The Cutting Class

Jil Sander, SS12.

There is a discipline that has crept into the most influential womenswear collections over the last couple of seasons that breathes of minimal, understated elegance and is built on a foundation of retro silhouettes.

Raf Simons, in his collections at Jil Sander, has been instrumental in experimenting with what will work for intellectual women today, in mining the old dress codes and finding out what can still be relevant and cool when given just the right sense of proportion, texture and colour.

In terms of construction, dress making staples such as darts have been used to great effect to help narrow the line of waists or create subtle shaping in rigid cottons. In general for this Spring-Summer 2012 collection, the sheerness of white fabric has been embraced and used as a subtle tool for detailing. This can bee seen through the classic collar shapes that are echoed in specially cut facings or in the double layers of white used to add a different dynamic to shirtdresses by blocking out more opaque areas.

The idea of transparency continued later on in the collection through the use of coloured checks on organza, that were used both with and without a white backing fabric often in modest, midi-length skirts and dresses.

The mood of modesty is a key marker that has carried through the recent collections of Jil Sander, Prada and Celine especially in terms of the staying power of the midi-length silhouette. It is the context that these designers have created for these collections that keeps them sensual and relevant - the colour combinations and textures used for these silhouettes are always slightly unexpected and off kilter and the accessories always fuse in unexpected references such as car interiors or woven cane furniture.

It really feels as though there is a definite effort to give a different slant to classic shapes that would otherwise be considered very elegant but perhaps overly conservative. It often seems as though designers such as Miuccia Prada, Raf Simons and Phoebe Philo are setting themselves challenges to work out what will give even the most austere collection or unlikely reference a new subversive, intellectual or playful element to create something new and unexpected. The challenge, it seems, is resulting in some of their strongest and most desirable work.

Images from Vogue.co.uk». Cane images from DecoratorSupplyInc».

Acne, Menswear, SS12.

Ever a game of details, menswear is often best dissected by focusing on the individual elements that come together to make up the collection. For the images below I have focused on the collar shapes and necklines of the Spring-Summer 2012 menswear shows. On the whole the necklines often appear high and perfectly round, and this shape was most commonly seen on t-shirts, tank tops and knitwear pieces. Shirt collars are generally wider and longer, rather than the skinnier, finer collars that we’ve seen over recent years. Jackets were often 3 button, or double breasted and this has had the effect of bringing the jacket break point higher on the body, making the lapel line shorter, and forcing the collar out wider in a shape that is reminscent of the 1940s, a style that was also revived in the 1970s. On other jackets, a wide collar was added to a round neck jacket shape, again bringing the focus of the eye up higher on the body, as opposed to say a one button jacket that buttons down lower at the waistline that has a generally more lengthening silhouette.

The shirt collars for the Acne menswear collection above featured a rounded tip that gave the shirts a more stylised, cartoonish look especially when paired with the candy coloured pastels. There was also some interesting use of cowl-style necklines in the more luxe sportswear pieces, where the collars had more volume around the neckline.

Dior Homme, Menswear, SS12.

The collars at Dior Homme were slimmer at times, but often within the context of a more voluminous shirt shape which gave it a more contemporary feel. There were also shirt variations with a collar stand only, often referred to as a “grandad neckline”. In the double breasted styles we see the effect of the wider lapels, shown above on the cream jacket and paired here with a black slim line shirt collar. There were also times where the jacket lapels were fastened over the top of each other with a metal ring fastening, to create a high neckline. This created a more triangular shaped silhouette for these garments.

Raf Simons, Menswear, SS12.

The images above from the Raf Simons collection, shows examples of the wider squarer collar that has been added to a rounded neckline. There were also some other details added to the Raf Simons garments at the neckline such as contrast trims on the collars and the buckle detail on the placket of a polo shirt.

Jil Sander, Menswear, SS12.

The clean, rounded neckline continued in the Jil Sander show on repeat print t-shirt shapes and chunky knitwear. The shirt collars here often appeared to be cut in a silk fabric, or some sort of satin texture and the collars were wider and more elongated.

Prada, Menswear, SS12.

There were actually many neckline variations at the Prada show, from double breased jackets with wide lapels, to longer slimmer cut lapels, v-necks on knits and polo shapes and wider shirt collars that were covered in jewels. One of the main features of this show that pulled focus to the neck lines was the repeated use of the neck scarves and these were often used to fill in gaps around the neckline on the lower and more v-neck styles and underneath open shirt collars.

