Author Archives: Aimee

Research & Communication Skills Task 11&12

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Through completing the Research and Communication Skills tasks, I have become more knowledgeable in the academic realms of fashion and design. There were some tasks in the module which I found notably more difficult to write yet these in the end rewarded me with knowledge and a newfound understanding. Particularly tasks 7 and 8 as the text which we were to analyse was written in a style less natural to me. It was helpful to study the text with another person, also use a dictionary to allow me to understand new vocabulary and later respond accordingly.

The most interesting study for me was task 10, learning about ethics, because it was here I realised the affects of advertising on society. For example, the violent ideas conveyed by the Duncan Quinn advert can negatively influence younger generations as well as cause women and men to feel disgusted and demoralized. Knowing this, I am more aware of advertising, paying attention to the message the advert is trying to convey and thinking about the ways this is done. Tasks 1 and 2 felt simple for me to complete and I learnt to select a range of sources related to my study without using the internet. I found this rewarding as a woman who is part of a ‘digital generation’ and although library research seemed like a chore, it sparked creativity and enticed me to explore a variety of interesting books I wouldn’t have otherwise.

A difficulty I had during this module was concerning constructing essays, expressing my thoughts and ideas in a text format was a challenge. Editing my work was necessary and occasionally I would ask someone to proofread my work to check readability and clarity. I have learnt throughout the module some personal skills in writing by noticing how I could improve my written communication.

In task 5, I was required to arrange a mood board of inspirations related to a chosen designer. I found this challenging due to the lack of specific information available on designers websites and instead resorted to finding generalised images on themes mentioned in interviews with the designers (such as ‘moth wings’ inspiring Rodarte’s collection which I found an internet image for). This task was helpful in my understanding of the creative processes of designers and encouraged me to take inspiration from a variety of sources (films, books, poems, music, environments etc) and combine these to form a style and concept unique to me. Learning about the conflict between designers and artists was useful to me as a young designer, I now have an underpinned knowledge of how history has formed the status of fashion as well as the hidden psychology and cultural importance of clothing. This has shaped my new-forming identity because I understand how the work I produce will contribute to the fashion world; whether it be an artistic garment or a functional everyday outfit.

To conclude, I have found the module a key factor in my growing knowledge of fashion. To get the best out of this module with short contact time, I was independent and made use of resources; however in future with a better understanding of time management, I would be sure to set aside more time for the tasks around my practical projects as I struggled to complete work to my highest standard in the time I allowed.

Research & Communication Task 7&8

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In ‘Fashion as Communication’, Bernard explores the ambivalent status of fashion, drawing on a range of ideas. Chapter one explains how social and cultural groups in western capitalist societies are affirmed by fashionable clothing which connotates power and status; and furthermore the contrast of this with primitive societies where fashion is used so differently as a means of identifying with eachother and one’s culture. The important debate on the triviality of fashion, is supported by interesting concepts, for example how fashion gives the ‘neutral’ and pure human body, meaning; and contrastingly, how this can make people respond how they should not by presenting the body as something that it is not. The writer explains how fashion is therefore a meeting point within the realms of psychology, sociology, economics, anthropology and history, forming the ties on a culture as a base for stabilising economy.

Regarding this debate, reading from ‘Fashion Media’ about the role of fashion magazines, Miller explains ‘the magazines’ distinguished readership were told how to dress, how to furnish their elegant interiors and how to entertain’. This realises how fashion is not limited to the way we dress, but forms the basis of our social society. Ideas of class and power communicated by fashion through taste, decoration and luxury. Furthermore, when speaking with friends, it was suggested that because of the visual age we now live in, fashion is a way for people ‘to express themselves instantly’, and this I agree with especially as there are so many accessible blogs which combine fashion with lifestyle and interior decoration.

Although Bernard presents us with a plethora of theories to ponder, I feel that some of these are notably less relevant; particularly the statement that fashion is for women and is ‘sublime and childlike’. I think Bernard failed to explain how this came about by noting how the expectations of women in the past was to be seen and not heard, therefore leaving them with only one way of expressing themselves which was through dress. Bernard also says ‘genius is found more often in the realms of art than design’, which i believe is untrue. It is fair to say, that fashion is an art form which is limited to, yet equally inspired by the forms of the pure and natural human form. It would be unfair to say that a painting holds a stronger and more ‘gutsy’ concept than a garment design because I feel that it is the designer and artist who should be contemplated along with their ideas and expression, not the products of their creativity.

