Senior Thesis

 

 I have started to concept and loosely sketch for my senior thesis which is a slow process, but one I am really excited about! This is going to be my main goal this summer and I hope to have all of the final pieces for my collection sketched out and ready to be turned into muslin mock-ups and final fabric designs. We have the option to do 4-6 looks for our thesis collections and I am aiming to complete 5 designs and possibly 6 as long as each look individually is strong and unique. I will be scanning pages from my sketchbook to post on here every week so you can see how I work and how the collection is evolving and coming together.

The inspiration for my senior thesis are the Marble Caves found in Patagonia, South America on Genral Carrera Lake, which is shared by Argentina and Chile. The lake is fed by the melting ice of glaciers. The water in the lake carved out these caves and formed caverns and passageways with rich sediment streaking and coloring. Marble is also slightly soluble in water so when the lake reached its current level, the marble started to dissolve. Throughout the year, the lights and colors in the caves change from low water and natural-looking color in the spring to higher water levels in the summer and eerie blue colors. I am taking inspiration not only from the coloring, but also the play of the hard marble vs. the fluid water and the way the caves taper to a point and reflect on the surface of the water. Overall, I want my collection to have fluidity in shapes, smooth transitions, and be something that is easy to look at, similar to how the water has eroded the cave out over time to form these soft lines and fluid shapes. I love the way the cavern walls and patterns reflect into the water and I want to mirror looks across the body to mimic this element in each of my designs. The symmetry and design elements that this will create will not only provide smooth transitions and balance within the designs, but also intrigue when done with patterns or other design details. I also want to develop my own print based off sediment and mineral patterns on walls of caverns which will be used throughout the collection and provide visual interest and movement. I loved the colors of the sediments present in the pictures I have found so I want to blend the best colors found both in the spring and in the summer to make one large print. I will then use spoonflower.com to turn this print into a fabric to use in my designs.

The silhouettes I want to create will have cut outs, overlays and layering to add depth similar to how the cut outs and erosion of the cave provides “peep” holes showing elements farther back in the cave. I also want to design both tailored pieces as well as softer pieces representing the hard stone architecture of the cave and the smooth, fluid water that lies in it. Mixing fabrics will also help me to achieve this look.  I am hoping to use matte fabrics (possibly suede or chiffon), chunky knit elements, self-designed silk prints, and heavier wools throughout the collection. I want to experiment with design details such as keyholes, layering, draping, cutouts, and ways to add structure so I can include some of these into my designs. When it comes to details, I want to find something that is fresh, not overworked, seamless and fluid.

Its a ton of work, but I am so excited to begin sketching and finding fabrics that will work with this collection. Make sure to check back in the next week or so for some updates about the print that I have been working on to go with my collection as one of the key features. 

xoxo Hillary C.