Week 10 - Final Garments

Material : Powernet 100% polyester (red/blue/cream)

Cost per Meter : £4.50

Amount Used: 50cm of each colour

Sourced From : A to Z Fabrics (Shepherds Bush)

Material : Green Camouflage Sports Mesh 

Cost per Meter : £6

Amount Used : 1m

Sourced From : A to Z Fabrics (Shepherds Bush)

This week was our final catwalk and we got freedom to create anything we wanted to do.

I took inspiration for the shirt from a pair of trousers in my wardrobe which were made in this powernet and i wanted to try using it so i created this Spice Girls inspired shirt with one button fastening at the collar.Working with this fabric was a nightmare because it stretched all over the place and when i did a small sample it looked horrible, so i decided to add more structure under the cream panels and in the collar by just using a classic white shirting. Whilst giving structure it also eliminated the factor that it was totally sheer!! Having just the red and blue sections sheer gives an element of risk.

Pictured here it is unfinished inside so i would need to cover stitch all the raw edges and hen i asked a lecture about the arms/hem it was advised to gimp it.

I also need to eliminate the side seam as it dosent look nice!

The pattern for the shirt was created freehand based on the principles of Korean pattern cutting with no blocks.

Created again for menswear these shorts have a dropped crotch, 4 3D patch pockets, front pockets and coin pockets. All these elements are very masculine but because of the fabric style i thought it would be an appropriate use of the fabric. Black cotton drill is used as an accent.

Because of the fabric it dosent fray therefore it is not needed to be finished but in future i would do a bias finishing inside as when wearing it can be quite scratchy as the fabric is a bit stiff but when washed and the starch removed it will not be as bad.

I love the colours used for the shirt as it is vibrant and has a real shock factor which re-invents this classic piece but when i saw the camouflage material i immediately thought of creating a very 90's styled cargo shorts as this decade of clothing is back!camouflage cargo shorts is a really hot trend at the moment on the streets of London!!!

Week 9 - Trousers

Material : Pinstripe

Cost per Meter : £5pm

Amount Used : 1.5m

Sourced From : Shepherds Bush

This week we had a pinstripe material but not a typical wool mix blend but rather a jersey substitute with a stretch capability going along the Weft thread which gave it a capability to create more form fitting garments.

I decided to create a more unusual shape and take risks with the "NORMAL" way of doing things, SO:

.I changed the inward curved seam along the center back line to create a vexed curve the opposite way. It looked like a quarter of a circle

.I changed the construction of the button fly so that the top was cut shorted therefore revealing the underside which allowed for a contrasting colour/fabric (in this case a gold +blue taffeta mix which really defines the shape 

.I constructed the pattern for menswear with a really wide leg (like the oxford bags) but i didnt like them that way so i thought with the pinstripe if i twisted it round at the bottom to create a tighter fit the stripes would become distorted and curve round the body. 

.With a gold band then a black satin bias to finish the hem and i love this detail as it gives an element of sportswear to a very uncomfortable and constricting cut of trousers, very much a contradiction!!

.For the waistband i cut it the opposite way to he rest of the trousers so it didnt stretch out of place.

.I found working with fabric really easy as it didnt fray or stretch out of place but the one thing that is awful is that it collect so much dirt/fluff/thread as it is very static so has to be brushed/cleaned often.