Reinterpreting Ancient Egypt through Modern Dress
Senior Honors Project 2009-2010
Senior Honors Project 2009-2010
I have had a fascination for Ancient Egypt since I was in middle school. Until this project I was unable to meld together my two passions together: fashion design and Egypt. For this project I wanted to develop my own fashion line based upon analysis of ancient Egyptian tomb art.
In the Textiles, Merchandising, and Fashion Design department I have taken a variety of courses that have only increased my knowledge and excitement for this project. I have taken courses involving fashion illustration, basic sewing and even pattern making/engineering. This project allowed me to combine all these elements together.
I started this project by reading about Ancient Egypt from various basic encyclopedias and art books. Then, I took note of different images that I could use as inspiration. I created a concept board as well as a variety of sketches. Next, I narrowed down my sketches and refined them into my vision for a collection of clothing designs. I created technical flat illustrationss and beganthen developing developed patterns. The real excitement of the project was choosing the best fabric and trims for the garment silhouettes and designs. The last step was sewing the garments together. I constructed these garments from scratch.
My designs were accepted into the Textiles, Fashion Merchandising and Design (TMD) Department’s annual Spring Splash Fashion show. Every detail of these garments required careful thought, planning, and execution.There is an explanation for the inclusion of every detail. The Egyptians were very precise in regards to ornamentation in the burial of the dead. The most precious and elaborate clothing and accessories were thought to bring good luck to the deceased in their afterlife. This was especially true for the pharaohs and queens. I mimicked this idea by including appliqué and hand beading into my designs. This thoughtful includes process also encompasses the choice of accessories of like bangles and gold flats sandals.
In the Textiles, Merchandising, and Fashion Design department I have taken a variety of courses that have only increased my knowledge and excitement for this project. I have taken courses involving fashion illustration, basic sewing and even pattern making/engineering. This project allowed me to combine all these elements together.
I started this project by reading about Ancient Egypt from various basic encyclopedias and art books. Then, I took note of different images that I could use as inspiration. I created a concept board as well as a variety of sketches. Next, I narrowed down my sketches and refined them into my vision for a collection of clothing designs. I created technical flat illustrationss and beganthen developing developed patterns. The real excitement of the project was choosing the best fabric and trims for the garment silhouettes and designs. The last step was sewing the garments together. I constructed these garments from scratch.
My designs were accepted into the Textiles, Fashion Merchandising and Design (TMD) Department’s annual Spring Splash Fashion show. Every detail of these garments required careful thought, planning, and execution.There is an explanation for the inclusion of every detail. The Egyptians were very precise in regards to ornamentation in the burial of the dead. The most precious and elaborate clothing and accessories were thought to bring good luck to the deceased in their afterlife. This was especially true for the pharaohs and queens. I mimicked this idea by including appliqué and hand beading into my designs. This thoughtful includes process also encompasses the choice of accessories of like bangles and gold flats sandals.
