Final Products!

Drafts of Front Cover

This is the first draft I made of my front cover. I had used a photograph I had previously taken in a photo shoot for my textiles AS level as I thought it was a professional looking photograph with good lighting and that the white dress would allow me to place sell lines on top and arrange them better. I looked at similar magazines from the genre such as Vogue and Harper's Bazaar to get a feel for their layout and the way they place their sell lines. I have included some of the covers I looked at in a post called 'Professional Front Cover Analysis'. I found that they put their main sell line in the same colour as the masthead and at the bottom of the page. They also used a different font which would be bolder at the bottom of the page which would draw the eye more. I decided to also use this technique. On some of the covers they also used blocks behind some of the text over darker areas to allow the sell lines to stand out more therefore I also used this technique when sell lines were placed over darker areas such as the hair of the model. I predominantly used bright pink, pale pink and black and white for the cover, this is because I did not want it to look too busy and for the colours to not compliment each other. I saw also that on Harpers Bazaar they used a sash across the top right hand corner and I thought this looked professional and effective as I have also seen this technique used on the covers of Vogue occasionally. 

Once I had finished the first draft of this cover I decided that I did not feel it had the look I was going for and that the imagery did not look as dominant and effective as I had hoped for. Therefore I decided to take some more images in my next photo shoot which would seem more bold and dominant. I decided to use the same model however as I liked her look and style. 

I then produced this magazine front cover after my photo shoot. I changed the imagery so that it looked more dominant and added a brush stroke to the background of one of the sell lines so that it could also stand out against the page. I used a different font for the main sell line at the bottom of the page as I did not feel it stood out off the image and with it being the main sell line it needed to be bolder. I then produced the second draft of my front cover which I feel looked more dominant and bolder, I also thought this looked more professional and more like the professional competitors. 

Eventually, I had produced my final draft of my front cover. I kept changing and adding more sell lines so that it looked more professional and like a real magazine, I also changed the depth of colours used, I decided to go for a deep purple for the masthead and main sell line as it looked more dominant and stood out better off the image background as this was hard to do due to the big hat used and the patterned shirt the model was wearing. I again changed the font of the main sell line to something younger looking and bolder and added a thin white stroke so that it again stood out better off the image. I then added little details such as lines and crosses to add more detail to some of the sell lines and I changed the colours of some of the sell lines to the pink colours so that they still fit in with my house style. Overall I am very happy with my front cover and I think it looks effective and like it could compete with the professional ones I have used as inspiration.  

Finished Products Before Final Revisions

Below are all of my final products which were handed in at the first hand in date. There may be possible revisions to do to these products however these are my solid drafts.

Monitoring Post 28/02/14

Charity Shop Haul Article

If you were given 15 hours to find a full, elegant, designer esque outfit for under £60 where would you turn? Surely not a charity shop…surely yes! Charity shops are being vamped up and aren’t as tatty and shabby as before, you could even find yourself blissfully near charity-shop nirvana. London obviously have the best charity shops, such as TRIAD and Salvation Army on Princes Street, however finding a little designer number in one of these will probably cost you a small fortune. A vintage Chanel can knock you back a few hundred pounds, so for now let’s stick to the non-major branded items. Admittedly, unless you’re followed by a fairy sprinkling magic dust, you will never find an excellent charity shop item at the click of your fingers. A little hunting and imagination will get you a long way. Open your mind, walk aimlessly and look for inspiration!

Your first time charity shopping can be a little frightening and disappointing, but the key is to not give up. Look through all of the items on the rail; you never know what may be lurking out of view. If something takes your eye, take it down from the rail and inspect it. Think of things you already have in your wardrobe you could team it with or what trend it will categorise under. If you can imagine yourself wearing it or have something to team it with, buy it. If you can think of a way to up-cycle it and make it more your style, again, buy it. Each item will only knock you back £2/£3 at a time, it won’t break your piggy bank!

I met up with a few friends and asked them all to go to a charity shop, hunt around for 15 minutes and bring me back an item they would wear. One brought back the cutest, crochet white, halter neck summer top. With her slim-line, tall, slightly sun-kissed skin she looked to die for. Another brought back a pair of Levi jeans which she admitted she added a few rips to, so that they looked more vintage and up to date with the latest trends. Ripped jeans are big this season so grab yourself a cheap pair from a charity shop and get ripping! (Psstt..I will show you how to later on). Two of my friends brought back scarfs, one tartan and one burberry, which were both massive trends winter 13/spring 14, they had successfully found excellent, cheap items which were made of rich fabrics for a tiny price! What could possibly be more great?

Statement Pieces Article

Razzle Dazzle;

An array of shimmering sequins, beads and all things blingy, you’re bound to cause a scene and stop traffic passing you on the streets! Follow the designers such as Tom Ford and Stella McCartney who are making sequins a massive part of their AW14 collections. Embellishment enriches our wardrobes, whether it be day or night. From barely there glimmer, to a heavy sumptuous sparkle, the entire collection offers up a rich feast for the eyes. It’s such a lust affair!

Designer and high street brands both have created some lavishly detailed pieces over the years, however AW14 will be the time to shine! From a twist on the basic camisole, to prepped up sport wear, sequins are set to drop a big bombshell on the fashion world. The thirst for shimmer will be immense, so grab some sparkle while you can. All aspects of the colour spectrum are allowed for this trend, however pastels are set to be a big hit.

Why not glitz up one of your old wardrobe items using craft shop beads and sequins to make a totally special piece, nobody else in the entire world will be rocking? Now that’s fashion. Grab an old shirt with a collar and a couple bags of sequins and beads and a tube of fabric glue and hey presto, you’re already on your way to creating an iconic statement piece. Glue on the sparkles one by one ensuring you fill all the gaps causing big clusters for maximum impact. Why not arrange in a pattern to gain a higher quality effect?

The Colourful Collarless Coat;

The intense coloration of luminosity and undertones are vital to pull off this key trend of AW 14. What’s a coat without colour? The BRIGHTER the better! Whether it be used to shield the harsh winter wind or a nippy spring breeze a bright, collarless coat is vital. Deep saturation is better than muted undertones for this trend, ten times over. Chanel and Lucas Nascimento are big players of this trend. Chanel uses a lot of bright tweed fabrics, which look like they have just stepped off a plane from lux city. What a way to lure us in! Celebs such as Rihanna have also been spotted sporting this trend on the streets of Hollywood, so it’s sure a trend us aspiring fashion legends are going to chase!

Both designer and high street brands are nailing this trend. Topshop is currently a big lover of the colour spectrum coat ranging from £70-£100, a little pricey but for a key fashion item I’d say it would be an excellent investment. For a cheaper alternative for this trend, why not visit your local charity shops or your Grandma’s closet. Bright coats have been around for centuries drifting in and out of the fashion spotlight however we think this time they’re here to stay. The heavier the fabric the better, however any fabric can still be made to look ostentatious! £10 in a local charity shop could get you a fabulous, out dated coat which, with a little TLC, could look brand new again. How about adding new buttons to give it a richer looking effect?

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