Meeting 3 with Sofia (Stylist)

After my meeting with Sofia we agreed she would send me images of her sketches for each design so I could clearly see what she wanted to do before she started making it. Our first discussion was for She's Look 3 (white look).

Sketch 1

Sofia's original sketch concerned me as we had agreed the look would represent She's new strength and confidence to battle discrimination; however her design was very elegant and feminine. I wanted the look to have a feminine aspect to it to reflect her beauty and innocence, but I wanted the look to be very structured and strong. I don't want any of the styling in my fashion film to be wearable as my educational fashion film will be avant-garde so the styling will be a tool to reflect the model's emotions, rather than be used purely to make her look beautiful. I had discussed my main inspiration image with Sofia of a white structured blazer so I was unsure why she decided to design a long gown with a shawl-like shoulder detail. I was very concerned how our ideas were so different so I decided to sent her a document of all the other styling for my models to give her an idea of the avant-garde styling and also the narrowed down images of inspiration I had selected for each look so that she was clear on what I was expecting. Pages from the document are as follows:

For She's Look 3 I decided I wanted to narrow Sofia's inspiration images to long blazers as I felt she was struggling to understand my vision when I gave her too many inspiration images. My main inspiration image was clearly labelled so it was clear which image I wanted the full styling based on. I listed the look's key features which were to show empowerment and confidence, to use white faux leather and to keep it structured. I also said I wanted a blazer that looked similar to my inspiration image but possibly longer at the back and made into a blazer dress. I decided on a blazer dress because I think a suit represents confidence and importance, giving the wearer a feeling of empowerment and strength. This suit blazer could also be interpreted as She's suit of armour as she feels she can battle against discrimination. I suggested adding high waister, structured shorts underneath the blazer but to leave the stomach and chest free to add a rebellious feel. However after some discussion we agreed this would make the look too wearable and so we wanted to find a way to cover her bottom half in a more abstract way. 

Sketch 2

Sofia's second sketch was a lot closer to my vision and my inspiration images which meant she had more clearly understood the more concise document I sent her. The dramatic high collar exuded confidence and empowerment and the daring neckline reflected her new rebellious streak; however I felt the oversized belt was slightly cliche and made it look too wearable, like a classic trench coat. I explained to her that I wanted structured shoulders to mirror the dancer's bold shoulders; however she did not do this and instead chose to put emphasis on the cuffs. The sketch was not clear on what was underneath the blazer but she explained it was a full body suit. This concerned me as we had never discussed using a full body suit. I appreciate that she is trying to incorporate her own suggestions; however I will make sure I am more specific with my vision. 

I think Sofia is used to designing more wearable looks for photoshoots; whereas this is pushing her out of her comfort zone of wearable fashion and into avant-garde styling. I have explained this to Sofia and she said she is excited to expand her knowledge and portfolio; however this needs to be worked on. I was trying to explain my vision further to Sofia but it was difficult for me to explain without any clear visuals. I therefore drew her a sketch of what I had envisioned so she could look at it and let me know if it was possible to create, as I am aware this is not something easily accessible on the high street. 

I drew her a sketch of the long blazer above for her to look at and possibly develop. I was unsure of what would be possible; however I wanted to draw exactly what I wanted to she could make or buy something as close to it as possible. I incorporated the high collar from her sketch to express her new confidence; however I also added some sharp shoulder pads to give her a striking, empowering silhouette. I added some extra shoulder detail to accentuate her bold styling and add a rebellious edge. I want the blazer to be structured so is goes in at the waist without a belt to give her a flattering hourglass figure to add a feminine touch to this otherwise striking design. I designed the back of the blazer to have a sharp tail, like a tuxedo, to reflect her new self worth and self love to feel privileged enough to wear such a formal design; she no longer feels belittled or restricted by society. The daring neckline and bare top half under the open blazer reflects her rebellious side to no longer live by society's expected rules.

I am not certain on what I want on her bottom half yet as I want the blazer to be the statement piece. I suggested, in the document I sent to Sofia, the model should wear structured shorts; however we agreed this was too wearable. I then suggested the model wore nude high waisted, high leg pants to cover her crotch with white fishnet tights over the top. However Sofia was concerned this would add too much detail and therefore distract from the blazer. The bottom half of this outfit is something we both need to think about so we can come up with a design so her to source.