Fashion: Art or Useability?

It is no surprise that Milan is known for its' fashion and making it an art form. This season it was noticeable that that Milan laid back a little and acutally had more usuable clothing than in past seasons. However, the designers were still very inventive.

I really enjoyed Versace's collection and how she used the hearts with the zippers on them. It was very different than what is normally seen, and it added a nice touch to the pieces. However, I thought that the collection was very wearable. Useablitily is important in fashion because the consumers need to feel that they can actually wear something to buy it and express themselves. Consumers need to be able to see something and see themselves in it.

However, the art aspect of fashion is just as important. Art is important for the designer to express their vision. Fashion is a way of communicating to others and sometimes it's okay to be a little bit crazy and a little bit inventive when it comes to clothing. I think Versace got to express her vision with the hearts while still being very wearable. Fendi also put on a great show, and I found that one to be more arsty as opoposed to wearable. I loved the simple belts with the hole in them so that it coudl be more transparent.

From the hair, to the make up, to the clothes, to the shoes, everything is important in creating the look the designer wants and taking their clothes and turning them into art forms.

Design: My Inspiration

A lot of time and thought goes into the process of designing just a single dress. Designers use many sources to find inspiration. They can look back historically, colors can be inspiring, and even retro fashion can be inspiring. Designers have to always be thinking about what will be the next hot thing.

I designed a nice long dress that could be worn to a special event or like a prom. I got my inspiration from the Ancient Greeks, as shown from the empire waist and the braiding. I chose to do an empire waist because since I designed this dress for myself, the empire wasit helps to emphasize the bust. I also used a sweetheart top for the same reasons. I think that the front is very flattering, and not only does the empire waist help the bust, but it helps to look leaner and taller. For the back of my design I wanted it to be a nice surprise by making it different than usual. I made the two straps from the front join to become one and connect to the braiding in the back.

I started designing this dress one day in my Tragedy, Togas, and Television class. We were discussing the book The Mask of Apollo, and I just started thinking about what the women would be wearing in that day and I just started drawing. I really love the grecian feel to most clothes anyway. My own prom dress was actually very reminiscent of a greek goddess.

When I was designing this dress, I really had to think about the knowledge I had of this era and try to match it, but also make it new to the best of my abilities.Designing this dress actually wasn't as bad as I had in mind because I am not very creative or really a designer. Doing this assignment made me realize how much work goes into designing.