Lady Di - Thesis Collection
Fall 2023 - Spring 2024We should all dress for ourselves and wear what makes us happy. This idea is the main inspiration for my collection, deconstructing the constraints and rules of etiquette placed on women and challenging a "proper" way of dressing. Even in the 21st century women are still experiencing far more judgment based upon what they wear than men do. To demonstrate this I am utilizing Princess Diana as a symbol of a woman who was heavily restricted in the way she dressed, yet also was a fashion lover and icon. I studied mainly her looks from when she was still married to the then Prince Charles. I contrasted her etiquette and the strict rules she needed to follow to the lawlessness and anarchy of the punk movement of the 1980's, which is the same time period I am observing Princess Diana in. I used the silhouettes of Princess Diana with fabric and textile manipulations inspired by punks, for example, big puffy sleeves and ball gowns made out of a patchwork of jersey and vintage shirts combined with my own screen prints
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For Princess Diana I mainly looked at outfits she wore to events she would accompany the then Prince, as well as a few more casual outfits she would wear to pick up her kids from school.
These are mostly ball gowns and skirt suits, sharing obvious elements from the 19805 of big volumes with an emphasis on shoulders. I have done this by researching her most iconic looks, recreating them through draping and thrifting garments from the 8o's to study how they are authentically made. For one of my garments I used a pattern from the period to make my design more convincing. To understand punks, I researched some iconic members of the movement such as Nina Hagen, Alice Cooper and the Sex Pistols amongst others. The punk movement was the rebellious self expression that was popular during the time I am researching.