About Your Portfolio, for Applying to Fashion School and After Graduation

[DernierCri]

thanks very much dernier!

yeah i never really looked at fashion communications 'cause i thought it was just fashion business. then i looked at the outline last week and i was like holy crap!! its like fashion graphic design!! which is what i wanted to do after i graduated anyways ahhaa.

um for my portfolio i had 4 drawings in various mediums(ink, charcoal, pencil, conte), 2 prints from printmaking, one sculpture, 2 paintings, and some various design stuff (business cards, typographic work, layouts and this mini booklet). and i had it all bound into this folder book thing. needless to say. i didnt sleep for about 2 months

Fashion graphic design is the really the best of both worlds. I was definitely drawn to the Communication Design program as soon as I saw it in the ECI viewbook. I'm definitely an artistic person, but for the past few years I've been taking more graphics-oriented courses and I'm pretty sure my "traditional" art skills have suffered for that.

Your portfolio sounds really varied and well-rounded! I'm sure those two sleep deprived months were well worth it. Were your layouts publication-style layouts (ie. magazine, newspaper) or website layouts? Or am I totally off?

 

[amneris]

Portfolio for F.I.T.

hi, i'm new here at theFashionSpot! I'm a high school senior who has always dreamed of being a fashion designer. This june I'm going to be applying for FIT's spring semester (i couldn't apply for the fall semester - my h.s. transcript wasn't complete because i used to be homeschooled and had a ton of credits to make up, it's a long story). Is anyone here studying fashion design at FIT, and if you are could you tell me a bit about what they're looking for in a portfolio? I know they're looking for fashion sketches and photographs of garments, not life drawings, but do you have any other advice for me on my portfolio? Right now I've got about 6 sketches, and two photographs of clothes I've made, and I'm working on two more projects (one of them is my prom dress) which I'll photograph and add to my portfolio by the time I apply. If you can give me advice, I could PM you with some of my sketches and photos and you could tell me what you think. Also, should I photgraph the clothes by themselves or on models?
Thank you and sorry this post is so long! I would appreciate your advice so much, it would be a dream come true for me to study fashion design at FIT!!

~*~amneris~*~

 

[agherit]

anyone help please!!

I need to get my portfolio read asap and I have a couple of questions.

1. how do you guys take pictures of the clothes?? do they have to be "perfect" or do you guys just take the pictures yourselves???

2. do the portfolios's have to be black?? because I saw a couple of plastic see thru ones at muji which are quite nice. Is there a particular look for the type of portfolio one can use??

thanks

 

[sophieanders]

anyone help please!!

I need to get my portfolio read asap and I have a couple of questions.

1. how do you guys take pictures of the clothes?? do they have to be "perfect" or do you guys just take the pictures yourselves???

2. do the portfolios's have to be black?? because I saw a couple of plastic see thru ones at muji which are quite nice. Is there a particular look for the type of portfolio one can use??

thanks

1. You need to get models, a fabulous photographer, hair and makeup and make sure your folio is TOP NOTCH. I kid you not. Search "Designers Look Book" on google and you will see what I mean. Your portfolio represents you, your brand, your business and your standards to it needs to be good. My partner is a Makeup Artist and her book is her pride and joy. You are only as good as your worsed photo.

2. As long as the book looks professional, any colour or material is aceptable!

 

[agherit]

help!!

thanks sophieanders

but is that for entry into employment or fashion schools??

I got a review/interview for fashion schl and am trying to hush up my portfolio, and I cant think of where to find a fab photographer, my friend who studies architecture is taking the pictures.. Is that bad??

HELP

 

[VICTIM]

you dont need a photographer to get into fashion school i took my photographs myself

 

[agherit]

phew...thanx

 

[MUXU]

do you know photoshop?
if you do..taking the pics your self will be fine

being "top notch" doesnt always mean fabulous..sometimes it could mean knock off...or "another pretty picture"
but being professional and smart with your work(creativity) can make a difference

 

[agherit]

yeah, I know just a little bit of photoshop but I wasnt sure if post processing the pics was a good idea..

also, what sizes are "acceptable" for the pictures?? A4 or can it just be A5??

too many questions?? sorry

 

[MUXU]

^most photographs post process their pictures anyways..so why can't norms like us do it XD..especially when we aren't pro
if you want to go for a more editorial look..PS is a good tool to give it an extra twist to the "story"

if you are going into design...it would be nice to use it both as a fashion and graphic design piece..depending on how you PS it of course

you aren't trying to show your photographing skills..just the clothes(?)..make it well enough to look pro
so dont worry about it

 

