What I [Designed] Wednesday: Jenny Was A Friend of Mine

Hi all! I'm so happy to be blogging again! I've been posting pictures of my collection on my social media outlets, but I have yet to discuss the collection as a whole and show a little bit more about my ideas that lead to the final looks!

Let's learn more about my collection, Jenny Was A Friend of Mine!

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Jjenny was A Friend of mine

the inspiration:

Conceptually, this collection is inspired by a shattering of “human shells,” in a way that allows one to look beyond what is portrayed on a tough exterior and go deeper to understand what makes up the mental complexities of individuals. I mixed hard and soft fabrics layered through looks in a way that shows this juxtaposition. Also, I included textured fabrics and designed some broken silhouettes that were inspired by this idea.

Stylistically, the other half of my inspiration begins with a story loosely inspired by The Killers’ song of the same title. The song itself is about a man being accused of an involvement with Jenny’s murder/disappearance, and he pleads that he is innocent, saying Jenny was a friend of mine. It is never mentioned who Jenny is, and what really happened to her. She is portrayed as a helpless victim of a crime, but is Jenny really? I was intrigued by the idea of Jenny as an enigma, thus again, wanting to know more, and crack her shell. I see Jenny as a spy who has a knack for adapting in any situation she needs to be in to get the job done. Her assignments are mostly centered on wealthy communities where she blends in by wearing sophisticated outfits that convey her mysterious demeanor, quiet confidence, and inner strength. When given an assignment, she acquaints herself with the right people and uses them to get the information she needs. When she’s finished, she stuns the few people she met by faking her own death, often leaving men pleading for their innocence to the crime, stating, “Jenny was a friend of mine…” Having a strong, mysterious female character as a muse for this collection fits with the idea of wanting to crack a hard exterior and see the subtleties that lie within. From this half, I considered sophisticated design and mixed in strong line details with a dark and earthy color palette. I also styled my models with hats that toughens the looks, and allows them to hide, as spies should.

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the collection:

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These three looks represent where I would go with a full collection. I have more illustrations in my portfolio, but perhaps I'll save that for a different time! It has been a really fun experience to come up with a line from concept to construction that is cohesive and full. I think, overall, it was a great learning experience, and I'm definitely happy with the results! I'm really excited to do it all again with a new collection next semester!

I'm also excited to start blogging again! I'll be posting 3-4 days a week, hopefully!

I also plan to have more artistic photographs that convey the collection soon! :)

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Freaky Friday - McQueen Project

I recently had an interesting project in school and I wanted to share! It was mostly practice for our upcoming competition submissions, but it was fun nonetheless!

So the brief in general was creating the next season's collection for a current designer. I chose the amazing Alexander McQueen brand for AW 2013 --- And I thought it was Freaky Friday worthy!

I invite you to read through my concept and check out my six little illustrations to convey my point! Just a little bit of me on the blog today! 

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The Concept

By choosing Alexander McQueen for this project, I knew I had a tough, but creatively fulfilling task ahead of me. After fully researching him and eternalizing his aesthetic, I wanted to keep his ideals while still being true to my own visions. McQueen often drew from his background of tailoring and interests in nature, history, romanticism, and current events. With these in mind, I was immediately drawn to a theme of “Under the Microscope.” By twisting it to a more literal take on the outrageous nature of the world’s current media outlets, I started by researching lines and shapes of organisms under the microscope. As this developed further, I had a vision of a AW 2013 runway show filled with bacterial shapes and the runway models initially blending in with these shapes with the garments they were wearing and then stepping out to the forefront for the world to see; a nod to how celebrities often want to blend in with their surroundings, but that nobody can hide under a microscope. As far as color, I wanted it to be mostly neutral with a pop of color or microscopic print. I was drawn to the recent lavender trend, so that mixed with neutrals and warm hues was my primary color story. To get the shapes I wanted, the designs were very structured so the fabrics needed to be very heavy. Vinyl became the main element used in many of the looks due to its great shaping qualities and interesting texture and look. Mixing the shine and slick feel of vinyl with the fuzz and comparable heaviness of felt seemed interesting, as well. This collection is meant to be art and can be worn for special occasion events by adventurous people, a big part of McQueen’s customer base.

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(((Yes, that is a skant in style #4! ;) I had fun with this one! )))

Which design house would you love to create a collection for??

@Anthony_Carmen

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Sunday Funday - Anthony Carmen 2010 Garments

If you're not familiar with my blogging history, then I'll catch you up to speed. Back in 2010, I started a small blog for my personal use so I could document my progress into the fashion world. I had never sewn before, and I wanted to teach myself by creating a garment a week! Though I never got to 52, I did make some decent little pieces and I thought it'd be fun to revisit them!

It's also cool to show you guys where I came from, and where I'm going with my designs!

