Clairty

Bringing this blog up to date, I have had a vision of clarity in the past few weeks. Having really struggled with the idea of another essay proving a thesis and finding a subject that was exciting enough for me to really get my teeth into, I emailed Damian with my issues and struggles with the question.

Admittedly this is the reason I had been putting off this project proposal and just worrying about failure. However after asking Damian what he thought of my question and reading the lecture notes surrounding research and methodology, Damian had finally explained that the whole reason behind this essay and project was to explore the ways in which we research. It wasn't solely dependent on the actual question and exploration of said question, but rather the discovery of oneself through the medium of research and the way in which we conduct it.

The reason I feel I have struggled so much with this, is because I haven't had to write about research methodology in such a way since I studied AS level psychology... and I didn't enjoy it then! Whilst finally learning the real purpose of this essay and finally learning its direction and what exactly we need to write about, it was like a weight lifted from my shoulders. I can now create any question around the field I was interested in, without it being too difficult to find the answers to the question, but focus more on finding the information I need to argue.

In terms of researching, I feel that I am confident with it and have always succeeded in good analytical and research skills, however it is going to take some used to getting back into and creating such a body of extensive work, outside of my comfort zone. I usually use the internet for most of my research, mainly using visual imagery, looking through blogs, popular article archives and finding links within links. This in itself can create a journey of different types of research and link to other bits of information I may not normally have looked at.

Whilst I am finding it hard to concentrate and get my head around both projects at a time, I need to learn to manage my time more efficiently. I know however I will get the project done, but it is best to keep afloat of all parts and make sure that the work load doesn't fall on top of you.


So far, I have managed to create a question, with help from Damian:
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"How does the use of black in fashion styling from (name here ) compare to the use of black in the designs from the Autumn collection of ….(name here)  to convey  atmosphere, occasion and emotion? "

The next stage is to figure which designer and stylist I want to use in order to explore the methods of research and I am thinking Gareth Pugh because his collections are predominantly in black and white and then to find a stylist of similar taste. Then delve into their collections and reseach the reasons why they use the colour, where I can find this information, what websites and journals and theorists explore the theories behind the colour black.

The first books I have been looking at are;

Visual Research Methods in Fashion  by Julia Gaimster

and

Understanding Aesthetics for the Merchandising and Design Professional by Ann Marie Fiore


Upon starting to write my project proposal, brainstorming my question and beginning some secondary research for designers and stylists that only work with black, I discovered this would be too much of a specific area in order to research. This is because it is impossible for a stylist and designer to ONLY work in one colour and therefore would be impossible to compare. Therefore I have decided to readjust my question to compare the works of Gareth Pugh from Autumn/Winter collection (year yet to be decided) to  Spring/Summer 2013. This would then lead to finding out the aspects of monochromatic colour that contribute more to occasion, and season whilst also investigating the use of such colours and what they convey. I think that this will open up my research and make it more accessible, whilst also allowing me to research Gareth Pugh's works more in depth and his thinking process behind his collections. The cut of his garments for the different seasons will also contribute to the theories I am researching, so i must decide if that is a good contributing factor towards my research, or if i am over indulging in information that may or may not be necessary.

The use of Journals, theorists and analysis of Gareth Pugh's work will contribute to the research, whilst also I can perform a focus group and possibly a questionnaire that will allow me to find an insight into what the public think of what colour conveys and their opinions of Gareth Pugh's use of colour in his collections. Also this will allow me to gain insight into whether they would wear such dark colours on a summer's day and why they would/would not. For this I will have to choose his Ready to Wear collections as opposed to the Couture collection as the audience are obviously most likely to wear everyday items.

Research Methods

5/11/2012
At the beginning of this unit, I was quite confused in our first lecture. I felt inspired by the lectures, feeling like this was a new way of thinking and looking at things and hoped that I would develop new skills in order to aid whatever projects we had coming towards us. However I couldn't help but feel confused and overwhelmed by the amount of theoretical information we were being given. Having been taught mostly literally and practically, I had found it hard to grasp the concepts being handed out.
Research methodology can be a very dull and monotonous subject to write about, but having had a few tasks in these lectures explaining the kinds of things we will need to be utlising, I found myself being intrigued by it. I must say that after finishing education and having the mind set that I was going into a job, this Masters course was a last minute decision, I have been struggling to get back into the essay writing and theoretical state of mind. Also not having properly writing since my dissertation a year ago. I really the practical side of things and can throw myself creatively into projects that ask for made objects so this is going to be a different sort of challenge. The main thing I am worried about is finding a subject specific enough that interests me enough to write about in depth and successfully.


12/11/2012
This week's lecture was on ethics and although I didn't make it into class because it is quite a drive for me to commute in for an hour lecture, I managed to catch up on a few things I'd missed with the help of other students and the notes on the portal. 
The previous week we had been discussing topics of interest for this particular essay. It is really overwhelming to be able to choose any subject that you want related to fashion, to talk about and research. I had a few ideas in mind, and a few thoughts from my dissertation last year had come into my mind, but I didn't fully enjoy writing that essay as it was quite a new subject and I couldn't find too much that related to it. Therefore I decided to brain storm a few ideas around the theory of colour.
 I was thinking of writing about the colour black and how some designers such as Gareth Pugh only use black (and/or white) whilst designing his collections, and how they use this colour to evoke emotions/moods in a readt to wear collection. 
For example, in the summer, one would normally choose lighter, brighter colours to convey the season and also the way they feel that particular day. However, if you have a collection completely based on one or two colours, how can you create that same sort of effect to fit into a daily routine and normal life. 
I was thinking about creating a survey or questionnaire of some sort to a different collection of people (old, young, fashionable, non fashionable etc) in order to gain some data showing the way in which they dress in the morning; whether it be by choice of mood/season/feeling or practicality.