Sunday summary #7 - A bit about being a fashion design student and my final collection :)

I thought I should probably do a blog post at some point about my final year at university so far and my final collection, seen as it's the only thing I seem to be doing nowadays! If you didn't already know, I study Fashion Design at university and I'm in my final year. From now until May, I shall be finishing my six outfit final collection, which is both super fun and super scary at the same time! Some outfits will only contain one or two garments, but some will contain three or four plus accessories so there is a lot to think about

Sketchbook work has been the bane of my life for the past three years. I have a totally love/hate relationship with sketchbooks though, I find them tedious to do but once I look back at them I actually love them! They're good for working through your projects from start to end and developing ideas though :)

I really need to invest in a proper mannequin after uni, these ones are so good as they have lines already on them for bust point, centre front etc. I'm literally working on a mannequin 24/7 nowadays too, which is really fun but stressful when the mannequins are slightly bigger than the actual model so you need to change all the sizes again!

This was an initial line-up idea for my final collection. It has been a lot more refined now and has changed loads, but I still like to look back to this and see what some of my original designs were.  My initial ideas came from India and jellyfish, not that you can see that much in these designs either, but everything moves and develops so quickly!

Pinterest quotes have been keeping me going! I go through stages of using Pinterest and at the moment I like to go on once a day for some daily pinning and lots of inspirational quotes! You can follow me here if you also have a Pinterest, but be warned I post alot ;)

I've had fun this term experimenting with textiles and other ways to design which I hadn't done before. Even just setting up an overhead projector and projecting your chosen image onto a mannequin can inspire some new ideas!

Here are some of my initial print ideas, some are more literal and some have been kaleidoscoped (if that's a word) to make them a repeat pattern and a bit more interesting. I'm still not 100% which style I like the best yet, but I do think I should only have one or the other, as the non-repeat one looks a lot more organic.

I spent a good few days creating this curved collar but I'm really happy with how it has turned out. I'm going to have a printed version of this shirt somewhere in my collection for definite as I love it, and I need to have some simplistic garments in my collection to balance out the smocking and embroidery.

Lastly, I have been experimenting with smocking different materials and draping it onto the stand. I love how this experiment has turned out, and it would look great as a top on it's own, or simply as a neck-piece. I've always loved the look of smocking techniques and the ruffles goes back to my initial research when I was looking at jellyfish tentacles.

I've literally been backwards and forwards to London sourcing fabric so many times in recent times, which is rather annoying when my hometown is 30 minutes from London and my uni town is over two hours away! But I've been enjoying choosing my final fabrics and experimenting in them, even if it is burning a hole in my pocket! I've also come across so many gorgeous fabrics that I want to make clothes in for myself when I finish uni - How gorgeous are these tartans?!

Pattern cutting day in and day out has also become a part of my daily routine. I recently invested in a pair of fabric scissors which nearly cost me £100... but they're so worth it as they feel like I'm cutting through air, and they'll last me a lifetime! My little floral apple pin holder is from my boyfriend's nanny and I love it!

I love treating myself to a fashion magazine or two at the weekend while I do some sketchbook and watch some Breaking Bad! You definitely have to chill out a bit at the weekends otherwise you'll literally go crazy.

Here is a preview of my first outfit in final fabrics. I'm sure everything will change loads as I go on, but I'm loving the high-waisted trousers so far and just need to decide on my final print :)

And last but not least, here is my favourite image to describe the past few months of my life. It literally is all fun and games until the bobbin runs out haha! There is nothing worse than sewing a garment and the bobbin running out halfway through, athough I've had it before where it ran out before I even started, and I didn't realise until I'd finished that seam... that was very annoying!

Thanks for reading :)
I hope you enjoyed a little insight into my life and a slightly different Sunday summary!

I will be updating my blog with more final collection posts as I continue my journey :)

And you can follow my instagram @floraldanielle for daily updates!

Love Dani :)

x

What's been keeping my head warm this Winter?

Up until recently, I was never a hat person, but now I can't keep them off my head! Not too long ago I made the transition from dark brown to dark blonde, and next week I'm getting it lightened again to hopefully a lighter blonde! I feel that my hats just didn't look right when my hair was brown, they almost clashed in colour, but now my hairs a bit lighter, I love the way they look!

These are the two hats that I've been absolutely loving in this cold weather. You'd think that in late February it would start to warm up a bit, but it's still all about the fur coats, turtle necks and beanie hats for me at the moment!

Ragged Priest beanie hat - £15 (but now in the sale for £6!)

Britfash Laguna black and grey bobble hat - £24.99*

I've had my Ragged Priest beanie for a while now and it's my absolute favourite thing to pop onto my head before a cold day out. I love the simplistic font and colouring. It really does go with everything and it's an easy accessory to add with any outfit. I'm kinda gutted that it's gone so cheap in the sale now, but it's definitely had enough wear out of it to warrant the £15 so I don't mind too much!

The bobble hat was sent to me by a company called Britfash this Winter. They're a new company which describe themselves as the new online destination for both established and emerging British fashion brands. When they offered to send me a new hat I knew it would have to be this one! I had been on the lookout for a bobble hat for a while now as my housemate has one and it looks so cute on her! I love the simplistic black and grey colouring but I love that the bobble stands out too! Britfash are currently holding a giveaway to win this exact beanie right now, which you can enter here :)

What's been keeping your head warm this Winter?

Do you have an all-time favourite hat?
Love Dani :)

x