One-of-a-kind Upclose

In the book Fashion Designer's Survival Guide they mention that as an independent designer one of the things you do least of is....design! It may sound shocking, but it is true. However, it is important for the designer to stop the managerial-crisis handling-bureaucratic duties every so often and reconnect with why you are doing this whole thing in the first place.
Easier said than done. With so much to do, it can almost seem impossible to break away and have fun! This week I finally took time out and did some draping for the one-of-a-kinds and couture brainstorming.

What makes one-of-a-kinds so great is that they have a real story to tell. Since there is no pressure in producing more of it, you can indulge in unique materials and details that you only have enough of for one outfit.

The dress to the right is derived from a Rex painting called "Frontier". I love the way sections of the canvas are broken up horizontally from top to bottom using bold imagery and strong colors. To me, each of these divisions easily translate into a splash of one fabric to another. As shown in these photos.

Please note that this is the brainstorm process. It is a rough-draft of the final product, and what you see is the outline of what needs to be developed further.

The blue piece matches the sky. And is placed in the solar plexus an important location for the sun to be placed since it gives life, and the solar plexus is a center point of life energy. This blue piece also was part of the jester vest that was featured in the MAZURA collection. You can see it below at the bottom of the blog entries.

The purple flowered blouse represents the sky. As you look at "Frontier" you notice that the sky turns purple, and the flowers are almost as uniform as the clouds.

As we travel down, we reach green mountains, the green fabric here I want to play with creating pleats that emulate peaks, and will further match the painting.

Lastly, we come to the checkered flat lands. The piece of fabric I am using (from a dear friend traveling in India) not only matches the color, but has the checked design in a lighter gold, essentially coping the checkered farmland in Rex's painting.

I decided to skip the rainbow of people because the Indian fabric blends right into the ocean. It even has a sprinkling of white dots that correspond with the blue dots floating in the ocean of the painting.

But how can I forget the people? Well, sometimes the fabric has its own story to tell, and you have to hear what your heart says. If it says add people, go for it. However, in this instance I believe this dress has enough elements to make it complete. And if I need the people, I may make some gloves or another accessory that can add to the overall experience, but not force the dress to comply to any particular mold. Or simply, the person wearing the garment represents the people. Remember, we are not copying, we are creating new works of art who's birth was brought about through another artist's vision.