Disguise - Major Project
My preliminary research began at the myth of Narcissus, which tells the cautionary tale of falling in love with ones reflection. Upon researching this myth, I unearthed responses in many different kinds, such as the work of Bill Brandt, a 1930’s surrealist photographer who distorts the female form in a way that desexualises and reinterprets femininity. I found this conceptually resonates with my own working practice. I am always gravitated towards hiding or disguising within womenswear, and how traditional clothing can be distorted to have a new narrative and challenge conventions. I am fascinated with traditional pattern making and construction, and decided to use this as the base of my collection, using commonplace garments to then distort into 3D responses from my research. I began with literal interpretations of this, such as wearing jeans as a suit jacket, or buttoning a shirt the wrong way. I have tried to replicate traditional and recognisable garments, such as jeans, a dress, a shirt, a wool coat, and a suit to show an expanse of pattern making techniques, whilst manipulating features in a way which brings them back to my own practice and design language.