Portfolio: EMP - Elizabeth O'Brien

Extended Major Project

For my EMP I decided that I should create a collection that not only shows what I can do, but also is a reflection of myself at this current time of my life.

There are two sides to my persona that are very different; one side is strong, dominant, sexy and independent, the clothes are sleek, tight and sensuous, it is the fiesty side that will stop at nothing to get what I want. However, at the other end of the scale is my more feminine side that loves floaty fabrics, delicate details and sparkly gems, here lies the essence of innocence, fragility and the desire to be protected, the classic stereotype of what a woman used to be.

My research was based on dance and the history behind different forms, many of which had links to African slavery or Gypsy exile from india and all except ballet stemming from poverty and pain.

To summarise what I have learnt from the past two years of my course, fabric manipulation was a core element to the designs, I felt that elaborate details such as beading and shibore would provide an ironic contradiction to the poverty however, it would also compliment dance styles such as Belly dancing, where the dancer carried her life on a belt in case a quick getaway was required.

My final collection which is an all white luxury boudoir lingerie and lounge wear collection, reflects my personality and brings an innocence and fragility to the burlesque influence. The white colour was intended to make the collection more feminine as well as highlight the slavery and negative aspects in an ironic way.

My project as a whole reflects many of my skills, from computer work to illustrating and construction as well as my transferable skills such as organisation.

The collection looks a little bridal, which was not my intention but, being all white, it makes it easy to picture the collection in different colour combinations. I am not saying that looking bridal is a negative thing; my collection is intended as boudoir lingerie and the first night of marraige is a perfect example of when the items might be worn.

(Note: none of these photos have been photoshopped.)

Below: Two examples of final illustration boards with flats.

Below: Illustrations, I did not use these as my final illustration boards because I wanted the boards to fit together but not every illustration looked good in the same style.

Below: Collection Board.

Below: Book pages, with my pen illustrations of Dita Von Teese and a soft pastel illustration of a burlesque dancer.

Below: 2 pages of Flamenco inspiration. The set of moving images below beautifully illustrate how the costume assists the dancer, I really love images like this. Also shown is a set by Myla - whom always have interesting pieces. The Photoshoot was one of my favourites, from 'You' magazine, it really captures the passion of Andalucia - where Flamenco developed to how we know it today.

One of the Dances I reseached for my project was Ballet, it is so different in origins from most other dances. The project really instilled a passion and appreciation for all dances.

Below: A page from my book that depicts Dita Von Teese - a lady I admire for her vintage style and tradition. I like to create pages that have a design, sample and images of inspiration, so the link is clear.

Below: Title/ mood board, This board embodies the passion, femininity, and movement of the collection.

Below: At the beginning of the project I had the idea of making handbags that incorporated the fabric manipulation techniques on the garments it is carried with. Below are some examples that I made to show my Idea. Weaving, french knitted ribbon, fringing and beading.

Below: During the summer before year three, I pattern made and produced various different garments in a variety of fabrics, then fitted them to the manequin to see how the patterns compared in each fabric. This was to prepare me for making my lingerie collection. I gained experience of working with different trimmings and fabrics as well as a set of basic patterns to work from.