nanditha

Grunge

2011-01-23T17:37:00.000+05:30

1990's grunge wear

This is the style of dress which evolved from the 'street' culture of vagabond living in the early 1990's. 'Grunge' spread quickly from teenagers and rock bands to the fashion runways. Its mismatched clothing-often of torn, and over-or obviously undersized items-inspired many designers who adapted the scale and odd pairing to their own lines. Although short-lived, grunge had plenty of shock-value. It has been linked to the DECONSTRUCTIONISTS, but whereas these designers dismantled clothing to explore it and reassemble it in a different way, grunge was more concerned with making a political, anti-consumerist, anti-fashion statement.

Chemise

2010-07-08T23:50:00.004+05:30

It is one of the simplest of garments, the chemise has existed in one form or another for thousands of years. Usually constructed from two rectangular pieces of fabric sewn at the shoulders and sides, it can be collarless and sleeveless. Chemises are made of cotton, linen, lawn or silk, and the more luxurious of these fabrics are decorated. Before 19the century the chemise was also known as SMOCK and was as an undergarment, either on its own or between the body and a CORSET or STAYS. Most chemises were drawn on over the head and had back-fastening buttons or ties. During the 19th century, the chemise became a shirt-like blouse.

Haute Couture

2010-03-07T23:19:00.007+05:30

Haute couture means the top designs of custom-made clothes. Term originally applied to top designs in France,high class tailoring evolving in 15th century.Clothes are made by hand,individually to measurements.

We usually get to see them at a major award functions. Here are few Haute couture designs worn at the Oscars.

Marion Cotillard

Miley

Beyonce

Marisa Tomei

Jeggings

2010-01-24T11:26:00.005+05:30

The term "jegging" is used to denote a cross between leggings and jeans.
Jeggings are basically an extremely skinny jeans that look like leggings and are also worn like leggings.

A Few Thumb Rules:

First off, make sure jeggings suit your body type. If you don’t feel comfortable in them, don’t wear them. Second, pick a dark pair that will go with everything from a basic tank to a sweater dress. Also, black slims you down so that’s always a plus. If you’re on the short side, you may want to get a petite pair as a regular pair of jeggings might run a little too long, and there’s nothing worse than 2 feet of bunched up jeans at the bottom.

So what exactly can you wear Jeggings with?

Jeggings are actually quite versatile, and they do a better job than skinny jeans or leggings would. Because they’re still denim material, you don’t have to cover your butt, but they’re so slim and skin-tight like leggings that you can wear a long sweater or tee, a dress, or just throw a long cardigan over.

You can also wear jeggings with a pair of chunky heels, a long sweater and a scarf. Add a big tote to that, and you’re set for the day. So if you’re heading to the mall this week, make sure to pick up a pair of jeggings: it’s all you’ll need!

Gibson Girl

2009-10-31T23:11:00.006+05:30

Gibson Girl
Character created by Charles Dana GIBSON,who appeared in his pen and ink drawings from 1890 until 1910. The 'Gibson Girl' was tall, slender and poised, her hair piled into a chignon or tucked under a plumed hat. She wore a starched blouse and long, flowing skirts over a small bustle.

Gibson Girl sketches were the personification of the ideal young middle-class American woman and gave style to the basic high-neck, puffed sleeve blouse and long skirt look.The Gibson Girl look paved the way for the simplified, functional dress that typifies American fashion.In Britain she was personified by the American actress Camille Clifford, who first appeared on the London stage in 1904, and in the USA by Irene Langhorne, who married Gibson in 1895.

Camille Clifford as ideal Gibson Girl

Green is in

2009-09-14T01:04:00.013+05:30

These are the shades of green on different motifs
and different cuts.

Few fashion terms

2009-09-09T23:32:00.006+05:30

Toiles: Garments of muslin or linen, the first step in the development of a design idea,after a couturier's original sketch.

Avant garde: A popular term applied to the most innovative and original concepts in any art form,fashion design,art, architecture,dance,music,etc.

Haute couture: Top designs of custom-made clothes. Term originally applied to top designs in France,high class tailoring evolving in 15th century.Clothes are made by hand,individually to measurements.

Pret-a-porter: Readymade clothing designed for industrial production and not tailored to individual measurements,yet not mass produced like off the rack clothing.

High fashion: Derived from the French haute couture, generally high priced, innovative creations by well known designers or design houses for trendy,fashion conscious customers.

Knock off: A common practice among manufacturers where one copies another, usually to produce less expensive goods.

Top story

2009-09-03T00:37:00.006+05:30

photo:Blouse with high neck and philippino sleeve.

Team this with a circular or A-line skirt to give a traditional look.

photo:Printed top with peter pan collar and puff sleeve

Goes well with a skin fit jeans or a capri.
This combination of Peter pan with a puff sleeve is giving a more girlish look.

Fashion and war

2009-08-31T17:20:00.007+05:30

Fashion & War don't mix, yet it is true that the latter has an indirect influence on the outward appearance of the survivors.

At the start of the First World War,no one could have predicted the upheavals that were about to take place.The absence of large numbers of men encouraged women to take over the those who were now away at war.As mothers,wives & daughters were forced to work often in factories,they demanded clothes that were better suited to their new activities.

Social events had to be postponed in favour of more pressing engagements,such as caring for the wounded.Women donned nurses overall or wore trousers in the arms factories.The need to mourn the increasing number of dead,visits to the wounded & and the general gravity of the hour meant that dark colours became the norm during the first WW.They ushered in a monochromatic look that was, at the time, unfamiliar to young women in comfortable circumstances.

1914-1918 war had at first little effect on fashion.When the grim reality of the war was brought home to the British public and women became involved in it,the hobble skirt,which had already eased,quickly disappeared.The prevailing style of fashion,with narrow skirts either worn alone of under full tunics,was transformed by the tunic being lengthened and the inner tube dispensed with.The result was costumes and dresses with wide,even voluminous skirts,coming to a few inches above the ankle.

