RED

Brazilin/Carmine/Crimson/Indian red/Iron oxide/Mercury oxide/Red ochre/Scarlet/Vermilion

Emotions that stir the blood:

passion, aggression, courage, energy, guilt, love, anger, hatred, pain, fire, heat, sacrifice, violence, danger, sin, negativity, blood, lust, communism, stop, honor, leadership, Christmas, purity, attraction, beauty, error, happiness, good luck

Red Planets, Blood, Fox, Squirrel, Robin, Rose, Apples, Strawberries, Cherries, Tomatoes, Pomegranates

Red is traditionally the colour of either Love or Anger. Red is the perfect colour to represent the look I'm going for, not only is it the key colour in the story but it represents anger, evil and sin which will be the feel of my shoot. Also red contrasted with black is a very strong look. It creates a strength and power for the wearer.

Modern Red Riding

I've been searching for little red riding hood stuff all over the place, I've even found a fashion label called LRRH (Little Red Riding Hood) however I can find no current imagery, everything I'm finding is all from 2007/2008. I don't know whether this is a good thing or not, also all the images I'm finding are all the traditional look, with the red cape. I'm glad I changed my direction from the traditional look, as it has definitely been over done. I feel that because I'm going with a different look and almost ignoring the traditional costume, I am modernising it.

Fonts

Red CoatRustick_CapitalsKing Xmas/Monotype Corsiva
Old ScriptBaroque Antique Script

If I am going to include text over the pictures, which I probably will I need to get the font right. I mainly have been thinking about old english/calligraphy type fonts. I think these are best to represent the story. I particularly like the Baroque Antique Script and King Xmas/Monotype Corsiva, I think these ones look the best.

Extracts of Story

1. There was once upon a time a county girl, the prettiest little creature that ever was seen.

2. Her name was Biddy, and her mother said to her, go see how your grandmother does, I hear she has been very ill, carry her a custard and a little pot of butter. But don't stray off the path.

3. Biddy set out for the other village where her Grandmamma lived. On her way she wondered from the path and met with the Gossop Wolfe, who had a good mind to eat her up, but he did not as this girl had a strange gint in her eye, which worried the wolfe.

4. Once the wolfe had left, the girl did not rush to her Grandmamma's. She was not afraid of the forest, she spent her time winding her way through the bushes and chasing away the aminals.

5. When she arrived at the house, she pulled the bobbin and let herself in. She was astonished at how Grandmamma looked in her night clothes. Grandmamma what great arms you have got! All the better to embrace you with, you naughty little girl.

6. Grandmamma what big teeth you have got! It is to eat thee up my wayward child. And upon saying these words, this wolfe fell upon her and eat her up.

These are the 6 parts of the story I am going to use for inspiration. I have taken them out of the original story however changed a few aspects to fit in with my idea that red riding hood is the evil character. What I like most about the actual wording of the story is the old English terms that are used, like creature, faggot-makers, bobbin, Grandmamma and thee. I think these make the story a lot more interesting and more descriptive. My original idea was to incorporate the text over the image, I'm starting to think that this may not be the best way to convey the story however, I still really love the idea of putting the text over and the image reflecting the words but in a different way, so it makes the reader think differently about the story.

Main Inspiration

Here is the original version of Little Red Riding Hood, this is the version of the story I am using. As you can see from the imagery the pictures are dark, rough and quite ugly. This is the feel I'm going for with my shoot, as this dark element is what appeals to me more than the sugar coated version that most children get these days.

Alexander McQueen

"I've got a 600-year-old elm tree in my garden and I made up this story of a girl who lives in it and comes out of the darkness to meet a prince and become a queen," What emerged was a darkly Gothic creature with huge backcombed hair, wearing head-to-toe shrink-wrapped black leather with a skeletal branch as her crown.
Minutes later, she was a crinoline princess, wrapped in a whirl of knotted chiffon dripping with jewels from her forehead all the way down her intricately tucked bodice. Sari silks had feathered chiffon fountains bursting from beneath them, silken robes were embroidered with delicate peacocks whose beaks met at the strapless neckline and colonial velvets and ermine coats were richness personified."