Fashion as Communication’ to me, is an interesting collection of ideas and theories of the role of fashion. However I feel that the writer has perhaps unfairly filtered his collection of concepts, failing to address the debate with appropriate and more modern fundamental ideas even with the book being published not long ago. Of course, much like fashion itself, the ideas within this book are down to interpretation and each reader will gather from the text differently.

References:

Bartlett, Djurdja and Cole, Shaun and Rocamora, Agnes (21st November 2013) Fashion Media: Past and Present, Bloomsbury Academic, London/New York, ISBN 978-0-8578-5307-3.30

Barnard, Malcolm (2002) Fashion as Communication,
London: Routledge

Research & Communication Skills Task 9&10

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This advertisement from Duncan Quinn presents us with the violent image of a woman wearing provocative lingerie and being strangled by a smug looking man using a necktie, across the bonnet of a car. The image, surprisingly is an advert for a 2008 suit collection and, judging by the image, it is trying to portray a brand of male dominance, but has taken this beyond what is considered ethical. The violent characteristics suggested of the man are not only inappropriate but extremely sexist and suggestive of female inferiority; advertising suits to men with desires of power both sexually and commercially. Any person reading the ‘about’ section of Duncan Quinn’s website would likely say that the description of Quinn is not far from the man in the advert: ‘He’s also been known to throw the occasional party, indulge in the odd cheeky lunch, drive too fast and enjoy life just a little too much in the company of his friends.’ This sounds like the stereotypical ‘womanizer’ characteristics and confirms the concepts suggested in the advert.

The advertising techniques used here, play on the male subconscious desires of power and brainwash men into believing that this violence they see is ‘acceptable’. This is damaging to viewers and has societal consequences surrounding sexism and the ways in which woman are victimised. Furthermore, the demoralizing effect of this advert makes women feel objectified, as if it is normal to be seen only for their body and be a faceless ‘object’, violated by men. It is troubling for this gesture to be made and this has the potential to cause major issues within the development of society; not only by making women feel disgusted and degraded but also damaging progress made in modern society around gender equality. I think it is also important to remember the effects this has on men who could feel offended by the campaign expressing the idea that men are violent and sexist. A respectful and moral man would not want to be associated with such a campaign doing the opposite of promoting the brand.

The advert also suggests to young, impressionable viewers that violence and victimising women is a way to gain power; this consequently has a damaging effect on younger generations whose morals are effected by influences they are exposed to. Also, with legality in mind, advertisement rules from the ASA read that ‘Marketing communications must not contain anything that is likely to cause serious or widespread offence. Particular care must be taken to avoid causing offence on the grounds of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability or age.’. This advertisement is offensive to both religion and gender. Inappropriate themes in this advert are not needed to sell a product, there are endless possibilities of ways in which this advert could be much more appropriate, successful and classy without depicting such disrespectful and damaging imagery.

 

 

References:

Duncan Quin (2014) About. Available from:  http://duncanquinn.com/about/ [Accessed 30 November 2017]

ASA and CAP (2017) CAP Code 04 Harm and Offence. Available from: https://www.asa.org.uk/type/non_broadcast/code_section/04.html [Accessed 30 November 2017]

 

The-Godfather-Poster

This is the original film poster for ‘The Godfather’ produced in 1972. The poster depicts a sinister looking face of the main protagonist in the film (actor Marlon Brando) who is captured emerging from the darkness as a chiaroscuro lighting effect highlights the form of his emotionless face.

Within the poster there is a simple yet effective use of composition which makes the poster bold and pleasing to the eye. The actor’s face is on a ‘power point’ towards the top left of the poster, which makes it stand out as the focal point. The face is also met by a leading line as we follow the white tuxedo to the quote below which reads “I’m gonna make him an offer he can’t refuse”. Having this specific quote (anchor) on the film poster, makes an impact on the viewer as a sense of mystery and danger is conveyed.

