Sarah Reeson-Jones
the girls
The narrative of this A/W 18 collection is inspired by Emma Clines 2016 novel ‘The Girls’, a cult based book set in late sixties California following the desperate desire of 14-year-old Evie to fit in, when she becomes drawn in to an older gang of girls living in a mysterious commune. The novel focuses on women’s role in society and the hardships younger women face going into adulthood at times of adolescents and the vulnerable issues that arise with coming of age. The collection is a reaction to this; it will celebrate the idea of female empowerment, women standing together and encouraging one another at times where it is more likely for them to compete against each other.
The pieces in the collection will be inspired by the described clothes worn by th¬e girls, hemlines will be short, with hippy like accents in retrospect to the 60’s era that the book is set in, layered with more powerful outerwear garments. The silhouette and layering aspect to the collection comes from the exchanging/ passing around of clothes between the girls in the novel, and how they differ between each girl.
Outerwear details will be inspired by studies of traditional military wear worn by females in the Vietnam war, bringing another facet to the collection. In hope of providing a uniformed cohesiveness, furtherly conveying a modern infantry; Female unity being the core of these ideas.
Fabrics will be practical and hardwearing, with hints of delicate trims whilst being rich in texture. Colours will be taken directly from the cover of the book, deep reds and rustic oranges complimented by vibrant blues and yellows, then mellowed out by shades of military green bringing a nostalgic aesthetic to the collection. There will be elements of graphic prints inspired by the colourful psychedelic artwork of the late 60’s.