This was Alexander McQueen's idea behind his autumn/winter collection. I like the fact he has a story behind his collection it makes it a bit more mystical and deeper than if there wasn't one. I like the dark Gothic element. I'd like to take elements from this for my shoot, but not as extreme. I particularly like the detailing such as the jewellery and the massive hair. These are things I'm going to have to think about in my shoot. I would definitely want big messy hair so she would look like she had just been in a fight or been running through the bushes.

Gothic Fashion

The Gothic trend was massive last winter, with designers such as Chloe, Chanel, Luella and especially Alexander McQueen. Black was definitely a key colour especially in fabrics such as lace and chiffon and this trend is still continuing in current collection. The trend combines dark clothing with pale faces and dark eye make up. This gives the illusion of dark/evil/dangerous, and is the look I'm going for in my shoot. I want my model to look dark and sinister to represent the story and I feel the Gothic trend is the way to go about this. I think combined with red this can be a really strong look for my shoot.

The Company of Wolves

The company of wolves in a 1984 film based on the original tale of little red riding hood. Unlike sugar coated versions this film is gory and sinister like the original tale, as I discovered. The film is about a young girl was Rosaleen, she is young and pretty and starts getting interest from local boys. Her grandmother, who tells her many tales about men being wolves, warns her about men who's eyebrows meet together in the middle and who were born feet first because they could be dangerous wolves. The film is about young girls, their sexuality and loosing their virginity, the main story is about staying on the path, this is about not venturing off and getting in trouble with men (wolves.) This film was quite gory and graphic and made me feel slightly ill in places, however it is very relevant for what I'm doing for my project. For my photo shoot I want to make it quite dark and sinister, like the original tale and this film has given me lots of inspiration for my photo shoot with regards to the uglier side of fairy tales.

TO DO

1. draw pics of wolf/red riding hood
2. find location - take pics
3. review what im doing/why/what i intend to do
4. story board
5. Find outfit over christmas...
6. how is it going to develop throughout shoot?

Revolting Rhymes

As soon as wolf began to feel

That he would like a decent meal,

He went and knocked on Grandma's door,

When Grandma opened it, she saw

The sharp white teeth, the horrid grin,

And wolfie said, "May I come in?"

Poor grandmamma was terrified,

"He's going to eat me up!" She cried,

And she was absolutly right.

He ate her up in one bite.

But grandmamma was small and tough,

And Wolfie wailed "That's not enough!

I havent yet began to feel,

That I've had a decent meal!"

He ran around the kitchen yelping,

"I've got to have a second helping!"

Then added with a fearful leer,

"I'm therefore going to have to wait right here

Till little Miss Red Riding Hood

Come home from walking in the wood."

He quickly put on Grandma's clothes,

(Of course he hadn't eaten those)

He even brushed his curly hair,

Then sat himself in Grandma's chair.

In came the girl in red.

She stopped. She stared. And then she said,

"What great big ears you have, Grandma."

"All the better to hear you with," The wolf replied

"What great big eyes you have, Grandma"

"All the better to see you with," The wolf replied.

The little red riding hood said " but Grandma, what a lovely great big furry coat you have on."

"thats wrong!" Cried the wolf. "have you forgot

To tell me what BIG TEETH I've got?

Ah well, no matter what you say,

I'm going to eat you anyway."

The small girl smiles. One eyelid flickers.

She whips and pistol from her knickers.

She aims it at the creature's head

And bang bang bang, she shoots him dead.

A few weeks later, in the woods,

I came across Miss Riding Hood.

But what a change! No cloak of red,

No silly hood upon her head.

She said " hello, and do please note

My lovely furry WOLFSKIN COAT."

This revolting rhymes story about red riding hood is a twist on the traditional tale. Red Riding shoots the wolf rather than the wolf killing her. I like this, it is what I want to do with the story by twisting it, however I want to make red riding the evil character. I really would love to make something original, like this poem from Roald Dahl is original.

