The Cutting Class

Rodarte, SS12.

The Spring-Summer 2012 collection from Rodarte centered around the colours and textures that Vincent van Gogh used to great effect in his oil paintings. The tones were at times as vibrant as van Gogh’s depiction of sunflowers, while in other garments the tones were muted and murky as in Starry Night Over the Rhone (1888).

Much of the surface texture of the collection focused on different ways to translate the artist’s brushstrokes into textile manipulations and embellishments. The circular movement of daubs of paint were translated into swirling embroideries or lines of sequins in jewel tones. The thick, glossy texture of oil paint bubbled into lines of thick organic pleating in pastel greens and mauves.

The most literal applications of the paintings, which came in the form of digitally printed silks, gave a nod to modern technology as the thick painterly marks were mixed and blurred with different sized sections of pixelation. The varying pixel sizes also echoed the metallics that were mixed in with the collection which acted as a reference to van Gogh’s use of shimmering light in his paintings.

Images from Vogue.co.uk».

Proenza Schouler, SS12.

Sleeve shapes and panelling are a subtle yet directional way that designers are controlling the feel of their collections. The raglan sleeve in particular has enjoyed a renaissance over the past few seasons as both a reference to the couture and the athletic. Raglan variations have been visible on broad kimono style sleeves as well as on raglan sleeve styles that cut in close over the curve of the shoulder, often using a seam up the outside of the arm to take in the shaping over the sleeve head, where a traditional set-in sleeve would look more square.

For the Proenza Schouler Spring-Summer 2012 collection, the raglan sleeve panel was made more jagged and angular, and this was then carried through into the panels in the torsos of the tailored garments. This angular use of panels was then also reflected in geometric prints, and picked up in angled seams, folds and pocket angles on other garments.

More examples of raglan sleeves can be seen here: Raglan Sleeves at Richard Nicholl».

Below is an overly simplified version of a set-in sleeve pattern being turned into a raglan pattern. This is purely to show how the sections of the front and back patterns become joined onto the top of the sleeve head. The dart section that appears at the top of the raglan is to shape the sleeve over the shoulder - but this line can also be split all the way down to the sleeve hem to split the sleeve into two pieces. This will allow for closer fitting across the curve of the shoulder.

Visualising patterns in a basic way like this can often help you to understand the fundamentals of a pattern change, before following more detailed instructions in a pattern reference book. If you can understand and picture what the end pattern pieces will roughly look like, it will help you to make all the steps in between. 

Catwalk Images from Vogue.co.uk». Technical images by The Cutting Class.

Gareth Pugh, SS12.

The Spring-Summer 2012 collection by Gareth Pugh built in an interesting way, especially through the disciplined black and white pieces. While there are basic forms and silhouettes that are being continually remoulded by Pugh season after season, the treatment of the shapes is always very different on a structural level. So much of what creates the interest as the collection unfolds is in the comparisons - Pugh will give you both extremes of the one idea, so you can compare the effect of the rich black and the stark white, or watch as the most rigid structure is turned into flowing self stripe chiffon.

In this particular collection the pieces came out as opposites of each other at times, identical pieces presented in both black and white, with the two opposite tones merging towards the end of the collection into stripes and grid patterns. The use of black and white striped fabric seemed newer in this context - more representative of the positive and negative spaces in the cage structures, rather than just a simple stripe. By comparing the black and white versions side by side it is interesting to see what your eye is drawn to first in each version, how it effects the shape of the body and what becomes more or less flattering in each of these extremes.

The cages themselves appear as though they could have been made of carefully constructed channels of fabric made rigid with boning - though a closer look would definitely be needed to examine this as boning typically has all sorts of issues with curling and bending, not generally characteristics conducive to hard line stripes and grids.

Images from Vogue.co.uk».

Junya Watanabe, SS12.

The Japanese designers seem to have a way of conjuring up new fantasy headwear each season and pairing it with delicate models and deadpan facial expressions. This season was no exception with Junya Watanabe displaying feather hair sculptures with flashes of unusual tones and hues to offset the floral repeats that embellished the garments. The use of the colours within the feathers echoed the off-kilter colour palettes that have been the norm for the last few seasons. These colours added a contemporary edge to simply draped floral dresses and trademark double breasted tailoring by throwing unexpected highlight colours into the mix.

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».

Valentino, SS12.

There are some designers who can take an idea or a technique that has been used time and time again, and can bring their own freshness to them to use the techniques in new and beautiful ways. Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli, as the creative directors at Valentino, are finding ever more intricate ways to work with lace, and lace-like effects to build ethereal collections.

The garments manage to balance prettiness with substance, largely due to the obvious care, thought and attention to detail that goes into crafting these garments. Additional edge is given to the collections through the intelligent colour combinations that contrast the most subtle of neutral pinks, lemons and mints with pops of cornflower blue, vibrant red or even layers of stark black.

Half of the beauty in these collections is hidden in the details - the careful finish given to a near invisible fastening, or the way that the leather is molded and tucked to form a perfect and yet understated sleeve head shape. Sometimes embellishment can be used as evidence of labour and effort but in the Valentino collection it is all about subtle and deft handiwork. 

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».