Well now, blog no. 10.
Where am I going to go with this one?
I'm going to go underwear designed for over wear/outerwear.
I like this concept, it's often developed as a design feature, and is always interesting.
Much of the original underwear styles that have inspired contemporary designers, are interesting in their own way.  I have discussed the crinoline before concerning it being a "cage of freedom".

Crinolines have inspired fashion collections, think of Vivienne Westwood's S/S 1986 collection

Vivienne referred to these skirts as "mini crinis".

A few years ago, a student of mine designed and created an outfit that bore the resemblance of a crinoline. She won a competition with it, which was wonderfully exciting for all of us, and the prize was pretty cool...a trip to New York and a year's tuition at Whitecliff Art/Design College!

Keep an eye out for her label...'Nicole Petra Wesseling'.  That's what it was when she was at school..not bad ay, having a label while still at school.

Here, I'm looking at bustles and corsets.

Rei K. has worked with bustles in her time...think I have referred to this before...this garment relates to her wonderful "Dress meets Body meets Dress" collection. That's a bustle if ever there was.

Check this cool image that has merged the dress in a Seurat painting in which the women are wearing bustled dresses, which have the very silhouette of  the CdG dress.

Another designer who has played with underwear as outerwear is Jean Paul Gaultier.

There's something "easies"/girdles, bras/brassieres and corsets in these designs, isn't there. The two on the left are from his S/S 1987 collection.  It's interesting that underwear started to became more acceptable as outerwear in the body-conscious movement of the 80s.  It was during this period that the beauty of a fit and healthy body became prominent.  I started jazzercise in the 80s, which I think was possibly inspired by Jane Fonda and her exercise videos. Went through a stage of wearing legwarmers and leotards with my skirts and wedge heels.  Loved it!

And of course, the most famous JPG garment from these collections is the one Madonna wore for her "Blond Ambition" tour during 1990. Definitely corset/girdle/brassiere inspired, isn't it.  And look at that upper body, man has she been working out!! 

This is a collage I put together that looks at using crinolines and bustle effects in contemporary images.

Here are some very cool contemporary corsets that designers have worked with.....

Aren't they fab....great use of "material"....wood and plastic...designers thinking beyond the square.

Now, look at this corset, using a "different" material!

This is an iron corset from medieval Europe.  It's like a piece of armour!

A protege of Rei Kawakubo's, Tao Kurihara, put out a fabulous first collection that was based around the theme of the corset and camisole.  She designed a wonderful knitwear corset, camisole and bloomers collection. It is very innovative and inspirational.  She operated under the label, Tao Comme des Garcons, but no longer does, which is a shame 'cos she produced some very clever designs. She sounded a really nice person as well, I think she started off pattern cutting for CdG.  Initially she refused the offer to create her own line and apparently it took more than a week of soul-searching before she finally did accept.(Ellestyle)

Aren't they just the most delightful knitted tops.

I love the cotton lace and cotton binding being used with the knit work.  And the fabulous knitted pattern work(is it cable knit?) of the work on the right, fabulous.

This pattern would be great for creating a top inspired by Tao's 1st collection, especially design B.  Knit fabric could be matched with cotton fabric, making a cool top to wear with a pair of jeans, or a skirt.

I had a shot at a corset with a bit of inspiration from Tao.  Used cotton knit and cotton lace.  I think the McCall's pattern is a better bet, but like the corset none the less.

                         

A number of years ago I went to the V & A to take in this fantastic project that students from Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design had participates in.  Curvaceous.  It was a really interesting brief they were given.

So, it was a collaboration between the V & A and the students, which looks at undergarments and their influence on contemporary design.  Just what the theme of this blog is about.  The students were briefed to use 19th C corsets, crinolines, bustles and brassieres from the V & A collection, as inspiration to create contemporary designs.  Their results were just fabulously creative.

