Starting Point...

I'm a Blog rookie, so bear with me!
I figure I'll note everything Im thinking and hopefully it'll make sense...eventually!

My 1st thoughts are how excited I am to finally be planning for my Graduate Collection. It feels like this has been a long time coming, so now its here I don't want to waste it.
It'll be the first time that MY designs have been exhibited as a whole range, and I'm hoping it wont be the last.

I know the range will be menswear (though I did wonder about the possibility of doing mens and womenswear(?)), and while I know I shouldn't , I've spent most of my placement year (certainly the last 6 months at least) preparing and planning!
Hopefully my thoughts will develop and grow, and fingers crossed this diary will narrate that process and provide me with a record of my thought process (I'm afraid once the creative part of my brain kicks in, I don't register much else- so this Blog might be a blessing in the aftermath!)

Thoughts so far:
Before my year out, I probably would have gone for something quite couture, quite theatrical; but I realised (through working in industry, though briefly) that to be noticed, the collection has to represent me as the future of British Mens Design, and though in the long term i want to design under my own name (I'm sure everyone does!), I have to get my foot in the door first and i'd rather be known as the hireable one with the perfect, wearable, but different collection than the one with the costumie type OTT range!!



So far then, I've been looking at the idea of fusing Formalwear with Jeanswear. I have this vision of a black velvet bomber jacket with a tux collar and gold embroidery. I want bib fronts from shirts (winged tipped?) that are stitched into lightweight jersey Ts, and formal trusers (side panels, jet pockets and back vents) made really low rise, but extra long in dark indigo Japanese denim and with neat turn ups. I'd like to include sashes and cravats- So I think it'll look somewhere between Black Tie English and 50s American baseball.

I was thinking of using tonal embroidery too- or maybe gold (not sure if I want to keep it as a textural detail, or some flashy James Bond thing).
Maybe I could use tonal prints (black on black), so details were only seen in certain lights.

I've got plenty of images to start with, so will keep delving to find more!

In terms of other designers, I think this'll look somewhere similar to D&G, Dolce, and Dsquared2's collections from AW06/07 (see images!)

ok so the first 1s there for eye candy- but still...