Contexual Study Blog

Fashion History.

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1990s Air Jordans Inspired Designs

For this lesson, I first got to learn and understand all about the 1990s! After learning and understanding key facts from the 1990s, I then had to create three looks inspired and based all around Air Jordans (especially those of the 90s). Before creating my three looks, I got to learn how the Air Jordans came about and became popular:

Throughout my designs, I tried to keep a key theme to represent trainers/ sneakers such as: shoe laces, certain shapes, patterns and of course colours. I wanted my designs to sort of come out with that 'sportwear chic' look which I tried to represent. I also showcased the specific detailing of the shoes onto my designs by stich lines showing and cut-outs clearly being seen.

Differently, I did try and colour my three looks in colouring pencils as I hadn't yet done this with any contextual study work so far and I think it came out great! However, Perhaps I could've tried to shade the colours more to add depth to my illustrations?

For this piece of work, I also did decide to create two male designs as I felt like I hadn't been doing enough male illustrations throughout my work as much as I did women. Overall, I really do love my designs I created this lesson.

In conclusion, I think that I did an amazing job at capturing the 1990s Air Jordans as my designs really represent that sort of trainer/ sneaker style. I also really enjoyed learning about the 1990s and how hip hop and sports became a big thing in this era and was very popular among people. Up-beat songs became popular and fashion most definitely changed in society.

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1980s Design Work

For this Lesson, I first got to learn all about the 80s- from fashion, to icons, to music then designers.

From above you can see my three designs (Male-left, Female-middle, Female-right). I was instructed to create these designs based from a specific theme and I chose Michael Jackson's famous 'thriller jacket'. I chose this theme as I really liked the idea compared to the others. I really think I represented the jacket well and loved how all three of my designs came out! The left design is suppose to represent the zombies in thriller by the rips and tears in the jumper I created. I added belts throughout my creations as I wanted it to appear to have that 'edgy punk' look as well as the belt Michael appears to wear. For my middle design, I elongated the collar and the shoulder pads of my design. I really wanted my designs to scream 'over-the-top' and 'unique' which is why I try my best to create things many haven't seen before. As required, I chose to use colours that represented the 80s- clashy, neon and bright. I also gave my middle design capri leggings as I noticed the woman Michael was with in the music video wore them in a bright purple, leopard/ cheetah pattern. For my right design I really wanted to add a few jackets which appear to be coming off of her own. I feel like this just really brings attention to the jacket and enhances the jackets noticeability. I also decided to add zips to her skirt and shirt as I felt like this was a repetitive thing I saw on Michaels Jackets and of course trousers.

From above, you can see the mood board I created which shows all of the different jacket styles I took inspiration from.

In conclusion, I really enjoyed this lesson creating these wonderful pieces. In my opinion, I really represented the jacket and the 80s well and most definitely made my designs look 'over-the-top' and 'unique'!

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1970s Studio 54 Work

For This Lesson, I was Inspired to create a unisex design based off of Studio 54 in the 1970s. I wanted to create a very funky, quirky and unique look which all genders could wear and feel fabulous in. In this lesson, I got to learn interesting facts of the 1970s: the designers, icons and key looks.

You're probably wondering what Studio 54 is? Well:

Studio 54 was a very popular and famous nightclub located in New York City. It was known for it's incredible A-list celebrity guest filled scene, the incredulous fashion and lavish parties!

-From above, you can see from my design that I was very influenced by the 70s glittery fabric and flared bell-bottomed trousers. I researched David Bowie- Ziggy Stardust (His alter ego) and looked into the beautiful fashion moments he created. I then took inspiration of his makeup choices and usage, using them for my illustration design. I then saw that Studio 54 had very structured garments especially when it came to the wonderful Grace Jones (a 70s icon known for her androgynous style, striking looks and bold personality). From crazy jackets, fur coats and tailored suits, I definitely wanted to create my own crazy coat and that is what I came up with. I then went onto giving my design glittered heels because who says heels have a gender?

By making my design even more unique, I coloured in the eyes of my illustration fully black to represent that style of eye contacts. I did this as I wanted to create something that would scream ‘Wowww’ and that gasp in shock and surprise.

-Overall, in conclusion, I think this lesson was very enjoyable as I got to learn about the 1970s and how much of a great decade it was! I also got to learn that when it comes to fashion, nothing is not reachable and restricted. Anyone can be who they want to be and the 70s certainly replicates that.