These are photos I took.  The models strolled around the V & A halls, which was such a cool way to view the designs.  It was part of the Friday night events the V & A ran, "Fashion in Motion"  It might be possible to find a good web site which gives better images. Try this one.    http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/f/fashion-in-motion-curvaceous/   

This is the design that won the competition.  I thought it was a wonderful concept although I overheard one woman say to her companion..."Who would wear that!".  It all comes down to what you understand about the design and the designers inspiration.  The designer has tried to create the shape a corset created, within the structure of the garment.

 

I tell you what, I'd wear it on prize-giving day!  I like how it is reminiscent of an academic gown.

A fabulous Comme des Garcons collection that delivered on this blog theme was the A/W2001/02 RTW one.  It was all about undergarments becoming amazing overgarments.  Petticoats, slips, bras, corsets, they all took on a different way to be used and worn.  Rei sent out these cool bulky bras worn over shirts, dresses and jackets.  She worked deconstructed corsets which left just an aspect that reminded you of the original....like curved shapes....top stitching.  It was sort of about "the allure of the unseen".  Cool concept.

Isn't it wonderful, petticoats become dresses and trench coats...a corset is presented in half form...bras/bustiers look great worn over jackets, and there is lots of the use of lace, which is very reminiscent of undergarments.

I really loved that bustier/bra.  Had a go at creating my own one

I scrunched up my two fabrics, underlayer and mesh overlayer, tied and steamed them to heat set the creases. 

Another inspiration from this collection is this one...

What I was on about with this skirt was combining the idea of a petticoat and girdle. It's difficult to see in the photo, but I've tried to create the panel effect and the skirt fastens with hooks and eyes, which is" so so" effective.  Worn with a bustier. 

And some more bustier styles I've created.

The fabric manipulation for the scrunched up bustiers is roughly explained in these 4 images.  I love fabric manipulation, there are some fabulous books on this subject....or no doubt, just google it!

Another play with the unerwear overwear look..playing with bra and slip, worn over a sheath dress, under a sheath dress or with no sheath dress!  The middle dress needs a pink belt, I think.

Another approach, concerning the influence of underwear, e.g. a corset is this creation...

I have created a mesh corset on top of a fitted shirt.  I played with this idea with another series of shirts I created, but worked with the corset in a shorter form.  The idea was inspired by this CdG coat...

  

This is a skirt and top outfit I made. The t-shirt top is constructed to resemble a corset.

Working a half corset idea

Thinking about lace petticoat trenchcoat idea.

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Here is one of my lovely Yr. 11 students, Caryl.  She is working on a boned corset styled dress garment.  I thought it fitting to conclude with her work.  She is doing a marvellous job creating shape and structure in her design which is inspired by her Filipino heritage.

















Remember at the end of my previous blog, I had an image of a garment I was working on...

This is the finished result, my pantskirt......it's kinda the concept of pants that are heaps too big and wrapped around to fit...

That concept is very CdG....like a trenchcoat that has simply been cut off at the waist to create a jacket........

Well, that'll do for now.
The design idea of underwear becoming outerwear is lots of fun.  It can be very bold or it can be more subtle.  May not be every one, but you never know.

Anyway, until next time
SLTSLTBsigning off.

So, I'm feeling ready to get into my next blog, nine.
I've been considering various themes to pursue and this one is, "Paper dolls".

What am I on about... Paper dolls...well, I love pattern drafting/pattern making/patterns...working that 2 dimensional thing that creates a 3 dimensional thing.  Patterns connect with paper. One time, when I was working for a fashion designer, another pattern maker/cutter and I talked about how much we loved paper dolls when we were little girls, so we wondered if that might be a connecting factor between pattern makers......the love of playing with paper dolls when young....hence, paper dolls and paper patterns is where this blog comes from... so, I'm thinking.....

"Paper, Cutting, Pattern"

Let's begin with "Paper"

The most basic paper dolls...paper doll chains......

