narnia costume design : Isis Mussenden

After reading an interview with costume designer Iris Mussenden - I found these quotes interesting.


RH: Describe the process of designing and making a costume from start to filming close.

IM: A costume begins with the script. As mentioned above, the research into the character needs to be explored. Who are they? What state of mind are they in...and on and on. Once the actor is cast, a discussion with the director and the actor take place to collaborate as to how this character is going to be played. From there I come up with ideas of how this particular person would dress and either start to sketch or to pull already made clothing together for a fitting. It is here in the fitting room that the character appears and the actor leaves us.

It is a very exciting moment. It can be a particular dress, a pair of shoes, it can even be a particular belt that says, "Yes, this is what he/she is all about." From there we either make the costume, (choosing fabric, designing the details such as embroidery etc...) and continue to fit the costume to make sure it fits as we wish. From this point the costume goes on camera, and the set costumers care for the costume, as well as keep track of the continuity. When the film is done shooting the costumes are cataloged and stored until the film comes out.


RH: Tell us about the designing of the White Witch's wardrobe.
IM: The White Witch was the most challenging costume to design in the Narnia series. She was described one way in the book, but once Tilda Swinton was cast, we needed to adjust. Our wish was to maintain the essence of the White Witch, but to not force black hair and red lips on an actress that would make her look anything but regal. I had a very young and talented textile artist working for me, and together we experimented with different techniques to create the "Ice" inspired fabric and lace for her dress based on photographs of glacier cracking. Inspired by my then four year old son's Pokemon cards...I came up with the concept of her evolving throughout the story. The last thing I wanted was for her to feel like she had a closet with clothing in it. (She was not human after all.) As she lost her powers and the ice melted, so did her silhouette and so did her ice crown. It was a long process and many people were involved with the costume. - REF 


http://teenink.com/nonfiction/celebrity_interviews/article/340973/Costume-Designer-Isis-Mussenden/

Eiko isshioka designed a costume for mirror mirror and Colleen Atwood queen of hearts in Alice in Wonderland. Colleen Atwood uses lots of detail in her designs.   I thought the use of the heart shape was very interesting and effective.  The heart shape of the lipstick and the false head made of of wax and the dress shape. This has given me ideas of making an ice heart and using the heart shape . And  Eiko isshioka uess some of detailbut i am  interesting look a peacock detail of hard embriodery and marchire embriodery to mix and the peacok has a lots eyes to saw to everyone and the big wild pound and this has given me ideas of peacok of eyes  matbe a eyes of a ice saw uof saw.  

  

my fmp powerpiont : evil queen character of evil

that one my FMP powerpoint  are all the evil queen and one  what i talk about that.

Evil of queen

the Evil of queen of character of evil that movies show  thim of a shape and stylelife  how they are glowery, menacing and desk evil face an...

watch start a 2:31 voice

- You have designed the costumes for Tim Burton’s Alice In Wonderland, having worked on so many of his other movies, so how did you two get together?

We met actually through a production designer that I had worked with who recommended me to Tim when we were doing Edward Scissorhands. I met Tim and we hit in off in our interview and he basically hired me right then, which was very exciting.

- What is your working relationship like with him? How closely do you work together is he very hands on in bringing ideas to the table?

Basically we start with the script, we usually have an initial meeting and he talks to me about the general feel of how he sees it and I go off and do my research. I then bring him materials, which he reacts to, and then we go on to the next stage which is the design process.

We start researching fabrics and fabric ideas; he enjoys all the textiles and visual materials, so he sees all that. 

Once I start making the clothes he usually comes in on the second fitting, once we have got the initial boring stuff done, and has a look and we take it from there.

-  And what makes you keep wanting to work with him?

I really like him as a person, which is very important, but I also admire him as an artist and I’m always excited to see when he is thinking for a project, he has always had a very interesting view on what he wants to see. - REF

http://www.femalefirst.co.uk/movies/Colleen+Atwood-8658.html

Hunter Gatherer : Dinu Li

Chosen artist:

Dinu Li is exhibiting a display cabinet that was originally discovered standing defiantly upright, yet alone inside Chester Market. Upon the end of its tenure, the marketer had stripped his stall bare, leaving behind the cabinet that makes up the front façade.There is a formal quality to the cabinet, constructed as four separate display components, forming a complete hexagonal unit when all four parts are joined up. The emptied out glass display alludes to a range of existential concerns; conjuring up notions of our need to possess and to show off our assets, yet the potential lack of contentment once we have obtained the things we most desire. 

    http://www.sinopticon.org/sinopticon/dinu-li/

  Exhibition area / space / object:

I went to the Hunter Gatherer exhibition at Project Space Leeds.

