Optical Mixing
I found this cool water color illustration by Kathryn Elyse Rodgers and I used colored pencils to give the same look with pointillism. She is a great fashion illustrator. I have yet to take any fashion sketching or illustration courses and I can’t wait to develop my own style of illustrating further. Check her out!
Bowties, Guys, and Dyes Oh My !
I made a bowtie not too long ago for a quick photo shoot. My friend saw them and fell in love. He requested I make him a couple colored ones, so I did! He was involved with the dye process which was a memorable experience in itself.
Weapons of Choice
Colored Pencil on Black Stonhenge 20in x 30in
I used my favorite medium to draw this still life of random things.
Outfit Post: Early Spring Prints
My obsession with mixed prints is quite evident in my outfits, room, sketchbook, portfolio, closet, tumblr… yea, I pretty much mix them in any way possible. I also experimented with two new nail colors this week, a black from OPI and a silver from Sally Hansen ! I love the result. I’ve been trying different variations of color with this “drip technique” every week and I plan to continue. Why not ?!
Knitwear – Craig Lawrence
After I graduate from SCAD I am thinking about pursuing an MA in either knitwear or menswear at Central Saint Martins in London. I found an inspiring video on designer Craig Lawrence’s process of making a jacket from knitted circles. I was a little disappointed to see everything being machine knitted since I am extremely fond of hand knitting, but of course this method is much quicker and much more efficient. Check out those sketches behind him on the walls. A fusion of menswear, womenswear and knitwear ! Enjoy.
Genocide to Genesis
I created a menswear collection for A/W 2012. The theme is centered around the way homosexuality is viewed by society and more specifically Christians. The mood board depicts a segment of a scene from Dante’s Inferno where William Bouguereau painted two men fighting for eternity in hell because they were condemned for the sin of wrath. With research done on Proposition 8, bible verses and several views from various people I decided upon these colors and fabrics. Reds and oranges are paired with neutral tones to show the eternal life in Hell that a group of Christian protestors seemed to believe would result in homosexuality. Distressed leathers, burned openwork knits, twills, dupioni silks and gabardines make up the bulk of the fabrics. The illustrations show what many people believe to make up a same sex relationship – a “feminine” male and a “masculine” male while still keeping both types manly.
Fear
Using yarn, leather cord, suede trim, and twine I created four weave structures – herringbone, satin, twill and plain (consecutively). The mood board was inspired by a fear of death that I realized many people have after a lengthy conversation with a group of strangers at a local cafe. If you’re wondering, I don’t fear death but I do get uneasy when I think of the ways I may die.
Dyed Clutch
film photography by Victoria McDaniel
I wanted to make a minimalistic bag so I crocheted this clutch and dip-dyed it in a dark brown dye. The bowtie in the photograph is also one of my designs. I will post a better photo of it within the next few weeks.
Thoughts on Menswear
Mom’s Friend: Why are you interested in menswear. Everything seems so…
Me: …mundane?
Mom’s Friend: Yes, that is the perfect word for it. Everything seems the same.
A lot of people feel this way. Menswear can be ordinary and undistinguished but I find beauty in something that people feel is constantly quite regular. It leaves room to design the unexpected. The fact that menswear is essentially classic pieces is lovely. Pieces like blazers, trousers and button-ups are sort of like blank canvases. A designer is able to use these key elements of a man’s wardrobe and expand on them. They sort of become building blocks for an intriguing collection. From playing with prints to introducing new textures. From creating new shapes to adding unexpected details. If you are able to transform the stereotypical menswear, you can also make things that are more common which are essentially items that will be bought by the masses.
Men’s fashion is so interesting to me because it is timeless. Men are less worried about the fashionable aspect of dressing compared to women. Men want something that can sit in their closet for two years and still look stylish when they put it on. Most items in a man’s wardrobe is a classic piece. Trendy is rarely something they look for. When I create womenswear I want the same logic to be applied. I like most of the items to be wearable throughout the years but don’t get me wrong, a trendy piece can always add to the overall appearance of a look.
All in all, women are more concerned with the season’s latest trend. Men often sway toward timeless garments. If you can create pieces that can last someone a lifetime, you can create pieces forever. That is where the money is.
-Nichelle M. Singley
Brotherhood
- Pastel on Black Stonhenge 20in. x 30in.
I absolutely HATE working with pastels… they get all over the place. I put myself through a yarn still life. It’s based on a story I read about two brothers that were separated at birth and brought together during their teen years.