The Sinister Side

Had another tutorial today, this one went much better. Finally something constructive for me to go off, why cant all the tutorials be like this? I now have so many ideas of what direction I can go in. The one I'm liking the best is looking at the darker edge of Red Riding Hood. The original story is really sinister and the sketches are really ugly and dark. Also I think I've mentioned this before but Red Riding Hood dies at the end of the original tale. Death doesn't really happen in children's tales or the baddie dies not the hero, which seems really odd to me. Why does Red Riding die? Does she deserve to be eaten? Is she actually a bad girl acting as a good girl?

I think she is. In children's tales the baddies die. This to me makes me think that little red riding was meant to be seen as the evil, sinister one, and because the story has been retold so many times over the original meaning has got lost. Also with regards to the wolf, it was mentioned that the wolf could just be a shape or a still statue not necessarily a model, this would make it easier in regards to working with lots of people, which was my worry. I also think I've found my photographer, he's really interested in getting involved in the research process. He's also worked with a few people of my friends, and they have said he's good to work with.

Sam the Sham & the Pharaohs' Lil Red Riding

Who's that I see walkin' in these woods?
Why it's Little Red Ridin' Hood
Hey there Little Red Riding Hood
You sure are lookin' good
You're everything a big bad wolf would want

Little Red Ridin' Hood
I don't think even big girls should
Go walkin' in these spooky old woods alone

What big eyes you have
The kind of eyes that drive wolves mad
So, just to see that you don't get chased
I think I ought to walk with you for a way

What full lips you have
They're sure to lure someone bad
So, until you get to grandma's place
I think you ought to walk with me and be safe

I'm gonna keep my sheep suit on
Till I'm sure that you've been shown
That I can be trusted walkin' with you alone

Little Red Ridin' Hood
I'd like to hold you if I could
But you might think I'm a big bad wolf, so I won't

What a big heart I have
The better to love you with
Little Red Ridin' Hood
Even bad wolves can be good

I'll try to be satisfied
Just to walk close by your side
Maybe you'll see things my way
Before we get to grandma's place

Testing This Video Lark

This is a video I have quickly (or not so as the case was) created. I just wanted to see how difficult it is to create a stop motion video. Although it took me a long time to do and it is a bit shoddy I do quite like it. I been thinking for my video I could have more than just the page turning, I could possibly have my model moving into position on the page, however this could take a long time to do, especially as this short 30 second video took me over an hour. I'll think about it.....

Capes & Snoods

Capes and Snoods are always big over the winter seasons. A snood, is like a fur scarf to keep you very snugly during winter. Cape's are a fashionable alternative to the normal coat and have had a huge comeback in the last couple of years. For my shoot I'm not sure if I will be using a cape as I wanted to adapt Little Red Riding Hood and a cape is what the fable is know for. However there are so many shapes to the cape, if I did use one it doesn't have to be cliche. Also I did like the idea of having fur in my shoot to represent the wolf element and maybe a snood would be a way to do this.

Red Riding in Vogue

While researching Red Riding hood, I found this feature in American Vogue. It's a shoot by Mert & Marcus which has taken inspiration from the tale. I really love the colours of this shoot, I love the deep autumn colours and the dark shadows. I also love how they have taken the traditional red riding and made her modern. This is what I'm aiming to do with my shoot. I don't want the traditional red caped girl, I want a modern Red Riding, so I'm thinking about what is fashionable today to wear outside instead of a cape and hood. Also in the Vogue shoot they have used a wolf, I'm not sure if I want to include a wolf character in my shoot, as I've learnt before trying to organise two models is very difficult and I feel it might make the shoot a bit cheesy and childlike and that's not the feel I'm aiming for.