So, without further ado, here's some vintage 2010 Anthony Carmen! ;)

Erica's Art Dress

Me in my Claw Closure Jacket

Jeni in the Turtleneck Ruffle Dress

Jeni in the Earth Kaleidoscope Dress

Jeni in her Wedding Rehearsal Dress

I really liked these garments, so I let people wear them out for fun! I had a lot of fun learning that year, and I'm really surprised that I was able to create these just starting out!

Just thought this would be a fun way for you to get to know me a little more and show you some of what I've created!

@Anthony_Carmen

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Sunday Funday - Anthony Carmen Challenge Results Week 4

It's that time of the week again! My illustrations are here! I got really amazing challenges this week, and I'm pretty happy with my designs as a reflection! Hope I didn't let you guys down!

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I loved this challenge a lot! I love the avant garde and dramatics because there really is no limit. Because it is such a broad area, I feel a designer really needs to be careful and not go completely overboard. My inspiration was clearly from the Red Planet and the idea of moving through space. I wanted to stay true to my love of structure and blocking, but still keep it interesting and creative. I'm pretty in love with this look. I like the deconstruction of a structured look, but still maintaining a fun shape. Does it read space and Mars? Not directly - but the inspiration was all there!

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This is my first challenge of this kind and I love the idea! I'm often inspired by a single fabric or color - so presenting me with swatches and saying have fun was great! This one was inspired by the colors and image of peacock feathers along with my excitement for my draping class that I'll be starting in a week! I love the idea of taking a bunch of colored fabrics and manipulating them into something beautiful. My idea sewing a bunch of fabrics together and bunching and turning them to create a structured and gorgeous shape! I think this is interesting and really pretty. Very happy with it!

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Love this challenge! So immediately when I saw garden party, I thought of an old illustration I did for some fabrics I own. I thought a fun take would be creating a menswear outfit for her pattern to attend the party with her. I started with that similar print and created a formal look. The undersized blazer is a take on a vest and blazer combo. I like the extra peek at the undershirt on the bottom - adding more color. The charcoal gray seems lighter than solid black, so I think it's a decent match - though white may have been better for the blazer with black and white pants. You live and you learn and you play!

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Hope you like these looks! And send me more for next week, as always!

Which is your favorite?

This is my first post from my phone - and it's difficult! So, I'll cut it short! :)

@Anthony_Carmen

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Sunday Funday - Anthony Carmen Challenge Results Week 3

I know I'm late, but it's still Sunday! That means, it's time for a little personal work!

So what challenges did I get this week?

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Toggle Loose Poncho, Black Side Zip Pants

Puffed Aqua Collared Shirt, Opened Black Side Zip Pants

I loved the idea of a woman leaving from Ireland to go on a little trip to Spain! So I envisioned her getting on the plane in the cold, rainy weather, and getting off to sunny skies!

I thought of the woman in a poncho, coming into the airport from the rain, with versatile pants that suited both types of weather. I think the side zip idea is fun because you can do a lot with it - stopping at the knee, you can leave the zipper anywhere in-between there and the ankle. She'll probably change when this gets to her hotel, but this is a good weather changing outfit for the travel!

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Now I have never even thought of athletic wear, so I was a little apprehensive with this one...but I like a challenge! I'm all about gaudy at the Olympics! You're there to represent your country, so I think you should really show off who you're playing for! I think white is classic and fitting for the Olympics, so I wanted to design around it. I wanted it to look cool from the side, so I decided to play with stripes on the sleeves and then put blue starred print along the side of the pant. It's classic and clean from the front, and bold and fun from the side - and I think it shows the fun and respect of the Olympics! (But I probably still won't ever think about athletic wear after this!)

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What did you think of this week's looks? What would you like me to do for next week?

As always, I'm going to beg for new challenges! Send some of your own, or ask a friend for a good one! ;)

@Anthony_Carmen

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Twofer Tuesday - Anthony Carmen Challenge Results Week 2

For Twofer Tuesday, I decided I'd give you two design challenges since I missed out on Sunday!

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Pretty fitting for Twofer Tuesday, no? I decided a tank and shorts with options. You can tie up the sleeves of the tank for summer, or take them down if it's a bit chilly. Also, the simple shorts have a draw string, so they can hit anywhere you want on the leg. I thought the pop of bold blue and lavender with muted colors and simple design might look good together.

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A gown for the red carpet? Where to start! Unsure where I thought up this design. My inspiration started when emerald popped into my head paired with red hair. I thought this was a cool take on my design aesthetic of color blocking. Golden tulle over half of an emerald dress? I kind of love this one! Cinching it in the waist allows the tulle to move without too much freedom.

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I NEED MORE DESIGN CHALLENGES!

Alright guys, send me your best! I'd like to keep doing this, so the more challenges I get, the more I can play around! Let me know if you have anything for me, please! :)

@Anthony_Carmen

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