Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Finished Garment
Sunday, February 14, 2010


Sketching the design
Saturday, February 13, 2010



I started sketching some simple ideas but they all seemed very generic and boring. I needed to think outside the square. I felt as though I should be going all out and over the top. My inspiration however, came from my muse in her earlier years, before heading to Hollywood. She was a no nonsense sort of a woman, and that practicality combined with a personal pride in her health and physique was at the core of where I wanted my design to be focused.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Woollen Mermaids for the National Maritime Museum
I have always been inspired by strong women throughout history who have broken through the boundaries of what society deemed appropriate for a woman. Annette Kellerman is no exception and I'm surprised that more is not spoken of her as a pioneer of the gender equality in the sporting and film industries. Certainly she was recognised for this in the United States but as usual, it seems Australia was slow on the uptake. Or maybe it was that dreaded Tall Poppy Syndrome so embedded in our Australian culture. In any event, I was dumbfounded that as a independent young woman I had never heard of her.

Along with using Anette Kellerman as my muse I was given some images with which to take inspiration from.
These images feature a photo from the 1930's and a contemporary image of a personal game consol and a city scape. At first I was a little unsure as to how to incorporate both the images. I really liked the idea of the Aussie lifesavers. I was immediately drawn to its cultural imagery and how it related so well to what I had learnt about Annette Kellerman.
I was unsure at this point how the other image was going to inspire me, but I knew some further research was needed before I could begin designing.