A missing element in fashion design

As a young corporate executive, I took a year-long sabbatical from work and pursued a side interest in image consulting and fashion design. I once wrote a few insights that were published in the Philippine Daily Inquirer:

http://globalnation.inquirer.net/112351/insights-from-a-san-francisco-sabbatical

Prior to leaving the Philippines, I was already involved in giving talks about fashion colors and image enhancement. So, I chose to attend a workshop in Maryland that increased my understanding about dressing well, among other things.

When I went to San Francisco, I took the opportunity to pursue a fashion design class for a semester. It was an exciting moment and I learned so much. It was also interesting to observe the whole class as an outsider looking in.

Many Americans, at that time, were not highly knowledgeable about the Philippines. When I told my teacher about the piña and jusi fabrics at home, my teacher sounded really interested to see a sample. 

During an exercise where we were asked to write a fashion forecast, I predicted that with the advent of the Internet, fashion designs from exotic lands will come to the fore. For some reason, certain classmates (they were freshmen and very young) applauded me on what I wrote. Nowadays, I can’t help but admit that it has come to pass.

My classmates were really talented in art illustration. Most of them could draw and color very well without need for much instruction. I also noticed that fashion design was treated as purely an art form, meaning they would do whatever they wanted with the croquis (the basic female form that is drawn before clothes are illustrated) without regard for modesty or anything else. Art was pursued for its own sake and never was it discussed in class that behind the clothes was actually a person or a personality. Perhaps that was a different subject altogether.

As someone who was then involved in image consulting, I could not help but conclude that the missing element in fashion design is the lack of recognition for the human person behind the art. Bringing that into the equation naturally changes the design strategy.

In class, we were taught to start with an inspiration, then a mood board, and then a fashion collection. If we include the human aspect into the mood board, perhaps the overall outcome will be different, with less absurdity or nudity.

During that time, I started a fashion newsletter and wrote this point that encapsulates my whole perspective on fashion: “The main idea in elegant dressing is to bring attention to the face or the eyes. We want others to see the person and not the body. If there is something that distracts the other person from looking at our face, that is one clear signal that we have put on too much or too little in our clothing.”

The lack of focus on the person is, in my opinion, one reason why certain fashion designs fail to capture the interest and loyalty of ordinary people.

Dipping my brush into Mijello Mission Gold paint

I just picked up my watercolor paintbrush recently and still consider myself a student. In the past, I tried art school and attended a few painting workshops here and there. In any case, I seem to be taking this watercolor interest a step further, by now spending more time in actual practice.

For the first time, I have also gotten hold of artist grade watercolor materials such as Mijello Mission Gold watercolor paint and I am sharing some notes of experience here.

The above 12-color palette was the first set that I acquired and the colors did not disappoint as far as brilliance is concerned. I found out later that these were the pure pigment colors of Mijello Mission Gold.

The pure pigment colors are vibrant and strong. Plus, they spread out evenly. I heard that other brands like Daniel Smith have a tendency to granulate. But I guess I still have to discover that as I keep on trying different paints. For now, Mijello Mission Gold is the first artist grade paint that I have tried.

At some point, I wanted to try the pastel colors and so I obtained the individual tubes. Unfortunately for this one, I found the colors somewhat opaque or chalky. I was told that for these kinds of mixed colors, you need to spread out the paint thinly. I have tried doing exactly that but still find myself looking for the pure pigment colors.

For example, when I first applied the lavender color, it had a tendency to come out whitish suggesting that the blue pigment used may be minimal. I tried using shell pink color thinly as suggested but somehow felt that I could do better mixing the colors myself. Also for mixed colors, there is a tendency for the mixture to get muddy when blended with other colors.

Overall, I can recommend the pure pigment colors of Mijello Mission Gold but probably not the mixed colors. The above 12-color palette is ideal for beginners as they contain pure pigments and can be mixed easily.  

The colors found in the palette are: lemon yellow, permanent yellow deep, red orange, permanent red deep, permanent magenta, bright clear violet, cerulean blue, ultramarine light, viridian, sap green, red brown, and van dyke brown.