Freedom was necessary for the great number of women now working in factories & offices and undertaking all sorts of unaccustommed activities,including driving vans,manning railway signal boxes & even sweeping chimneys as well as serving in the police force.Sometimes women wore trousers for the rougher tasks & land girls look to breeches.

Max Radin,managing director of Ramar Dresses with a lifetime's experience in fashion manufacture in London,says: 'Before WW I there was no such things as a mass production industry.Soon after the war it began to take shape.
The coat frock was the first women's wartime & post- war fashion to be successfully manufactured by good quality factory methods and it was a conspicuous item of dress during early post-war years.This long-sleeved,one-piece, go everywhere dress rated catelogues on its own from the stores where it was shown with petals,yokes,embroidery,braid &various other trimmings.It was fairly simple to make,& it lent itself to the tailoring techniques which had been stimulated by the war.

During WW I,emphasis on traditionsal female forms gained new importance.At the same time that the "pannier" skirt (a full skirt that widened at the hips by the addition of inverted cones that opened at the top) and "barrel" shape(a full skirt that was gathere at the ankles) were introduced.Biedermier curves as well as the lines worn during the reign of Louis XV became popular.Voluminous skirts were worn with bodices & peplums were attached at the sides of the skirt,there by emphasising the shape of the hips.For the first time,day dresses barely calf-length,though worn with high lace up boots.

pannier skirt

Indo-western

2009-08-23T01:48:00.023+05:30

fish tail skirt

8 gore fish tail skirt in kalamkari print.
Worn with a pull over top,to give a western touch,
the beaded neck piece is to add more ethnicity to the outfit.

shawl collar

A knee length top with a shawl collar and a front opening.
Goes well with a skin fit jeans,can even team with leggings
of mid-calf or full length.

Short Skirts

2009-08-12T00:12:00.006+05:30

skirt with graphic print,pocket.
plain top in green.
A square beaded neck piece in red.

short A-line skirt with halter top with neck pleats
and leather boots

printed short skirt and a top with side opening

formal skirt
shirt with a built in collar, piping and a slant pocket.

croquis

2009-07-29T01:21:00.003+05:30

Quilting

2009-07-25T02:28:00.000+05:30

photo:Quilting with Ganesha as the motif

Quilting is the method of holding various layers of fabrics to retain heat,to keep heat out or to be resistant to various things.It falls into the realm of embroidery in that the layers forming the quilt or padding are held together with stitching.

Evening dresses

2009-07-21T03:03:00.004+05:30

dress with straps,panels in print at the bodice and
at the bottom

A fish tail skirt with a corset in knotted front.
The neck piece too in knotted fashion to match the dress.

yoked skirt in two colours(purple and majenta),
choli in majenta with swarowski crystals and a purple veil.
The neck piece is of stones in blue and majenta.

1. two piece dress in yellow with large beads
2.off shoulder gown with ruffles

gown with panels and smocking at the bodice

fish tail dress with straps and a tissue overcoat

gown with panels bearing swastik print and
halter neck

Colour Psychology

2009-07-15T23:44:00.009+05:30

Colours most important functions are to provide visual and psychological information and to generate reaction from a viewer. An artist, can influence viewers response very strongly through the use of colours.

Black: identity imprinted in the human mind,black is most closely associated with the magical mystery of night.Black and white is the most quintessential & classic combination of strength & clarity,power & purity.

Positive: sophistication, power,sexuality,dramatic,elegance.
Negative: Death,emptiness,disapproval, bad luck

Yellow: is associated with splendour and the heat of the sun.It associates sunshine,light and warmth.It is identified with imagination and enlightenment.

Positive:cheerfulness,sun,gold,happiness,vitality,hope,optimism.
Negative:Sickness,caution,betrayal,cowardliness.

Green: Of all the colours of the spectrum, green offers the widest range of choice because of its association with nature & foliage,most people respond to green as refreshing and fresh.

Positive: involvement,growth,inspiring,nature,youth,health,peace,calm.
Negative:poison,envy,immaturity,nausea,rawness.

Brown: It is an ultimate earth colour,associated with down to earth stability and durability.Brown is associated with home substances and stability.

Positive: earth,wood,coffee,chocolate,comfort,security.
Negative:boredom,melancholy.

Orange:Temperature wise orange is seen as the hottest of all colours.It is invariably associated with autumns,burnished,foliage or radiant shades of sunset,glory and vital.

Positive:warmth,fruitfulness,brightness,cheerfulness,spice.
Negative: danger.

Red:Red is indelibly imprinted on human mind to concept with excitement and high energy.Red is one of the oldest colour names & the first to be seen in a rainbow. It has the greatest emotional impact on all.

Positive: Love,luck,passion,festivity,memorable,compassion,importance.
Negative:war, revolution,anarchy,devil,anger,danger,fire.

Blue: As it is strongly associated with sky & water,blue is perceived as a constant in our life.Blue is seen as reliable,trustworthy,dependable and committed.

Positive: royalty,heaven,aristocracy,coolness,truth,loyalty,security.
Negative:sadness,depression,wintry,low class,indecent.

Purple: It is glorious,yet a complex colour. It is sensual & spiritual, blend of excitement & sexuality of red and tranquility of blue.

Positive: Bravery,aristocracy,spirituality,mystery.
Negative:Mourning,death.

White:Not unexpectedly,white imparts purity and simplicity. It is important to remember that the human eye sees white as a brilliant colour.

Positive:Purity,birth,cleanliness,peace,empowerment.
Negative: surrender,cowardliness.

Wraparound

2009-07-02T12:07:00.005+05:30

The term wraparound refers to a style whereby clothing is fastened by wraping around the body rather than by the use of buttons or other fastenings. It can be used in dresses,skirts or tops.

The wraparound skirt is a 20th-century style which originated with SARONG.The skirt section, made of a rectangular piece of fabric,is wrapped once around the body,the front panel overlapping to fasten at the waist.

photo:sarong

photo: wraparound skirt

The wraparound tops were especially popular in the early 1980s as part of the vogue for exercise wear.In general,wraparound garments are popular for casual wear, beach attire, and in ankle length versions for eveningwear.

