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Line up for graduate fashion week selection. 

I have updated my garments so that they look exactly the same, as well as rearranging the order of which they will go in due to what garments i wanted on a person and what ones i wanted on a mannequin. On this line up i am having outfit 1, 3 and 5 as i felt these would look best on a model. 

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My coat for outfit 3 has had some problems with it, where the left hand side isn’t sitting properly. I unpicked up until the collar point as to where it was going weird thinking i would then be able to figure out how to sort this out, after a discussion with technical support we decided to sew this back up and try to sort this out using steam on the presser. Surprising this managed to help a sufficient amount leaving it barely sitting weird anymore, I was able to steam it into position however it may need a small part taken out of the facing/front seam to straighten the edge off. Overall, the coat looks much better and I'm a lot happier with it. I feel that once that is completely sorted i will be able to hem the garment and finish off correctly. I have spent today sorting out lengths of garments, tacking things into place and finishing things off in preparation for graduate fashion week selection tomorrow. I am feeling extremely nervous for this however do feel prepared enough for it so hopefully this will go ok. I am definitely feeling more confident within my collection as a lot has been finished within the past week meaning things are coming together and actually started to look like a collection. 

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Portfolio development - I only have a few more pages of portfolio work that needs to be done to make up my 40 pages. I have created three projects which is my main collection, burberry and topshop. I feel they all show a wide range of ideas and aesthetics/ styles. I need to create my design development pages for my competitions and then i think i have finished. However, i may then want to go back and edit some pages down so that only my best work is submitted, i also wanted to show more unique drawing/collage ideas.. therefore may remove a spec page and add these in instead. As my portfolio is filled with loads of spec pages i feel i could go back and edit some of the less interesting ones out. 

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I spent yesterday completing outfit 5 shirt, I needed to sort the zipper out as well as add patch pockets. The shirt looks complete now and is working really well, i’ve tried it on myself and the overall fit is successful, the way it hangs off the body gives it a really good side profile and i find the pockets finished it off nicely. I have now also hemmed both of my dresses, sleeves on my jacket and bottom of my trousers. Today i plan to add the pockets to my jacket, however i am uncertain what design of pocket i want. I am torn between creating a 3D pocket (like on my jumpsuit) or whether to have a classic pocket with flap, i don't know whether bringing in another pocket would be too much but then again i don't want it to look repetitive. I may sample both of these and then decide as it will also depend on the fabric and how it is going to work. I need to update my line up and order for Tuesday for selection day, as i think i have now decided which to have on mannequins and which on people. I definitely want to show my jumpsuit on someone due to the unusual fabric, as i think you need to see how that works on a person. I also want to show my asymmetrical collared long grey coat as this sits much better on a person, along side outfit 5 skirt and shirt. I feel these three outfits sit better on a body due to the different fabrics and size of them. Hopefully my others will still look good on a mannequin and show off my collection well. 

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I’ve had a really productive day today, working non stop at university to try to get as much done as possible as it’s finally kicking in how little time is left to finish everything. I toiled and made in final my skirt for outfit 5, i have gone for a basic boxy skirt as this was the best style that fits in with my collection, especially the white top that is going with it. The blue and white work really well together. I didn’t plan on getting this skirt completely finished today but because i was working extra hard I've managed to complete the zip and finishings apart from the hem as i don't know how long i want it to be. I am really pleased with how much progress i have made today as i also managed to finish off some binding on other garments as well as starting the collar on my jacket for outfit 6. As i’ve got the main shell of my jacket for outfit 6 complete I feel this is my favourite garment I've created, the colour of fabric, storm flaps (raw edge) and boxy fit are what makes it so successful in my eyes. Even though its only the shell together i can already tell it is my best in my opinion. The fabric has been amazing to work with as it will do exactly what you want it to, with no problems to figure out (like all of my other difficult fabrics). Tomorrow i plan to figure out the lengths of my garments and start cutting them shorter, and hemming them to start the finishing for Tuesday (graduate fashion week selection). I feel that a lot of my garments need to be finished to look their best, therefore want to get as much done as i possibly can. Now all of my garments are cut out with shells together i can focus on the finishing stage and hope that everything comes together rather quickly. 

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Today I've been working on my white shirt for outfit 5, I needed to finish this by adding my concealed zip, facings and pockets. I add the facing really quick however the zip has taken me ages to try sort out, due to the decorative seam on the back seam it has made it really difficult - almost impossible to put zip into it. I’m still not certain i will be able to make this work and sit properly, however i cannot unpick the seam as the fabric leaves holes in when pinning and sewing. As i’ve been working on this for a while I'm finding it difficult to concentrate and figure out how to overcome the problem, I feel that i need to look at it with a fresh look tomorrow. I have my first year tomorrow and plan to toile and make my final skirt for outfit 5, as its going to be a basic skirt i think i would be able to create this fairly quickly, even if i can toile and get shell together tomorrow would be great. Once this skirt is in progress i have finally started all of my garments which means just finishings off such as hemming, top-stitching, adding pockets etc. These tasks will also take me a while therefore i want to make sure i have the time to do all of these. Starting to panic in regards to having enough time to finish everything, but also know that i just need to do this step by step and try not to worry as this will hold me back in the long run. 