Walter Van Beirendonck, Menswear, SS12.

At the Walter Van Beirendonck show the cuts of the jackets were quite intricate and the fabrics were full of colour and texture and these details was balanced by more classic shirt and lapel shapes. This was one of the few shows to use ties, and bow ties at that, and they appeared to be made out of the same colourful jacket fabrics, but shown contrasted against the other colours within the look that they were paired with.

Catwalk images from Vogue.co.uk».

Raf Simons, Menswear SS12.

It was all about diagonals, checks and plaids at the recent Raf Simons collection for Spring-Summer 2012. The collection was based on an diverse colour palette, mixing brights and pastels in unusual colour combinations often within the one check design. Checks were often used on the bias, with additional bias cut panels laid over the top. This occurred on one jacket in particular and it was interesting to see how the one garment pattern had been used in both plains and check fabrics, and how this effected the look of the garments - with the check versions given the appearance of being far more intensely panelled than they actually are.

The diagonal effect was also continued into the diagonal floral designs on the knitwear and the vibrant colours were also presented in sleeveless tanks, that appear to be made of leather and had zippered shoulder and side seams. The hidden accessories detail was the gold chain that added bling to the more conservative black dress shoes.

Raf Simons, Menswear, SS12.

Catwalk images from Vogue.co.uk».

Jil Sander, Menswear, SS12.

For a long time the menswear silhouette was all about tall and lean garments on waif-like figures, when skinny trousers and slim cut jackets were the norm. Knitwear had to be fine to fit under these narrow silhouettes and collars were cut quite short and narrow as well, often to echo the slim line of a skinny tie. The trousers were also cut very flat and close to the body, suited to the bodies of boys who usually raided the ladies department to get their jeans as tapered as they desired. But at the recent Jil Sander show this narrow silhouette was nowhere to be seen.

For the Spring-Summer 2012 collection the silhouette was much more boxy and chunky. If the silhouette was simplified into geometric shapes, then the previous silhouette would have been more like long thin rectangles, where as the outlines of the Jil Sander collection are more like square blocks stacked on top of each other. The result is boxy pleated shorts, almost like slouchy 1940s gangster trousers that have been cropped for summer. The knitwear has a more bulky shape and a rounded shoulder, with a thick melange yarn that blends beautiful colours together. This multi-coloured effect was echoed in the repeat patterned fabric that appear to be sewn with an embroidered two-tone stitch design, and the colours were also accented in the snakeskin accessories. Subtle changes speak volumes in menswear and the lengthening and widening of the collars is also a point to notice for this collection, also note the lack of topstitching on the collars echoing the clean construction of the last womenswear collection.

Catwalk images from Vogue.co.uk».

Raf Simons Menswear, AW11.

A wonderful teacher once told me that menswear was a careful balancing act between different elements such as colour, silhouette, prints and materials. Unlike womenswear where there are designers who can push the dial up to 11 on all the of these elements at once, menswear requires more restraint. If you’re opting for unusual fabrics, maybe the silhouettes should remain more classic. If you intend to use bright colours then maybe they will be more wearable in safe tweeds or luxurious cotton shirting.

Raf Simons as a designer is a perfect case of discipline in both his mens and womenswear collections. Here in his menswear collection for Autumn-Winter 2011, there are small grabs of colours mixed in with wearable neutrals and unusual fabrics in classic cuts. When Raf Simons does a sweatshirt shape, it becomes an opportunity to streamline the neckline and move the seamlines away from their usual positions, to provide the shaping that would otherwise need a knit fabric. When he does toggle closures it becomes an opportunity to inject small amounts of contrast colours. Even the shoes have been given a twist by using double lines of metal hardware to hold the laces.

Catwalk Images from Vogue.co.uk».

Cristóbal Balenciaga, Silk Gazar Evening Dress, ca. 1959.

We are all aware of the effect that a major art exhibition or fashion retrospective can have on the work of contemporary designers, as they absorb great ideas of the past and morph it into their own work. The subsequent effect of this has been that fashion reviewers are quick to look for evidence of designers who’ve fallen under the influence of an exhibition, so that they can be quick to point out the historical connections.

