well-suited blog - fashion design, illustration, pattern making.

Print and Plaid Trend - Design Development

Saturday, March 26, 2016

Waistcoats

This has to be one of the best things to do! Endless ideas, not all of them good, but a good chance I'll like at least one of them enough to make it. The Print & Plaid Trend is one of my long time favourites. I suppose that means it's less a fashion trend and more a personal preference. You can learn Fashion Design Development and all the rest at the studio or in your classroom.

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Understanding Trend Forecast - Perforated Fabric

Saturday, March 19, 2016

If you have a keen interest in Fashion Design and would like to understand Trend Forecast, this post makes the connection between different sources of information used to verify fashion trends for each new season. I have trend boards featured on my tumblr blog, some with interesting design developments. And here at the studio I teach a workshop, Fashion Design Portfolio, that covers seasonal trends and design development for the fashion industry. This is my Trend Board for the Perforated Fabric Trend:

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Fittings First - An Integrated Approach to Pattern Making

Wednesday, September 02, 2015

I have made an info-graphic to show you all what I've been up to with the workshop line-up here at the studio. Now I hear you say 'What's that to me? I live on the other side of the world! :( So to elaborate; the teaching materials I intend for the website (e-learning) are derived from the workbooks I make for each of the workshops I run here at the studio. The content and integration of that content becomes even more important when considering its use as online teaching materials. As a first step I've added my garment blocks to the website as PDF downloads.

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Pattern Puzzle - Etre Inspired Design

Monday, December 22, 2014

This weeks #PatternPuzzle was about targeting another of my favourite Erte designs and bringing this inspiration up-to-date. As it turns out this is a truly challenging style. I know I made at least two mistakes in putting these pattern making instructions together. So please forgive any other errors you may find. And because of it's complexity, I imagine I would have to produce at least 2-3 toiles/muslins to really get the design and fit to work well before attempting in final cloth.
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Pattern Puzzle - The Erté Jacket

Monday, October 06, 2014

My first introduction to Erté was the year after leaving fashion college when my Dad gave me a copy of this book for christmas. Such a pattern making novice at the time, I had no idea how I would ever achieve such challenging designs.

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Pattern Puzzle - Two Layer Jersey Dress

Monday, September 29, 2014

Be Inspired!

Identify the elements in a design that you particularly like. Using your drawing skills to re-work these elements in a design more suited to your needs or your market. This is the beginning of design development in any new season, when you look to the top end of the market for inspiration.

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Pattern Puzzle - The Morticia Skirt

Monday, August 18, 2014

Saturday's #PatternPuzzle had a large number of pattern pieces, all used to make five different skirt patterns, that all make the same style of skirt - The Morticia Skirt. Many of the drafting methods used in these patterns are self-drafted with full instructions (no block required). Keep Reading...