FMP Week 1 || SHOES FOR ABBA

Schedule:

Day 1 - Research

Successes

- Found interesting and inspiring platform shoe forms & designs when researching online. I was able to start thinking about my own designs and do some initial idea sketches.

- I was encouraged that it is possible to make unusual forms work when making shoe platforms. Some examples I found had remarkably irregular forms. This gave me ideas about what is possible and what isn't.

- I learnt about what materials are used to make platform shoes. This allowed me to begin planning my making process very early on.

- I found some great photographs of ABBA and their outfits & shoes. I was able to do some comparisons between these and more modern platform shoe designs in fashion in 2016.

Could do better

- I didn't find many examples of ABBA's actual platform shoes. There don't seem to be many pictures of the shoes specifically online.

- I didn't find out much great detail about materials and the shoe making process. I discovered the basics but not enough to give it a go myself yet.

- I asked my peers for feedback, and they said that I was too easily distracted today, as I ended up shoe shopping instead of researching (oops).

Going forward

In the coming days I must look into the other major element of my project proposal; Memphis Milano design. I should also find some better images of ABBA's shoe and learn more about the process and history of making platform shoes.

Day 2 - Memphis Research

Successes

- I found quite a few examples of Memphis Milano inspired shoes, both new and old (many from the eighties where Memphis style was at its height). Both the prints and forms were inspiring.

- I found shoes that I was able to redesign and work back into, altering the colours and forms to my preferences, and to a more Memphis style. This started to get me thinking creatively and began my design process.

- I found many Korean clothing and shoe websites that had large numbers of platform shoes with unusual designs and forms that were appropriate to my project. This gave me more ideas.

Could do better

- If I am to stick to my proposal schedule I must begin designing ASAP and do some primary research as well as secondary. I do not want to spend too much time researching. I would like to pick up the pace from now on as I know making is going to take most of my time and I do not want to have to rush it.

- Levi told me that one of the strong points of my previous body of work was my sketches, which I am yet to bring into my project. I really need to be making creative responses as well as just downloading images of the work that inspires me.

Day 3 - Vogue 100 Exhibition

Today I visited the 100 years of Vogue exhibition at The National Portrait Gallery, particularly aiming to look at the photographs from the 1970's.

Successes

- Though disappointingly irrelevant to my work, I was inspired by some of the clothing styles, colours and cuts seen on Vogue covers over centuries passed.

- The main success of this visit was that I was really inspired by one of the images. It was a cover from a 1927 issue of Vogue. I loved the hand painted, colour block, nouveau style, and was immediately taken with the idea of making an advertising poster for my shoe (when completed) in the same style and medium.

Not so good

- The exhibition was mostly irrelevant to my work. I enjoyed it, but it did not give me much inspiration or reference material. I didn't find any of the 70's stuff useful and most of the photographs were more about the context and the models rather than the fashion. It was more about the stuff below the surface, which I found really interesting but I struggled to relate it to my work.