Art vs. Utility

Here, the Pringle of Scotland collection almost reminds us of walking canvases of art being painted on. Not only is this prominent in the clothing but also the design of the runway. Notice how the brush strokes in the floor resembles those on the apparel. A simple design with just a touch of art can make the collection appear more mesmerizing. That there is more that the designer wanted to tell us. It's another step to expression. In this collection, we see that though art is being used, it's not over-used and still works as a functional piece of of work.

In Versace's collection, very detailed graphics are printed on fabrics for the gowns. This shows how each little artwork can build up to form a finished look to an attire. This is a great example of being able to express art forms in fashion while making it wearable.

Here, art is used in it's most basic form; the use of geometric shapes. Geometric shapes are used to form patterns for the fabrics. Also, the choice of color is very well chosen in this collection. Overall, all designers are able to mix art and utilize it to make a functional piece of apparel. In the end, we see that art cannot be avoided when it comes to fashion. The need for creativity in art and fashion are equally used.

My Designs

Fashion Design Competition: During my senior year, I competed in a fashion design competition for the FCCLA Star Events program. I had to work from flat patterns but wanted to make it unique and something of my own. So my idea was to design a sportswear outfit but for the twist, I wanted to make the outfit suitable for the spring and summer season. In doing so, I decided to make a quarter length sleeve jacket with bermuda shorts. Since this is for the spring and summer season, I wanted to use a red pinstripe pattern for my fabrics. Many techniques were required and it was quite a challenge (especially those in the jacket). I sketched the outfit and also made a pair of earrings to go along. The Outcome of the Competition: I competed in the States level at the Greensboro Convention Center and won the gold medal and trophe and was advanced to the Nationals level. I was invited to attend the Nationals level taken place in Orlando, Florida. Finally, in the Nationals level, I was satisfied to complete the competition with another gold medal. To know that you're competing with everyone from every state was quite nerve wrecking but the whole experience was worth while. Here's the link to the website for the FCCLA program and competitions: http://www.fcclainc.org/content/star-events/ Prom Dress: This has to be one of the most difficult design I've made because for this outfit, I had to come up with the entire idea myself and draft it. This means that I'm starting this outfit from scratch. For a high school student who has only taken 2 apparel courses, it was quite a challenge. When designing this outfit, I knew I wanted something that was flattering for my body and the movement of the fabric had to be a resemblance to those of a chiffon material. Also, at the time, bows were the big thing so I thought that it would be a neat idea to include that in the dress. So with this idea in mind, I did a couple of sketches and came up with my final decision. I can't seem to find a picture of my sketch but below is the final product.