A Foxy Gentleman

Right, as Caroline has said, we should probably start to post our project summaries. So, this is mine......I am Ellie from Fashion 1 by the way.

A Foxy Gentleman

I wanted to explore something traditional and quintessentially English for my final project, so decided to look into Fox Hunting. The stereotyped upperclass, country gentleman associated with this sport captured the tailored and classic feel I wanted to incorporate, whilst still allowing me to create contemporary and wearable menswear.

The initial points of inspiration for the project were the Fox Hunting garments within the V&A's Fashion Collection. I then used the online catalog to search for related artefacts within the archive, and was intrigued to find several interesting items within the Asian collections, despite choosing such an 'English' theme. One particular artefact that I used as a source of inspiration was a wall hanging depicting a Colonial Fox Hunt in the Himalayas. I loved the colours and the vibrant graphic quality of the design. Although I had intended to use the red/orange tones of fox fur as my main accent colour, I actually found that I was more interested in exploring varying shades of green, predominant colours within the hanging.

As the project developed, the Fox itself became the focus for the majority of the project. I was particularly inspired by the imagery in the recent adaptation of Roald Dahl's 'Fantastic Mr Fox', and also visited a furrier to look at vintage fox furs. I then used the shape of the foxes face to create a printed and stitched motif, as well as to inform panelled detailing on my garments.