Jennifer Tingley

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Blog 4 Review a Peers Work

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I have chosen to review the third blog post from Vittoria Del Balzo titled, ‘Blog 3 Projects Reflection’.  Vittoria, like myself was on the Make Up Breakdown project and I was curious to find out another student’s reflections on the project.

From the start of the blog post I was reassured that Vittoria also found it difficult at first to find the link of our project to the Better Lives themes.

As Vittoria explains during the process of the classes, we were switched to learning online, ‘during these difficult times’. This made the process of learning slightly more difficult and we were forced to choose resources available to us at home.  Everyone, she tells us adapted to the change very well and produced some outstanding work.  This, she describes, led her to thinking of the sustainable theme. Students were able to produce very powerful work. This was completed by being resourceful with what was available to them in their home environments and they responded extremely well to the challenge specified.

Our writer explains to us, the reader, how she developed her look by using feathers, black marker and tape. This took me back to a programme I used to watch on television when I was younger called, ‘Blue Peter’!  By just using three simple materials she was able to create a very effective look and she learnt so much from this process.  This, she felt, was being sustainable.

Vittoria also feels that a strong theme that became clear in our classes was diversity. The students work was intriguing and beautiful and the writer goes on to describe one student’s work who captured her look by using balloons and gift wrap ribbon attached to her body and face.

My only criticism of Vittoria’s reflection is that she hasn’t quite realised the link between our topic and the Better Lives theme of being socially responsible.  I myself, found this difficult to link.  I think the only way I could link being socially responsible to the topic is to go back to our first lesson in make-up breakdown and think about what we were told about using ethical products, for example, the ‘Weleda’ and ‘Dr Paw paw’ brands.  This was only a small point made in one of our lessons. I am also slightly disappointed that she didn’t add some photographs of her work as I know from seeing her project outcome that it was a delicate but powerful piece of work.

In conclusion, I feel that Vittoria’s reflections on our class is a true descriptive report of what occurred during our topic.  Vittoria has drawn the reader in with her depiction and I found myself agreeing strongly with what was being explained. I am also in agreement with her that having a chance to put the Better Lives themes into action has increased our awareness and made us realise the diversity amongst the London College of Fashion community.

The link to Vittoria’s Blog is:

Blog 3 – Projects Reflection
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How our projects changed when faced with a worldwide pandemic.

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So, there I was, Mum of two young children, mature (apparently!) student, muddling along listening to the Better Lives lectures and trying to fit in my studies whilst the children were at school or asleep and then BANG! The Coronavirus hit the whole world like a juggernaut.

Suddenly everything had to stop. Shops closed. Bars and restaurants closed. Social events had to be cancelled and then the universities and schools closed. Everything had to be re-thought and planned out. I knew that I had to stay at home with my children and start home-schooling but how was I going to manage my studies with the new role of being a teacher? 

I began thinking about the lectures and how some of the themes were so relevant. We, as a country now are consistently thinking about the wellbeing of others. We’ve seen people come out of their homes to clap for the NHS. Supermarkets re-arranging their opening hours for the elderly and true acts of kindness that boost morale.

I’ve taken notice of how the government is trying to be socially responsible, by taking drastic steps to ensure our safety. The better lives lecture on sustainability has been a subject I wrote about in my earlier blogs. When the lockdown period began, I noticed that people were writing on social media how it made a difference to the environment and how the world was being given a chance to ‘breath’ again. 

The university reviewed our courses in the Easter break. University staff hastily put plans in place so that learning could be delivered online and although a lot of the courses are workshop based, this has been achievable.  I chose, Make Up Breakdown which was able to be delivered online. It was strange at first not being in the classroom but I soon adapted to it. We covered the topics, ‘Imperfection’ and The Fashion Mistake’. The lessons gave a few hours respite of the daily routine of chores and children! A chance to still be creative for purpose and not focus or worry about the state of world for a short while. I learnt to think about beauty in a wider sense. Someone can be called ugly but they are not ugly to everybody. During our process of learning online we had to use what was available to us at home. I chose my daughter as a model and used face paints and make up to create my look. I reflected how the media like to criticise celebrity mums who put make up on their children and call it ‘sexualising’ them. Perhaps this is true but it’s also true that messing around with make-up and my daughter was fun and an activity we both enjoyed.

I have learnt so much in the last few weeks. Not just in my studies but in life. I think one of the main lessons alongside the Better Lives lectures was that we are all so adaptable to change. The Better Lives themes and lectures have never been so relevant to us. We must all stop, listen, look around, plan and change. The world has divided us into countries, continents, race and cultures but when a world-wide pandemic hits, no matter what divides us, we all become the same. We are one.

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How the Better Lives themes might change how I work in the future

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We are now a few weeks into our Better Lives unit and have been working in our selected groups learning new skills outside of our chosen creative pathways. I am working in, ‘Make Up Breakdown’. This means that I am learning the skills of a make-up artist in the few weeks that we have been given.  

