pd 2: sheer genius

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Name of Topic: Sheer Genius.
Fabric(s): Silk chiffon jacket and corset in grey and pink. White leather belt. Leather and wood sandals (dyed/painted fuchsia). EDIT: forgot to mention the fabric of the skirt is a thick wool tweed sort of thing. magenta with snatches of primary and secondary colours.
Model: Hillary.
Description: The highlight in this piece is the draped jacket, organic looking and loose, which is folded to look like a rose in the back. Underneath that, she wears a sexy complicated pink corset (the silk chiffon is gathered between panels) with white stitching and visible ivory boning. A thick knit pencil skit in a bright rich magenta tweed is accented with a shiny white leather belt. To complete the look: strappy leather tie sandals in magenta.


this was a difficult challenge to do. i had a very strong idea when i first thought about it, which was for a sort of ethereal jacket and pants combination in white inspired by my model's hair (the main reason why i chose her!). due to softball practice and finals and the like, i didn't get a chance to draw this during the week, which ordinarily wouldn't have been a problem except...i went shopping saturday morning. how terrible, right? i got totally inspired by the thick bright designs, and couldn't think about anything else for the rest of the day. so, there went my original idea.

but, it got me to wondering. we, as women, have two almost warring sides which feminists like to point out all the time. we are delicate and pretty and beautiful, but we are also strong and bold and...well...also beautiful. we are demure, but we are also sexy. how do we consolidate these two sides? are we required to only pick one? it's a problem i know that i have dealt with, because while i have a reputation for rather androgynous punky looks, i also love ultra-feminine styles.

so, this piece is an exploration of the two sides of women. i've been studying a lot of feminism in school this year in philosophy and world literature. this is sort of a modern day interpretation of the victorian era woman, who was upheld to be a standard of morality and virtue, but as a result was unable to express the strong "masculine" sides of herself. the jacket hillary wears represents this feminine shell: soft and delicate, but also see-through. just underneath the pretty frailty lies a strong confident woman just waiting for her chance to express herself.

and that, i suppose, is my deeper meaning.

i apologize for the quality of this illustration. i had a fit of artistic inadequacy....and it was around four in the morning when i finally was able to draw a straight line.