week thirteen: how to lace your corset...

(above video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6IRi_MWENs, viewed 1/6/10)

week twelve: persistent circles...

The reoccurring concept of 'the circle' has been subconsciously appearing in the form of my work. Whether it be subtle or overtly clear its simple outline has become a part of my design aesthetic through experimentation. Initiated during our legging deformation through the addition of a spherical three-dimensional structure such as a rubber bouncy ball created my awareness for its potential dominance. Its smooth, effortless profile lends itself to the world stretch, with its clinging, contouring aesthetic. As I had previously set myself the challenge to abandon my natural instinct of the asymmetrical kind, the figure of a equally proportioned circle has guided me towards balanced perfect within a garment.

A circle is a simple shape of euclidean geometry, consisting of those points in a plane which are equidistant from a given point called the centre. The common distance of the points of a circle from its centre is called its radius. Circles are simple closed curves, which provide the plane into two regions, an interior and an exterior. In everyday use, the term "circle" may be used interchangeably to refer to either the boundary of the figure or the whole figure including its interior.

(above image http://studentweb.cortland.edu/louge32/miniproj2/step3_circle.gif, viewed 6/6/10)

week twelve: 'piecing it together'...

Placing and securing shaped fabrication is something that I have never attempted before. Much like a puzzle, it involves accumulating and joining piece together to produce an image. The process has required me to mold and drape with the help of the mannequins silhouette to acquire an indication of how the final outcome will sit on the body. Inspired by the work of designers like Junya Watanabe who exhibit points of tension within a garment that create fluid distinct drape.

Junya Watanabe Fall 2008 Ready-To Wear

Jasmine Di Milo Fall 2010 Ready-To-Wear

Once I had carefully formed my shell-like structure, section by section, the difficulty began attaching it to the cropped singlet base. As this light fabric under became the support for the organised cluster of 'chopped' hosiery it had to be secured using the most accurate technique. My chosen design aesthetic of obvious, contrasting construction seams had to be considered for specific areas of the singlet. Different fabric thickness or bulk from the flat lock was stitched using the zigzag machine to conceal it into position. Prior to that I had trialed and tested a variety of finishes and colour combinations for the high stretch net, which accompany the nylon tights. As the specific colour of the beige tights was extremely hard to match, to avoid a chaos of several tones that never quite harmonize, I chose to safely work with black to tie in the apparent construction seams. This defines the collection of shapes, highlighting them as they ripple down the body creating bulk in their precise arrangement. The thread ends that extend beyond the neckline and armholes gather together to emphasise my raw aesthetic, as they freely travel with the garments natural drape.

week eleven: pantyhose...

My fascination with the association between women's hosiery, specifically tights, and stretch generics has finally been resolved. It was through the study of their construction and behavior that the dispersion of their original form occurred. I wanted to focus on that continuos observation I have made on the comparison of the reaction of a particular garment on the body, to it in its natural state. The impression of a reduced, almost shrunk item has been trapped in my head as the characterization of stretch and its performance.

Inspired by the application of geometric shapes to the body, introduced to us during the generic investigation, I chose to continue with the experimentation of drape in circular shapes. I was drawn to the unpredictability and natural manner of them once assembled around a specific shape. Following my theme and focus of the female silhouette, my intention was to highlight upper body features by creating a cropped singlet that created the allusion of a collar and/or sleeves. After experimenting with basic shapes on the stand it was apparent that I was 'building' and emphasizing the likely form.

As the sheer, 15 denier nylon construction of the tights that I purchased was so delicate I was challenged to think of original construction methods that nullified any obstructions. The use of the flat lock machine was in order, forming that relationship between my previous works. Through the use of contrasting black thread the details of seam construction is conspicuous, stressing every ripple and plunge within the fabric.

The intended function of the 'control' region of the tights opening presented a subtle contrast in fabrication. These differences are evident within the tone, as well as fabric thickness, therefore providing an alternative response in the larger performance of the garment. This contrast must also be considered in terms of aesthetic application, and the way it can affect or influence the general expression of the piece. With the help of relevant research I rejected the tradition to cover delicate areas of the body with opaques, and reversed notions of acceptably exposed skin.

(above image http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Pile_of_pantyhose.jpg , viewed 30/5/10)

week ten: sculpting...