Denim-The BLUE Revolution

2009-06-26T16:44:00.002+05:30

Denim fabric when it was first invented in the west was used more as a cloth of convenience.

From the Gold Rush in the 19th century in sunny California when the miners needed something tougher to withstand the rigours of their hand work, to Levi Strauss, the ingenous tent salesman who thought of using canvas tenting to make trousers, denim moved to France where the French alternative was better and more suitable. Made in Nimes, France, it was called Serges-de-Nimes(cloth of Nimes)

photo:Levis site
The Americans preferred the French versions to their own,but shortened the name to just 'denim'.To get its distinctive blue colour, the inventors harked back to an earlier era.

It was in the 17th century that Genoes sailors discovered that the toughness of denim was ideal for their uniforms. The white denim, though smart, was not the ideal colour as it showed up dirt faster than the sailors could keep it clean.The ingenious sailors dyed their denim blue or indigo
as best they could, with water available on board the ship.The sea, air and weather added touches that produced a light faded shade,which lent a unique quality of fabric.

photo: dark indigo

The word 'jeans' is a derivation of the word 'Genoese'. And so the two abbreviations added up to 'denim jeans'

From Gold miners to cowboys to farmers,denim jeans moved into the ranks of the American soldiers who introduced jeans in the forties and fifties to the urban crowd, turning it into a campus craze. In the sixties it became a protest outfit but by 70's it had acquired respectability as a unisex garment.

To go back a little, the classic pair of jeans as we know it today was born courtesy Wrangler and designed by the Rodeo Ben, Hollywood designer for western movies.
Levis and Wrangler clung to the functional aspects of jeans styling, leaving the high fashion trends to designers like Calvin Klein, YSL, Gloria Vanderbit and Ralph Lauren.

In India, although the denim revolution started in the late 1960's in the form of jeans, it was not the real thing.The only denim available was imitation or pseudo denim which was actually casement or canvas dyed to look like denim. Jeans were either imported or manufactured from imported denim. One of the first manufacturers of jeans- Jean Junction tailored jeans from fabric made by Arunodaya Mills which was near to perfect to denim. But it had one flaw- the material's colour bled instead of fading.Jean junction then tried spraying the fabric in 70's with pigments which proved a hit initially,but did not sustain its popularity since it was ahead of its time. It reappeared as acid wash in Eighties. Arvind Mills and some textiles joined later.

The indigo colour- a crystalline substance was used to dye the wrap while the weft was left gray. It is this crystalline nature of the dye which makes the fabric appear bright even when the dye has failed. The indigo crystals reflect light. Hence even faded jeans look bright and not dull.

Harem pants

2009-05-08T03:11:00.007+05:30

Harem pants are all the rage today.
These harem pants/skirts are full, ankle-length divided skirts or trousers, pleated or gathered into a band at the ankle. Based on the trousers worn by the Turkish women, harem pants first became popular when the BALLETS RUSSES performed in Europe in the early 1900s. They were worn as evening wear in the early 20th century,reaching the height of their popularity in the 1930s.

Bucket hat

2009-04-28T02:46:00.001+05:30

Bucket hats offer a stylish yet casual flair to your everyday attire. Not only worn for sun protection, bucket hats have transitioned into a fashion accessory to class up even your most casual t-shirt and jeans. These women's hats are a hot fashion item.With creative patterns and adornments, today bucket hats have a style of their own, known for its wide, droopy brim.

Mai Mumbai

2009-04-02T00:11:00.017+05:30

Lakme Fashion Week, and trade event in India have presented one of the most unique fashion events – ‘Mai Mumbai’ Fashion for Relief Charity Show at Lakme Fashion Week Fall/Winter 2009 on March 28th. The event was held to raise awareness and funds for Citizens for Justice and Peace, in a show of solidarity against the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks.

Many of the stars that included top international and national fashion models, Bollywood stars, athletes and prominent social and business leaders, walked the ramp in aid of Naomi Campbell's 'Mai Mumbai' in association with Hotelier Vikram Chatwal.

Here is a glimpse of my favourites at the show:

Naomi Campbell's Fashion for Relief:
Naomi, walks the Indian ramp for the first time in a fund-raiser show at the Lakme Fashion Week 2009.Here she displays a sari by designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee

Naomi in a creation by designer Manish Malhotra

Model and actress, Malaika Arora Khan walks the runway

Bollywood actor Arjun Rampal and his wife, former model Meher

Some more sketches

2009-02-25T12:14:00.012+05:30

Some style tips

2009-01-20T18:32:00.012+05:30

If you are bored of wearing your same old black or brown pants,here are some unique style tips to convert and make them a little trendy and funky.

GO METALLIC

Start with just a hint of gloss and glitter,shine and stars. Jazz them up with a metallic belt or if subtle is your style,a leather belt with a copper-metallic buckle.Add a pair of heels which are the same shade as the belt for a glam status!

The trend works even for other accessories--highlight your outfit with a brooch.Even a metal hint on your mobile phone does work.

FUNK UP WITH ACCESSORIES

If metallic touch doesn't appeal to you, then add some energy to your outfit with hints of colours.The easiest way to do it is to buy a one metre long satin ribbon and use it like a belt,tied up in a bow.It will immediately uplift your outfit as a whole,especially if your trousers have the same sheen of polyester-mixes.

PATCH OR EMBELLISH

Try this only if you like to get funky.Buy a couple of patches from the market and stitch them to your trousers.Fruits,cartoons,butterflies,etc look really cute and brighten up any outfit.You can also experiment with some cross-stitching and make a design by yourself on the back pocket or the hemlines.

PLAY WITH HEM

Just folding the hem at the bottom can immediately liven up your outfit.For cotton and linen trousers,it is easy to cuff up the trousers,but if you have a satin or polyester pair,then you need to get them cropped.

