Friday 18 February 2011

Composite Uniform Design and the Imagination

'Madmonkey' wrote to me recently by email (well, 4 days ago) to say: “ Awhile back on your ‘behind the barred window’ blog you asked what everyone thought was the perfect fantasy school uniform [It was Thursday, 2 December 2010: Best Gymslip Design of all Time? You Tell Me (click to view)– Garth the ever attentive Archivist]. Attached is a picture I made from a composite of other pictures and is what I think of as the perfect school uniform for the recalcitrant young lady (or grown woman one needs out of the way).”

Well, here is the fruit of Madmonkey’s labour (above left). Thanks for that, Madmonkey old chap. It’s an interesting idea don’t you think, this composite idea. The would-be designer could in principle put together all sorts of combinations of elements on the figure of one’s choice, pillaging from both old and new. In particular some of those old classic black and white shots could be first colourised in Photoshop or its equivalent and elements – or perhaps whole outfits – put together in imaginative ways. Alternatively the designer might leave the source material in monochrome and convert any more modem elements one might choose to include – such as the school ‘jumper’ of Madmonkey’s vision – into monochrome to match, the idea being to recreate that pastimes air of strict reform-school discipline. The one proviso I would add is that the uniform should be clearly designed to conform to the biologically adult form of the late teen. Whether one starts with a 3D computer generated figure as a framework (an interesting concept in itself) or one drawn from some other source (one has to be careful here) it should be possible to morph the impression of a mature figure into one’s design. So there’s the challenge – let’s fry those imaginative little grey cells out there! I’m always looking for creative input to aid in the design of the new book cover and it may be possible to integrate the outcome into the design as it presently stands.

Now you will have noted my absence for some time from these pages: I have been a little 'indisposed'. Some fool using a mobile phone drove over my foot while parking close to where I was crossing the road. This did my foot no good at all as I only had trainers on, although x-ray revealed nothing broken (don't know how - must be made of rubber!). The real problem is that I have osteoarthritis in my right knee that I refused an operation on as long ago as 2001 (I was coming up to the 12 month report stage of my PhD and couldn't afford the time off involved). Of course it has worsened somewhat over the years.

It is little surprise that when, having argued with the driver, he subsequently leaped out and jumped on me from behind (brave chap) my knee promptly gave up the ghost pitching me onto the ground - whereupon said driver proceeded to give yours truly a 'good kicking', as we say here in the UK. Hmmm nice! No real damage was done other than a bit of bruising and I felt absolutely nothing (I was very, very drunk - of course!) but it has made my knee swell and walking painful, so I am using it as an excuse to springboard myself back onto the treatment track. I had no GP so I have been in and out of x-ray and registering myself at a GPs surgery and all the rest to ‘get the ball moving’. After all this time I would imagine we are talking knee replacement surgery (at least that is what I am hoping - they have some good stuff these days). So a little bit of a silver lining there!

Despite these...er...distractions, I have been working my way through my files from time to time and cutting and pasting into the book. At last a logical story progression is emerging. The upcoming new book now stands at 315 of 9 by 6 inch pages of 10 point text, should it be published as a single work. Of this figure, perhaps 300 pages will likely survive further editing by my estimate. Unfortunately the next part to be inserted will not be such a simple cut and paste job as I am going to have to run through it first, changing the tense it is written in. You see there is a section in which one of the characters first encounters her new ‘home’ - her first impressions of ‘The Ward’, as the place is euphemistically known - which at present is told in flashback at a later point in the girl’s mind's eye. After the adjustment I propose, the reader will encounter the layout of ‘The Ward’ in 'real time' as the girl first enters. It makes for much more sense that way from the point of view of storytelling, as the reader immediately has the backdrop picture painted in their mind for the action to then play out against. As always the devil is in the detail and the essential thing is that the action should flow in a logical sequence.

By for now – have to fly.

11 comments:

imreadonly2 said...

First, I'm very sorry about the trouble with the driver, and I'm certain we're all very glad that you were not seriously injured. Good luck with the knee, and take care of yourself, my friend!

Since Madmonkey took the time to create such a nice work of art, I did want to take the time to comment:

There are a number of excellent aspects to his design.