Cami James (RMIT 4th Year 2009 final collection, Oyster magazine)

This specific body piece is minimal yet forceful in impact. The detail confined to the molded torso grabs your attention through its light reflecting properties, highlighting its polished finish. It creates a new form for the body, accentuating its original form by extending out to a new degree.

It underlines the concept of the 'hard body', much like Issey Miyake's molded plastic bustier, 1980, as it imitates the body yet displays a hard powerful shell on the wearer. It explains the relationship between the body's form and the garment directly in contact with it. Reversing the idea that clothing clads or conceals the body, this piece replicates the body, exposing it like a second skin compiled of plastic. This bustier created by Cami is dramatic with its reflective surface and sinuous curves can also be appreciated as a sculpture with its own form and function.

I am drawn to this concept, intrigued by its potential response to stretch fabrication, and wish to possible it explore it in the remaining weeks of the project. The consideration of depth and dimension is all part of construction preparation and process in context to both corsetry and stretch fabrics, therefore I aim to illustrate the parallels between the two.

(above images from http://www.nodiscount.com.au/blog/page/4/ viewed 17/4/10)

week ten: corsetry...

A corset is a garment worn to mold and shape the torso into a desired shape for aesthetic or medical purposes. In recent years, the term "corset" has also been borrowed by the fashion industry to refer to tops which, to varying degrees mimic the look of traditional corsets without actually acting as one. While these modern corsets and corset top often feature lacing and/or boning and generally mimic a historical style of corsets, they have very little if any effect on the shape of the wearer's body.

The most common and well-known use of corsets is to slim the body and make it conform to a fashionable silhouette. For women this most frequently emphasizes a curvy figure, by reducing the waist, and thereby exaggerating the bust and hips. A shorter kind of corset, which covers the waist area (from low on the ribs to just above the hips), is called a waist cincher. A waist cincher (sometimes referred to as a Waspie) is a belt worn around the waist to make the wearer's waist physically smaller, to create the illusion of being smaller.

A corset has the influence to command the awareness of those around. It highlights the centre, the core of the skeletons frame. It protects the cluster of importance within the body, becoming a supportive armor. The chosen shape of a corset determines its power over the body. It most classically creates the hourglass figure desired by females, accentuating aspects of the form as to better shape. It ultimately crafts a smooth, reduced waistline which contours are rounded off to the hips.

(Above images www.iainclaridge.co.uk/. ../babyphat_dm.jpg, viewed 8/5/10)

week nine: dolls...

A study of the basic physical aspects of the female body was essential in order to comprehend its full influence on the way that I design. Focus is placed upon definite components that construct and shape a defined silhouette. This absolute profile of the female figure discloses a sense of command, suggestiveness and splendor, all in the one frame.

The Female body shape is the cumulative product of a woman's skeletal structure (build) and the quantity and distribution of muscle and fat on the body. There are, and have been, wide differences on what should be considered an ideal or preferred body shape, both for attractiveness and for health reasons. These have varied among cultures and at different times. As with most physical traits, there is a wide range of normality of female body shapes.

Human beings and their cultures have perennially focused attention on the female body as a source of aesthetic pleasure, sexual attraction, fertility, and reproduction. The female body occurs in a range of shapes. The female figure is typically narrower at the waist than at the bust and hips, and usually has one of four basic shapes: banana, pear, apple or hourglass. The bust, waist, and hips are called inflection points, and the ratios of their circumferences define these basic shapes. Usually, the bust area will depend on the person's weight and height.

Alteration of the body shape

Various strategies are sometimes employed to temporarily or permanently alter the shape of a body. At times artificial devices are used or surgery is employed. Breast size can be artificially increased or decreased. Breast Prostheses or padded Bras may be used to increase the apparent size of a woman's breasts, while minimiser bras may be used to reduce the apparent size.

Historically, the greatest efforts have been made to reduce a woman's waist line. Boned corsets were used for several centuries, but during the twentieth century these were mostly replaced with more flexible foundation garments. Where corsets are used for waist reduction, it may be temporary reduction by occasional use or permanent reduction by people who are often referred to as tightlacers. Liposuction is the common surgical method of reducing the waist size.

Padded control briefs or hip and buttock padding may be used to increase the apparent size of hips and buttocks. Buttock augmentation surgery may be used to increase the size of hips and buttocks and to make them more rounded.

Women simply aspire to amplify and intensify their natural physic to craft the ideal body. I intend to simply emphasis its form by honoring its imperative fundamentals. This will be carried out through the arrangement of colour and fabrication to mold and highlight features.