amazing fabric

Jewellery galore

Pattern making

My favourite dress of all time

Front of my dress

Back of my dress

The studio

Until we meet again

xxx

Cape Town Fashion Week

I was lucky enough to attend CTFW 2011, thanks to Cindy Bam. We arrived at the CTICC to see the Abigail Betz show. I was obviously captivated by the fashion of everyone around me, and spent a good deal of the evening looking at people.

The layout of the ramp was fantastic, as it could be viewed from all four sides. There was a small scale of a shipwreck scene, while the screens showed a full moon. The models walked out in beautiful white evening wear, that eventually faded to black evening wear.

I thought it was especially positive that Abigail Betz chose for the models to stay on the ramp, as it gave the audience enough time to view each item properly.

I must admit that even though there was not really a showstopper piece, it did not necessarily need one, as each piece was individual and interesting.

Overall, it was a stunning evening, and I made some new contacts.

Below are some images of the evening:

Images of the show

Red Carpet moment :)

Until we meet again

xxx