Balmain goes Biker

I love Balmains spring/summer 2011 collection, it consists of leather trousers and biker jackets and jeans with washed crushed finishes, this collection also has influences of the American flag. The collection has a very 'worn' look but i think it is executed well. I love how the garments have been embellished with studs and safety pins.
The Look: Biker meets Rock&Roll

Inspirational Collection: Spring/Summer 2011, Paris Fashion Week, Alexander McQueen

This is the first collection since Alexander McQueen's death. I find it very inspirational for my current project. This collection is very much inspired by nature. I think this collection still has the McQueen trade marks and ideas. I love the stiffened and exagerated silhouettes. The pieces I found most interesting were the butterfly print dresses and I think they relate well to my project theme ( From Chrysalis to Butterfly).

Experimentation with Draping

In order to get the draping for my dress the way I wanted I had to experiment with a chiffon fabric on my toile, this was very beneficial as it enabled me to see how and where I wanted the draped fabric. It also enabled me to measure how much chiffon will be needed for when I produce my garment.

For my dress I intend to use fabric from James Hare. I have chosen to use a Regal Dupion and a Satin Chiffon. The colours are very similar and therfore I think will work very well together. The quality of the fabric is very good and the colours are quite unusual.

Design Development

Today I finished off my toile for the Anh Mao project.
My theme is called 'From Chrysalis to Butterfly' which basically focuses on the evolution from a cocoon to a butterfly. I am required to make a dress for this project. I have produced initial ideas where I gained inspiration from the cocoon shape, this means that my dress is going to be very structured with draping to insinuate the butterfly wings.
From my initial ideas I moved forward into the development process where I chose the best dresses and developed parts i liked.
I had a discussion with Anh where she chose the design she thought would sell best and would suit her design philosophy.
I was pleased with the design she chose. She decided to go for a more  simpler design that has a structured shape with draping on the front and the back.
I also discussed what fabric i thought would work best. I decided a regal dupion for the dress and a satin chiffon for the draping. I plan on using the same colours of the fabric, and have the contrast being the different weight and drape of the fabric.
I produced a toile from a basic shift dress pattern, where I altered it by making it a little bit tighter on the bottom and shaping it at the back. I then had to work on the stand to drape the chiffon, this was quite time taking but I eventually got it to the way I wanted.