Plotting It Out + Inspiration

With the general garment design settled on (obviously, there'll be changes during the production process), it was time to begin visualising it as something wearable, as opposed to a 2D sketch. In order to "convert" the drawing into an outfit, I'd have to get an idea of where elements would fall on the body. 

To do this, we were given some elastic material in a dark colour, which we pinned to the mannequin in the shapes that would make up the garment. Doing this was a lot easier said than done, especially since I'd never worked with a mannequin before. The fabric I was using to plot the lines was quite thick and stiff, so it often resisted the direction I was trying to make it go in. I think that this was a clear indicator that I'd have to simplify my design.

In addition to the basic visualisation of putting the lines on the mannequin, it was also important to plan out any sections that weren't form fitting, which we used paper for. In my case, I experimented a bit with the spiked neckpiece from my concept. I wasn't really happy with how it was looking when it was directly connected to the body piece. I think that, if I were to make the entirety of the outfit, the dramatic neckline would have to be a separate item of clothing.

During this entire process, it did become clear in my head that I definitely wanted to turn this into a corset. To get some corset inspiration on how I might end up designing mine further (after all, I only had the outlines - no patterns or plans for the actual fabric just yet!), I spent some time looking at corsets by the fashion designer Thierry Mugler. His work certainly isn't abstract - you can tell at a glance that one design has his name within it, and that another is inspired by a motorbike - but it is both dramatic and futuristic, both of which are elements I wanted to incorporate into my own work.