Restraining The Free

June 2010//

With this holiday spirit, I would like to apologize for abandoning this blog. I know it has been too long since I "promised" to write about the last project I did for completing my first year in Uni.

The last project of the year consisted of two things, an A3 portfolio of our own works throughout the year that we have selected and compiled "professionally", and a design project that allowed us to decide our own area of interest.

Now, I don't want to bore you with details of what I had to do. I'll try to explain it as brief as possible:

I titled my project "Restraining the Free". Why? Because I did a study that involved a comparison between corsetry - which obviously is a restraining garment that is controversial especially in the old days - and drapery - which I considered the exact opposite of corsets. With thorough research and extensive reference, I wanted to prove the superficiality of corsets. Using this title, I did my research of the two things from different aspects; history, social, culture, etc. As the outcome, we had to create designs based on our research and experimentation.

At first I thought I would reject the whole idea of corsetry, but my research led me to accepting the concept; and that would contradict my initial goal. This was when I started to feel uncertain. I had a talk with my tutor before I went on with the research, I told him "I don't know where I should direct my research; I want to reject the concept of corsets but my research so far have pulled me in to accepting the idea", and he said "Just go on with your research for now, don't think about the final outcome, just take in everything that comes to you"... and so I did. I decided to combine corsetry and drapery, because I've found that both of them reflects beauty in their own unique ways (this was where the research went long).

Throughout the process, I was inspired by so many things! Sea creatures, Kebaya, architecture, and paintings were a few of them. This long process finally brought me to designs that incorporated corsets AND drapery, showing its gift of freedom to the human body as well as the beauty of control that the corsets conveyed through the 'perfect' bodily structure.

And, finally, the collection line up. I'm not very happy with them, though. Most of them didn't seem really connected to the researches I have done (images above). But at least I've realised that and learnt something.

That is what's count.... right?