After completing and
linking my first silhouette, I discovered that although it fitted perfectly on
the mannequin, when it came to the first fitting it was baggy, gaped and
generally far too oversized. The biggest problem area was how the back panels
sat. Ideally I wanted the back panels to be quite open and the straps to sit
straight, however they did not add enough support that way, causing the front
to gape under the arms and around the sides.
In order to solve
this problem, I unlinked the straps and pinned alternative ways the silhouette could
sit on the body. I found overlapping the back panels so the top is more fitted
helps hold shape around the sides, furthermore crossing the straps at the back
gives the extra support and solves the length issue.
Silhouette strap solution
Moving forward with
my second silhouette, my proposal was to create a light jacket/waistcoat which is
finely knitted with textured elements as detail. I have been really inspired by
Zuhair Murads’ feathered jacket in the SS 2013 collection, and also Andrew Gns’
embellished feather shaped accessories.
The fit of this silhouette is to be boxy and oversized, contrasting the fitted, feminine top I have made. My contextual research of jackets at a luxury high end level has encouraged me to challenge the aesthetics of my top, concentrating on making this silhouette about texture and detail.
Illustration
When knitting the
right panel of the waistcoat, I came across quite a few challenges: as the 2 80’s
mercerised cotton is such a fine yarn, I found the bigger it was knitted it
started to lose its tension and would curl in due to being so delicate. Furthermore,
the lengthy pockets stuffed with wool tops were bumpy when the panel came off
the machine because of the varied weights in fabric working together.
I reflected upon the panel I made when pinning on the mannequin to get an idea of how it would sit on the body. Overall I was unhappy with how it sat, my yarn choice was so fine that it meant the panel didn’t drape nicely, furthermore the feather detail didn’t look right sat around the middle area.
In tutorials I discussed this and explained why I had only knitted one panel. Reflecting upon the collection of samples I have made and some of my contextual research that involve heavy textured yarns, I was encouraged to wait until Unit X to continue with garments, with the opportunity re-think and push my research of heavy quality and texture into an Autumn/Winter collection.
After overcoming the
complications of attempting to make a second silhouette, I am now focussing on my
collection of samples. In tutorial it was suggested that I need to add in more
colour and excitement, as well as continuing to experiment with heavy yarn and
the combination with fine knit. Referring back to my sketchbook, I have
interpreted my visual research through a range of colour, especially gold. I started
to experiment with different materials I could use to add gold to my collection
without sourcing yarn.
Shiny foil sample
Anna Wilson
