Essential Question
This should be the current, clearest version of your essential question.
| How can I explain the importance of personal style in an eco-friendly manner while simultaneously experimenting with my own? |
Statement of Definition
This 1-2 sentence description is your elevator pitch; it’s the short, easy to explain the description of what you will do for your project.
For my Senior Project, I will…
| I plan to learn how to sew in order to mend old clothes into cute outfits. I will also write an article on why personal style through second hand sourced clothes is effective political warfare against the deadly capitalist patriarchy. This paper can be considered a feminist fashion manifesto. Remade in Brooklyn (@RemadeInBrooklyn on Instagram) already said they love the idea and think they can publish it as a series. While I have not spoken to FemBotMagazine (@FemBotMag) about this idea, I will also want to submit it to them. |
Overview: Describe your topic and project to the committee.
Describe your project in detail, with attention to the reason why this project appeals to you and how you believe it will allow you to answer your essential question. What is the academic or intellectual scope of this project? How will this project challenge you? How does this project build on your prior learning or knowledge? How will you incorporate any or all of the 4Cs of the LREI education (courage, citizenship, critical thinking, creativity) or connect to the LREI mission statement (LINK)?
| WHY: I have been aching to write a critical analysis of why I dress the way I dress and have been looking to take my love for fashion to the next level. Nonetheless, it will be challenging to pick up a completely new skill such as sewing and condense my thoughts into a personalized research paper. |
| FOUR Cs: Writing a feminist fashion manifesto is an act of citizenship, courage, and critical thinking. I am going to be publishing it on the “Remade in Brooklyn” website (as of now, the founder has signed off on publishing the idea as a series). Journalism is an act of citizenship. Writing and speaking up for feminist theory is always courageous because many people will send you to hate mail because of it. Also, It is courageous of me to learn a completely new skill (sewing) and an act of citizenship because I am actively taking myself out of fast fashion. |
How will you measure your success?
Success should not be measured by product but by process and learning. What outcome from your project will indicate to you that your experience has been a success? What personal goals or achievements will indicate success? If you have a product-based project, what is that product, and how will you measure the success of that product?
| Overall Measurement:
Complete a paper and display around 4 – 7 personally styled outfits to the community. |
| Measuring Outfits:
How: I am going to learn how to sew through Facetime calls with New York Sewing Center. They will be assigning me ‘homework’. This ‘class’ will teach me hand and machine sewing through mostly mending projects. Some of these mending projects include pockets in skirts/dresses, patchwork, tailoring shorts, customizing an old jacket, etc… Some of these mended clothes will (hopefully) be good enough to be featured in some of my final outfits. While not all of the outfits have to use sewing, all of them must use at least one piece of previously-going-to-be-donated clothes. Success: An outfit will be successful when it feels true to my personal style — I can walk outside and feel good about myself. I tend to just know when it works and when it doesn’t. |
| Measuring My Paper:
How: In order to make this research paper organized, ‘The Feminist Fashion Manifesto’ will have multiple sections. Each section will apply a different lens to answer the overarching and simplified thesis: personal style is liberating. Some sections/lenses including historical implications, biological effects on the brain, personal everyday sexism, the corporate male-gaze, climate change, etc. I will probably research more lenses than I actually include in the essay. Success: I hope to submit it to FemBot Magazine. I also hope to submit it to“Remade in Brooklyn.” Remade BK already knows about the idea and so far, is on board with publishing it. Although you can never be sure they will actually publish it, submitting it will be the final step and proof of success since I won’t submit it unless I am proud of it. |
Resource List
Consider this the bibliography of The Senior Project. What resources have you identified to push your understanding? List publications, institutions, media, books, websites, people with whom you have connected, etc that relate to your project. Include the book you will be reading.
| Click here to see the list of resources and materials for my project |
Daily Plan & Schedule
Describe, in as much detail as possible, what you will be doing day to day or through the course of a week. This schedule needs to make it clear how you will spend your 30 hours each week. LREI classes, clubs, and ensembles should be noted; cohort groups will likely meet first and second periods on Mondays and Thursdays. (You will also complete a log of hours worked and tasks accomplished for each week of the project).
| I plan on figuring out a schedule with VERY firm deadlines next week. Here is what I have right now. |
| Week Layout:
Paper: Week #1 & 2: research and citing sources. Week # 3: Outlining. Week # 4 & 5: Writing and editing. Week 6: Revising, Rereading, Revising. Then, sending it to the two websites. Outfits: This will be a little bit looser. I am going to start sewing classes whenever my materials come in the mail. The first week of these classes will be learning the absolute basics (how to use a machine, types of sewing stitches, etc). While I wait for materials and learn the sewing basics, I will be cataloging the clothes. I will be using and finding inspiration. I must be done with this by April 15th. After, I will spend time brainstorming ways to mend the clothes and style the outfits! Once I come up with the outfit idea, I will set strict deadlines on when I must complete it. These deadlines depend on how much sewing is involved. |
One Possible Day Schedule:
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Documentation Plan
Explain why this is the appropriate documentation for you and your project and how this plan fits your project. Include the platform or medium (blog, journal, Google Doc), intended frequency of updates, general description of the content (reflective writing, photos, essays, etc), the URL for digital documentation or the sharing plan for analog documentation. (Documentation must be updated at least twice per week and be accessible to the committee.)
| I am using spreadsheets to document what I did. I have multiple pages in the spreadsheet. |
| Every day until April 15th:
Inspiration Page: This is where I catalog the photos that give me inspiration. I cite the sources I found it and show the picture. Each day I will reflect on the photos I found as a whole. This reflection is going to be a five- minute free write. Clothes Page: This is where I catalog the clothes I am using. For each item, I must describe:
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| Once a day until I finish research:
Research Page: I’m going to reflect on the most important information I found that day.
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| Every Time I have a Sewing Class:
Sewing/Mending Skills Page: I am going to catalog the new mending and sewing skills I learned through describing the step by step process. I will also reflect on how it felt to learn by facetime as well as what it was like to try the skill on my own. |
| For each outfit:
Idea Brainstorming Page: This is where I catalog the mood board collages I make using the photos on my inspiration page. I am also going to reflect on the “mood” of the collage by completing a five-minute free write. After, I will take this information and condense this emotion into a broad outfit concept. Outfit Page: Here is where I will show all the outfit ideas and combinations for each broad outfit concept. I will rate and reflect on each one. Based on these reflections, I will choose which one represents my personal style the best. |
Material Needs
Note the material needs you are requesting from school (including workspace & monetary needs) and the needs you are filling outside of school, including materials you already own.
| Click here to see the list of resources and materials for my project |
Backup Plan
If something goes wrong – an internship falls through, an outside circumstance makes your project no longer feasible, you find that your project is not answering your essential question – what will you do? Ideal backup plans rely on known resources and only a single essential question.
| My measurement of success is broad enough that if one of the things falls through, it’s okay. Therefore, I don’t think I need a backup plan. |