As some of you may have gathered, I'm studying Fashion Design here in Paris in my final and most important year for the development of my work. Some people have asked to see examples. Most of my portfolio does run to womenswear, although I have done a couple of menswear projects for different briefs, although none of that is documented digitally.
I do have several examples of my illustrations, designs, toiles and works in process online, as well as essays related to sartorial matters online at aonygoesparis.tumblr.com (It's always useful in this digital age to have them to hand in case someone asks to see your work and has access to a smartphone. I'm not sure I ever would have thought that my most useful portfolio would be other people's phones... but such is the nature of our technology-based society!) Although my actual portfolio is kept strictly under wraps until such a time as High street stores and ready to wear brands stop tralling student portfolios and stealing their designs (something that has, in fact, happened to more than one person I know. Although I think the worst was when the only physical samples (show samples) of a students final graduating collection were stolen at our graduate show last year. Though in that case, it was suspected to be a rather unfeeling model who did the crime.)
I'm happy to share them, as requested, but I'd rather think that the majority of them would find it hard to blend in with the rest of the topics of discussion on the board. My interest in mens bespoke is clearly not for my body, but one could say for my mind/out of respect for the well dressed and the artisinal. Obviously, in my line of studies/career, the more that you know, the more knowledge and inspiration you can have to feed your designs. And emphasis on techniques has survived slightly less sullied (or with slightly less secrecy) in menswear. (Techniques that are applicable across the board).
One thing that could be interesting is that I am an instinctive draper rather than pattern cutter. Draping is ultimately the same process as fittings and pattern cutting is in Mens bespoke, the difference is that you start with toile cloth rather than the paper pattern, interacting with it as it falls on the body/mannequin, marking it so that you can see the straight of grain/hip/waist/bustlines, then take it to flat, where you use pattern drafting/cutting skills to make adjustments and correct the pattern. This does happen in the processes of certain tailors I believe, (making up a garment in toile or cheaper fabric for fittings) but the difference with this technique is that I would start with an estimated square of calico or muslin, marked only with the grainline (red thread sewn in the direction of the grain) and cut directly into the cloth to form the shape whilst manipulating the fabric with pins, darts and slashes. These would then be marked, the 'estimated' (first toile) pulled down, pulled apart, and corrected. From then it would become a normal process of fitting and correction (exactly the same way as fitting a suit) and, in the cases of ready to wear/good practice, the toiles would be traced onto paper patterns (Except for haute couture where the toiles are so accurate and so neat, and the production is in-house, that they use those as the patterns). Others prefer to work directly from paper/geometry. This tends to lend itself to more classical structured items (e.g. women's blazers) wheras draping is really a couture process that lends itself more to work with fluid fabrics or very complicated designs that you can't work out without doing it in three dimensions first. (because, for instance, you come out with an irregular 20 sided pattern piece with 15 darts and it would take a genius to work out how to draft that without making a mock up.) For example, the late Mme Gres, whose pleated dresses no-one has ever quite been able to replicate because no-one has worked out how she managed to do the 1mm wide pleats. (although not for want of trying, her silhouettes will be instantly recognizable as what we think of as classic designs that modern designers re-use with little courtesy)
Once you've finished fitting, taking it apart, re-fitting (Toiles can be pinned or basted, depending on working method/time restraints) then you move into the actual fabric. Although if you're really brave, you can move onto the actual fabrics earlier, as it seems to be done in menswear. For me, i'd rather make 12 muslins than accidentally spoil my fabric, but at one point I will have to sew the silk, as it were.
Here's an in progress trench coat. We had a lace sponsorship and an instruction to make trenchcoats, hence the impracticality of material. (I do not regularly make rainwear out of fabrics with holes in, let alone lace that is worth more than my monthly food budget). For this, I actually worked from a basic trench paper pattern that I had drafted, but cut the pieces with a very large seam allowance so that i could manipulate them as if I were draping when I was on the mannequin. It was somewhat of a hybrid approach. In the end the lace panels had to be sandwiched in between layers of the beige fabric, and if my camera weren't broken i think i'm actually prouder of the seam work than the rest of the garment put together!
This is an entirely handsewn draped dress....
Which I had to take in approximately 4 sizes that morning because the model who was assigned to it was miniscule (and most certainly not my fit model). There is approximately 8m of fabric in that dress.
A handpainted silk Pongee/velvet dress, handsewn again, you can see the basting because again this was an in process shot.
illustrations (all own designs. except the blue biro drawing, i think that was just a doodle)
An italian police jacket being reworked into a minidress. wich entertained me because it led me to believe that all dresses should have gun holsters like this one. This is obviously a poor photo. Which is sad because some of the pleating and lines completely disappear.
I don't seem to have any photos of actual tailoring. Which is odd, because I spent so much time and energy on my classic tailored trousers/tailored womans blazer, and so much money on all the canvas and linings, that you would have thought it would have occured to me to take a photo. Then again, I doubtless would have been anxious about showing tailoring to tailors and other experts in the matter, although I can assure you that my sleevecaps fit correctly and my checks line up.
Alexandra
Alexandra has stolen the show.
