The Cutting Class

Prada, Menswear, AW12.

It was against the background of the homogenous men’s suit, that Miuccia Prada worked touches of individualism in her recent show for Autumn-Winter 2012. The looks were comprised of carefully layered garments that were given personality by small arrangements of pocket detailing. These adornments included long brooch pins with sporting and hunting emblems, flowers, pens, pocket squares and pocket books.

They also allowed a clever play of colour through the vibrant red lensed glasses that were visible on some of the outfits as the hits of colour helped to offset the more muted and traditional tones of the suits and shirts that formed the looks.

There was a poetic sense of symbolism and tradition in the small emblems, and in the same way that an institutional or family crest will pull together simplified images to act as a representation of what the group of people stand for, these small tokens can be rearranged or switched on a daily basis depending on the mood of the wearer.

Catwalk images from Vogue.co.uk».

Miu Miu, SS12.

In the past few seasons there have been some great examples of designers taking fairly old-fashioned and dated techniques and using them in the context of more contemporary collections. In the recent Spring-Summer 2012 collection for Miu Miu Miuccia Prada has reworked the smocking technique on cotton and satin dresses and capes and even extended the technique into the embellishment on hand bags.

The basic aesthetic of smocking may look familiar for its application on babies garments or on the traditional workers smocks that were the original application of the technique. Smocking would have been most important at a time before elastic, to allow fabric to be gathered and fitted around necklines and cuffs.

The process for smocking is based on a grid formation that is usually marked first on the fabric with small dots. These are then joined together with a loose running stitch and pulled to create tubes of regular gathers in the fabric. From there the true design takes place as the shape of the smocking design is sewn using small back stitches to create horizontal lines, or diamond shapes. Once the original running stitches are removed fabric in the gaps between the stitching will open out, whilst the stitched fabric will retain the shape of the design.

The accessories below show the use of smocking in velvets and satins, and in general smocking will work best in sturdy fabrics that will pleat easily into regular gathers. It is best to try small swatches of fabric first o see if your chosen fabric is suitable for smocking as some fabrics may be too slippery to easily hold the technique.

The image below shows a diagram from ChestofBooks.com» that shows the different stitches for smocking more clearly:

Below is a list of the basic stitches used to create smocking designs to match the letters on the photograph below. You can find this list and more information on the Wikipedia» page for smocking:

• A. Cable stitch: a tight stitch of double rows that joins alternating columns of gathers.
• B. Stem stitch: a tight stitch with minimum flexibility that joins two columns of gathers at a time in single overlapping rows with a downward slope. 
• C. Outline stitch: similar to the stem stitch but with an upward slope.
• D. Cable flowerette: a set of gathers worked in three rows of stitches across four columns of gathers. Often organized in diagonally arranged sets of flowerettes for loose smocking. 
• E. Wave stitch: a medium density pattern that alternately employs tight horizontal stitches and loose diagonal stitches. 
• F. Honeycomb stitch: a medium density variant on the cable stitch that double stitches each set of gathers and provides more spacing between them, with an intervening diagonal stitch concealed on the reverse side of the fabric. 
• G. Surface honeycomb stitch: a tight variant on the honeycomb stitch and the wave stitch with the diagonal stitch visible, but spanning only one gather instead of a gather and a space. 
• H. Trellis stitch: a medium density pattern that uses stem stitches and outine stitches to form diamond-shaped patterns. 
• I. Vandyke stitch: a tight variant on the surface honeycomb stitch that wraps diagonal stitches in the opposite direction. 
• J. Bullion stitch: a complex knotted stitch that joins several gathers in a single stitch. Organized similarly to cable flowerettes. 
• Smocker’s knot: (not depicted) a simple knotted stitch used to finish work with a thread or for decorative purposes.

Images from Vogue.co.uk».

Prada, SS12.

Miuccia Prada has a knack for combining disparate elements to create collections that are filled with a playful variety of textures, techniques and colours. While the overall mood of a Prada collection can come across as naive and whimsical, the approach to the design of the collection is obviously anything but flippant.

With references to 1950s car culture, the collection could have easily strayed into a novelty kitsch territory, but sheer attention to detail is what makes the Prada collections so desirable. The flames that are thrown up the borders of skirts, or embedded into pleated dresses, for example, are in sophisticated colour combinations, offset with unexpected highlight colours through piping and embroidery. And the accessories including tiny chrome tail lights on the heels of shoes, or tonal appliques on handbags were always perfectly executed, down to the “Prada” number plates.

There was an interesting transition of some of the details from the Menswear collection as well with piping and retro prints making a reappearance. There was also the reuse of brightly coloured gemstones, this time appearing to take the place of studs on bomber jacket styles.

It’s also interesting to note how the hint of tummy has been done in the most modest way possible, keeping the skirts long and high waisted, with only a strip of toned skin beginning to be exposed. As designers tend to focus attention on different areas of the body in a fairly cyclical way, this is obviously a more chic way of unveiling a bit more flesh rather than going for the full length stomach exposure. 

Images from Vogue.co.uk».

Miu Miu, RST12.

The resort collections were not just about the clothes themselves, they were also a chance for the labels to show off their accessories through a still image / lookbook format. While the accessories can pass by in a blur on the catwalk, the still photos allow time to get the models gloved hands and bejewelled wrists into just the right position. One label that wasn’t afraid to accessorise their collection photos to full effect was Miu Miu where pastel pearl necklaces, lightning bolt earrings and heart shaped bracelets were layered over garments of lace, vibrant checks and pastel prints.

Images from Vogue.com».

Prada, SS11.

In the long space of time between when we first see garments on the catwalk and when they start to arrive in store, the original memory of a collection can become diluted. By the time the actual garments arrive in a retail environment we will likely have seen the colours appropriated for high street collections and the silhouettes replicated and toned down. By this time we have even been shown the catwalk collection of the next season, so we’re already beginning to slip into the mindset of the wrong climate altogether.

The best way to be inspired anew is simply to look back at the original catwalk images and remember why the collection looked so fresh in the first place. A perfect example is the Spring-Summer 2011 collection from Prada that was heralded as such an optimistic game-changer for the season. The swatches of fabrics, patterns and colours shown above have been abstracted away from the garments and the quirky accessories. Even simplified down to this pure form you can still see why this collection got the editors all excited.

At the end of the day these are just really great colours. Fresh, pure and bright, they have been hidden from trend reports for a season or two and that all helps to make them primed for their reappearance in the context of a very strong collection. Afterall fashion is so much about context, about the right thing at the right time - and Miuccia Prada definitely has a knack for reminding us about the colours and styles that we never knew that we always wanted.

Catwalk images from Vogue.co.uk».