Weren't they such fun....and if you need/want instructions re paper chain dolls, here is a good site to get you started 

http://www.origami-resource-center.com/paper-dolls.html
It used to be lots of enjoyment cutting rows and rows of these shapes.
Now, something in a similar vein, yet in a different sphere
Issey Miyake's wonderful A-POC creations

This is from Issey's A-POC label, A Piece of Cloth.  Issey Miyake and Dai Fujiwara have rethought the manufacturing process of making clothes. Computer technology programmes enable rolls of fabric to be produced that contain whole clothing ensembles and accessories that just need to be cut out...that's all....just cut out and the garment is ready to be worn.  "Cut and wear".  The process actually removes the need for a pattern maker(!), because the inputted data into the machines creates marks on fabric, which indicate where the cuts are to be made to create the garment.

The red dresses in the above images come from the 1999 S/S collection.  Each dress is a slightly different permutation in a single continuous piece of cloth.

Here's another cool image of a wonderful A-POC dress creation.

The A-POC technique integrates knit and woven processes, and whole seams are sewn together during the construction process.  Even jeans can be created.

This is a really cool web site:  www.trilliumstudios.com/issey-miyake-a-poc/

It is an interesting explanation of how visual ideas develop to a finished outcome and also refers to the above dress. (I love how Issey Miyake and Rei Kawakubo have both worked with dancers)

I visited an A-POC exhibition at the Vitra Design Museum in Berlin.  It was highly stimulating,

 

and of course, I purchased the catalogue book.  Here's an image from the exhibition....these fabulous beanbags were dotted all round the space which people flopped down in.  

 This image, from the exhibition catalogue, inspired me to cut a pattern and make one for myself!

 

I used some fabric I had lying around my workroom, it's not as cool as Issey's, but it's still a fun beanbag.  (If you would like to make one, let me know and I'll send you a pattern.)

And, I do have some authentic A-POC creations, purchased in London, couldn't resist... An A-POC apron and 2 table mats.  You can see where I had to cut to create the pocket sections

I'm going back to "conjoined" for a moment..

This is a delightful painting showing Issey's red dresses, and in the middle, is an image of a CdG creation from the S/S 2011 RTW collection. 

Here are some of the actual creations...

Quite "out there" aren't they.

I created a "conjoined" t-shirt with an appropriate message, for a bit of fun.

This is another image from the A-POC exhibition.

What I like re this image are the tabs that are left at the end of the cutting process, 'cos they make me think of the paper doll wardrobe, which that pattern cutter and I loved playing with when we were young.....in fact I haven't stopped playing with them!

Susan Sontag and, not 100% sure re the male...think it's Larry Flint (only 'cos of the Hustler mag.)

Some interesting collections have been created which relate to a "Paper Doll" theme.  One is CdG and another one is Jun Takahashi of Undercover.  His AW 2003 RTW collection was definitely inspired by this concept. You'll see it... the garments have the tabs.

                            

Jun Takahashi is a talent who was encouraged by Rei K.  She has always been good like that...Junya Wayanabe...Tao Kurihara...she recognizes their talent and fosters their creative development.  A relative bit of info I have researched about Jun Takahashi is, he attended Bunka Fashion College and is quoted as saying "I just played around and never studied, except to learn how to cut patterns".  Good man, pattern cutting is a great craft to study.

The particular CdG collection that relates to "Paper Dolls"  is the A/W 2013 RTW one, which I have mentioned before.  It was a fabulous collection, all about 2 dimension, even tho' it's worn on a body and becomes 3 dimension, it till looks 2 d.

"cutout paper-dolliness of looks like the red and pink felted coat-dresses.....The only thing missing was the little paper tabs." (Tim Blanks)

The images I am using to represent the collection came from 'Another Magazine'...I think.  I really like the concept they worked with, it's very "Paper Doll".

Rei K. used felt in this collection, to great effect.  Obviously, it was a step up from craft felt, because of the weight that was needed.  I managed to score some heavy quality maroon coloured felt from Spotlight a couple of months ago, and my idea is to create a top that is inspired from this collection.  I like the tops that are like daisy shapes stitched together.  We'll see how it goes.

