The most important component in fashion sketching is the line. How can it be that something so simple can convey a 1000 words? A complete image? A state of being? Drama? Sensuality? The line is to be revered, almost as something sacred, for with just 1 stroke an entire story unfolds. The line must be free of restraint yet controlled. It must have fluidity and poise in order to be able to define something as sensuous as the female shape, or bold and powerful enough to identify a silhouette.
From the Inside Out: FABRIC. DRAPE. GO.............
Part Two: With the arrival of each new season comes new energy and ideas. A new optimism and hope develops, praying that this season's collection will be better than the last......beauty, design and $ALES! So with the freshness of new inspiration and directional trends comes the colors, embellishments and ultimately the FABRIC! Oh yes, the glorious, luxurious fabrics. Imported taffetas, laces customed dyed and beaded, Chantilly, embroidered tulles, drapey chiffons, structured silk satins and weighted satin faced organzas. Pondering the shapes and silhouettes for the new season we are to begin the design process. The mannequin, positioned there, boldly waiting to be manipulated by the artists hands and intruded upon by the army of pins.
....approaching this like a sculptor to his medium. Gently puffing the fabric, pinning, releasing it, wrapping it. Adding crinoline for volume. Minimizing when necessary. Reaching for the embellishment. The feathers, the beads, the fur. Tightening the asymmetric drape. Pin. Pin. Pin.
As draping is reactionary, impulsive and EXTREMELY allusive it is pertinent to capture the design exactly where, when, and how the folds and drape exist. CLICK. CLICK. The camera is indespensible for these transient moments capable of changing with the release of just ONE pin! Leaving no indecisiveness or uncertainty of shape, design and placement of style lines or embellishment, the photos are taken. One from this angle. The other capturing a particular fold. The image, accompanied by the sketch becomes the blueprint for our intrusted patternmaker.
Go ahead. Purchase some fabric. Get a mannequin, pins and a scissors and don't forget to have your camera at your fingertips. You are now ready to begin designing your stairway to heaven! Oh, and if you need some help, just call me.
Color block #colorblock #illustration #bard @emperor_vanity
Last night it was my first time participating at Bard Graduate Center's evening of sketching and music. Bard Center is housed in a grand 6 story townhouse on the UWS of Manhattan, so the ambience itself is inspirational. The Emperor Vanity, a fantastic costumed character would be one of the models to draw. He appeared in a glorious outfit and his attire drew me in. I was captured by the blocks of color his outfit revealed.
It occurred to me to capture this imagery utilizing only the color portrayed by his outfit. That means eliminating the usual outlines used to depict the shape and thus, relying solely upon a color block method of rendering.
In all my time drawing this form of abandon NEVER occurred to me. It kinda frightened me, not outlining the subject then coloring it in, the predictable method. But once I allowed and trusted and gave into the freedom and focus of color only, it was exhilarating. There revealed was the ability to compose, I guess the same way as an artists creates, through color and form. Without to much analyzing and embracing abandon. It was this designer's version of thrill seeking.....on the 3rd floor of a beautiful mansion. Ha!
From the Inside Out
Part one: After 19 years of designing and manufacturing here in NYC under my own label, there are many things I have learned from this glorious and sometime riotous industry called FASHION. From construction to design, marketing to trunk shows, fit through production. But what remains at the core, is the importance of the hands on experience. Relying solely upon artistic instinct and the unforeseen magic which occurs when hands meet fabric or paper, that is where art, fashion and design are born.
That tactile experience is unfortunately taking a backseat to velocity and quantities enabled by a computer generated mania. Imagine not touching someone or being touched. What we experience through our tactile sensibilities goes beyond becoming familiar with the nuances fabric will organically produce or how pencil marks will organically take on a direction of their own, producing surprises. In designing and drawing hands on, there becomes an infinite supply and source for creative expression. Techniques and ideas develop on their own volition. Focus straddles the line between the consciousness of ones hands and mind and the unconsciousness of the fabric, folds, brushstrokes and lines. Beyond human perception and plan the fabric and pencils, if given the proper freedom of expression, move and design, dance and sing to a the rhythm of a creative universe.
