As part of our Junior-level Problem Solving course, we were tasked to construct looks from unconventional materials to challenge our resourcefulness.
For the Color Project, the look was to be crafted in conjunction with four assigned descriptive words - mine were: Orange, Arms, Stripes, and Layers.
This look was featured in our annual Design X fashion show in Fall 2019.
Orange is a color I do not typically work with, but was eager to attempt. To create depth, I maintained a small, but widely varied palette of different shades so it did not read as flat.
Using Luchadors and the Pheonix folklore as inspiration for silhouette, I wanted this look to be dynamic and almost theatrical. I utilized painted strips of cardboard to craft a gladiator skirt that bounced atop a dense shell of balled up plastic bags, accordion folded paper and fabric scraps to give an impression of an armor.
Gradating spray-painted mylar served as a nod to a fighter''s cape, or a bird's wings to bring attention to the arms; this fullness aided the overall proportion and further highlighted the layering.
Long strips of dip dyed, hand-cut fringe fall from the "seam" give emphasis to movement and an abstracted interpretation of stripes.
