Lucy Thorpe

personal profile

personal profile

I am currently an art foundation student studying at Falmouth University. On the course so far I have had the experience and freedom to try other skills such as working and moulding metal in jewellery making, created a group installation project as well as being able to work with fabric and paper to create my own fashion designs into garments.

On the course we have started a deconstruction, reconstruction project in which we had to dissect an object of our choosing. This exercise enabled me to fully understand the skeleton and structure of the garment such the different layers of fabric and how all of the seams fitted together to form a 3D shape. I loved working with the material on the mannequin and reworking, reinventing this garment into something new.

My work is something I always try and keep editing, until I am satisfied and I know a piece is at it’s best adaptation. In some cases this will mean going back and working back into past pieces,however I do like working this way, layering the work, both adding and removing detail. For me I like to produce work in which you can see the layers of process within the finished piece.

In the past two years I have made many trips to London and the Victoria and Albert museum where I saw the Alexander McQueen Savage Beauty exhibition.  His work is inspiring my current designs and ideas by the way he uses his material and intermingles haute couture fashion with theatre and art, while still maintaining impeccable tailoring. I also visited Shoes: Pleasure & Pain and Wedding Dresses 1775-2014.

During my foundation course I travelled to Berlin where I had access to an enormous wealth of artists and designers within the many galleries and museums in the city. I came across Elsa Schiaparelli’s work for the first time in the Staatliche Museen Zu Berlin in their Botticelli Exhibition. I really saw her as a woman before her time, creating designs that would become timeless. At the museum I was shocked to see that her dresses had been created in the 1930’s.

My current project: Intricate Folds and Pleats in which I am exploring the designs of Victorian couture and classic form fitting dresses showcased in a range of pieces such as dresses, corsets, jackets, skirts and one-piece body sets. I’ll also be studying the evolution of the ideal female form, how embellishments and certain accents of the shape of the garment can enhance it. Watchingvideos of past collections on the runway of designers helped me to understand the dynamics and texture of a garment through movement when it is on a body. In particular John Galliano’s collection for Christian Dior 2007, Thierry Muggler 1997-8 and Alexander McQueen Spring/Summer2007 as well as Vivienne Westwood and her use of the crinoline in 1985. My main reason for choosing these designers was their use of supportive frames like corsets, rich and heavy materials and the draping and shaping of said materials. A technique I want to show in my own work.

Due to my love of literature and the theatre which has been a constant part of my life, from learning ballet and studying English literature at A level, I always keep my eyes open for any opportunity to go and see such live performances. I found Christopher Wheeldon’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland utterly spectacular from the storybook stage to the delicate, rippling dresses of the garden flowers. I love to travel to new places for exploration and inspiration. Reading Vogue and creating mood boards from the cut out pages as well as looking to websites such as mymodernmet.com, thisiscolossal.com and vam.ac.uk for news in the art world such as new designers, makers, etc. One blog that caught my eye was blog.vanyanis.net where I found a video showing the process of making a couture gown from studio to runway.

Overall I would say that I am a curious and hardworking student who would love to study, design and create pieces and collections that show my full passion and excitement for this industry.

 

Copyright 2014 L. J. Thorpe

lucy@lucythorpe.com    Use of any content is forbidden without written approval

v.4.4.1 31 Jan 2016