As I was heading to school today, I realized the void that exists without a fashion history class. There was always something new to learn, a new way of seeing the evolution of fashion design, how it affected and was affected by what was happening in the world...
This semester I am fortunate to be in a class called "Couture Sewing Techniques," and I could not be happier. Today, for example, our teacher brought in a vintage 1960s Chanel couture suit (jacket and skirt), as well as a Spring/Summer 1964 Christian Dior couture suit that consisted of a top that snapped down the back and a skirt that was actually attached to a full slip so it was almost like a dress underneath the top. The handwork was incredible in both pieces, but what I'm finding the most beneficial in this class is how much I am learning about fabric, drape and fit. The semi-fitted front of the Chanel jacket that led into a boxy back and how this was achieved WITHOUT the use of interfacing, shoulder pads, etc., but rather through the expert use of quilting and a chain at the hem. (Don't get me started on how I don't believe in interfacing.) The amazing cut of that Christian Dior top, with the back panels wrapping around the shoulders to the front to create a raglan seam, and shaping the sleeve with a couple unusually placed darts as well as an underarm gusset. Yes, I am intensely feeling how my lack of construction knowledge/experience is a deciding factor in how I'm designing. And I'm not happy about this.
I am one of those unfortunate souls that only learned how to sew about a year and a half ago, and anyone who sews will tell you the importance of practice and experience. So, strictly on the basis of time, I am at a huge disadvantage. But what is also a challenge at this point is understanding fabric - how it will drape on the body, and how an entire piece will look in a particular fabric as opposed to looking at a swatch of said fabric. These subtleties of fit, drape, construction - I like to think of it as engineering because these garments are essentially soft architecture to me - are essential for a growing specificity in my designs, which is what another teacher told me I had to focus on last semester. Needless to say, he was absolutely right.
Of course, there is nothing left to do but keep learning and keep doing the best I can do. But with less than a year and a half left to go, I have no idea how ready I will be to go out into the real world.
This semester I am fortunate to be in a class called "Couture Sewing Techniques," and I could not be happier. Today, for example, our teacher brought in a vintage 1960s Chanel couture suit (jacket and skirt), as well as a Spring/Summer 1964 Christian Dior couture suit that consisted of a top that snapped down the back and a skirt that was actually attached to a full slip so it was almost like a dress underneath the top. The handwork was incredible in both pieces, but what I'm finding the most beneficial in this class is how much I am learning about fabric, drape and fit. The semi-fitted front of the Chanel jacket that led into a boxy back and how this was achieved WITHOUT the use of interfacing, shoulder pads, etc., but rather through the expert use of quilting and a chain at the hem. (Don't get me started on how I don't believe in interfacing.) The amazing cut of that Christian Dior top, with the back panels wrapping around the shoulders to the front to create a raglan seam, and shaping the sleeve with a couple unusually placed darts as well as an underarm gusset. Yes, I am intensely feeling how my lack of construction knowledge/experience is a deciding factor in how I'm designing. And I'm not happy about this.
I am one of those unfortunate souls that only learned how to sew about a year and a half ago, and anyone who sews will tell you the importance of practice and experience. So, strictly on the basis of time, I am at a huge disadvantage. But what is also a challenge at this point is understanding fabric - how it will drape on the body, and how an entire piece will look in a particular fabric as opposed to looking at a swatch of said fabric. These subtleties of fit, drape, construction - I like to think of it as engineering because these garments are essentially soft architecture to me - are essential for a growing specificity in my designs, which is what another teacher told me I had to focus on last semester. Needless to say, he was absolutely right.
Of course, there is nothing left to do but keep learning and keep doing the best I can do. But with less than a year and a half left to go, I have no idea how ready I will be to go out into the real world.
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