You Know Me

Today I've been doing a load of drawings of my plans. Hopefully now my ideas are down on paper my tutors will understand my idea better. I'm not sure exactly what they want from me on Tuesday, its easier for designers but I guess I really need to get my whole idea down so I don't have another terrible tutorial.
On a lighter note.... I thought I just had to pop some stills from Robbie Williams new video on here. Mainly for its fantasy craziness. Forgetting Robbie being dressed as a rabbit, the sets in his video is really beautiful, it's like something out of a fairy book. Things like this really give me inspiration for crazy lavish set designs, but I think they are a little out of my reach, with my budget and set designing skills, it's good to dream though.

Red Riding Hood

Little Red Riding Hood is one of the most popular children's tales. The first version was written by Perrault in 1695. As research for this project I've probably read about 6 different versions of Little Red Riding Hood. Some are really short, some are really long, some she survives, some she dies, it has been retold so many different times. The original version from what I can tell starts with red riding hood being told to go visit her grandmother as she is sick. To get to her Grandmother she has to cross a forest where she meets a wolf. She doesn't know how dangerous the wolf is so tell him where she is going. The wolf quickly runs to her grandmothers house eats her and lays in wait for Little Red Riding Hood. Then after the usual series of "grandmother, what big ears you have got!" the wolf eats Little Red Riding Hood.

Some people say this is a metaphor for men praying on innocent females. The wolf has always been seen as the villain, in many children's tales the wolf is always used as the evil character.

I like the tale of red riding hood. I feel it is a good story which I can modernise. However I just have to try to not make her look cliche, also I've been looking into styling options and in some of them she looks a bit Mrs Santa-ish so I need to try and avoid this.

Fashion and Fantasy

In today's climate I feel that an aspect of fantasy is needed in life. With the recession, global warming and basically a bad time for all right now people need some magic and wonder, to bring some happiness to life in the 21st Century. One of these ways is through fashion. Fashion, especially couture has always had a fantasy feel to it. It creates a real wonderland for people to look at and wear to lighten their days. I love creating mystical scenes, going back to a childhood where everything was magical and we had no worries.

December 08 Vogue was dedicated to fantasy fashion. Couture ball gowns are the ultimate way to create fantasy. Ruffles of chiffon and silk reminds me of a princesses gown flowing through a mystical forest. Just like the beautiful Couture Dior gown Kate Moss wears on the 3 page fold out cover. One of the shoots in this Vogue shot by Nick Knight is all about crazy couture outfits. The sheer craziness of them creates a fantasy, almost alien feel to them, making them exciting and fun, even if you can't actually wear them.

Choosing a Story

I can't decide between Hansel and Gretel or little red riding hood. I like both stories, they are both childhood favourites of mine. I'm using an actual story to get inspiration for colour, clothing and set designs. Not so much the story line as I'm going to create my own story which might be very loosely based on the tale. My first thought was Hansel and Gretel. Mainly because of the gingerbread house and all the colours involved in that. I also liked the storyline of finding their way back home through a dangerous forest. However, the costumes from what I have seen in illustrations from the book aren't very inspiring to me, they are typical German costume mainly and country gypsy look. I think this would be quite difficult for me to adapt to modern day dress. Also another problem with Hansel and Gretel is there are 2 of them. As I have learnt from previous projects working with more than one models is very difficult and I don't want the hassle of doing that again, especially as this is such a short project.

This leaves me with Little Red Riding Hood. I'm a bit sceptical about this because I feel it's been done before and has the risk of looking boring and not very creative. However I like the red. Having red hair myself I could have my model having red hair to represent the 'red hood' instead of actually having a cape. I feel this immediately removes some of the cliche. Also I like the forest aspect of the story. There are woods all around me both in Bournemouth and at home so finding a place to shoot wouldn't be too difficult. I also like playing with the wolf idea maybe including fur within my styled outfit. I think I prefer this story. I feel I could reinvent the story effectively as long as my styling was right.