[Luna]

hi, i'm new here at theFashionSpot! I'm a high school senior who has always dreamed of being a fashion designer. This june I'm going to be applying for FIT's spring semester (i couldn't apply for the fall semester - my h.s. transcript wasn't complete because i used to be homeschooled and had a ton of credits to make up, it's a long story). Is anyone here studying fashion design at FIT, and if you are could you tell me a bit about what they're looking for in a portfolio? I know they're looking for fashion sketches and photographs of garments, not life drawings, but do you have any other advice for me on my portfolio? Right now I've got about 6 sketches, and two photographs of clothes I've made, and I'm working on two more projects (one of them is my prom dress) which I'll photograph and add to my portfolio by the time I apply. If you can give me advice, I could PM you with some of my sketches and photos and you could tell me what you think. Also, should I photgraph the clothes by themselves or on models?
Thank you and sorry this post is so long! I would appreciate your advice so much, it would be a dream come true for me to study fashion design at FIT!!

~*~amneris~*~

Presentation is everything. Get yourself a decent portfolio(nothing too crazy expensive.. don't spend more than 40 bucks) ... come up with some sort of cohesive layout for your sketches... mat them all with a white border or something along those lines. If you have certain details on a garment.. go the extra mile and make a technical drawing of those details (ex: embroidery details, applique details, etc.)

I didn't study fashion design... but I did do fine arts and accessories and I know they are looking for potential.... they're not looking for people who already know everything about fashion.

 

[addicted to butterflies]

Do you know if entry to Foundation Studies requires such an elaborate portfolio as the ones you guys were talking about in this whole thread?
thanks

 

[addicted to butterflies]

oh and also..life drawings..are they supposed to be of people modelling, I mean..related to art&design or just..nature,buildings,children or I don't know which else ? ?

 

[fashionistangeL]

**********i have a really important question... at least for me..... i would really like to know.. what does it mean if an arts school doesnt ask you for a portfolio to enter??????? and i mean when applying to design and fashion design.....is it a good school anyways.????? pleeease help me!!!

 

[VICTIM]

oh and also..life drawings..are they supposed to be of people modelling, I mean..related to art&design or just..nature,buildings,children or I don't know which else ? ?

no they dont have to be as elaborate foundation is mostly people just out of a levels so its their a level work

 

[fab_fifties_fille]

Do you know if entry to Foundation Studies requires such an elaborate portfolio as the ones you guys were talking about in this whole thread?
thanks

My portfolio for entry into foundation year was just of my A-level stuff and stuff I'd made at home etc. Where are you applying for? I had life drawing, mixed media, and photos' of my 3D pieces/garments. But it was very poorly presented...as I only took photo's of alot of my art work due to the fact it was up on the wall at school for marking. I still got in though...I managed to sneak a sketchbook out so I could show my interviewer my drawing skills upclose...sketchbooks are always a good idea.

 

[Cammy]

my problem is that the things i make are fine, but my sketches just arent good enough i feel, im not confident about them at all and drive myself crazy. i tend to work backwards make and then draw because its what i do better. ahhhhh

 

[fab_fifties_fille]

All you can do is keep on sketching. Take an a4 sketch book with you to a cafe and sit and draw people...dont be too obvious or creepy though Go to a train station and try and draw people there...where they are moving about so you don't have very long to get your marks down. All of this will help and you'll improve...don't throw anything away! You'll see the improvements soon enough and be able to look back on your old work. Go to an art gallery on a quiet day and sit and sketch details of the building/paintings/sculptures etc. If you're dedicated you'll improve. Also if you do enjoy making things first then you could always do that...and then draw from them and develop your ideas that way, sometimes it's quite fun working backwards.

 

[addicted to butterflies]

My portfolio for entry into foundation year was just of my A-level stuff and stuff I'd made at home etc. Where are you applying for? I had life drawing, mixed media, and photos' of my 3D pieces/garments. But it was very poorly presented...as I only took photo's of alot of my art work due to the fact it was up on the wall at school for marking. I still got in though...I managed to sneak a sketchbook out so I could show my interviewer my drawing skills upclose...sketchbooks are always a good idea.

thank you for the help, well I am not very decided as to where I should apply since I don't live in the UK and still have to do some research on schools. CSM is one of the options. Could you pleaaase tell me what life drawing is exactly? I mean..what should be the subject of the drawing? And also ..sketchbooks what exactly should be in them? Just random drawings?

 

[fab_fifties_fille]

Sketchbooks...they can have research in with drawings you've taken from them...developments of ideas...etc.

Life drawing (the ones that I had in my portfolio) were done in a life drawing class where we'd get a nude model for 3 hours to do a variety of poses for us..different lengths of time. You could always just ask someone from your family/friends to pose (not nude) for you...and just do a few drawings in simple poses.