Working with one's hand's, folding, manipulating, scribbling, coloring is such a precious act developing harmony and promoting well being within. So when the time comes during the day when you are becoming anxious and overwrought with, you know what, take a few minutes and a pen. Start to scribble and draw or doodle some ideas or buried thoughts. It's a refreshing and de-caffeinated break. Who knows that doodle could be the next big seller!
Jacqueline de Ribes: The 'ART' of Draping. 'The Art of Style'.
She is an artist. I always loved the Jacqueline de Ribes collections and was disappointed when she closed the doors to her house in 1995. Last Friday at The Metropolitan Museum of Art's exhibition on Ms. de Ribes' aristocratic background and her body of work, it was revealed to me, by surprise! why I admired her work so much. As it turns out Ms. de Ribes loved designing through draping. She said that the only way to design is by working with fabric either on the mannequin or a live model. On display were gowns with asymmetric collars, dramatic sleeves and ruching. There is not an over indulgence of decoration and glitter. Instead the structural complexity of the fabric is the adornment while concurrently, preserving the sexuality, femininity and allure of the female form. She indulged herself with this art form and the result is evident. There is a certain shape and sensuality that draping presents regardless of the period in time. I found it quiet interesting how draping can influence design aesthetics among fashion designers years apart. Ms. de Ribes' one armhole/one shoulder [pictured above] from 1988 echoed similarities to a design I created in 2001. Same concept...one armhole/one shoulder.
Another striking similarity born out of the draping process was Ms. de Ribes' draped ruffle cocktail dress on the left with my idea 15 years later on the right. By working with the bias organza pieces indiscriminately, the form, and draping, the design takes shape. All the while allowing the creator to view the process and progress allowing time for the discretionary eye and hand to design or alter. At the forefront, always maintaining the importance of the female shape.
It may be challenging to identify the differences between those designs which are draped and those which are flat sketched, but if you take into consideration these few reminders you will be one step closer. 1. Draping highlights the curves of the female form 2. There is an interest of fabric manipulation minus the overindulgance of decoration 3. It may look simple, but it's all in the details.
Stella Jean and Me
On Tuesday November 2, The Fashion Institute of Technology presented the designer Stella Jean to speak on her fashion design philosophy, meteoric rise in the fashion industry and her Ethical Fashion Initiative. Seems this beautiful model turned fashion designer has much more on her mind than being the next 'hot' designer. Born in Rome of an Italian father and Haitian mother she spoke of the challenges growing up in a 'homogenized' ethnicity such as Italy. She also mentioned how the status quo since her childhood hasn't changed much, as her children now encounter the same challenge. That is being racially different but none the less an Italian citizen with Italian cultural heritage.
Her unique style is a combination of exceptional Italian tailoring with a relaxed aristocratic ring to it. That is juxtapositioned with her absolute allegiance to her Haitian and African heritage; ethnic patterns and primitive prints of exceptional color. No wonder we love her. The blend is as beautiful and diverse as she is herself. The way in which Stella pits pattern against pattern and then umbrellas it with cool Italian restraint is brava. Those fabrics represent more than color and boldness on the fashion runway. They represent Stella's collaboration with the Ethical Fashion Initiative, a goal to bring light, recognition and preservation to the traditional methods of textile development in underdeveloped but artistically rich countries. She has traveled from West Africa to Haiti developing fabrications and working alongside the artisans. Her commitment for acceptance is contagious. I'm glad to have had the opportunity to meet her and her incredible journey layered with many messages... just like her outfits.
The CHIAROSCURO In Fashion
Chiaroscuro is the use of strong contrasts between light and dark, usually bold contrasts affecting a whole composition. It is also a technical term used by artists to achieve 3 dimensional volume. What better place than to explore this technique of the light side and the dark side other than in fashion. Designing with a 'chiaroscuro' attitude of light and dark can bleed into many areas for effect. In terms of color, we obviously have strong contrast created utilizing black and white. Fabrications are another element which can give strong opposing statements. Kid white leather paired against black latex; clear plastic and black PVC. Imagery is another source. Hard against soft, open verses closed, revealed against restrained. And then we have the sexuality in which fashion can ignite. The light and dark of it. The bareness of skin although harnessed. The femininity revealed but restrained. Opposites do attract to create high impact both in art as well as on the runway.