To Do:

1. Research fantasy in fashion
2. Research the story/clothing of Little Red Riding Hood
3. Research contemporary fashions relating to red/capes
4. Any shoots themed with Red Riding Hood
5. Start writing own interpretation of story

Prada Spring/Summer 08

Prada's spring summer 08 collection was unusal due to its drawn imagery on the clothing. The collection was inspired by elves and pixies, which were drawn onto the garments. The clothes also had interesting shaped collers and necklines which were very rounded and natural. Also what was interesting about the collection was their promotional video. They did an animated video which showed an outfit growing onto the figure from her surroundings. The video is really beautiful and has colours and shapes which reflect the collection. See the video here.

Tim Walker

Tim Walker is a massive inspiration to my work. His work fascinates me and lights up a spark inside me. When I see his work it gives me so many ideas of things I could do and ways my work could look. I mostly love his subject matter. I love the fantasy world he creates especially with his set designs as well as the clothing. I also like that there seems to be a story behind all his shoots. It's like you can see the story developing and that gives it an edge. The first four of images below is a shoot in Vogue. It's based on the stories of Roald Dahl. As I want include some sort of book element to my work I like the way he has interpreted the stories and included text in the imagery.

Q&A with Laura Collins

What did you spend most of your time doing when you were little?

I used to paint a lot and always collage things together. My parents have loads of scrapbooks with my art work in from when I was young.

What did you want to be when you grew up?

I always wanted to do something creative. I only really thought of fashion in year 11.

Did you have a favourite book as a child?

I always used to read my nursery rhyme book. It was my favourite thing! Also I used to read the Mr Men books and a collection of children's tales like Hansel and Gretel and red riding hood.

Whats your favourite era of dress?

I really like the 1920's flapper. I love the shape and the dropped waist. I also love the sophisticated glamour as well as the over all look especially the hair.

Whats your favourite place to be?

Lydiard Park, it's right next to my house, it's beautiful and I love going there to chill out. Also London. I love walking over Tower bridge in sunny weather and looking out over south bank.

What do you wish for?

A happy life. Especially with my career. I don't want to be one of these people who hates what they do. I want to get up and want to go to work in the morning.

What do you aspire to be?

A stylist for an indie magazine. As much as I would love to work for a high fashion magazine such as Vogue. I don't think it's for me.

What are you most proud of?

I'm proud of a lot of things I do. I'm probably most proud of a pirate inspired jacket I made in my foundation year. Also I was really proud of my photo shoot last year, even though it didn't get great feedback. Mostly I'm proud of things that I've never done before but I have achieved a good result.

Tutorial

My project has taken a knock back today... along with my confidence. I thought I had a good idea and I was really excited and looking forward to getting on with it. However my tutors don't seem to agree. I found I got nothing useful out of the tutorial except my idea isn't good enough. No constructive criticism is given, no helpful comments only question after question of things that I clearly haven't looked into enough yet. They clearly wanted a clear idea and direction, but they mention nothing about that in the briefing, only about doing research which is what I did! It's frustrating and very upsetting constantly getting knocked back but I'm going to continue strong and start getting clear directional ideas down to prove to them I can do this and my idea is a good one. I will prove them wrong.

Literature

The clear things that came out of my brain storm were Literature. I really enjoy text, language and stories. Another thing is how much I dream and fantasise and I'm heavily influenced by Tim Walker. I love Tim Walkers work and how his images seem to have a story behind them.

This has lead me to think about fantasy/fairy tale books as sources of inspiration for this project. This represents my sometimes childish nature and my vivid imagination. I loved reading tales as a child and really feel like I can show my skills well through this. I have started by thinking about popular pieces of literature.

Famous Literature:
The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe
Harry Potter
Frankenstein
Little Women
Alices Adventures in Wonderland
Romeo and Juliet
Peter Pan

Hans Christian Anderson

Roald Dahl

Beatrix Potter

Fairy Tales:
Beauty and the Beast
Cinderella
Sleeping Beauty
Pinocchio
The princess and the Pea
Hansel and Gretel
Jack and the beanstalk

Nursery Rhymes:
Mary, Mary quite contrary
Ring around the roses
Three Blind Mice
Jack and Jill
Humpty Dumpty

Initial Ideas