Ryde Secondary College
Prêt-à-Porter
Painting
Watercolour and pastel on paper
My body of work, Prêt-à-porter, challenges the stereotyping and compartmentalisation of women as calculating and modest dolls. Instead, the bold shapes and colours of each model's garment in my work express how women are flourishing. The work represents the women as self-assured and hardworking, fighting against the oppression of the male gaze in the sea of black heads judging from behind the catwalk. The garments reference the evolution of design in the female fashion industry, and the pitfalls women overcame within each period.
My artmaking practice has been influenced by studying and interpreting the following artists: Yves Saint Laurent, Amelia Bloomer, Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel, Paul Poiret, Del Kathryn Barton, eX De Medici, and Jenny Saville.