Creative strokes

2009-01-07T19:07:00.011+05:30

Its not the paint strokes like it looks,its of the old,
unused nail paints. So next time,when your nail paint
gets dried,dont throw away, you can make a beautiful
greeting card or just put a frame and hang it on the wall.
Its even attractive with contrast colours.
Just try it out.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

2009-01-01T10:10:00.006+05:30

Primary,secondary,tertiary colours on a motif

2008-12-27T18:14:00.006+05:30

Primary colours

Secondary colours

Tertiary colours

Here are the primary colours,secondary colours,and
tertiary colours represented on a motif.

Colour wheel on a motif

2008-12-23T17:53:00.007+05:30

This is a motif representing the colour wheel,
the primary,secondary and tertiary colours.

Colour wheel

2008-12-17T18:06:00.011+05:30

This is called the colour wheel. The 12 segments
consists of primary,secondary, tertiary hues.
Primary hues are poster red, cobalt blue and lemon yellow
which forms an equilateral triangle within a colour wheel.

The three secondary hues are orange, violet, and green,
stands between the primary hues and form another
equilateral triangle.

Finally reddish orange, yellowish orange, reddish violet,
bluish violet, yellowish green, bluish green are all the
combination of primary and secondary hues.

sketches of animals

2008-11-30T12:05:00.003+05:30

These are some of the animal sketches made
during class assignment.Isn' t the horse beautiful?

Enlargement and Reduction

2008-11-12T11:07:00.004+05:30

The middle one is the actual picture.
The top one is the reduced and
bottom picture is the enlarged version of it.
Its actually fun working on this, you can make a
picture as big and small you wish.

You just need to take out a picture from the
magazine. Divide them horizontally and vertically
into boxes. Take a fresh page, draw the above boxes,
increasing or decreasing the measurement,
keep on drawing the picture, the curves in each boxes,
and paint it, that will be your enlarged or reduced picture.

The rose is red...

2008-10-23T11:06:00.005+05:30

I painted it last week, after a long gap.
My sister has drawn this.
Do you know whats the base,its a tile.
What a nice idea,isnt it?

Some more dresses

2008-10-01T18:20:00.004+05:30

Textures

2008-09-26T12:12:00.005+05:30

Here are some of the textures being created
using different objects.

Skirts

2008-09-22T19:19:00.003+05:30

1.wrap skirt
2. panelled skirt

1. two slit skirt
2. fish tail skirt

wrap skirts

1.wrap skirt
2.mini skirt
3.denim skirt

Tint and Shade

2008-09-17T17:55:00.008+05:30

Do you know what is a tint and a shade?
If you add white to any colour,this becomes the tint of that main
colour. And if you add black,this becomes the shade of the main
colour.Here is an example,tints and shades of green,created by
adding drop of white and black at each step.

Million dollar garments!

2008-09-11T11:45:00.002+05:30

Bling,bling and more bling.....where is all this blinging leading to? Here's one more paradigm of the latest trend from the Midas Kingdom. Take a look at the outfits that were fitted with more than 1,500 Austrian gold coins! Designed by students from a Tokyo design school, Bunka Fashion College, the outfits were shimmeing and the models looked like fishes with dazzling golden scales! The coins were lent by the Austrian Mint Office and worth more than $1.2 million. They were sewn onto three pieces of apparel - a full-length dress weighing 10kg (22 pounds) upto 21kg(46 pounds)

The coins were sewn onto the clothes in a locked room within the college campus, where the teachers kept a constant watch. "i felt the weight of the task as I sewed on each piece,coin by coin,"said student Yuko Imauji.

Sketches on winter wear

2008-09-04T20:12:00.006+05:30

My first drawing

2008-09-03T18:31:00.005+05:30

This is my first drawing with left hand.
Though i am a lefty with writing as an exception,
i have tried hard to practice in right.
And the result,i can do everything using either of the two hands..

Happy Ganesh chaturthi

2008-09-02T13:12:00.003+05:30

Black is beautiful

2008-09-01T10:40:00.008+05:30

Its my collage after a long time.
Just thought of doing one, last night.Took black as the theme,
isn't black beautiful?what you think?

Draping is easy,try out

2008-08-31T11:00:00.004+05:30

Draping is really easy,you can know trying out this.Designer Swapnil Shinde gives nice ways here.

How to sketch croquis

2008-08-27T19:28:00.007+05:30

Sketching croquis is not that difficult,
if you follow this step by step.

My sketches

2008-08-22T18:35:00.013+05:30

pretty faces

save me!

countryside

angel

Designing Books in my shelf

2008-08-21T18:44:00.013+05:30

Learn fashion designing with illustrations-this
covers all from designing,sketching, textiles to patterns,
in simple terms.

Designer sewing techniques-this book has top
designers' sewing techniques,handling of specific
fabrics with beautiful pictures in it.

Simplicity- has various patterns
and variations of single pattern.

Patternmaking for fashion designers
by Helen Joseph Armstrong is a book on patternmaking in detail.
This is the one we referred in college for making notes.

Wardrobe basics for men

2008-08-21T18:03:00.007+05:30

Basic solid colour suit - Solid colour navy and gray suits (one each colour)
Pinstriped navy suit, same in gray
Two pairs of trousers
Ten long sleeved dress shirts
Six white cotton shirts
A blue or pinstriped shirt
Four burgundy/red print or striped silk ties, two patterned silk ties
Two pairs of leather shoes - One pair black slip-on shoes, one pair black lace-up shoes
Five pairs black socks, two pairs navy socks
One black leather belt
Leather briefcase

The classic conservative shirt colors are light blue or white. The classic conservative suit colors are navy blue, grey, and charcoal. Black has only recently gained acceptance as a suit color, and still is not considered particularly conservative. The most formal type of dress shirt worn with a standard suit is a shirt with French cuffs, which use cuff to close, but this type of shirt is optional, and essentially up to the preferences of the wearer.

Tie - Ties should be darker than the wearer's shirt. The bottom of the tie should just touch or just go over the top of the belt buckle. The shirt collar should not be the button-down variety, although this guideline is frequently ignored. It is also advised that all buttons of the shirt, including the top one are buttoned for a tidy appearance.