At times it can seem to get thrown about like an easy catch phrase to say that so-and-so was clearly inspired by a recent Yves Saint Laurent, or Balenciaga retrospective. There is nothing wrong with making the connections, of course, because these references are such a part of what gives fashion a sense of depth and history, plus it’s fun to trace the themes back through collections, following the influences of the influencers. But the frustration comes when terms are thrown around too generally and without any sort of visual references. When you’re talking about a great like Cristóbal Balenciaga, for example, there is such a body of work there to reference, that merely name checking him does not really do much to narrow down your description. 

Just by looking at the images below you will see the myriad of ways that we can draw links between the work of Balenciaga and the collections of contemporary designers. Influences and references are not always consciously used by designers - sometimes the idea of the ruffled black dress or the floral print is so ingrained in fashion that you can’t separate it out or say specifically who sent it down the runway for the first time. There is no doubt that Balenciaga is an incredible designer who has been amazingly influential, and whose work always holds an elegant sensibility developed from a pastiche of influences of his own. But at times we need to acknowledge the grey area of influence, rather than feeling a need to categorise it or trace it back neatly to a single source. 

All images on the left are Cristóbal  Balenciaga from the Museum of Metropolitan Art».

Catwalk images on the right from Vogue.co.uk»: Image 1, Hussein Chalayan, AW11. Images 2, 4, 5, 6, Jil Sander, AW11. Image 3, Marc Jacobs, AW11. Image 7, Lanvin, AW11. Image 8, Mary Katrantzou, AW11. Image 9, Prada, AW11. Image 10, Vivienne Westwood, AW11.

There are so many details that come together to make up the collections each season that sometimes it is interesting to just hone in on one detail. By flicking through the collection images just focusing in on shoulder shapes, hem lines or closures, for example, you start to notice different trends coming through.

This season you may have found your eyes continually picking up on the high necklines of quite a few designers. Technically there are many names for these different types of collars… turtleneck, stove pipe, stand-up, roll… and each name dictates the way that the collar sits, how close the collar is into the neck, how wide the neckline scoops into the garment - and this all translates into how each one needs to be made as a pattern.

Below are some of the different collar examples below from the Jil Sander, Celine and Louis Vuitton collections. Note how the designers use variations on the collars and necklines to great effect so that their collections have a certain feel to them without becoming overly repetitive. If you look through the rest of these shows you will see so many examples of how the necklines and collars are echoed over and over again with subtle changes.

Jil Sander, AW11.

Celine, AW11.

Louis Vuitton, AW11.

When beginning to pattern make or drape a certain silhouette it is sometimes helpful to start by drawing very roughly what you picture the pattern pieces will look like. It will force you to make certain decisions from the beginning about what you want for you result especially in terms of measurements.

If you ask yourself questions such as how far do you want the neckline to skoop, how wide do you want your collar, how high up the back of the neck do you want your collar to sit then you will be much more prepared to make your pattern. You can measure roughly what you are expecting on a dress making dummy or fit model and this will also then help you to get a closer result from the first pattern or drape.

The below images show very basic abstracted versions of what the patterns for these collar shapes and necklines would look like including where basic body patterns would need to be altered to accommodate the new neckline and collar.

Catwalk images from Vogue.co.uk. Pattern images from TheCuttingClass.

When it comes to knitwear there are basically two ways that the shape of the garment can be made. You can either combine the different garment pieces by treating the knit almost like a fabric, where by you have a large square of knit that you lay the pattern pieces on and then cut out your pattern pieces and sew them together. This process is called ‘cut and sew’.

Or you can do what is called ‘fully fashioned’ knitwear where the individual pieces are more engineered so that each garment piece is made with no extra fabric and the pieces are basically knitted together at the seams.In this case each piece is shaped using techniques specific to knitwear by using special stitches, making lines of loops shrink and grow depending on where more length is needed. When you knit by hand this is essentially the process that you are doing although in commercial production it would be done by knitting machines. 

This is an oversimplification of the two processes of course, but in general fully fashioned knitwear is a more expensive process which has flatter seams. Also you don’t have to only use only one process per garment. At times you may want to fully fashion whole sections of the garment and then cut and sew the pieces together where a knitted seam would not work.

On the Jil Sander collection below I’ve highlighted how you can tell from the seams which of the two processes have been used so that you will be able to look at the work of other designers and dissect what they have done.

Jil Sander, AW11.

Catwalk images from Vogue.co.uk. Knitwear image from TheCuttingClass.