Beauty vs Comfort. Why not both?

Vortex Technique Masterclass Online

Too many budding designers want to skip the mathematics and geometry of design and jump straight into the "fun part".  But it is not likely that you will last long in fashion design without learning at least the boring basics. Here is an example of what I mean. When I first began to design, I made two gorgeous dresses for my stepdaughters. I spent a week almost non-stop working to have the dresses finished in time for a holiday party that we were to attend. I had noticed some flaws in the dresses when they had tried them on before week's end but - without any knowledge about darts and other patternmaking basics for adjusting design to body type - I had no idea how to resolve them. I may as well have been blindfolded during the fitting process.
    The day of the party finally arrived. The girls were chatting excitedly as they made themselves up. Custom made dresses! But the excitement began to fade when my first girl shimmied into her gold and black satin A-line dress.  Beautiful when it was still on the hanger, the dress now made my sweet, innocent 14-year-old stepdaughter look pregnant. Sibling rivalry took hold, "Look at the front flying out!" her sister laughed at her. But now it was her turn. She confidently slipped into her own sparkly strapless cocktail dress. "My boobs feel like they are falling out." she whined, wide-eyed, looking to me for a solution.
     "It is late." I answered, almost in denial. "We've got to get going." I secretly hoped these wardrobe malfunctions would somehow magically disappear by the time the party started. For the rest of the evening one girl had her hand on her belly and people kept asking her if she had a tummy ache. The other spent the entire party looking down to make sure her boobs were in place and spent most of the time tugging her dress up.
     Apparel design involves more than just a pretty outcome. The wearer of your creation must also be comfortable and feel confident. Once you have learned the basics of patternmaking you will find that not only will your designs be more comfortable to wear and fit more gracefully. The architectural concepts of basic patternmaking lend to modification and enhancement in order to create beauty in a garment as well.  Your creativity will be set free. You will not be stuck wondering HOW to make a creation functional.  Shingo Sato is a master at this, transforming basic patterns and going way outside the box. Consider enrolling in one of his 3 or 5 day TR Patternmaking seminars, held in Milan or Melbourne. There is also an online masterclass. Note: Although not required, it is suggested you have basic patternmaking skills before you enroll.  Next sessions September 2013. Shingo Sato - TR Cutting School

Basic Draping

There is more than one way to make a dress. Until now through my free videos and how-to tutorials with diagrams you have been learning the basics of projective geometry through pattern drafting. Some designers however prefer to deal directly with the three dimensional. Draping is the sculpting of a design directly onto the body. The muslin is, in essence, a soft version of the drafting paper. In her videos Susan Elias introduces us to the basics of draping.

Anthropology of Fashion: Tattoos and Makeup

Photo:  istock.com/PeterPhoto

 
Andrea Saltzman, architect, founder of the division of Fashion Design in the Architecture department of the University of Buenos Aires and author of the innovative book  "El Cuerpo Diseñado" (The Body Designed) writes:
"Since the beginning of civilization the human body has been one of the most fertile canvases for artistic expression and for the communication of concepts. The decoration and ritualization of the body with paint, a form of body modification, is spread throughout most of the world´s cultures dating as far back as the paleolithic era."
Saltzman continues:
"When Charles Darwin investigated primitive cultures in the XIX century, he found that there was no territory, from the North Pole to New Zealand where the natives did not color their skin or use tattoos. This includes the people who lived in extreme climates, as in the south of Argentina.  The inhabitants used hardly any clothing at all, as if their need to adorn, beautify and modify the significance of their skin was more imperative than bundling up."

Scar Pattern on the body of a Surma fighter
Photo: istock.com/guenterguni

This touches upon one of the focuses of fashion theory as described in a previous post on Petit Poix.  Clothing design is inspired and treated as just one more layer of the "self". Our skin surface is treated as clothing.  The line between clothing and the wearer is fuzzy. Julie Rose worked as a tattooer for two decades and now designs in fiber. This is probably not coincidence.  In design the arts intermingle, cross into each other and as with tattoos and clothing, the lines are not defined. She states:  

Julie Rose Tattooer 
Scenic Turnout Blog

"I thought that if and when I stopped tattooing, I'd go back to painting or drawing, but neither of these art forms calls to me. Working with fiber, like tattooing, is tactile in nature.  Tattooing isn't just "drawing on skin." When one tattoos, one has to stretch the skin, hold it taut, hold the person, touch their skin. People also have an odor, both good and bad, as does fiber. Fiber feels more alive than a canvas or a piece of paper. It demands that one respects it's nature, as does working with skin as canvas. "
In her blog Everything is Interesting Julie gives a wonderful brief insight into the industry and culture of tattoos. How to Become a Tattooist (A Quick History) and Why You Should Not Get a Tattoo.