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1960S Space Race / Space Overall Piece

For this lesson, I learnt all about the 1960s- the icons, artists, designers and fashion overall. After I had studied and learnt about these things, I then was instructed to create an illustration design based on the Space Race movement.

The Swinging Sixties: The swinging sixties was a cultural shift in fashion, music, makeup and art. This was based in London where the younger people changed trends and uplifted self expression.

A few facts:

Patterned fabrics Used

Bright Colours Used

Pop Music

Fun

Quirky

Popular Fashion Items/ Pieces:

Go Go Boots

Mini Skirts

Baby-Doll Dresses

Hot Pants

Culottes

Poster Dresses

Pale Lipstick

Drawn-On Lashes/ Dramatic Eyes

Vidal Sassoon Haircut

Tailored suits

Turtleneck Sweaters

Chelsea Boots

Fedora Hats

Sunglasses

Slick back, Side-Parted Hair

Nehru Collars

Bell Bottoms

-André Courrèges was a French Fashion designer in the 1960s who was known for creating that "Space Age" look. He presented designs with geometric shapes, futuristic materials and outstanding colours.

From above, you can see the fashion illustration I created inspired by Space Race and Space in general. I wanted to represent a space suit by the puffiness and roundness of the jacket/coat. I have used a Halloween cobwebby material to add depth and make my design 3D. For the dress underneath the coat, I took inspiration from Paco Rabanne's famous chainmail dress and made it have that 60s A-line dress collard cut. I tried to make the shape of the chainmail pieces a star to symbolise the stars in the night sky. "Eyes are a window to the soul" a quote linked to William Shakespeare suggests that eyes reveal a person's true, deep thoughts and feelings. The Soul could often be considered apart of the universe which links to space. So, I have added eyes all over my design. I then tried to create that 'alien' look by making the hair of my illustration spikey and the glasses geometrically shaped. My illustration also wears Go Go boots painted in galaxy colours and socks in the shape of clouds which protrude out of the boots.

In conclusion, I really loved creating this piece of work as I loved how creative and unique I could get with shapes, materials and colours. This lesson was great as learning about the 1960s is always enjoyable since this decade was overall amazing and iconic!

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1950S Designer Research and Design Piece

For this lesson I was instructed to get into a group and create posters. We each created a different poster based on different designers.

My group was with:

My poster was all about Hubert De Givenchy.

Hubert De Givenchy was a very famous French fashion designer who established the well-known fashion and perfume house Givenchy in 1952. He was known for his elegant, chic, feminine and simplistic designs which became popular with stars such as Aubrey Hepburn (his iconic and loveable muse)

Although Givenchy passed away on March 10th 2018 at 91, He is still remembered today as the legend he was with his creative designs still flourishing and meeting eyes of today's society.

-Once we made posters we then went onto designing a modernized fashion look with inspiration from one of the designers sort of style in fashion.

I chose to take inspiration from Hubert De Givenchy's work by making the hips of my illustration's skirt quite voluptuous to show that hour glass and 'womanly' figure. I then used a polka dot pattern to really represent Givenchy. For the top half my fashion look I have drawn out a cropped top as these are very modern and you see a lot of people nowadays wearing this style of top. Belts have recently became a popular trend in 2025 with people now layering them so I have decided to add a belt to create that depth of the outfit.

In conclusion, I think this lesson was one of my favourites as I loved creating a poster (especially about fashion designers) and then making my own modernized design inspired from a specific designer.

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The Great Trench 1940s Inspired Timelapse Video

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Fabulous Dungarees 1940s Inspired Timelapse Video

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1940s Make do and Mend pieces (Collage)

For the first image the illustration is inspired by the 1940s dungarees. For this lesson, we had to create a two collage pieces. For my first piece I had to use one sheet of decorative images, and this is what I came up with! I added two puff sleeves made of an image of wool rolls to make this more unique and more of my style. I also tried to create a hat. Overall, I think I did great and I feel like this illustration properly captures the 1940s dungaree style and Tom Brigance’s use of bright colours and patterned fabrics.

For my second image the illustration is inspired by the great trench coat of the 1940s. This great trench is practical, durable and it will most definitely sparkle up your life. I created an illustration collage made from fabrics scraps. I decided to create a men’s trench coat. This is because, I feel like a trench coat is the most versatile piece of clothing a person could own. I also like the use of a trench coat and how it looks chic, elegant and ready for any occasion. I decided to use fabric of the classic brown trench colour so that it’d be more understandable of where my idea came from. I took inspiration from the popular British brand Burberry as I tried to use a sort of check pattern for the accents of the coat. Overall, I loved how this turned out and I think it went well! I love how the colours go well with each other and how you can tell I captured that 1940s look.

