The Cutting Class

Danielle Scutt, SS12.

There was an interesting mix of high end / lo-fi street references in the recent Danielle Scutt collection for Spring-Summer 2012. On the one hand there was a certain youthful quality to the vibrant polka dots and disjointed checks and on the other hand this was balanced out by the more conservative monochrome tailoring. It felt very wearable and very street, from the hipster denim to the t-shirts and bleached out jerseys, but at no point did it feel scungy like an unwashed teenager. At the points where the subculture references could have crossed into a naive, coming of age territory, the crisp shirting and considered drape of the folds and tucks helped to reign the collection in.

In a quote on Vogue.co.uk, Scutt described the collection as being very personal and perhaps this was best reflected in the varying levels of complexity that were seen in the pieces. We can only assume that while a younger teenage Scutt may have been satisfied with a slogan tee, the older Scutt would get a kick out of the more complex pattern cutting. Which is probably why the low/high references tied together - the basic idea of rebellion was the same whether executed in oversized metallic cocoons, mid grey suiting or rope dress overlays.

Images from Vogue.co.uk».

Giles, SS12.

Lasercutting fabrics and leather is a clever technique that can be used to create lace-like effects out of more solid base cloths. The effect of laser cutting fabric completely changes the drape of the fabric, in the same way that a fabric with a wider looser weave is more fluid, so too is lasercut fabric effected in a similar way.

In the images above and below from the Giles show, the cutouts are used to great effect in combination with the highly metallic surface of what appears to be a silver coated leather. There also appears to be small studs, or beads that puncture the designs which helps to break up the flatness of the surface and make the fabric look more like a piece of metal with small rivets.

The jagged cut out designs are also echoed in woven fabrics, while the mirrored effect is also used in simpler garments with accents of red provided through small amounts of contrast binds from the digital print of a swan.

When working with lasercutting, you should always do tests on small pieces of your chosen base cloth before going ahead with the full design, as different fabrics will leave different amounts of burned outlines around the edges of the cut holes. Some fabrics will be effected more than others, and like with any experimental technique it is worth ensuring that you get the effect that you want before you invest a large amount of time and money into the wrong material. Some fabrics will end up with better sealed edges than others as well, while others may end up becoming more tattered and frayed - which can be useful depending on the effect that you want.

Images from Vogue.co.uk».

Missoni, AW11.

There are some catwalk shows that are almost blinding in the designers use of colours, textures, patterns and layers of garments. Missoni is definitely one such show which can become almost overwhelming in the sheer magnitude of pieces and individual ideas that are on display.

The best way to truly understand the forethought and consideration that went into the Autumn-Winter 2011 collection by Missoni is by zooming right in and singling out individual weave variations, colour combinations and incredible details. Such as the oversized knits that are plaited out of giant gradients of knitted colour, or the individual feathers which have been carefully stitched to follow the knitwear patterns, turning the 2D designs into 3D texture.

The colour combinations at play in the Missoni collections are always incredibly complex and varied, almost like the effect of Pointillism in a painting. In the same way that the individual knitwear yarns can often be made up of many blends of colours to create one dynamic hue, so to are the collections made up of many tones which all build towards one colour theme. In this case, this colour theme was also beautifully offset by a dark red lip colour.

Images from Vogue.co.uk».

Anne Sofie Madsen, SS12.

A lot of designers find inspiration in a hard vs soft, sheer vs opaque dialogue but often this can create construction problems as the weights of the contrasting materials fight against each other. The images above and below show some interesting experiments with materials such as leather applied to a fine mesh base, from The Spring-Summer 2012 Collection by Anne Sofie Madsen. The play with texture is also used through quilting and through draping fine accordion pleating.

Images from Vogue.co.uk».

Shaun Samson, Central Saint Martins MA, AW10.

While the realm of menswear can often appear more limiting then womenswear, there are still so many experiments to be had by manipulating the fabrics and materials to create new textures. Shaun Samson is one menswear designer who is building his collections on techniques such as smocking, used to draw sections of the fabric together, and felting, used to blend together different fibres into one continuous piece.