- It is appropriately juvenile, and thus serves as a constant reminder to the little miscreant of the sort of childish behavior that landed her "in care" to begin with!

- Anyone seeing her dressed in this uniform will find it quite impossible to take anything the little chit says seriously, as well it should be. The uniform should strip the little upstart of any pretenses she might have affected upon the receipt of her wedding ring, advanced degree, corner office, or corporate perks. Naughty schoolgirls don't deserve such things!

- The uniform makes her easy to spot, in the unlikely event that she manages to escape the grounds. Any townsperson seeing her out of bounds will quickly turn her over to authority…after turning her over his or her knee, of course.

- The white knee highs and saddle shoes are simply adorable!

- The uniform itself, having a pattern, is easy to clean, while the white blouse can nonetheless be graded as to cleanliness, so the little minx can be properly disciplined if she dirties herself.

- There's a nice ribbon tie, which can be tightened or loosened based on the Headmaster's whim. Inappropriate knotting will, of course, result in punishment.

- The skirt is sufficiently loose as to make it easy enough to pin the jumper up in back (or, if her teacher desires, in front as well; useful if her corner time is going to be on a raised platform in the center of a crowded room, where the amused gawkers can enjoy the sight of both her freshly spanked bottom and quivering sex.)

Or the skirt can simply be tucked inside the label to reveal the girl's regulation knickers…which then, of course, can easily be taken down.

I might make a few suggestions:

- A badge of some sort, perhaps containing a strap or cane, with the name of the reformatory and a motto emphasizing the importance of corporal punishment in the young woman's life might serve to further reduce her status, and keep her in her rightful place.

Imagine the pretty blush on her she encounters someone she knew in her previous life, such as the UPS man who used to deliver packages to her mansion or stylish townhouse, or the mechanic who used to fix her Lexus. He recognizes her, and stares at her, astonished. Then he notices the badge, with the image of a cane striking a naked female bottom. Image her burning shame as the lowly blue collar worker winks at her, and teasingly asks her if she's "been a good girl?"

- The young woman in the illustration is far too happy! A young woman in a proper reformatory uniform should be in a near constant state of distress: mortified, anxious, fearful, and diffident. Ashamed by her childish attire, and painfully aware of the sly smiles and vindictive glee her appearance invokes in everyone who sees her, she should be in constant terror of the strap and cane, on the verge of tears, and look very much like she's standing on the trap door of the gallows:

http://canedschoolgirls.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/bc06.jpg

Oh, the agony! :-)

- The skirt should be a bit shorter. When the Headmaster orders the miscreant to bend or reache for something, he should be able to instantly see if she's wearing her regulation knickers…and punish her if they are NOT regulation…or, if they are, punish her for showing them, or simply check the gusset to make sure she hasn't been squeezing her thighs together like a naughty little slut. Yes, by all means…the shorter the better!

Excellent work, Madmonkey – thanks so much. And best of everything to you too, Garth!

Anonymous said...

I sincerely hope you called the police and pressed charges against the person who committed assault against you.

Orage said...

Dear Garth, I'm so sorry you had to suffer an accident plus an attack! You're unbelievably lucky to have escaped scot-free at least as far as your foot is concerned.
As to the rest...The guiltier, the more aggressive these days.
"The world into which we were born has died. It has been replaced by an angry, frustrated, uncivil, fear-filled mass of humanity that has forgotten how to act and knows only how to react."
(Just quoting a guy from deep-frozen Manitoba, full of humour and wisdom):
http://buffalosruminations.blogspot.com/
Anonymous is right, I hope you pressed charges! Now could the fact of being drunk brand you as "drunk and disorderly" and turn the tables on you?
More later to comment on Imreadonly's remarks.

Orage said...

Imreadonly, there's no stopping you when you get going! :))

Garth says this school uniform is for "recalcitrant young women one needs OUT OF THE WAY", namely in a reformatory, disguised or not as a mental hospital (or the other way round).

And you say "Anyone seeing her dressed in this uniform...UPS man...blue collar worker...".
But WHERE would they have the opportunity to meet such people since they are under lock and key? HOW could they be out of bounds at any time?