There are lots of adults who still work with Paper Dolls and some of them are very creative.  I was given this book to inspire me.  It might give you some creative ideas.

 I am probably turning the pages a bit fast when I look back at it...I'll have to improve my technique.

And now...."behind every great designer, there is a creative pattern cutter" (Tyrell:2010)
Pattern cutting is a series of measurements that create a 2D shape to fit a 3D body.  It's a technical and craft based skill.
Flat pattern cutting is the traditional method and involves creating a block shape, then adapting and manipulating the block to create the desired design shape.
Draping is the other method of pattern cutting.  The shape is created on the mannequin, using fabric.  I have a Yr 11 student doing a superb job creating her project patterns using this method.

A pattern cutter is the base of every collection, and  makes, what can be difficult designs, take shape.
I have said it before, but Rei K. must have fantastic pattern cutters.  She acknowledges that her senior pattern cutters play a vital role in the designs of a CdG collection.  They have to be able to interpret the conceptual drawing/descriptions R.K is prone to deliver.  One skill they must possess is the ability to innovate, which is quite obvious by their results. R.K. expresses her conceptual theme for a collection (sometimes it can just be one word) and the pattern cutters come up with the pattern ideas that express the concept.  R.K. has said, "patterns are designs.  Designing actually begins with the pattern".

Rei likes her pattern cutters to "break"many of the traditional rules of the craft that are taught in institutions, however they must be grounded in these basic principles, which are then turned on their head.   I often tell my students...learn the rules first and then you have a better understanding of how and why you can break them.

Many CdG patterns are not bound by the traditional rules.  The patterns may be cut along different grains which help the garment take on a shape all of its own.

An interesting CdG pattern and  garment.

This is an interesting Issey Miyake pattern.  There's an element of a kimono to it, rectangular for example, and with a few pleats here, some stitching there, a cool halter neck dress is created.  I loved working my way through my Issey Miyake patterns.  An incredible pattern shape would sew into a wonderful and much loved garment.

Here's the pattern I've been working on lately.  It's a CdG inspired "pant skirt" style and I had just enough fabric to accommodate the pattern I ended up with.  I'm pleased with the low wastage of fabric. 

There is a fashion web site, ShowStudio, which provides designer pattern downloads  Try this web site for some of the downloads.  It takes a bit of work, putting the patterns together, but it's worth it.

http://blog.pattern-vault.com/free-designer-patterns/

I have downloaded a few of them, started with a Yohi Yamamoto cardigan.  There is a Martin Margiela dress available and a creation from Gareth Pugh.
Here's my work with the Yohi Yamamoto pattern....you have to realise the pattern is made up of A4 sheets taped together!

And, these 2 pattern pieces sewn together create this....

For those of you into patterns being the inspiration for creative and interesting art work, check this website :www.blockparty.org.uk
It is a wonderful exhibition and the web site is the next best thing to seeing it in person.


Lesley Hurst is a delightful artist who presents her work in the fabulous Textile View magazine.  She produced these gorgeous "marquettes" and they really connect with the pattern maker within me.  It's the tools of the trade of cutting and construction that really appeal ...the tracing wheel, the sewing thread, the pattern paper, the pin wheel and folding and pleating to create shape.  Love it, creative and cool "technological modelling"!

I also love these works by Rosie James, obvious reasons.  I love how she presented her work in the pattern envelope style.  I haven't yet made any of them.  I also like soft sculpture.... Claus Oldenburg at al.....that's another blog subject in itself!!

Here I am, still playing with paper dolls......Breaking Bad paper dolls...terrible photos on my part, but great paper doll idea!

And last of all, remember that pattern I was cutting, the CdG inspired pant-skirt... I've been working on it and this is where it is at ......E said, "You're joking!".  For heavens sake, it's not finished yet!!

...but I reakon this blog is! 

SLTSLTBsigning off.