DISTORTION

After having explored how fashion can physically manipulate and restrict the body, I decided to look into how fashion can be used to distort the body with no great pressure or force applied. 

Therefore, I shot a short film documenting the ways that different fabrics interacted with the human form- how they draped, clung, hid and warped around the body.

Below are a few stills from the film that I think best illustrate the theme and idea I was aiming for.

CrissX AD CAMPAIGN

To accompany the CrissX merchandise I have created an advertisement campaign, which reflects the style of the brand and the type of woman it is aimed at.

I chose three different body con dresses for the shoot, which flowed together due to the colour scheme of red and black. I wanted the shoot to show a young woman on her way for a night out blurring the lines between sophisticated and sassy. 

I am pleased with the outcomes and have also Photoshopped the ads into real-life situations such as buses and billboards shown below.

BRANDING

For my Final Major Project I need to cover all areas of fashion promotion and communication therefore I have been researching branding and relevant brands, which link to my theme of manipulation. SO, I began by looking at brands I had already researched such as Hervé Léger, in particular the way they promote the "bandage dress", and also brands such as Agent Provocateur for the confinement aspect linking back to corsetry and undergarments from earlier on in my research.
I have consequentially created a range of merchandise for a luxury body con brand named "Criss X"

Unedited shoot #1

So today was my first full shoot for this project and these images are a few of my favourite unedited versions so far!

I am happy with the outcomes because I believe they really convey the message of contortion and restriction with a slight grotesque, foetal-like nature.

RESTRICTION EXPERIMENT

So to test out how a part of the body can be physically contorted, I shot a quick experiment of a hand wrapped in elastic bands and cling film.

These are a couple of examples from the shoot:

Some outcomes were a little bit creepy or grotesque, however this has given me some ideas as to what to do with the full body in a shoot and how the skin would interact.

BOUND

So after having looked at corsetry and the historical aspect of my project, I have begun to explore how modern day fashion manipulates the body.

This led me to look at how fashion clings to the body, such as Hervé Léger's body con garments, but also in a more experimental way. Body con was first popularised in the 70s as a "second skin" trend and has continued in fashion since. Léger is most famous for his bandage dress, which got me thinking about how this constricts the body and creates an image of entrapment at the same time as appreciating the natural body form. 

I have made a couple of mood boards, shown below, which express two different extremes of my research and development. The first demonstrates how fashion in nudes and sheers can reveal and set free the body and the other shows a darker side with bondage-like aesthetics and entrapment within fashion.

CORSETRY AND CONFINEMENT

To begin the project, I have researched and explored the history of the corset. It has been interesting to learn about the aesthetic and medical uses of a corset, including the fact that Andy Warhol wore a corset for the rest of his life after being shot in 1968.

What some people don't realise is that men wore corsets as much as women at one point to give themselves a slimer figure, later on declaring they needed it for their back pains. Male pride?

There have been many variations of the corset throughout the years since the concept of a corset or 'pair of bodys' was popularised in the 16th century. "Stays" were used in the 17th and 18th centuries to support the bust, draw shoulders back and give a conical shape. This was perceived as the ideal shape at the time. This then developed to the well-known s-shaped corset from the Edwardian period between 1900 and 1908. They had a straight front and curved at the back to force the upper body forward.They were laced and tightened at the back, however those who could not afford servants could buy corsets which laced at the front.

The corset fell out of fashion in the 20s, but has reappeared in the 50s with Dior's "New Look", steampunk fashion and films such as Moulin Rouge.

This style of manipulating the waist, bust and hips led to an unhealthy view of a perfect shape and this ideal remains within fashion today. It is a distorted view of the natural form and this is something I will continue to explore.

Vivienne Westwood

Ethel Granger- 13" waist (smallest recorded waist)

INTRO

Hi!

My name is Emily Kelly and this blog is my way of presenting and recording my ideas, research, development and outcomes for my final major project for my foundation art and design diploma.

I am specialising in fashion promotion and imaging, therefore my work will be fashion related.

I have chosen to focus my project on how fashion manipulates and distorts the human form.

I am intrigued with the ways in which fashion has changed the body temporarily and permanently throughout the years and how designers and photographers are still trying to manipulate the way we see the natural form.

I hope to discover some interesting facts about the topic and respond to my research in an experimental photographic way.

Will update soon!

Emily x