I saw a Chinese shop - I knew that the piece was from a market space in Chester and that if anything was Chinese about it, it would be that it sold chinese things like tea.

There was tape laid out on the floor which gave the impression of a shop space and that a one point there would have been glass walls there.

It was really dirty – it looked old and dusty not like you expect a shop to be – abandoned and empty like it had be robbed of all the stock a long time ago.

I understand that the artist took the whole thing – the loose objects in the cabinet – everything - and moved it to the exhibition in Leeds.

It gives people viewing the piece the opportunity to use their imagination – to imagine what might have been once upon a time.

What do you think it represents?

A small shop – not a chain of stores – owned by one person – I think it represents a business woman selling clothing, tea cups, spoons all things Chinese – very posh – individual – unique.

Why do you think it was chosen?

Because it interested the artist – perhaps he found it was old and strange and he found it really interesting, intreging. And that there is a connection to his life in Hong Kong because the word ‘CHINA’ is in silver on the cabinet tops.

 What is it’s relationship to the other objects?

I think that this piece links to the other objects in the exhibition in a way that the artists find objects but then add and arrange them with other, extra new things to make the art exhibit.

There were some glass objects that I could imagine as things that might be sold there.

Like and dislike?

I like the combination of black and silver, I liked the reflective quality of the chrome frame and the sparkley  stenciled letters too.

Even though it is old it gave me a feeling of the future too. Something robotic – I felt inspired by it – it made me want to make futuristic clothes, wear futuristic make up and listen to robotic music.

I didn’t like that it was so dusty and dirty – it made me sneeze – it made it look poor, from an inpoverished area – you could really wipe your finger through the dirt – it made me cringe.

Maybe it’s a girly thing, but I wanted to clean it all up.

East meets West

Sums me up – similar to my style as I like mixing different cultures.

Japan and Manga –

Japan has a wide range of styles and strange clothes and styles.

Japan seems to stand out against the other countries regarding its style. I merged the Japanese Manga and the English Goth.

I liked the Illustrative technique of Manga – the wide eyes and sticking out hair. I chose to use large illustrations of Gothic style Manga characters on an English Gothic style cardigan.

I like black as a colour.

I liked the silk bodices that were Gothic styled so I translated this into the cardigan. So this was also an influence.

I knew I was going to use large illustrations so needed a large area to put them on and this influenced my choice of garment. I was influenced by Gothic dresses which I extended and then some of my research was into period clothing   - the Victorians  and my final design had a Victorian influence. The shape of this cardigan was classic Gothic – long and narrow.

 I added the white belt because a lot of Manga illustrations use black and white.

The collar and cuffs are ribbed and stretchy because I wanted them to be comfortable and allow movement of the wrists. The collar design came from some research into Japanese Goth/ Punk style collars.  I wanted the collar and cuffs to be modern and not old fashioned.

The metal belt comes from an Issey Miyake design which grabbed my attention form a book formIssey Miyake (Fashion Memoir) (Hardcover)
by Laurence Benaim (Author) . It was futuristic and strange.  I liked the fluid movement of the skirt that was with it and this influenced how I wanted my cardigan to feel and look – light and cool.

Vivienne Westwood ‘ punk styles were an influence as they have similarities to the Gothic look. The long platform boots are an influence form Westwood

I don’t like my final designs. I should have done more research. If I had more time I would make the cardigan shorter. I would also add buttons and more detail. I would also change the background colour of the heart so it wasn’t white.

(see picture3)

The metal belt comes from an Issey Miyake design which grabbed my attention form a book formIssey Miyake  (Fashion Memoir) (Hardcover)
by Laurence Benaim (Author
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/bradford/7204543.stm
http://media.otakuzone.com/store/user/181253/T130042012575cc6d0b70c5cc97430d18ff3d2e407109.jpg
http://www.amasquerade.com/images/products/pirates_and_18thcentury/FH8715Legacy.jpg

Disable fashion design& disable model

Different Disabilties:-

• Deaf
• Amputated
• Partial parlysis
• HMPP & ME
• Down syndrome 
• mant more.....

