Self-Directed Project

'Self-Directed Project' is the current unit I am doing on my course at The Arts University College of Bournemouth. In this project we are free to choose the areas we wish to specify in and as a maker I have decided to go into female dress, specifically corsets and fantasy garments. I am fascinated by over-the-top designs and how they transform between a 2D design to a 3D form.

When thinking about the skills I wish to have when I leave university, knowing how to make a corset is definately one of them, so I had an idea of where I wanted to go when looking at designs I could make.

I decided to make a costume for Cruella De Vil, played by Glenn Close in the Live Action films '101 Dalmations' and '102 Dalmations'. Her costumes are completely crazy and over-the-top yet extremely feminine and luxurious. Her costumes include high collars, large shoulder pads and corsets, and almost always in extremely difficult fabrics. I am excited to work in these types of fabrics as it will push my skills further and also allow me to use the skills I learnt at my work placement at 'We Will Rock You' as I was working in leather and using studs.



I found it difficult finding designs for the films but could find lots and photographs of her costumes. I experimented designing a combination of her garments to create a design that included everything I wanted to make to progress in this course. I will use photoshop to look at different fabrics on my design to see what will look best, and once I am happy I will ask a designer on my course to draw out my Final Design. I will submit this along with my learning agreement and my work plan.