Corsets are synonymous with fairytales and luxurious ballgowns for the wealthy from the 1600s-1900s. For the development of my project I researched the history and significance of corsets. They are still worn now however not in the way they used to be, woman were used to wearing them all day, no outfit was complete without it. Corsets can be traced back all the way to ancient egypt but they looked slightly different and were not worn as often until the 1600s. I knew I definitely wanted to have my model wearing a corset for the final images as it was a staple in women’s fashion during the romanticism era. It is associated with ideas of fantasy and glamour which are themes I want to be evident in my work.
TARGET
When marketing or promoting anything one of the most crucial things to consider is the target audience. This is who your targeting your project to so if it is not related to them they will not buy into it. My target audience is Gen Z so I researched into what they are drawn to and why. I chose Gen Z as my target market as I am also part of that generation so I can understand what they want as consumers. There are 5 market levels in fashion but I chose luxury and will explore the reasons why.
Market Level
I wanted my project to be for the luxury market as that is the market level I want to further my career in. I have always been interested in luxury fashion and the aura of opulence that surrounds it .This market level also fits with the idea of living your life as if starring in your own movie and living as your highest, best version of yourself by being in touch with who you are. My project stems from the idea of glamour and fantasy so I think that also fits with the luxury market level.
Gen Z helped revive the theme of romanticism in present day by posting videos on TikTok and turning into a trending topic. As my target market are already familiar with the term and are participating in it, I know my idea will appeal to them. Being born just before social media really blew up, this generation has been able to grow up with social media and understand it better than generations before them. With a screen time of up to 4 hours a day, the key to marketing towards this generation is using social media to your advantage by posting regular interesting content. However, their attention span is decreasing as they are consuming so much new content all the time so, when posting to promote and market towards them it is important to keep it short and get to the point quickly or they will lose interest.
Escapism is what Gen Z craves. At a young age they have lived through many global problems such as the covid-19 pandemic, Palestine and Israel war, brexit and more. They have also had to shoulder the burden of our planet deteriorating thanks to global warming and climate change. Even though these problems existed before they were even born, they became a lot more apparent and detrimental during the time Gen Z was growing up. Evidence shows that depression rates in Gen Z are higher than they have ever been. Their battles with mental health is a topic that is constantly talked about. So for these reasons, they want to find a place they can escape to and get their mind off all the problems around them. I wanted my project to be a place for just that, I want them to be drawn into the story and be transported into a place of fantasy and beauty.
CONCEPT
Now that I have established my target audience, market level and theme I came up with the concept for my project. This is how and what I will be marketing towards the audience.
For this project I chose to create a magazine editorial that would be featured in a Vogue magazine. Through a series of images, I wanted to create a narrative that will capture the audience and give them a story they can relate to. This editorial would be in both the physical and digital version of the magazine. I didn’t want to promote just one brand or product as I wanted to create an overall story reminiscent of those during the romantic period.
Social media is a massive part of Gen Z’s life so I knew I had to incorporate it in my work. Looking into Vogue’s TikTok account, I realised that the only content they post is snippets of interviews or red carpets. They also don’t have as much followers as they do on instagram so I think posting content like editorials and mini films will be a good way to bring more Gen Z in and show them the content they put in their magazines. Along with the images I wanted to create a few short videos that also tell a story and have the same sense of fantasy. As their attention span is so short, these videos have to be no longer than 2 minutes or they won’t be interested.
PLAN
No photoshoot can take place without first having a plan. I made mooodboards to figure out how the model should look in the photos so I am prepared on the day of the shoot Choosing a location for the shoot is also vital as this will act as a secondary character helping to establish the story.
For the hair I opted for long curled hair. I chose this as the hair flows nicely with the movement of the dress helping to add more character to the image. I didn’t want to overcomplicate the hair as I want the clothes to be the main focus and the hair will just add to the outfit rather than take away from it.
Like the hair, I chose to keep the makeup fairly simple so as not to take away from the dress. During the romantic era, too much makeup was frowned upon, women wanted to look natural and would add a hint of blush to make their cheeks rosy and youthful. A common quote is ‘the eyes are the window of the soul’ which I think relates to the theme of individuality and living authentically in romanticism, so for the photoshoot I opted for bright glowy eyes. Light shimmery eyeshadow opens up the eyes making you appear more inviting and innocent.,
These are the poses that I chose to use in my photoshoot. I wanted them to feel candid as if they are being filmed just living their life amongst nature not staring directly at the camera. This helps cement the idea of living your life as if you are the star in your own movie and being authentically yourself which is what romanticism is all about.
The location of a photoshoot helps drive the narrative and works with the clothes to communicate an idea to the audience.
Romanticism is the main theme of my work and one key part of this nature so I wanted my photos to primarily take places amongst natural settings.
I wanted the styling to feel very soft and feminine as the photos would take place around flowers and water which are associated with feminine energy. Corsets have been worn by women for hundreds of years and were very prominent during the romantic period so I wanted to style it.
