Draping- 11th October 2016

During today's design lesson, I did some draping on the stand using various fabrics but mainly I used calico. I tried to emulate my designs I had already decided on, and see what my ideas would look like in 3D. I found this activity really useful as it allowed me to adapt and develop my original ideas , and also inspired me to create new ideas, from the shapes and silhouettes that were being created. 

This first attempt at draping went quite well, I tried to recreate my first design that I will be creating and it has helped give me an idea of what my first design will look like. However, it is quite hard to get an accurate look of what the garment will look like as calico will not be the fabric I will be using as it is too stiff and heavy, I plan to use softer fabrics that are more suitable for this style. 

This is what I created on my secret attempt, where I wanted to create the illusion of a woven top and wide leg trousers, however it turned out looking nothing how i'd planned, however I still like what I had created as this gave me a new perspective on the design I will be making. The gathers at the shoulders give the look more volume, whilst the gathers near the waist draw the look in and give it a feminine look.

For this design, I know that I want to use a lightweight and soft fabric, similar to chiffon silk, and for this activity I used silk. However, I have not incorporated this example in my sketchbook and it dissent fit in with the theme of it (as in the colours) and i'm not too keen on the style I have created either. Nevertheless, this fabric is great to drape with as it allows lots of movement to the garment and doesn't weigh the garment down, which is what I want to convey when I make this similar style dress.

For this one, I have attempted to do all the gathering on one side to give it an alternative look to doing the gathers on both sides. Doing this gave me more ideas for my designs, and since this I have drawn more designs incorporating these side gathers, on garments such a dresses and top. In addition I have also been designing dresses and tops with ruffles on just one side, rather than gathers.

This look was supposed to give the illusion of a high neck with one short sleeve and one long sleeve. However it has not turned out how i'd imagined it would, it looks like the garment would swamp the person who would wear it with too much fabric. The style of this garment is overall too big looking, however I have cinched in the waist so that it gives more shape and more of a feminine silhouette.

Although this was quite a simple design, I think that the overall look is very effective. All I did was create the top of the dress so that it was strapless, and then I simply gathered the fabric in at the waist to give more feminine and elegant shapes. Although this is one of my favourite pieces I created from this draping activity, I would not make it as the pattern cutting stage would be too simple, and in order to get a high grade, I need to make my patterns for my garments as complex as I can.

This style was just an adaptation from the style before, where all I did was gather the fabric at the side and then on the other side but slightly lower, to give the garment more volume. I think this one is more interesting than the one before as it is more abstract and creates striking shapes, this style is slightly more complex than the one before. Although this is more detailed, I don't think that it is the most flattering style and doesn't follow the natural curves of a feminine silhouette, and this is what I want my pieces to do.

Here I have gone for a slightly more Grecian Goddess look, with the large draped piece of fabric over the shoulder. This is a shorter style than the ones previously which gives the look a more fun and edgy vibe. I particularly like the gathers at the waist as this adds more definition to the garment, rather than it just simply floating down. Although I like this piece I doubt I will be taking it forward into my designs as there are other thats are more related to my theme and concept .

This one is slightly similar to one of the previous styles, however there is an extra layer being added over the bust area. I think this small detail makes the dress look more contemporary and modern to the rest, as the shapes are not as fluid as the previous ones, this is slightly more structured.  To give the dress more definition I have gathered the fabric in at the waist as this gives the garment a more traditional feel which compliments the oversized details on the bust area. Although my collection will have a mixture of structured pieces and some flowing pieces this garment still inspires me to expand on my ideas a little bit more and perhaps have some more structured pieces. 

This style is the same as the previous one, however I have adapted it slightly, by adding large voluminous triangular shapes to the sides, where the hips would be. I thought this would give the garment a more striking and dramatic look, and it does however I don't really want my garments to have this effect. My collection will convey simplicity with a mixture of tradition and femininity, and I don't think this piece does this. 

Here I was trying to create a dress with a v-neck and a sort of pencil skirt, however it is difficult to create this look with a large piece of calico fabric. I don't think I will be developing this idea any further for my collection as it doesn't go with my theme or concept, as this style looks too formal and not relaxed enough how I want my pieces to be.