Lectra essay and folder is due this week...and as ever ive left it all to the last minute! my folders all done i attended all the sessions so theres nothing left out. i finished all my sewing samples and my jersey t-shirt was finished last week, but i haven't even started my essay. i took quite detailed notes in the Lectra lecture we had the other week so thankfully that helped!

i really have enjoyed the Lectra sessions. im quite good on computers so i got the hang of it quite quickly, i love how accurate the system makes the patterns - im a complete perfectionist and so pattern cutting by hand takes me for ever because i like to get it spot on, but the Lectra modaris program makes this easy.

Lectra modaris is defiantly a program i hope to use next year for my final collection project - actually thats another thing ive sort of made my mind up about - which area im going to study next year. i have enjoyed the buying & merchandising unit with Jo and alot of it i have a bit of knowledge about having worked full time last year at new look where i was in charge of all the instore visual merchandising.  but i really love the design side of it, and would miss that next year if i chose the buying merchandising route.

friday - me and ivy are off to catch the coach to london for fashion week!!!!!! woohoo!!!

monday morning we had pattern cutting with jody and picked our final design. the one me and jodie have chosen for my final piece is a combination of the jumpsuits and hoodies which i had designed from my research. 

i started the pattern for the jumpsuit by using the full length lycra catsuit block. because i plan to use a cotton jersey i have to allow for the fact that the original block is for lycra and lycra stretches alot more than cotton jersey. so i marked up the pattern by 2 cm all over. i also adapted the armholes creating a racer style back, i have shortened the leg lengths and changed the shape so the shorts section flares out away from the leg. i will add on the pockets later instead of cutting them into the pattern.

in buying and merchandising this week we looked at the product pyramind. we had to create a poster explaining the product range in stores. most high street stores start with there basic core lines. i work for new look in poole and have some understanding of this as in my gap year last year i was incharge of visual merchandising within our store. so at new look our core range consists of 4 different styles of basic jeans. vest tops, short and long sleeved plain t-shirts. black formal trousers and pencil skirts plus plain black suit jackets. basic 2 pack black and white bras and black socks, satchel bags in black, grey and tan, plain black headbands, hair clips and black hair elastics make up the basic core range for the accessories. all this core range is placed towards the back off the store against the outside walls. 

next comes the trend ranges which make up the majority of the shop floor. new look has a rough guide of a 2 week turnover - the window displays are replaced every 2 weeks and most promo's only last for the same length of time. at new look we usually work with 2 trends at once - usually one for each window and half of store. the two trends are loosely categorized as a formal/party trend range and then a more casual trend range.

next up the pyramid is the directional range. this is the garments that are abit more out there. abit crazy and with new look, are aimed at the younger "trendier" costumer. with new look this more directional range is usually only placed in certain stores - london, southampton, liverpool, brighton, bristol and manchester - usually the bigger city stores. this is because it sells to a specific audience - not usually found in places like poole! 

the final step on the pyramid is PR range. not every shop has a PR range the closest new look has ever had to one is the lily allen range - but it wasn't anything crazy it just received alot of publicity due to the lily allen tag. a PR range is more like the topshop unique collection. it only sells in the flagship topshop store and is used more to build an image and send out a message than to sell loads and make money.

♥jenelle♥

i have lived in poole for my entire life. and it never snows. ever. well it used to snow but i can't even remember the last time it proper snowed. i couldn't get into uni for B&M on tuesday because of the roads and shut down of the enitre public transport network and Lectra was cancelled on friday because the whole uni was shut. im watching people on the news complaining and moaing that when the south of england gets a couple of inches of snow the entire place grinds to a holt. my cousins up in scarborough have snow every winter and its often 3ft deep but they still go to school, they can still use public transport and they just get on with it!lol! but we do have a genuine excuss. this happens once in a blue moon so who can resist building the odd snowman or 3.......

^he has a spray can cap for his hat!

^built at 11.00 at night!!! freezing cold!!! but he is the cutest snowman ever!!!

^ that was about 7ft tall!!!

^micks girlfriend jennie, younger brother mick and twin brother scott. all over the age of 17 but playing in the snow you can never be too old for!!

i did do some work this week!lol! i did a ton more designs for my project and i've chosen the one i want to start making on monday. its a short jumpsuit with a hood, a chunky zip down the middle front, the bodice of the jumpsuit is split into 4 panels and there are gathered pockets which fall from the waist line.

NOT TO SELF: do not leave this to the last minute!!

We also had the Lectra LEcture this week. to be honest i was expecting it to be beyond boring. but it really wasn't. i used CAD/CAM when i was at school in woodwork - i hated it and was totally useless at it, in fact i manged ton break one of the machines back then. i was expecting her to tell us that CAD/CAM was used for cutting fancy shapes out of wood and plastic and that the modaris system was a new thing. but its way more than that!lol! its used quite extensively within the fashion industry, i particuarly like the £D model version where you can take your 2D patterns from modaris and turn them into a 3D model so you can see the fit and any changes you need to make, which cuts down on the amount of toiles needed! genius!

EDIT: 3 weeks later i received my mark and feedback for FDP. i got 70 for my overall mark which is quite good, and my feedback stated i need to look more into the history of the shakers movement and a note that flat drawings should only include style lines and not print - which had included on my  floral print jeans for the shakers project!

♥jenelle♥