Development of Initial Ideas: Restrictive Clothing Influence

Using my restrictive clothing research, I began to develop my initial designs to create further depth into my final piece.

1. I’m not sure if it is overly obvious in the design but I was inspired by how corsets made the waist look tiny in comparison to everything else. This is why I tried to overexaggerate the bust and hips to make the waist look smaller. I thought the puckering of the material would add to the idea of something being squeezed and distorting the shape of something in general. I think if I were to make this design I would add more of this material but have the waist be the most dense to show that’s the place with the most strain.
2. This was one of my favourites and I was inspired by ‘waist trainers’. In essence they are modern-day corsets and are used to ‘train’ your waist, but in reality they can do more damage than good. Like slimming underwear, they are supposed to tuck in all the ‘bad bits’ and create a curvier hour-glass silhouette. I was inspired by my previous design of the fat rolls to create a juxtaposing garment that doesn’t do what it’s meant to do.
3. Improving from my previous notes, I made the skin imprint dress a tighter fit to show how the imprints have got there. It’s a very typical shape but I think it would make the point come across better about how tight clothing affects the skin.
4.  I further developed my previous design by creating an unusual clothing that is inspired by halter necks and one pieces. While the shape doesn’t reflect the aging gracefully vibe I was going for, it gives a more youthful side to things that people think they are missing once they start getting older and having wrinkles.

1. It was difficult to develop this one further using restrictive garments because it already was. The undergarment is supposed to be tight and the restrictive acetate is trying to show how tight clothing can create discolouration. I simply highlighted the area where temporary discoloration is more likely to occur and incorporated more unusual acetate shapes.
2. Shoes are something I’ve never really delved into and considering the wrong kind of shoe can have so much impact on your lower body I thought it would be interesting to develop the veins into this shape. I’ve chosen to leave the heels off and show the viewer that it’s not just heels that are the problem, it’s flat too. I love the branching of the veins and while it could be challenging to create, they could look really interesting.
3. I was inspired by a traditional straitjacket for this look. The patches of skin and the stitches create a story as to why that person might be in a straitjacket or feel as though they are in one. Since the skin is the most visible organ, when we have disorders that are embarrassing, it can make us feel more self conscious and insecure, which can lead to mental health issues. This is how are straitjacket would link into these ideas of mentally feeling trapped in your own skin because of your flaws. There is a lot of depth to this idea so I’m definitely going to develop this idea more.
4. For the last idea, I decided to look at the model Winnie Harlow and see whereabouts her vitiligo was on her body. Since it appears mostly over her body, I was inspired to create a one piece (restrictive in itself) hat follows a real example of vitiligo. It’s a truer representation of the condition and shows where exactly it can happen; anywhere.

All of the artists I was inspired by with pictures are discussed in my previous post and in my sketchbook.