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Fashion Styling - This was a course where I had complete creative domination. It was nice to revisit my experiences with design to be able to play around with pattern mixing and matching was a playground of possibilities. Till then, I had never considered the role of stylist to be a career option, but now, the sound of it doesn't seem too bad. It's a crazy world when it comes to styling and every assignment came with its own package of surprises.
For my very first assignment, my instructor had the class choose famous style icons and develop 20 different types of drapes using 1 garment, based on the style of the chosen icon. The name of the exercise in itself was called, "1 Garment; 10 Ways". Beginning with 20 variations of drapes, narrowing down to 10 and then combining them with other garments to showcase a range of outfits to fit the likes of the idol chosen, was the gist of the assignment. For this purpose, I decided to choose Andy Warhol - specifically the version of him during the late 60's and 70's. As for the choice of garment, I went with an indigo printed button-up kaftan that I owned. It was the biggest shirt I had owned. I knew the area of the fabric would provide me multiple draping options. Below, is the result of my efforts. Combining my garment with an overdose of black turtlenecks and horizontal stripes, along with circular glasses and leather booties - lo and behold, Andy Warhol in a chic Parisian outlook was derived.
To view complete project, click the link to access the pdf version -
Product Styling is a whole other monster that stylists conquer. With this assignment, I learned that a lot goes into taking the perfect catalog picture. This flat dresses you see that are so perfectly folded and creased to the point, aren't so easily achieved. The process behind it takes a lot of precision and patience. My relationship with the steamer and tissue was taken to a whole other level.
In this case, my class was grouped and each bunch was given a trend to study. As luck would have it, my group received the Pause trend for Spring/Summer 2017. Pause was all about the calm and serene nature of time. It was emphasized with colors of blush with highlights of a peach undertone. Elements like white marble, rose gold and copper portrayed an earthy aspect to the trend. Styles were sleek, semi-futuristic and pastel. This style was an extension of myself and my own style quotient.
Throughout the progress of this assignment, my peers and I went hunting for the perfect garments. Finally, we decided on keeping the outfit a pristine combination of a white shirt and skirt combined with metallic accessories. We threw in a ceramic hand that was taken from a mannequin to add a human element to the montage. The background was handmade and in the lines of the trend, we used a watercolor painted background with gold accents to give the whole photoshoot an "imperfection by the hand" effect. It was an attempt to bring in the natural and humane persona of Pause.
Four and a half layers of tissue and a dozen pins later, we were left with perfection - to say the least.
The final project was the perfect culmination to the end of this course. Following the lines of the previous assignment, we were formed in groups of three and this time we were given the choice to select any theme on the face of the earth, for an editorial shoot. Taking this an opportunity, I suggested we'd do something of cultural value. My group members were of a Chinese and Middle-Eastern background. As a result, our theme took the form to represent all our cultures. Chinese garments, with Indian colors expressed in a Middle Eastern fashion - the idea was personal and attention-grabbing.
We decided to take it up a notch and aimed at creating our own garments with just scarves. Taking inspiration from Steven Meisel's Print on Print Vogue Italia editorial and the artwork of Gustav Klimt, we developed a range of colors and floral prints we could use for our shoot. Naming our project, "Oriental Bloom" we directed our vision to portray a strong feminine figure disguised under a soft layer of innocence. Our model, Gianna Pope was the model of our dreams. She fit perfectly into the category we were aiming for.
Eventually, playing stylist was an entertaining experience - in combination with the inevitable stress that it came with. All in all, Oriental Bloom came to fruition!
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