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Today i’ve been working on my portfolio pages ready to hand in tomorrow for press preview, i’ve selected my best pages within my main collection and topshop competition, as i hadn't finished burberry i wasn’t able to include this which is a shame as i now feel this is stronger than my topshop. I need to add fabric swatches to my boards and then they will be complete. Now i have printed these i have noticed areas of my boards that i feel i can improve upon,  I feel that i want to add side view specification drawings to my boards, i have done this on some however not on all of them which i feel would improve them a lot. I have also spent today cutting out my jacket for outfit 1, and have planned my finishings and fusing on the garment which i will undertake tomorrow. By the end of this week i want to have the main shell of this jacket completed, along side my skirt and other jacket ready to make if time i would like to have one of these at least cut out. Leaving me with production of the jackets and skirt next week along side any finishings. I want to have all of my garments pretty much completed by graduate fashion week selection. 

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Tonight i have been finishing my line up for my Burberry competition within my sketchbook. I am really pleased with the outcome of my lineup due to the design aesthetic, colour pallet and style of illustration. The colours used within this line up are my ideal colour pallet, the colours and silhouettes that i would always shop for myself. I’ve found the brief to this competition really easy to follow as it was all about creating your own brand and signature style, as i know exactly what i want i was able to complete this fairly quickly in comparison to other briefs. I did take certain parts of inspiration from my collection as when designing my collection i also kept my own design aesthetic within that. This meant i could take key shapes and ideas and develop them further into this competition. There was an option to include print within this brief however i feel that that isn’t relevant to my design ideas therefore i have left this out, which i feel has worked out for the better as i was still able to create a successful collection. If i was to develop this i would possibly add a brighter colour to my colour pallet that was more out of my comfort zone, something i wouldn't normally go for as i always find this an interesting aspect to include. Once i have developed my boards for this project a majority of my portfolio will be complete, minus a few development pages for collection. It seems that my portfolio is almost there, meaning i will be able to focus purely on my collection and production side of things. Overall, i feel I've had a productive day and completed a lot of things that i needed to. 

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Today i had my styling tutorial where we discussed shoes and accessories. The shoes I am having for my collection are Adidas white elastic cross trainers. I’ve decided to go for a trainer as i felt this was the shoe style that suited collectively all of my outfits. I found some shoes that would work well with some outfits but no so much others, therefore i continued researching to find something that would work amongst everything. I also feel that i want to include bags however research of this at this stage is very basic, the idea of maybe a back pack or oversized bag would work well however this is to be developed. My tutorial went well today, however i’ve not made much progress since last week i feel that i am taking a step in the right direction in regards to knowing exactly what i need to complete next and how i am going to do it. Today i have spent the day working on my jacket for outfit 1 which has been toiled and reworked within resizing silhouette to match my other coats a bit more in size, as well as reworking the shape of collar and ensuring everything is going to match well. As the fabric is quite thin for a jacket i am going to fuse parts of it and use binding to finish it off (so that it matches the finishings on other garments). I am slightly worried about this jacket as i feel the fabric isn’t very jacket like, which makes me think its not going to sit properly as well as working collectively in my collection. Hopefully the fusing will help structure it. Another key point that was made was to shorten the exaggerated length of my jacket in outfit 6, as we felt this looked too low in comparison to other outfits. This meant you would see more of the dress underneath that would work well however i love the fabric of the jacket which means using less of that, its a shame i cant bring this fabric in somewhere else as everything else is now cut out or in progress. 

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I've started sketching for my Burberry competition within my portfolio. The brief is based around creating your own brand, therefore i am designing exactly what i want to, including my design aesthetic and ideal colour pallets. This is a drawing in progress, therefore there has been no colour added yet so there isn’t the full effect of the design. However, i am currently fairly happy with my design. I feel that i have shown my design aesthetic through my style of drawing, especially how i have drawn the persons face and body. I want my rough sketch drawing aesthetic to show through on this competition as i feel this is something that my portfolio lacks yet my sketchbooks are filled with. Areas for development would be to possibly play around with changing the colour of the person so that the outline isn’t just black, this would bring a new aspect to my line up in comparison to my other line ups. Another way of making sure my portfolio shows diversity. 

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Today i’ve looked into the styling aspects within my collection so that i am prepared for my styling tutorial next week. I think i have found the shoes that i want within my collection, they are a white adidas trainer with elastic shoe detailing. I feel that a white trainer would work well within my collection however I'm not sure that the sole of the shoe is showing that much of a statement, if the sole was bigger they would work a lot better. However, after hunting the internet these are the best shoes i have found so far, i have ordered a pair to see what they are like, and will decide next week on whether or not they will work successfully with my collection. I am also looking into bags and accessories for my collection, i thought that a minimal backpack or tote style bag could work well and have started my research into these. There is also the option of making my own bags but that would depend on my time management. I like this back pack as its got structure to it, as well as keeping in with my colour pallet.   