The LAST Word
Draping on a mannequin employs the same principle as draping on a last.
My first introduction to the 'ART' of draping literally began from the ground up, with shoe design and construction. It was here I discovered the treasured lasts, the foundation for all shoemaking. For on top of these venerable forms is where and how gorgeous footwear is born. My fascination was that the last was something I could sculpt on or manipulate fabric upon. To be able to stretch, pleat, bunch or ruffle fabric was my nirvana. That fabric could be hounds tooth wool and leather [as pictured above] or any other material. I've draped shoes in straw, suede, patent leather, pvc even elastic! Whether a designer sketches their designs by hand as Mr. Blahnik so beautifully does or they are designed on the computer, eventually it's on the last that the patterns are drafted and the actual shoe produced. From Mr. Louboutin to Mr. Blahnik the LAST is the last word.
KULTURE KLUB
Jamie's Kulture Klub of French/African/punk
Read MoreWave Hill Inspires
Berries, satin wrapped roses, silk petals, crystals, organdy, shredded ribbon
Read MoreA Ribbon in the Sky
raspberry charmeuse/chiffon/Swarovski sunflower streamer gown
Read MoreThe ORNAMENTAL Self
S/S 2016 update: The idea may have originated pre- Cleopatra but to wear objects which identify who we are and what our inner nature is, is a beautiful expression of freedom, joy and hope. Such have been the discoveries on New York's Spring/Summer catwalks. Whether it's jeweled face masks via Givenchy, 60's bouffant hair-do's a-la-Jeremy-Scott, or Thom Browne boaters with upright pigtail there is power in clothing and objects which we use to glorify our beings and tell our hidden story. This is the goal of fashion and the freedom of expression. These articles, whether of clothing, fragments of something representative only to ourselves, found objects, disregarded decorations, or personal creations of our creative madness call our name and desire to possess an audience. When we cross the line of questioning our capacity to handle newness, exaggeration, or release ourselves from the " But can I " question, we have moved our liberation one step further. Realness and authenticity come from the heart. By embracing our ORNAMENTAL Selves we gain much more in Truth rather than what we loose by the rejection of others. Someone much greater than I, your humble servant to fashion, once said..."To Thine Own Self Be True". Now go out there and rock your world!
BABY BOOMERS: Reboot + Rebrand
Common conversation nowadays with baby boomers is the fact that we possess vast quantities of experience and knowledge. However, after 15 or 20 years in the same routine it's time for a change. But where? How? Trapped like a deer in headlights we find ourselves not paralyzed, but stymied. We know we have great wealth to share but making an attempt to first organize, select and identify who we are and what our brand is, is like scrambling out from fallen boulders. Best thing to do is just lay there with all this information and experience piled on top of you. Oh, and breath! Take many breathes.
First step in re-booting is assessment; what we have done, how we did it and what are the milestones in our careers. Think about what you love doing and never had enough time to do it and where it can become a vital service to others or other businesses. Identify yourself and your vision. Jot it down, take notes and edit it. Second step is to select your top material. Whether it was commercially successful or you personally felt it was a triumph, give it the credit it deserves. With years of dossiers, photographs, marketing plans or sketches there are always those triumphs which hold 1st. and 2nd. places and our favoritism to them will probably never change. Third step is to develop an internal structure of comrades to support you in your vision and help you in moving the boulder cross the finish line. People who believe in you and you in them. Life is a give and take relationship. And remember......it's never done alone. Lastly, don't forget to KISS IT....keep it simple stupid!
Good Luck and Happy Rebooting.
Fold here....................
and here..............and here.............and here........if only it were that simple. Creating multiple folds and undulating asymmetric layers may be easy when playfully draping, but it's complicated and calculated putting it into a wearable and functional garment. The artistic nuances one stumbles upon by draping must be realized for production requiring hours of precision patternmaking to make it look effortlessly organic. Whether the draping is created by hand, flat sketching or illustrator it requires diligence to look haphazardly graceful ask Charles James, ha!