The images above and below show the work that Samson has created in the past for his Central Saint Martins BA and MA collections utilising these techniques and he is also expected to show on schedule at London Fashion Week in September. While many student designers use fabric manipulations in their work it is not always done with quite the finesse required to keep the collection looking resolved. But in the MA images in particular the felting and oversized silhouettes have been drawn together with effective use of colour and pattern to make the garments feel very contemporary. The added dynamics of the traditional knitwear and the checks help to fuel the interest created along the blend lines of the fabrics.

Shaun Samson, Central Saint Martins MA, AW10.

Shaun Samson, Central Saint Martins BA, 2010.

Images from Totem» and Dazed Digital».

Comme des Garçons, Menswear, SS12.

The classic pinstripe has been appearing in a lot of collections of late and it makes for a good opportunity to see how different designers bring the pinstripe into their own context. Most often pinstripe is associated with suiting and tailored garments but even within this context there are so many variations that designers have to play with - lapel shapes, double breasted vs. single breasted jackets, different coloured grounds for the stripes, slight variations in stripe colour, using stripes on the bias, in different scales… and on and on.

Often when you see these pinstripe pieces within a larger collection these individual twists can get lost, but placed side by side with the work of other designers it makes it easier to play spot the difference to see how each designer has made the stripe feel contemporary, and to make the pin strip fit for their brand.

Comme des Garçons, Menswear, SS12.

Jil Sander, Menswear, SS12.

Lanvin, Menswear, SS12.

Umit Benan, Menswear, SS12.

Jean Paul Gaultier, Couture, AW11.

Images from Vogue.co.uk».

Erdem, RST12.

The houndtooth check pattern has been appearing in tasteful doses of late in a variety of different contexts. In the Erdem Resort 2012 collection, the traditional monochrome version was presented in a dark blue and verigated pastel colourway that provided a more graphic element to complement Erdem’s floral prints, lacework and embroidery.

Erdem, RST12.

In the Stella McCartney Resort 2012 collection the houndstooth was used in both classic black and white and black-on-black colourways. In this collection the houndstooth had a more clean cut, graphic quality, a nice accent against the vibrant stripes, brights colours and tropical florals that were used in the rest of the collection. The houndstooth also helped to tie together some of the other monochrome pieces in the collection, providing a link between the tailored houndstooth trousers and the longer black and white dresses. More Stella McCartney details can be seen here in the post Hibiscus Tailoring at Stella McCartney».

Stella McCartney, RST12.

There was also an interesting hint of the houndstooth check in the recent Jil Sander Menswear collection for Spring-Summer 2012. Here it was seen in a smaller repeat design as a semi transparent version, to add texture to an outer layer.

Jil Sander, Menswear, SS12.

For more about the weave of the houndstooth check, and to see other examples of houndstooth from recent collections you can view the post Fabric and Textiles: Houndstooth Check».

Images from Vogue.co.uk and Vogue.com.

Video still from the documentary, Helen Rödel - Estudos MMXI, 2011.

It happens too often that the most authentic fashion stories and behind the scenes characters are kept hidden away out of the limelight, so that the catwalk collections can be presented with a coat of gloss. So it was refreshing to see the beautiful documentary sent to me by Helen Rödel which so perfectly captures all the colour and energy that has gone into her carefully crafted pieces.

This short video tells such a story, from the intimate glimpses of Helen busy at work, to seeing her relaxed in her home life, this video sets her work apart in a way that a catwalk collection alone could never do. Watching the many pairs of hands who work away at her incredibly textured knitwear is mesmerising and everything just seems so right, so complete, like a photograph that catches someone in their environment at just the right moment. Some much larger brands are struggling to work out how to project a brand image in a way that is as strong and succinct as this.

Catwalk images from HelenRödel.com» and video stills from the documentary, Helen Rodel - Estudos MMXI, 2011.