Finished!! Statement of Purpose

[textileowl]

 

After completion of graduate school, I envision pursuing my interest and utilizing my knowledge and skills by developing a multi-faceted career path. I hope to include elements of costuming for the performing arts, education of those interested in fashion and clothing design, and the design, development, and production of garments.

 

 My love of fashion began at an early age. Novels such as “Little House on the Prairie” offered me my first forays into aspects of historical fashion. It was not current fashions that interested me. I learned to sew and put outfits together in 4-H. Every summer, for ten years, I sewed one outfit but never really explored more than getting the pattern correct. The last one I made was a Renaissance Faire style gown for Halloween. The Simplicity pattern required quite a bit of modification to fit properly. After that, I decided that I was done with mass marketed patterns and that I needed to learn how to make my own. It was not until college that I connected the two, realizing in the process, that my interests lay at the interface of historical garment and pattern making.

           

As a freshman Anthropology major at the Ohio State University (OSU), I discovered that what intrigued me about anthropology was the discovery of what people wore, how they wore it, and why. I also began noticing how fashion and design trends cycled more quickly than earlier in history. I began wondering how modern fashion would be seen by future anthropologists and costume historians. I thought that I could gain a better understanding of the history and future of costume by studying textile and clothing, but the program focuses on marketing, merchandising, and design with an emphasis on computer aided design. There was a dearth of knowledge of pattern development or even basic garment construction.

 

During my first year at OSU I joined a student group called the Medieval and Renaissance Performers Guild devoted to keeping alive a 35 year old Renaissance Festival held on campus every spring. This close knit group quickly became my social network, and I found my niche assuming the responsibilities of Costume Coordinator. The outgoing Coordinator taught me the basics of pattern drafting and draping. I continued to build these skills for the next several years and plan to do so in the future. As Costume Coordinator, I oversaw 10 to 20 people at a time during workshops where I taught patterning and the basics of costume sewing of shirts, skirts, pants, and other garments. The more difficult items such as bodices, that are needed to provide support and create a period shape, I patterned from measurements and duct tape doubles and then provided instruction for their construction. Initially these were not well organized or structured workshops, but after three years, I had developed a system that encouraged the people who had developed skills to help share their knowledge and skills with those who were just learning. Through my knowledge of the skill sets of the individuals, I delegated the easier tasks and concentrated my efforts on the more difficult ones, such as helping someone alter a commercial pattern to fit and bring out the characteristics and appearance of their envisioned character.

 

Throughout my final year of college, my aesthetics and design aspirations started becoming more fully focused. I realized that what I want is to design and make clean lines on well–fitted garments with a nod to historical silhouettes and fabrics. Supporting this goal, I took a draping workshop (with my favorite professor) committing myself to an additional quarter of class. I furthered my knowledge of the basics of draping and produced two dresses for our student fashion show. I have come to realize how much I appreciate well constructed garments that are tailored to fit and enhance the individual. In my future studies and professional career, I look forward to exploring such questions as: What if our fashions gravitated back toward a need for well fitting under garments giving shape to the body, rather than letting the body be the shape?, What could our current designs look like with an underlying structure?, How might modern materials and construction techniques allow for new interpretations of classic historic silhouettes, designs, and fabrics?. I look forward to investigating, discovering, and sharing with others the possibilities of these and other questions as both a fashion design student and professional.

 

 

Now I just have to figure out how to tweak it for theatre costuming instead of fashion...