Sixth BlogI

I want to begin this blog sharing some mood/story boards I worked on a couple of years ago.  They are a visual explanation of where I have come from re my clothes/construction/design passion.  Lots of fun making them, as it was a creative trip into my past.

First off, my Mum was the instigator.  She was a great sewer and helped deliver my ideas and desires, which was so good of her.  I love the dresses she made for my sister and me.  Both the same fabric, same colour, but we have different shaped collars, nice touch concerning individuality .  This is the beginning of my "village girl" approach (see my 1st blog).

Now, I'm doing more of it myself. My Mum gave me her old Singer sewing machine.  I've discovered cool patterns and fabric shops. I came across interesting designers through the pattern companies.  Kenzo, Betsey Johnson & Willi Smith to name a few.  Oxford bags, I loved them, made them out of calico for God's sake!  Can you see the beginnings of my love of the Japanese designers?   By then, I'd traded in the Singer for a Bernina!

Now, I am right into the Japanese designers...Issey Miyake was first.  I loved his work, his folds, his assymmetry, his pleats, his creating space within the garment.  He is a very skilled designer. I loved Vogue Patterns for taking him on as one of their designer patterns.  I think I purchased just about every one of them, until he let go of the reins. And those patterns I didn't manage to buy I tried to make myself...nothing's changed!

And now, all sorts of interesting designers and artists are exciting me.  I love sculptural shapes, paritcularly those designed by CdG....it really started with her wonderful skirt collection of S/S 2003, but I was excited by her work before that.  I have such admiration for the pattern makers who work for CdG.  They are very skilled, as they interpret her highly conceptual ideas, which enables the, sometimes obscure, concept to be delivered as a garment.   Martin Margiela, Maria Blaisse, Cosmic Wonder, Caroline Broadhead are also stimulating..... and I'm still into Bernina sewing machines.

                  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I want to go back to CdG's S/S 2014 RTW collection.  I posted some images of it in my 2nd Blog.  It was about objects that might be worn on the body....interesting concept.  As per Rei, she wanted to do something new, "something that hasn't existed before."
I am interested in how she did not follow the usual strict fashion show formula, e.g. there had been no toiles or fittings on the body.  There were objects that went beyond the body, which is an interesting idea for everyday wear.  A number of the garments are very theatrical...take a look at them (www.style.com).

The dresses I want to focus on are these ones.  Interesting shapes and design features

They have intriguing cutout sections and intertwining panels.  Remember, this collection evolved from the concept of objects that might be worn on the body.  Some people refer to them as "Sack Dresses". Remember, Rei was not focusing on fitting the body.

I think the middle garment may have led to this take on the idea

This is described as "A voluminous sculptural piece with a unique constructed flap collar designed to make a 2-dimensional statement". 

When you take a close look at it, it's like a rectangular shape has been stitched together (sack like, I guess) and then the various sections have been cut to enable the body to get inside...cool concept.  

If you look at this as a conventional shift style dress, the circled area is where the sleeve would be, but in CdG's, the arrow indicates where the arm goes.  That area is cut away to allow the arm to come through.    

                                                  

I have some old patterns that I could use to create my form of this idea.

Probably the Vogue one, because it is a little fuller, less of a angled line than 6215.  I'd take the line down from the sleeve edge and blend it into the side seam, and of course there is no neckline, the shape is cut out.  As I study the dress, I wonder if CdG's even has a shoulder seam.  Could the idea be one of "throwing" the fabric over the head, which is cutaway to allow for wearing?   I need to go looking for a suitable fabric.  Sometimes a fabric has a natural lining, more often then not it doesn't, so I would have to create one or, depending on the fabric, go without.

The way CdG's "sack dress" is cut, is a bit like a previous CdG I have constructed... this one, I call circle sweater.

When it's laid flat it has the look of a smiley face.  The waist area is cut away, as are the armholes.  The neckline is a little more trad.  I used knit fabric and lined it with a plain cotton knit to give it more weight for drape and warmth.  The opening for the arm can restrict a little, but I can work with that feature. I'll keep you posted on this garment as a colleague is wanting to create one for herself, so I'm going to take her through it in my Sew What Club. 

I've popped this image in because it shows a "circle skirt".  The image on the left comes from an amazing collection of Rei's  2009 S/S RTW collection.  This was a wonderful collection, as she worked with fabulous geometric shapes using hexagonal cutting and vinyl leather.  It was a return to her beloved "black".  Apparently she was pondering "what is the future of black?"  Rei established herself in the west during the 1980s and black was her total colour scheme.  I believe she once said, "I work in various shades of black".  Black has its' place doesn't it?  I love black skirts in my wardrobe.  The skirt on the right is my version.  I worked with a straight skirt block, using the darts and shaped it out into a circle style.  The opening for the hem area is the section that requires consideration, because of the stride of the legs for walking.

The angled arrows indicate where the opening is, but you also have to add a vertical split ( the horizontal bold arrow).  It allows for more opening to accommodate the striding legs.  I inserted pleated black mesh into this split, as it allowed for a bit more covering, which I wanted.  It's a bit of fun wearing a skirt like this, 'cos it's a very sculptural , that wonderful CdG feature that I love.

In a later blog I will share another garment I constructed which was inspired by this collection.  It relates to vinyl leather and "frilled edges on stiff plastic tectonic shoulder plates"....You'll understand when you see it.

Okay, I'm nearing my conclusion, and I want to finish with something that relates to the S/S 2014 collection, in a semi-connected way.  The 2014 collection operated from the premise of no toiles or fittings.  The 1998 collection was the opposite in certain respects.  It was all about basic pattern blocks, where dressmaking normally begins.  In this collection, Rei played with the basics of pattern making, and this really is my thing, pattern making.  She worked with the basic pattern blocks, bodice and skirt which create a sheath dress style, but Rei delivers it in her fabulous innovative way.  Hers's an image of the basic idea, followed by my take on it, and of course, there is a whole story relating to it...one fabric purchased in Wales, the other fabric bought in Auckland....