Promotional postcards

Along with my lookbook i am thinking about making promotional postcards to use as a marketing tool. These could be sent with orders (as the long term idea for the brand would be to go online), put in the bag when a customer makes a purchase in a boutique etc and generally handed out to promote the brand and create excitement. Another idea would be to make up my press pack of a series of postcards each with a different piece of information on the back and package them in an envelope covered in my prints. Like i mentioned previously i can imagine people sticking them to a notice board or onto their fridge as opposed to if i gave out booklets which would just be kept in a draw or thrown away. Each postcard each has a different look whilst still getting across the bohemian feel of the brand which i think is more successful than having similar images which would not be as memorable. I will also need to pick one postcard to be submitted as part of a table cloth for the Bournemouth Show and Graduate Fashion Week to showcase the work of the whole course.

Photoshoot edits

I want the pictures to have a kind of washed out, romantic, vintage feel about them inspired by the 60's/70's nature of the prints and cut of the dress - whilst the model and simple styling keep the look contemporary. I have begun to experiment with this adding coloured layers in Photoshop and changing the opacity. The most successful is the yellowy hue second down but in other scenarios different colour edits have been better than others. It is important that the lighting and colour of the images is consistent to ensure they look like a collection of professional images so this is something i will keep working on. 

Editing the pictures above made me realise the importance of which colour and how much saturation i use. The bottom image was layered with a blue layers and the saturation reduced which gives it a much cooler, wintery feel than the top one. As this is the spring/summer collection i want to get across a hazy, warm, summery feel.

Photoshoot

Here are a couple pictures from my photoshoot for the Beach Hut to BBQ collection. Due to time restrictions i decided to shoot at Elberry Cove, Paignton, and then arrange another shoot at my friends house for another day. I hadn't been to Elberry for about a year but knew that the pebble beach is always quiet so ideal to shoot at but by the end of the 3 hours we had found so many different and diverse locations that there was no need to arrange another shoot. I am so pleased with how it went and the range of pictures we were able to achieve - they are diverse whilst still all having a rural feel which was important to capture as this is what the collection is inspired by. I have started to crop some of the less successful pictures as there are some parts that show the print or an accessory really well even though the overall image is not a success. I think the wider shots such as the last 2 will lend themselves well to a poster in the lookbook/promo material as i can use the space to write a bit about the brand. 

Becky Souster

For this shoot i am using my friend Becky, the photos above are from a previous photoshoot we did together along with Charlie who is going to be the photographer again. We all got along really well and are talking about working together in the future so i figured there was no point searching for another model who may not feel as comfortable - plus Becky has the kind of bohemian look i am going for plus her freckles will add to the sunkissed beach look! She is a size 8 and 5'5 so more reflective of a 'real' girl who would wear my clothes rather than a tall size 0 model who is the opposite to the kind of girl i want to target. I want the women who wear my clothes to be free spirts who like to have fun with fashion rather than take it too seriously! 

Make make make!

I've been really busy recently putting the finishing touches to my final dresses and accessories. Despite practising seams with the fabric beforehand, nothing could prepare me for how difficult the crepe de chine has been to work with! Due to how slippery it is under the machine i have had to put a layer of pattern paper underneath when sewing and remove it after which has made things a lot easier! I have underestimated how long the dresses would take to make which has been a real learning curve and taught me a lot about time management. While the basic dresses we all made in a day, finishing the neckline and arm holes with bias binding has taken a long time and meant using a different foot on my sewing machine which feeds both layers of fabric along. This was difficult to sew with and was quite bouncy which made it difficult to be accurate. Thankfully i had a tool to help make bias binding which has saved me a lot of time.


Initally the dresses had sleeves but looking at them before the sleeves were added i felt these weren't needed anymore as the dresses captured the relaxed feel i wanted to achieve without them. 


Unfortunatly just before the end of term the laser cutter broke so i was unable to use it so in the mean time i had to make do with the text pieces i had cut out. I have sprayed these a pastel purple colour as i wanted something which goes with all of the dresses whilst still being ecclectic. I really like this colour and it also matches the textile pieces so i might use this throughout the whole accessory range but in different materials. I used some spare bias binding as a strap for the necklaces but as i want them to be worn with all the dresses i want to find a matching purple ribbon to give them a uniformed look. I think it is important that despite the intricate shapes they are not too fussy as this will look too much next to the prints. 

Shoot inspiration

Above are some inspirations i have shown my photographer Charlie Whiteway for the shoot. I have worked with him before so decided to use him again as the results last time were really successful as he totally understood what i was after. I want the model to be natural and walk around, lie in the grass rather than overly pose as the clothes are lifestyle based so it wouldn't be appropriate to have really forced poses. In particularly the last piture, the sun is not shining much which adds to the shot and as i want a kind of washed out retro look to suit the 60's/70's feel of the chosen prints it would not be the end of the world if it is a cloudy day! I want the focus to be all about the dresses/prints and really relaxed so the model will primarily be bare foot but i will also take some clogs (to give a more fashion edge but in keeping with the bohemian feel) retro shaped sunglasses, a blanket and straw hat to give the look a more beachy feel as this could be lost if we shoot on the moors for example. 

• Overall feel of the shoot - playful, relaxed, rural, natural, bohemian. Focus on the dresses/accessories
• Poses - natural, both looking at camera and away, nothing forced, almost like out takes. 
• Make-up/hair - totally natural to not take away from the prints, hair down and wind swept/tousled, barely there make-up.

Stover Park

For my photoshoot i want a really natural rural location. As the current collection is titled 'Beach Hut to BBQ' a beach would be ideal. I was going to make a BBQ set up in my grandparents back garden but i think if there is too much going on it will take away from the prints. Instead somewhere with a vast overgrown backdrop will be a good showcase - long grass, Dartmoor, discreet beaches etc. I went to Stover Park (pictures above) to have a look around and while it is a really beautiful place there is something missing! There are areas of long grass but the ground is quite swampy so the model would have to stand infront which wouldn't be as effective. The day these pictures were taken it was really bright and sunny but if it was a cloudy day i think it would look really dull so instead i will look for somewhere more open and with more versatility so i can get a real range of shots. 

Headband packaging

I had the idea to cover old books in my prints and cut out shapes in the inside to fit my accessories into. This way they would be secure, not get squashed and could become a feature in someones home - the idea being to create a 'library' of books covered in my prints. While thinking about economic issues i realised that although the nature of the books means they can be easily stacked/boxed and therefore transported efficently, if i am setting up my business online it will cost a lot more to post a book than just the headband. Often i have been put off by high postage costs online (Topshop charge £6 regardless of the item - be it a pair of boots or just some earrings!) and i do not want to run this risk. Instead i have printed some of my digiprint designs onto card and wrapped the headband around to keep it secure. I have also added a swing tag to give a more personal touch and keep the stitched theme. These can be easily slipped into an envelope and posted for the price of a first class stamp. Also, lots of these stacked in a stock room will take up far less space than a lot of books stacked up.