As to the uniform, it's only fit for slim teenagers. But again we're talking about young women who would be more ashamed to wear such short skirts especially if they are somewhat overweight and have chubby legs.

Orage said...

A fornight ago I lamented the sudden and unexpected disappearance of www.britishspankingmagazines.blogspot.com

I have the pleasure to tell you that it has reappeared under a similar name:
http://britishspankingmags.sexusblog.com/

imreadonly2 said...

You're quite right, Orage, she shouldn't be out-of-bounds! But if the little monkey does manage to pry open a window, and climb over the brick wall, and run faster than the dogs in no man's land, and cut thru the electric fence...she will find a very unhospitable world waiting for her, thanks to her uniform.

Everyone in the town knows about the $10,000 reward for aiding in the capture of "strays" -- $15,000 if you give them a jolly good hiding before you turn them in. And of course, the lucky deputy will also be invited to enjoy the little cage-buster's subsequent punishment on Judgement Night.

There are no reason people from the outside can't visit the reformatory. In fact, when a young woman is incarcerated it can quite amusing to bring on some of her former servants as staff at the reformatory where she is now confined. A tad embarrassing, perhaps, to have to go to the gardener you once lorded it over and ask his help in cutting the switches for your birching, but I'm sure he'll be happy to help...

Great news on British Spanking...thanks for the link!

Orage said...

"Everyone in the town knows about the $10,000 reward for aiding in the capture of "strays"..."
Ah well, I hadn't thought of such incentives!

Cloudlover said...

Sorry to hear about your “good kicking” Garth and hope you make a full recovery.

I love the uniform, it is so humiliatingly juvenile. The socks and shoes are a delight and I like the plaid. I think the skirt length is just about right; long enough to add an air of primness yet short enough to leave her feeling uncomfortably exposed. The bow is nice but personally I would probably prefer a traditional school tie. In the picture the young lady is clearly wearing makeup, this would not be permitted, she would have her face scrubbed clean with coarse carbolic soap and have her bare bottom severely caned for displaying such vanity.

imreadonly2 said...

I agree with the makeup, and the carbolic soap. Fortunately the matron's coarse scrub brush...applied to all the right places...should do the trick!

Even worse, the young woman is wearing earrings! Outrageous!

Yes, the cash prize for finding a runaway is substantial, but the real prize is the girl herself. A townsperson who found the starving in her garden, or perhaps treed by the family dog, would, of course, be entitled to thrash her outright before calling the authorites.

Trespass will not be tolerted, and by definition, and by definition anytime a young woman takes a step off the reformatory grounds without the permission of the Headmaster, where she is she is trespassing.

Of course sometimes the townies will amuse themselves by pretending to offer solace.

Did they cane you, dear? Kickers up or down? Really? Here, lower your garments so I can see. Ah, yes, those do look like some nasty stripes. Let me get some cream.

Hush, dear! I need to get some between your legs, too, for it to have it's full impact. My, you are a juicy little minx aren't you!

How old are you, my dear? 28? Well, you certainly don't look 28! You look like just another naughty reformatory slut, juicing herself on my fingers. Innocent you say? Oh yes, well, that makes all the difference. Even though it's what they all say.

Oh, no, don't pay any attention to those sirens. No, I didn't call anyone...well, just a friend. I'm sure they wouldn't turn you in. Oh, no, that would be dreadful. You'd really be in for a hiding then!

But don't worry, dear. I'd go with you, and watch as they processed you back in, and searched you, and disinfected you, and prepared you for your punishment. That's right, my dear...I'd have a front row seat...

Anonymous said...

Nice picture of the reformatory girl madmonkey, however, I do think the dress could have been quite a bit shorter. The 'girl' should be made to show off her thighs which if the reformatory is strict enough, should be decorated with nasty sore red marks from a well applied masters cane, strap,school ruler, slipper, hairbrush and of course palm.

Eddy

Anonymous said...

I love your blog! I, too love traditional American style school uniforms as the one you have pictured. I have a blog of my own and on one of my posts, I go into detail providing pictoral accounts of school uniforms per my own taste. I, myself would love to have an occupation that would allow me to wear a school uniform to work everyday. They are my number one fetish.
Follow me at http://www.ScarletFanny.blogspot.com