Own at least two dress shirts of different colours with French cuffs. You can find cufflinks that are colour-coordinated with your outfit, or wear silver, which goes with anything. Cufflinks with precious stones are the most formal.

Acceptable colors for belt and shoes are brown and black. The belt and shoes should match one another. The belt's buckle should be silver or gold. Other metallic objects worn with the suit (such as cuff links, tie bar, tie tack, and watch) should match the belt buckle. Where watches are concerned: the more formal the occasion, the thinner the watch. In the most formal situations, the watch should be kept in one's pocket. Shoes should not have rubber soles. Rather, they should be made of leather. Some companies also make dress shoes with wooden soles.

Blue is a Good Option

Blue is a universal favorite as it complements virtually all skin tones. Lighter shades of blue are good as office shirts. They can even be teamed up with jeans, for a semi-formal look. Dark blue tee shirts are a great option for a sophisticated, yet casual appearance. The most striking hue though, is a color known as French blue. This rich color is intermediate between light and dark blue shades. It is mostly used in dress shirts, to complement a formal occasion.

Brown Suits

Brown suits seek to break the monotony caused by wearing the usual grey and navy blue suits. They render a down to earth look and can be matched with beige, tan colors as well as shades of cream

Socks should match the pant leg. This makes the leg appear longer, as well as minimizes the notice ability of a too-short pant leg. If it is not possible to match the pant leg, socks may match one's shoes. However, it is more correct to match the pants.

My new orders

2008-08-14T12:08:00.019+05:30

Here you can see the sketching and the ready garment,
which are the initial and final stages of any garment designed.
So sketching is the initial step while designing any garment.
Then the pattern is made as per the design, according to the measurement.
Then the fabric is cut as per the pattern.
Stitching and finishing will be the final step.

These are the orders i finished recently.I have used nett fabric
with sand crape lining,and satin ribbon,brooch to add to it.

sketch

2008-08-11T18:14:00.008+05:30

my recent visit to one of the painting exhibitions has inspired me to sketch this..

Primary colours

2008-08-07T12:57:00.009+05:30

wondering whats this?
this abstract patttern has primary colours of the colour wheel,
poster red
cobalt blue and
lemon yellow.

Accessories

2008-08-04T19:11:00.013+05:30

foot wear

handbags

Motif development

2008-08-04T18:55:00.012+05:30

half drop

three-fourth drop

one-fourth drop
Motif development plays a very important role in textile designing,
as of how to place the motifs.

Sketching

2008-08-04T14:03:00.009+05:30

its the sketching on winter wear using colour pencils

Collage on winter wear

2008-08-04T12:11:00.022+05:30

fabric board

colour board

inspiration board

client board

mood board

Moksha

2008-07-31T11:30:00.032+05:30

theme board

mood board

colour board

client board

If you are going to design a collection these boards are a must in presenting.
Here is an example which i had done for class project taking moksha as my theme.
theme board--the theme on which the collection is based
mood board-- representing the moods on which the collection is based
client board-- which says who are the target customers
colour board--colours used in the particular collection

Basic silhouettes

2008-07-29T13:36:00.019+05:30

First let me tell you what silhouette is...
its the outer shape of a garment.
Here are the basic silhouettes used to make any garment.
1.chemise
2.tent
3.blouson
4.empire
5.sheath
6.fitted princess
7.fitted waist
8.semi-fitted princess
9.shift
10.A-line

Tom Ford

2008-07-28T13:58:00.001+05:30

Tom Ford was born in Austin, Texas in 1962, but spent most of his childhood years back in Santa Fe, New Mexico. His mother was a colourful Southern lady who had 6 husbands and a cupboard full of Courreges suits. She taught him that being badly dressed was disrespectful of others. He spent most of his childhood worrying about how he looked. At 12 she bought him a pair of Gucci loafers.

Tom Ford enrolled on an art history course at New York University and was also trained as an actor. It was there he discovered the seminal Studio 54 nightclub and Warhol’s Factory, where he met pop artist Andy Warhol for the first time. From then on, school was out and partying was in, in, in. Signing up as a model – at one point he had no fewer than 12 TV commercials running at the same time – he dropped out of NYU after his freshman year. Tom Ford transferred to Parsons School of Design in New York studying interior architecture. He later moved on to finish his studies at Parsons in Paris, France. By the end of the course Ford he realised that he wanted to work in fashion. As soon as his studies were completed in 1986, Ford quickly returned to New York where he began his professional training.

In 1986, he joined the creative staff of the American famous designer Cathy Hardwick. Then, in 1988, a big career move came up when he made the transition to Perry Ellis where he took on the position of Design Director under Marc Jacobs. Tom didn't make a name for himself in the business until he relocated to Europe in 1990 and landed a position with Gucci. Tom's partner, journalist Richard Buckley, had become ill with cancer and, after he was given the all-clear at the start of the Nineties, the two decided to leave the stress of New York behind and head for Italy.

Ford was hired by Gucci's then creative director Dawn Mello (previous head of purchase with Bergdorf-Goodman) as chief women's ready-to-wear designer. A few years passed, and in 1992, he moved up the corporate ladder of the fashion world and once again took on the role of Design Director. Business went bad for Gucci and Tom Ford was almost fired by Maurizio Gucci in 1993, but this was counteracted by Domenico de Sole, director of Gucci America Inc.

When, in 1994, Gucci was acquired by a Bahrain-based investment firm called Investcorp, Ford was promoted to creative director. This meant that he was responsible for the design and conception of all product lines within the company; clothing, perfumes, and more. He also had to create and carry through the company's image, its advertising campaigns and store design. Tom Ford went on to become arguably the most influential designer of the last decade.

In his first year at the helm, he was credited with putting the glamour back into fashion introducing Halston-style velvet hipsters, skinny satin shirts and car-finish metallic patent boots. Gucci became a byword for desirability, offering the most aspirational and hedonistic kind of fashion.