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Today I have focused on figuring out my design for my skirt on outfit 5. This is a skirt that i felt needed more development as it wasn’t quite working the same as the rest of my collection. I wanted to use the same sort of silhouette from my asymmetrical dress but turn it into a skirt with two different layers at different lengths with top-stitch and panel detailing throughout. This took me a while to sort out what design i was going to go for, and then i started pattern cutting this. I will toile this tomorrow to see how it’s working and make any developments that i need to to re-toile and then make it final by next week (or at least have the shell together). I have also been working on my top and jacket for outfit 1. I am hoping by next week that i will have the shells for all garments apart from my jacket for outfit 6 which will need working on. 

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Today i’ve been working on a top that will be going underneath my jacket for outfit 1. This is a basic top that you will only see a tiny piece of the neckline on however the fabric should hopefully lift the outfit and make it seem a bit brighter as at the moment it is quite a dark outfit in comparison to others. Currently i am not overly pleased with my collection as a whole, a lot of my garments are unfinished and have slight problems with each of them that need adapting slightly. My aim for the week is to get these problems sorted as well as completing this new top and my jacket to go with it which i haven’t get toiled or got patterns for. This is an aspect that i definitely need help with due to the collar detailing and tailoring aspects. I am really starting to worry about getting my work done it time for deadline due to still having 3 garments untouched within toiling and pattern cutting. This means i have 3 weeks to complete 3 outfits along side finishing my portfolio and back up work. I am going to stay up tonight to hopefully complete my topshop competition so that part of my portfolio is complete. Once i get my portfolio complete i can focus on my garments more in the evenings as well as the day. My time management is extremely important at this late stage so i need to make sure i am sticking to the deadlines i am setting myself. 

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This is my topshop competition line up. I’ve focused on fabrics and style that i feel best suit the topshop customer muse/market. As i am a topshop customer myself i felt that i was able to design a collection that customers would purchase. The materials i’ve used are soft summer shades of pinks, blues, white and lilac. I’ve tried to use the fabrics in a unique way of laying up tulles and transparent fabrics along side more typical cottons, this definitely gives the summer look but a little different. The style of illustration is something a bit different to what i would normally design, which in a way has been quite fun going out of my comfort zone with a new girly style. I found it interesting focusing on particular trends and then designing from that, instead of finding an actual concept to begin with. I have created my mood boards for this project for my portfolio however i want to create specification sheets and design development to add to the project. As its very different to my normal design aesthetic i thought it would be good to show the variation within portfolio. Overall i am fairly happy with the outcome of my lineup, however i am more happy with this page, the other page i have designed for my other 3 garments of line up isn’t as successful in my eyes. This may be due to the lack of design development, maybe i should have pushed that aspect a bit further. 

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Within the last two days i’ve been working on adapting my patterns for my shirt for outfit 5 and my trousers for outfit 1. I have now got both of these cut out and ready to start constructing tomorrow. I have also been working on my topshop project where i’ve been creating a trends moodpboard to influence my concept and ideas and started working on my line up. I need to create a 6 piece collection which i have 3 outfits for however i feel they still need some developing as i am not 100% certain with the outcome yet in relation to making my ideas show clearly enough. I wanted this collection to be really fun and something completely different to what i would normally design, out of my comfort zone which it definitely is. I aim to get this done within the next couple of days along side development pages to go into my portfolio, i find these really difficult to create so i need to make more time to do them. 

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I’m currently finding it difficult to juggle studio practice along side portfolio and back up work. I’m currently doing studio work from 9-5 every day and coming home and then getting on with portfolio, however i still feel like i am not getting enough done of each each day. I find that both of these tasks take a very long time so its hard to keep on top of them. I am extremely thorough when it comes to portfolio as i will keep working on a page until i feel it is completely right. This works against my favour a lot of the time as it won’t need the extra work put into it which is when i fall behind. I need to learn to work on portfolio quicker however I'm not sure i will ever overcome this problem. I’m currently working on the line up illustrations for my portfolio, this is a page in itself that will take longer than mood boards etc. I am trying to work my illustration styles around the brand to ensure the whole aesthetic is working along side one another perfectly. 

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First photoshoot for first final garment - oversized jumpsuit. On Monday i completed my first photoshoot that will be used on my postcard for graduate fashion week. I was quite nervous on how this was going to go due to it being my first photoshoot and maybe not knowing exactly how it was going to go. We shoot in a couple of different locations to see what would work best as well as giving me the option of choosing between them, i didn’t know what would work best with my garment therefore thought this would be the easiest way to figure it out. The locations were as follows; corrugated metal (shown above), car park and photoshoot studio. I think the corrugated metal location has worked most successfully as i feel the colours shown work really well together as well as linking into my concept and ideas. I now need to try to narrow the good photographs down to see what i actually want as my final design for my postcard.