Portfolio

[Lisa]

Bonjour!

I'm busy with my portfolio for the Antwerp Acadamy and i am having some serious doubts with some of the "designs"...( i prefer the term ideas).

I chose to make a workbook, like the students make every year for their collections. My portfolio is about insects, the contrast between the beautiful, fragile wings and webs, sheer, leightweighted materials, cocons, iridiscent colours and the more creepy part, the chitin, the structure of the "shield" (dunno if you call the back of a bug "shield"), the matte, dirty, humid, awkward flexibility -> pill bug.

I love the architectonical skills of nature, so i really enjoy making this portfolio. On the other hand, it is quiet difficult to stay the course without being pushed in a wrong direction.
Creepy insects may sound a bit goth-s/m-strong-linear... but for me it is a sensual quietness, full of subdued beauty.

I got 60 hours to go, and the time running away forces me to stop overthinking everything a thousand times and asking myself if it still feels good and true.
But without rethinking, the being-pushed part feels so dominant. I think thats the big difference for everything.
Being pushed in a direction kind of against your (true) will or being drawn in a direction due to this tiny little subconcious thing in you that feels attracted by a certain material, sound, smell, emotion,...

I'm young, im not yet that strong and not yet that much myself to translate this subconcious attraction in to pictures, ready to show to someone else, without rethinking sometimes and asking myself if i'm still on my course, or if i'm just a train, following the rails.


Just had to share my thoughts and doubts. I think this is one of the places, where someone could understand.

[Aleks]

The things I would do to be in your place!
It's at least 2 years before I could feasibly look into going there.

[Lisa]

Oh, Aleks, i think i might have been a bit unclear. I'm not making a workbook, i'm making a portfolio for the entrance exams.
So, you might as well be in my place, as anyone else :)

Are you planning to study at the Acadamy? If you do, you should check out the open campus day and the fashion show!

PS: Sorry, my english is a bit rusty.

[Grazzesto]

Ah, insects. I drew a lot of inspiration from our creepy crawly friends when I had first entered FIDM, and even though I'm not currently still at the school they still hold a high point in my inspirations.

One of my favorite sites is that of model/designer/artist Tane Andrews, who did some pretty interesting drawings based on life and death through the bugs eyes; Here. But the best inspirations you can get for this field is nature, so I would suggest getting out there and really inspecting the bug world around you, nothing is more fun than adventuring!

Best of luck to you, I'm sure you'll do well.

[Faust]

Well, Lisa, you are strong enough to share your doubts here, so that's a good sign already.

Your portfolio sounds interesting. Insects can be light, beautiful and harmless (butterflys) and heavy, ugly, and sinister (spiders), so it could go either way - it doesn't have to be gothy. I think you have great potential here to show tension, the light and the dark side, or maybe even a progression from light to dark, from innocence to menace, etc.

[Who?]

Lisa, the insect discussion instantly reminded of a comparison on TFS from Runner, where he used stag Beatles to describe Lang, Poell and Raf:

a summer vacation post:
when I see these creatures I think of these designers somehow (tailoring and texture-wise)
even if it's just me.

helmut lang






carol christian poell



raf simons

[alex.a]

i just personnally think if you want to translate something into clothes you have to stop thinking about the object as an object but as a gathering of ideas...if you understand what i mean by that( sorry couldnt find the word)

so for insects as an exemple:

1-they have a hard shell ( harder more structured upper layer)
2-fragile shiny wings (techno kind of fabric or sheer wrinkled fabric under)
3-they usually have small legs ( slim legs or arm or both )
4- sometimes exagerated parts, like horn or big head (bigger collar ,bigger shoulders or anything)
5-etc

so you can make some garnement that looks like shells, armor, something relly structured worn over something sheer that represents wings of the insect or just another garnement that looks more soft. you can also try and make some bigger bodies and slim legs and arm to your garnements... thats just my thought i'm not saying i know how to do it thats just the way i think you should get your inspiration

[Lisa]

Just a quick update:

I don't think i made it through the entrance exams. In about two and a half hours i'll know more.

I'll write again, when i'm back in my regular rhythm and state of mind.
I'm pretty upset because everything went wrong at the So i'm in bad need for pizza and tv. And maybe some sale-shopping.
Veronique

[munch]

get some ice cream while you're at it, there's nothing better than ice cream after pizza and beer