In 1995, he brought in French stylist Carine Roitfeld and photographer Mario Testino to create a series of new, modern ad campaigns for the company. In March 1995 when Amber Valletta sauntered down the catwalk in blue velvet hipsters and a skinny apple-green satin shirt, the lights went on in the house of Gucci. She personified Gucci glamour, dangerous, sexy, modern and slightly rough. Madonna wore his outfit to the MTV music awards.

By 1999, the house, which had been almost bankrupt when Ford joined, was valued at about $4.3 billion. "We didn't even have a photocopier at one stage," he admits. "We didn't have any paper."

After Gucci bought a controlling stake in Yves Saint Laurent in 2000, Ford was appointed creative director of YSL, too, and communications director of the house's ready-to-wear business, while continuing to design for Gucci. A mighty challenge certainly, but Ford was adamant, he could keep the two labels distinct. "Historically, [Gucci] is Sophia Loren. Yves Saint Laurent is Catherine Deneuve. They're both sexy," he told British Vogue in February 2001. "It's just that Gucci is a little more obvious than Saint Laurent.

Essentially a monochrome man - his Paris apartment has been described as a three-dimensional photographic negative – Tom brings a hard-edged look synonymous with 21st-century glamour to his clothes. In 2000, the Gucci group added Yves Saint Laurent to their stable and, unsurprisingly, Tom's first collection for the French label was a study in black and white. In that year, Ford was named Best International Designer at the first VH1/Vogue Awards in New York.

"I am a perfectionist," declared Tom Ford. "This job is a total ego thing in a way. To be a designer and say, 'This is the way people should dress, this is the way their homes should look, this is the way the world should be.' But then, that's the goal: world domination through style."

Ford believes that he owes his success not to talent, but to his energy. He admits to sleeping just two or three hours per night, keeping post-it notes beside the bed in case he wakes up with an idea. "There are many more talented designers than me," he once told an audience at the V&A in London. "But I have a lot of drive and won't let it go." He also credits his "mainstream" appeal. "I'm lucky, I have mass-market tastes," he says. "When I say I like a shoe, generally thousands of people will like it. Thank God, because I would have been a very unhappy person if I hadn't had this kind of success."

But others see it quite differently, saying that Ford's secret is the combination of a fine commercial sensibility and a genuine feel for fashion: in his present role at Gucci, he designs shoes, watches, luggage and men's and women’s wear as well as planning the company's advertising campaigns and overseeing the development of their two new fragrances, Envy and Rush. Tom caused a bit of an advertising stir with the promotion for his M7 fragrance. The campaign featured naked model Samuel de Cubber in a full-frontal pose. But as Tom says: "Perfume is worn on the skin, so why hide the body? The M7 campaign is really pure, it’s a very academic nude. I wanted to show a man who represents a natural and relaxed image of male beauty". Tom also hit the headlines with his sensational Gucci ad, featuring a naked woman whose bikini line has been waxed into the shape of the letter `G`.

In 2001, Tom Ford won the CFDA Womenswear Designer of the Year award, and TIME magazine named him the Best American Designer. His visionary look of the fashion industry has been the center of attention as he has won many awards like the Council of Fashion Designers of America award for International Designer of the Year in 1996. That same year, he also won the International Designer of the Year - Fashion Editors Club Japan 1996; Menswear and Womenswear Designer of the Year.

He also owns four VH-1 Fashion and Music Awards and a Fashion's Future Best New Designer prize that he was awarded in 1995. His list of awards also includes a Womenswear Designer of the Year in 1999, an Elle Style Icon Award in 1999; and a Commitment to Life Award from AIDS Project Los Angeles for Gucci's charitable work in support of people with HIV and AIDS.

He has made profits soar at Gucci, which was faltering when he took over. During this year there seems to have been some disagreement between Yves St. laurent and Tom Ford about the way YSL was proceeding. This led to the resignation of Yves St. Laurent in January 2002 from the company he had built. Gucci bought out YSL Rive Gauche and appointed Tom Ford to take up the design responsibilities of YSL Ruve Gauche ready-to-wear. His collections Spring/Summer 2003 for Gucci and YSL during Paris Fashion Week in October 2002 has concentrated on animal prints on caftans and flowing gowns, pants and tops.

Ford divided his time in true jet-setter style between Milan, Paris, London (now home to the new Gucci design studio) and Santa Fe, Texas, home to his terrior John who has his own Gucci dog basket.

In November 2003 it was announced that Tom and chief executive Domenico De Sole would be leaving the Italy brand in 2004 "with great sadness" but Ford said he was "confident that we are leaving behind one of the strongest teams in the industry." Then in March 2004, he presented his last collections for YSL Rive Gauche and Gucci, amid very emotional farewells. Both collections were smash hits.

At the end of March, Los Angeles feted him at an event attended by 800 of the Hollywood personalities with whom he has built up a personal following over the years, and he was awarded the Rodeo Drive Walk of Style Award. It is rumoured that Tom is planning to move into the Film Industry.

Ford once claimed that he thought models had "the most horrible, tough job in the world", adding that Caroline Ribeiro was his favorite model ("Her face is an unusual blend of cultures"). He also revealed that he doesn't expect to be designing forever. Included on his list of lifetime to-dos are having children (although work commitments and his longtime partner Richard Buckley are currently conspiring against him) and making a film. "That is the ultimate design project," he says. "You don't just get to design what people wear, but you design the whole world and whether characters get to live or die. There is a permanence to film that fashion lacks."

One of his first new activities, in May 2004, was to join the famous auction house of Sotheby's in Paris where he will advise on a broad range of strategic matters such as business and marketing opportunities.

Celebrity fans of Ford's style include Madonna, Bianca Jagger and Trudie Styler ("Well, he's perfect, isn't he? He's like Sting, he doesn't do small talk. He doesn't always give very much of himself, so you want more."). But Ford's ultimate sign of approval came from his mother, who was heard to demand her YSL discount card after watching his first runway show for the house.

Tom Ford and Domenico de Sole, his colleague who left Gucci with him, set up a new company called just "Tom Ford". As the first major initiative, this company has now collaborated with cosmetics giant Estee Lauder to create beauty products and fragrances, plus an eyewear line. No financial figures have been revealed about the deal. We may see the beauty line by the end of 2005, and a woman's fragrance for Autumn 2006.