Most disable models are disabled from birth. There are also designer who have used disability as an inpiration. Britain next top model is progrome the was ared on living tu and for one series created the first ever campaetion to be aired fot britians top disanled model. Girls thaht took part in the programe are :- Debbie Van der Cuthen, Jenny Johnson, Jessica Kdlyren-hales,kellie Moody, Kelly Knox, Lilli Riner, rebecca tegon and Spohie Morgan. Kelly Knox was the winner of the compatition.
Beauty and the beast is another prograin which was ared on chanel 4 and consentrae of poeple disabilties and the kind of evenyday  discrimnation they feel. Highlighing the first empertion a personm would have about some one with a disabilty and visuersa what one's first expertion wouldbe about someone who maybe beauliful. the progrom's target was to basicallt not to judga the book by it cover. Two poeple were united together, a person with a disabitey and person who in society would be seen as beautiful. they had to go through what the person like is about and experionce it and learn from it. In my opinion both the progran's britian's next top model and beauty and beast are progroms which high light the peoblems that are faced by disable person. they should be in socity as equal th anyone else. they are beauliful and uniaque.

Beauty and the Beast

britian missing top models

Kelly Knox was the winner of the compatition.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/missingmodel/

http://www.loveproductions.co.uk/programmes/2008

http://www.channel4.com/programmes/beauty-the-beast-ugly-face-of-prejudice

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/columnists/jennymccartney/8320513/Beauty-and-the-Beast-shows-why-we-shouldnt-take-people-at-face-value.html

http://www.channel4.com/programmes/beauty-the-beast-ugly-face-of-prejudice/episode-guide/series-1/episode-5

http://www.channel4.com/programmes/beauty-the-beast-ugly-face-of-prejudice/episode-guide/series-1/episode-5

http://www.channel4.com/programmes/beauty-the-beast-ugly-face-of-prejudice/episode-guide/series-1/episode-4

http://www.hertsad.co.uk/what-s-on/st_albans_woman_faces_up_to_channel_4_s_beauty_and_the_beast_1_809225

Zac Poson Paris fashion week 2011

A look into Zac Poson  Summer and Spring (S/S) collection this year

Some of Zac Poson design for the S/S collection is nice and some were not so nice. He has used some beautiful colours and some that are not so appealing. Some of the design are truly breath taking.  He has used material in all different easy , mainly using net as the main textile at the fashion show in Paris . 

He used some other nice textiles which include:

• Fur
•  Silk
•  Cotton
•  Jarrett
•   Jersey
•   Linen
•   Tissue
•                Woolen
  
  
   Some of the textiles used in the designs showed the use of a wave affect 

1.    This look uses the wave effect and the idea of bones that go down and around the dress.

The dress and pattern shape is rough and shows very fine detail.

I like the patterns the colour colure and the shape of the design looks very good.

1.    This design does not look as nice because the model’s thin figure is lost in the outfit and the colour conflicts with the models complexion.

The see through silk fabric looks nice with the fine detailed sequence.

I love this dress, it looks very pretty and the use of black, cream and grey mixed up looks lovely on the dress.  I like the way the bust line is designed, with the black used to detail the dress, the light cream and darker cream and grey all together work to look like the form of a wing.

1.    Wow I love this dress it’s colour scheme is very nice but similar to the above dress and also similar to the third dress. The side pleats which are in black are giving a very nice shape to the model’s figure. The  Grey and black colour gives a very elegant Hollywood look.

the look of this dress does not look the nice compared to the others  because I don’t like the fur on legs. I also don’t like the triangular shaped cut out used to show the chest and tummy,however I like the idea as it reminds of something that may have been worn in World war I or II.   

 

1.    This dress looks like a queens dress, the colour scheme is the same as dress 3 and 4. But dress is more rock and roll and something that would be worn to a party. But and the same time looks posh. I like the buttons and the shape of the dress, with the use of the net textile. And I like way that Zac Poson has used a different colour on the bustline and the on middle, reminding me of the shine and detail of a diamond.

1.    I don’t like the fur on the hip area, it looks like the model is away to fly away. I only like the colour but not the fur and I do not like the trousers and top with the jacket. The shape and patterns of the design , and the net does not work with this outfit.

1.    I like this design; it looks nice with the fur on the dress, and the pink and black with the use of the net textile works very well. It looks like underwear or an outfit for going swimming or to the beach and I like the chest and hip fastener shape and form, and the material and pattern remind me of a wave. 
 http://mode.newslicious.net/2010/09/paris-fashion-week-zac-posen-ss-11.html