So far it has been thought provoking and I am finding new ways of being creative using the structure of the, ‘Fashion Mistake’ and also, ‘Imperfection’ with the Better Lives themes of Social Responsibility, Diversity and Sustainability always influencing my ideas.

I’m accustomed to being in a work room filled with sewing machines, so to be amongst countless mirrors and bright lights in the first week was a little daunting. Everyone soon relaxed once we started discussing the MAC professional make-up and cleansers laid out on the benches. From the start we have been taught to be inclusive of all skin types which makes me think of the diversity theme.  I will not just focus on my own type of skin but make sure I learn and remember what products to use for various types of skin. This involves how to determine if someone has a warm, cool or neutral skin tone. Although I am only learning make-up skills briefly they will still benefit me in my future career. My chosen pathway is designing costume for performance but I feel that learning make-up skills ties in with that. If ever I get asked to do make-up backstage then I will feel well equipped. I also feel that the Better Lives lectures have given me knowledge and social responsibility to develop my creative thinking and be inclusive. We live in a multi-cultural society now and it is essential that the skills we learn cover all aspects. It’s important that no-one feels excluded when learning a practice. It is a small step learning something as basic as the different type of foundation shades available for various skin types but I know it’s a major step. The reason I know this? My best friend was only able to buy a foundation to match her skin shade just a couple of years ago. She moved from London to Norfolk and every time she wanted a new foundation I had to send it to her from London.  They sold nothing local to her as they didn’t have the customer base. It was outrageous to me that in this age, something as simple as this has been overlooked by major cosmetic companies that supply supposedly to all.

With this in mind, I will endeavour to be inclusive in my practice. I will continue to learn all the skills required to give me the knowledge for a successful practitioner. We are going to continue to work on our own ideas of the ‘Fashion Mistake’ and ‘Imperfections’. I intend to keep the Better Lives themes in mind not just for this assignment but for a productive career.

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Let’s ‘Make Do and Mend’

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Image Credit: Imperial War Museum. Make Do and Mend pamphlet first produced in 1943 for distribution by the British Government. Reproduced by The Imperial War Museum.

After reading the assignment brief for the Better Lives unit I wondered how this topic related to my chosen path of learning which is costume for performance.  All of the first-year students at London College of Fashion, no matter what their discipline, are asked to complete the Better Lives unit to give them a greater understanding of environmental, diversity, social responsibility and sustainability issues.

Previous to the lectures on this course, I attended some lectures on sustainability in the fashion industry so I thought I had an insight already on this issue. After watching and attending some of the Better Lives lectures, this has deepened my awareness. In particular the lecture on ‘Society’ by Katelyn Toth-Fejal. Katelyn mentions how each of us are a social being and how dressing is a social act. ‘Social change happens through individual choices’ is one quote that got me thinking about ways in which the costume industry and myself as a costume practitioner can contribute to resolving this issue. I have learnt that costume makers by trade are familiar with being sustainable. Partly because they are trained to stick to strict budgets, partly due to convenience. They have to make costumes that have to be used frequently for performances so they use hard wearing fabrics. They are trained to preserve garments so that they can be recycled by different performers. When making garments they use larger seam allowances so that they can be adjusted for the next performer who needs to wear the garment. Elastics, drawstrings, buttons and poppers are used as fastenings, again so that a different performer can adjust a garment to their specific size. Costume makers have been using the, ‘Make do and mend’ motto that was used during the war years when people were on clothes rationing. So how can the fast moving, massive money-making fashion industry adapt to these ideas? Is it even possible? 

If we are to believe the facts that are given to us in these lectures then it is essential to change our way of thinking, otherwise we will have no planet left. It is that drastic and vital that things change and this change happens as soon as possible. I believe that if the fashion industry reviewed traditional methods of, ‘Make do and mend’ we will have a safer environment for our children to grow up in.  Using better quality fabrics will make garments last longer.  Mending a garment, putting a patch or a stitch on it will give the garment a longer life. Making the small changes will add up to a big change.  It is also fundamental that the fashion industry and governments modify the consumers thought process. It is too easy to buy a cheap garment that lasts for just five or six wears and then throw it away.  Purchasing a higher quality garment costs more but lasts longer. Consumers, governments and the fashion industry need to formulate a plan of action that is workable.

No-one wants to take away the creative freedom that fashion gives us but a revolution of practice desperately needs to happen. I remain optimistic that education for everyone involved will bring a positive outcome for all of us.

References

IMPERIAL WAR MUSEUM. (1943) Cover of Make Do And Mend Book. Imperial War Museum.[online image] Available from https://www.iwmshop.org.uk/p/17940/Make-Do-and-Mend [Accessed: 20.02.20]

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