Know more on gloves

2008-07-28T13:39:00.010+05:30

GLOVE:

A glove (Middle English from Old English glof) is a type of garment which covers the hand. Gloves have separate sheaths or openings for each finger and the thumb; if there is an opening but no covering sheath for each finger they are called "fingerless gloves". Fingerless gloves with one large opening rather than individual separate finger openings or sheaths are called "mittens".

Gloves can serve to protect and comfort the hands of the wearer against cold or heat, physical damage by friction, abrasion or chemicals, and disease; or in turn to provide a guard for what a bare hand should not touch. Latex, nitrile rubber or vinyl disposable gloves are often worn by healthcare professionals as hygiene and contamination protection measures. Police officers often wear them to work in crimes scenes to prevent destroying evidence in the scene. Many criminals also wear these gloves to avoid leaving fingerprints, which makes the crime investigation more difficult.

Fingerless gloves are useful for cold environments where dexterity is required that gloves would restrict. Cigarette smokers and church organists often use fingerless gloves. Some gloves include a gauntlet that extends partway up the arm. Cycling gloves for road racing or touring are usually fingerless.

What gloves are made of:

Gloves have been made of many materials including cloth, knitted or felted wool, leather, rubber, latex neoprene and metal. Modern gloves made Kevlar protect the wearer from cuts. Gloves and gauntlets are also integral components of pressure suits and spacesuits such as the Apollo/Skylab A7L which went to the moon. Spacesuit gloves must combine extreme toughness and environmental protection with a degree of sensitivity and flexibility if the astronaut is to do any manual work.

Today gloves are made around the world. Most expensive women's fashion gloves are still made in France, with some made in Canada. For cheaper male gloves New York State especially Gloversville, New York is still a world centre of glove manufacturing. More and more glove manufacturing is being done in East Asia, however.

HISTORY:

Gloves appear to be of great antiquity. According to some translations of homer's the odyssey, Laertes is described as wearing gloves while walking in his garden so as to avoid brambles.(other translations however, insist that Laertes pulled his long sleeves over his hands.)

Herodotus, in the history of Herodotus (440 BC) tells how Leotychides was incriminated by a glove (gauntlet) full of silver that he received as a bribe. Among the Romans also there are occasional references to the use of gloves. According to Pliny the younger, his uncle's shorthand writer wore gloves during the winter so as not impede the elder Pliny's work.

Gloves are also used for fashion, ceremonial, and religious purposes. British and European ladies in the 13^th century began to wear gloves as fashion ornaments. They were made of linen and silk and sometimes reached to the elbow. It was not until the 16^th century that they reached their greatest elaboration, however, when Queen Elizabeth-I set the fashion for wearing them richly embroidered and jeweled.

Embroidered and jeweled gloves also formed part of the insignia of emperors and kings. Thus Mathew of Paris, in recording the burial of Henry-II of England in 1189, mentions that he was buried in his coronation robes with a golden crown on his head and gloves on his

Hands. Gloves were also found on the hands of king john when his tomb was opened in 1797 and on those of King Edward-I when his tomb was opened in 1774.

Pontificial gloves are liturgical ornaments used primarily by the pope, the cardinals, and the bishops. They may be worn only at the celebration of mass. The liturgical use of gloves has not been traced beyond the beginning of the 10^th century, and their introduction may have been due to a simple desire to keep hands clean for the holy mysteries, but others suggest that they were adopted as part of the increasing pomp with which the Carolingian bishops were surrounding themselves. From the Frankish kingdom of custom spread to Rome, where liturgical gloves are first heard of in the earlier half of 11^th century.

Latex gloves, ubiquitous in surgery and forensics, were developed by the Australian Ansell company.

TYPES OF GLOVE:

Commercial and industrial:

· Barbed wire handler's gloves

· Chainsaw gloves

· Firemen's gauntlets

· Medical gloves

· Welder's gloves

Sports and recreational:

· Archer's glove

· Baseball glove or catcher's mitt: in baseball, the players in the field wear gloves to help them to catch the ball and prevent injury to their hands.

· Billiards glove

· Boxing glove: a specialized padded mitten

· Cricket gloves:

The wicket keeper wears large webbed gloves, similar to those used in baseball.

The batsmen wear gloves with heavy paddind on the back, to protect the fingers from being struck with the ball.

· Cycling gloves

· Driving gloves- often leather to improve grip on the steering wheel.

· Eating glove

· Falconer's glove

· Football- goalkeeper's glove

· Fencing glove

· Gardening glove

· Ice hockey mitt

· Riding glove

· Motorcycling gloves

· Scuba diving gloves:

Cotton gloves; good abrasion but no thermal protection

Wet gloves; made of neoprene and allowing water entry

Dry gloves; made of rubber with a latex wrist seal to prevent water entry.

· Yatching

· Oven gloves- or oven mitts, are used when cooking.

· Wired glove

· Washing glove: a tool for washing the body

· Wheelchair gloves- for users of manual wheelchair

· Powerglove: an alternate controller for use with Nintendo entertailment system

Fashion gloves:

· Wedding and cotillion gloves

· Evening gloves

The wearing of gloves as a woman's fashion accessory fell out of favour in the latter decades of 20^th century, except that girls still wear as part of 'dressy' outfits, such as church on easter Sunday. Ladies gloves for formal and semi formal wear come in three legths for women; wrist, elbow, and opera or full length( over the elbpw, reaching to biceps)

The most expensive are the full length gloves custom made of kid leather, satin, and stretch satin materials are extremely popular and there are mass produced varieties well within the average budget.

Gentlemen only wear fashion gloves on the most formal occasions. This is somewhat subjective, as men also may wear 'fashion' gloves outside of white tie occasions. Some find it to be in personal style, to protect their hands from allergens and germs, or to remove themselves from physical contact.