The sinister looking face of the actor, whose eyes have been blackened to invisible, reinforces the sense of danger within the quote below and captures the viewer’s eye. Using a strong contrast of black and white there is a suggestion of symbolism of contrasting themes such as that between heroes and villains. The actor is wearing a tuxedo which is often a classic signification of a ‘film noir’ and the darkness within the poster enforces this. There is little colour in the poster, only the red of the rose which in this context subconsciously suggests feelings of danger and possibly blood therefore violence within the film.

Overall, the film poster is successful in communicating the target audience to the viewer which is the adult male, this is due to the boldness and sense of danger and violence as well as the featured actor being an older male. The poster fits in well with other ‘film noir’ posters produced around this time and is a classic example of these with muted or absent colours and the use of chiaroscuro lighting to convey a sense of danger, appealing well to its target audience.

 

Research & Communication Skills Task 3&4

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1

Bolton, Andrew (2011) Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty, New York:  Metropolitan Museum of Art

2

New York Post (2010) End of the Line, New York Post, 10th February, 4-5.

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Alexander McQueen Trading Limited (2017) Alexander McQueen. Available from: http://www.alexandermcqueen.com/gb [Accessed on 19th October 2017]

I chose to reference these sources because not only are they undoubtedly relevant and of interest within the world of fashion but they are each closely linked, stemming from a hard-hitting and important newspaper article, notifying the world of the death of British fashion designer Alexander McQueen. The book ‘Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty’ was of course hugely inspirational to me when I first discovered the work of McQueen when studying fashion in school, and visited the Savage Beauty exhibition in London. It is for this reason also that I chose this theme for my sources.

When searching for a news paper article within the theme of Alexander McQueen, the availability of coverage on the news of McQueen’s suicide was of course wide and its popularity allowed me to easily access lots of information and subsequently many other related sources in different formats. These sources were in the form of various websites, articles, products, books etc, relating to McQueen and his life, career, shows and of course his successful and widely popular fashion design label. The sources I found were relatively easy to find references for as they are so popular and therefore well covered by the media; the official website for Alexander McQueen’s design label was easy to locate and navigate through.

 

Research & Communication Skills Task 1&2

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1c Capture

I began my research by selecting a secondary source, a book from the library, which caught my attention. The book ‘Victorian Lace’ was written by Patricia Wardle and published in 1968 as part of a collector series. I was immediately inspired by the delicate floral lace patterns on the cover, so opened the book to select an image of a Victorian wedding dress which was trimmed with machine made lace made in 1884 (image 1a). To find a related object of a primary source I searched online for ‘Victorian lace’, however this gave me website pages for purchasing this style of lace and no details on the original production methods or characteristics of this material. Instead, I decided to change my search to ‘Victorian wedding dresses’ however this did not give me much information on the dresses themselves but more to do with the history of Victorian wedding ceremonies. Finally my search on ‘Victorian lace machine’ successfully linked me to an informative textiles website (http://www.dressandtextilespecialists.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Lace-Booklet.pdf) which held details of how to identify handmade and machine laces and also had some interesting pictures of textiles including a machine made lace sample from 1870-1880 (image 1b), the type which would have been used in the wedding dress I had found in the book, and provided some details on this. This website source was produced for The Museum of Costume and Textiles in Nottingham in collaboration with the V&A.

To find an archive to broaden my understanding of the dress and lace, I read further into the original book and noted where the dress was kept, then visited the website for Manchester Art Gallery (http://manchesterartgallery.org/collections/search/collection/?id=1947.4163) and found the dress listed on their site. The website gave me further information on measurements and construction methods of the wedding dress and also had some historical context and a higher resolution image which allowed me to see the details more clearly (image 1c).

Overall, I found the internet to be the most suitable place to find more detailed information; not only because using the internet is the most familiar way of researching for me, but also because by searching through such a broad area of information I could easily access what I needed to know and tailor my searches by specifying my search criteria. I did however find that the books in the library were more suitable for finding original inspiration and easily accessing details of interesting objects and artifacts together with information. I felt more involved and satisfied in this physical process of searching for inspiration in the yellowing pages of worn books than sat behind a computer screen with no inspiration around me to begin any creative process.