In conclusion, I think I did very well with these 1940s pieces. I think I captured the 1940s looks and did well for limited resources.

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1920s Mini Collection- Art Deco

For this lesson I was told to create a mini collection based from the Art Deco movement. I created 5 different looks inspired from the mood board I had created using the Canva app up above. I tried to link all 5 designs together by using clocks in each of my illustrations and by using the same colour palette. I really loved how all 5 of my designs came out because I feel like they suit that Art Deco theme and they all go well together. Next time, perhaps I could try to stick with one style for the faces. Even though I was experimenting, I personally don't think they match well, face wise.

What is Art Deco?

Art Deco is a visual style which consisted of geometric shapes, bold colours and structured architecture.

A few facts:

Took Inspiration from Ancient Egyptian Art.

Represents luxury, Glamour and a 'Modern' Feel.

Art Deco actually stands for Art Decoratifs.

Became popular in the United States of America and Europe.

Overall, I really felt like learning about Art Deco and the 1920s Era was a delight as I got to know some interesting information and key facts about fashion and other topics around those times.

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Art Nouveau Work

For this lesson I created two illustrations inspired from tiffany lamps and Louis Comfort Tiffany's wonderful creations such as: stained glass.

-The Edwardian Era is associated with elegancy and luxury especially among the upper-classed people. This Era was a time of calmness, piece and economic security which created a very lavish life for the high-society people. Although not the same as the Edwardian Era, Art Nouveau did coexist and live with it.

You may be thinking what Art Nouveau is?

-Well Art Nouveau was a world wide style of art, architecture and designs what became popular between the 1890s to the 1910s.

A few facts:

Came from the British art movement (Arts and Crafts movement).

Inspired by nature- especially flowers.

Flowing Lines, curved architecture and repeated patterns.

Overall, I think this lesson was truly incredible, as I got to learn about not only the Edwardian Era but also the Art Nouveau movement- this improved my knowledge on these beautiful time periods. What I also enjoyed about this lesson, was creating and designing the illustrations themselves. This is because, I loved using objects to be inspired from as there are so many shapes that can be played with while illustrating,

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1930s Work

From mini mannequins to drawn designs, I created these two illustrations inspired by the quirky and courageous with fashion-Elsa Schiaparelli. For this piece of work, I was tasked to design a male and female look based on images shown to us of things related to Schiaparelli. These things were: A lobster, A 1930s Shoe, A leopard and Hands. For my female look, I decided to choose hands as my priority for this design as I wanted it to look unique. I then chose to include Elsa’s signature colour- ‘Shocking Pink’. This was because I felt like it stood out against the brown and beige/tan colour I had used for the hands. When moving onto the male illustration, I wanted to include Elsa Schiaparelli’s iconic shoe hat but use it as the middle of the shirt to make it my own. I felt like using a leopard printed pattern on the garment makes it look flamboyant (which I love). I once again went with the signature colour ‘Shocking Pink’ for the heel of the shoe as Schiaparelli did this with one of her two shoe hats she originally designed. Overall, I think these two designs came out great and really captured that traditional Schiaparelli style with a little bit of a modern twist.

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Victorian inspired Designs

Today, I learnt and listened to facts on the Victorian Era. After listening to many interesting information, I then went on to create two designs based on Victorian Era.

The first design was inspired by the suffragette movement in the 19th century, the dress reform and traditional Victorian fashion. I personally love how this design came out to be as I love the bold wording of "Votes for Women". Though not related to this theme at all, I sort of took inspiration from Vivienne Westwood's useage of outshining letters and slogans on designs/ fashion looks. I incoorpotated flowers onto my design as the Victorian Era loved using floral fabrics to add to that feminine touch. I tried to make my design have multiple layers as in the Victorian Era they used bustles, petticoats and crinoline cages to accentuating their waist.

The second design was solely inspired by the Victorian mourning movement. I have purposely added a veil as in the mourning period, women wore black veils to symbolise their mourning. I also tried to capture the movement of a woman in deep sadness, longing and heartbreak by the pose of my illustration (her hands behind her back).

Overall, I think these two designs came out amazing! I really loved how i captured/ interpretated each topic of the Victorian Era and incoorporated it into my designs.