Winter gloves:

· Acrylic

· Woolen

· leather

Yves Saint Laurent

2008-07-20T19:28:00.001+05:30

The fashion world has seen the loss of one of it’s greatest designers, Yves Saint Laurent died on Sunday 1st June at the age of 71.

Yves Saint Laurent was born in Oran, in 1936. He went to work for fashion designer Christian Dior when he was just 17. After Dior’s death in 1957 Saint Laurent was put in charge of the Dior label.

This did not last long as he was conscripted into the French army, where he suffered a nervous breakdown and was institutionalized in a mental hospital.

When he returned to Paris Dior had already replaced him with a young designer called Marc Bohan. This by no means stopped Saint Laurent and in 1962 with the help of his business partner and lover Pierre Berge he sat up his own label YSL.
Yves Saint Laurent was incredibly good at been one step ahead of the trends. He knew what the public wanted and he gave it to them. He was the first designer to popularize ready-to-wear fashion in 1966. He was also the first designer to use a black model on the runway.
In 1965 he created the fantastic collection the ‘Mondrian Look’ followed a year later by the ‘Pop Art Look’. Inspired by the simple block paintings of Piet Mondrian. These collections were striking and bold, and one of the best examples of fashion being directly influenced by art.

Saint Laurent was probably most famous for ‘Le Smoking’ tuxedo and his African collection with the ‘Safari Jacket’

Yves Saint Laurent will always be known for his outstanding contribution to women’s fashion and his beautifully crafted designs.

Valentino

2008-07-15T20:21:00.002+05:30

Valentino Garavani known simply by his first name -is Italy's greatest couturier and one of the most respected designers showing in Paris.

Valentino's style:

V-logo belts and bejewelled sandals.
Valentino is synonymous with showstopping evening dresses, which are immaculately cut in lean,
Feminine lines with dramatic flourishes such as ruffles, romantic embroideries and
Judicious use of his favourite shade of bright red.

Milestones:

In 1963, he launched his first full collection, to universal acclaim, at the Palazzo Pitti in Florence.
By 1967 he had won the Neiman Marcus Award, the first of many accolades.
In 1968 Valentino was chosen by Jackie Kennedy to design the dress for her wedding to Aristotle Onassis.
In 1970 ready-to-wear collections, for both men and women, were debuted.
In July 2005 Valentino Fashion Group was created which operates as a separate, publicly-traded concern.

His clientelle include:

The most privileged women of the day, including Princess Margaret, Marella Agnelli and Begum Aga Khan.

In 2002 his Hollywood credentials were re-affirmed when Julia Roberts wore an elegant black-and-white vintage Valentino dress to the Oscars.

Awards:

Valentino has been honoured by the governments of Italy, where he was awarded the Cavaliere di Gran Croce(1986) and France, which decorated him as a Chevalier de la Legion d'Honneur (2005).

Types of skirts

2008-07-14T18:27:00.007+05:30

A skirt has a waistline, hipline, hemline which is the bottom line of a skirt and a silhouette(its outer shape). A skirt whose basic shape which falls straight from hipline to hem can be changed by increasing the sweep of hemline.
On the basis of this skirts can be basically categorised under these 4 headings.

Straight or rectangular---where the skirt hangs straight from hipline to hemline.
'A' shape or triangular--- where skirt fall away from hip, flowing out at hem.
Pegged or inverted triangle---where skirt falls inward from hip to hem.
Bell shape---where skirt clinges to figure's curve till hip and breaks into fluid movement along the hem.

How a skirt can be described

2008-07-14T18:11:00.009+05:30

Skirts can be described in terms of :

the sweep: the width of the skirt at hemline
movement: fullness of skirts and
the break point: point at which silhouette(its outer shape) breaks away from body into fluid movement.

Art and Design

2008-07-13T20:19:00.001+05:30

Design usually arise as the solution to a problem which fills the need of consumer and hence it is done keeping the liking and requirement of consumers in mind.And the most important aspect is,it has to be functional.

Whereas Art is a self expression.It is an expression of artist presented to express the innermost personal feeling and thoughts.It need not be functional.

Elements of design

2008-07-13T20:16:00.004+05:30

In design,there are seven elements of design as below

LINE

SPACE

SHAPE

FORM

SIZE

COLOUR

TEXTURE

They are called plastic elements because they can be manipulated.

Renewable clothing

2008-07-12T19:19:00.005+05:30

By placing colored felt-tip pens in the pockets of the dress its appearance changes over time. Within an hour - to one and a half hours the colored ink bleeds into the fabric and creates a one-off design for each occasion. the owner can then clean the dress and color it in a different way for each time they wear it.

Shades of green

2008-06-06T23:37:00.005+05:30

Glossary of embellishments used in Ethnic wear

2008-04-12T19:00:00.001+05:30

Badla: A flat metallic wire inserted into fabric and beaten down. Used as embroidery. Also known as mukeish work. It is often used in conjunction with other forms of embroidery like chikankari or zardozi to add to the richness of the look.

Gota: A traditional form of embroidery using a narrow gold or silver ribbon folded to form designs and patterns.

Kundan: A traditional form of mounting uncut or engraved stones in lac. Since the lac is visible, gold foil is inserted behind the stones to cover the lac giving the jewelry a mellow, rich look.

Zardozi: Traditional Mughal embroidery, done with metallic thread and uncut stones on heavy fabrics such as velvet and silk. A favourite with bridal collections.

DONNA KARAN

2008-02-29T12:58:00.005+05:30

Donna Karan's design philosophy is founded on the principle of a "complete wardrobe" that takes a woman from season to season with a minimum of garments and a maximum of ensemble posssibilities.Her clothes are modern, faminine and classic.
Two of Donna Karan's trademark garments are a simple, unlined jacket and a bodysuit ,both offering the wearer many wardrobe possibilities

Smallest skirt

2006-02-02T18:38:00.002+05:30

This the first skirt i have ever stitched by myself referring some books, using some left over fabric (you can see the print on it).
Can you guess the size of this skirt?
Its hardly 25cm in length and waist just 15 inches!
Isn't this cute?