College Work
Pictured above are photos taken in Key West, Florida. A place that I venture to once a year in the first week of January, and a place that is very dear to me. This place was the first inspiration for my senior line. I loved the palm trees, colorful sunsets and vibrant wild life. So when sitting down and making a mood board in Arlington, Virginia, in the dead of winter, I decided to focus on all that was happy and warm and colorful about my trip. I came up with the mood board I labeled 'Fiesta'. I adored this mood board and color story but knew that I wanted to make evening wear and after doing some research on my target market, I realized that this rainbow color story was far too colorful for my costumer. So I decided to go with a more vintage, sun-drenched color story; something a bit more muted and mature. It still had the tropical vacation flavor to it but was much better suited for my consumer.
To view tropical print on Prints page, view here.
Once the designs were finalized, I had to decide how to put in princess seams without carrying the down to the hem of both the tea length dress and the finale dress. I also had to deal with the issue of using tulle as the main support of the dress. I eventually decided to sandwich a layer of crinoline between two layers of tulle. This way each dress was supported with crinoline without the tulle neckline stretching out. I had to be mindful of the sweep and seam allowances of all of my garments as well since I only had three panels of my custom printed satin.
After the final mood board and color story was decided on, I started painting some tropical motifs to incorporate in the print. I scanned those in and cleaned them up on Photoshop and arranged them into a border print. I started sketching designs once I was happy with my print. I wanted to create three silhouettes that would cater to different kinds of consumers or would be appropriate for different events. The tea length dress is the least formal, the jumpsuit is for the slightly more adventurous and trendy woman and there's the gown for more formal occasions.
For the most part it was smooth-sailing once the patterns were perfected on the muslins. Though the floral appliqués were a beast all their own. Each one was hand cut and assembled and applied to the sleeves and bodices. That was a bit tedious. The cape was made last and tissue paper flowers were hand made and attached.
I learned how to make the tissue paper flowers in my high school Spanish class for Dia De Los Muertos. These tissue paper flowers were close to my heart because it was something I had become known for in college. Each year I would make twenty or so of these tissue paper flowers and hang them above my bed in my dorm room. It paid homage to my four years in college and added a special touch to my senior line.
To view line, click here.
Navy Evening Gown
Original sketches for the navy satin gown with tiered sparkle tulle skirt. I was playing around with the idea of layers, ruffles and volume.
The first sketches show cascading ruffle-hem godets in the front of the skirt and many more layers of tulle skirt than it actually ended up with. Understanding that I had a limited amount of time and resources, I designed down a bit and got rid of a few details. This left me time to focus on a perfect fit and clean lining.
To view completed dress, click here.
First sketch planning out the pattern pieces to make the tulle skirt.
Once I finalized the design of the dress I got right to work on cutting out crinoline and 20 yards worth of tulle to create the voluminous tulle ruffle skirt. Drafting and creating the dress itself was not very difficult but just cleanly sewing the skirt and bodice was enough to keep me busy for hours on end (worth it though, of course).
'Glitch' Swimwear
Click here to view on Prints page.
The idea behind 'Glitch' Swimwear for competitive athletes was to be a modern, sleek and new brand. It's made mostly for competitive swimmers wanting to stand out on the blocks with a bold and colorful print that's still intimidating. Glitch designs were made with more than just swimmers in mind though. I wanted to make pieces that could be worn by professional volleyball players, surfers, runners, bikers, anyone needing comfort while still wanting to look good on the go. I made the women's bottoms a boy short cut so the 'Glitch' girl could throw on a t-shirt or loose sweater over the tops and they could go from pool/ beach/ bike to everyday activities like taking a stroll on the boardwalk or relaxing at home. The separate top options were designed in a similar manner where they could be worn on their own as a crop top or sports bra with bottoms the 'Glitch' girl already has in her wardrobe.
After making my mood board and deciding the inspiration and direction for the line, I started on a print. I began with blocks of basic colors and a gradient at the bottom much like a screen test. From there I pixelated parts and added different textures to create a digital effect. I then chopped up different pieces and re-arranged them. I created different shapes such as stars, lightening bolts, the 'Glitch' G logo and an ace of spades. I chose fun colors found within the 'glitches', created a depth effect on the motifs and added an outer glow so they look like neon signs. I then arranged everything in a pattern that I liked and made the whole thing repeatable.
To view finished suits, click here.
After finishing the print I started designing the suits. I went through a couple ideas and played around with the placement of the mesh panels. I decided to give the women's tops a crossed keyhole feature for a unique silhouette that also gives the arms and shoulders plenty of room to move around comfortably. The bottoms have boy short coverage so the athlete can go from sport to everyday with the addition of a top or sweater. This could work for the tops as well since the suits could be worn with jeans, a pair of high waisted bottoms or even sweats for the girl on the go. All bottoms have a drawstring in the waistband to keep them secure when diving in or swimming.
The men's suits were designed with different coverage levels. There are the jammers for fuller coverage or competitions, outfitted with mesh panels that wrap around the legs and the 'euro' cut shorts are the middle ground with a little more coverage than the speedo. All of the men's suits have drawstrings in the waistbands to keep them up and secure for diving into the water.
Flats, Muslins and Suits
After the suits were designed and illustrated I created the flats. After that it was to the mannequin to draft a pattern and first muslin. There was trouble on the women's suit with the back being too loose which was still an issue on the final suit even after elastic was added. Eventually the sides of the back were taken in which fixed the problem.
The men's suit actually has a drawstring in the waistband and the women's back has a triangle tie to fit any body type comfortably.
The Opening Gown
The original sketch of the dress and the final product. When designing the dress I intended to make something high end and elegant. I knew I wanted to have a two-piece dress with tulle skirt and some sort of embellishment or lace on the bodice.
I created this dress for one of my classes and it opened my school's fashion show, 'Portfolio in Motion'. It was lost in translation from the show's directors that this dress, that I was making for my class, was going to be opening the show and was needed for a video and photo shoot. I was made aware that I needed to be done with this dress three days before the shoot. At this point I had the front bodice in muslin and it still needed alterations (and eventually more to fit the model, not just the mannequin).
I got right to work as soon as I found out they needed my dress finished within three days. At this point the beaded lace that I had ordered had not come in the mail yet. I worked on drafting and making muslins for the base dress. I had to make a few alterations here and there but eventually got the perfect fit for the mannequin. Knowing that I only had so much time, I decided to move ahead with the dress in the actual fabric. The next morning, the model that was officially going to walk in the opening had time to come in a try the dress on. She is a few inches shorter than the average 'Portfolio in Motion' model with a shorter torso which made the bodice saggy on her frame so it was back to the drawing board. I took in the bodice from the shoulder seams and the side seams before re-sewing the facing into the bodice.
My beaded lace fabric came in the mail but it was a tan/dark gold color and didn't match with the base fabric at all. I had been talking about my dilemma to a colleague when she mentioned she could get me a lace that would match perfectly since she was interning for a bridal designer. Luckily I was able to buy some off her for a discounted price and that is the beaded lace seen on the gown. I spent the rest of the time I had left hand cutting and sewing the beaded lace to the bodice and creating the separate tulle skirt. I was able to finish the dress and even get an hour of sleep before waking up at 5 A.M. to help out on the 7 hour shoot.
To view show photos, click here and scroll to the bottom of the page.