Week 9: How I come up with designs

Welcome back to my blog! This week I would like to show you how I come up with designs.

When it comes to my vest and trouser sets, I often have to remember that there is a fine balance between trendy and classic that these pieces need to maintain. I like to get my inspiration from old runway collections.

Recently, there has been a revival in the Bohemian aesthetic, according to many sources, including WGSN. The bohemian aesthetic is rather loose and flowy. However most people don’t associate the Bohemian look with workwear. However, this piece from the Spring 2007 Hermès Ready-to-Wear Collection beautifully blends the two seemingly opposite aesthetics.

Although this look is a little casual, with some minor adjustments this could be a perfect workwear look. What makes it bohemian is the loose, slightly sheer, unstructured fabric. Although it is hard to see, there are pinstripes on this look, which also give the office vibes.

Here is a drawing that I created based on this runway look. As you can see, I folded up the bottom of the pants like the picture. I wanted to keep the fabric loose and flowy, which cannot be seen so much in this picture, but the bagginess of the vest and the pants is meant to reflect that. As you can see there is a bow on the vest. I want to stay true to the romantic style of my original l collection, while keeping the wrap style of the top in the runway look.

The seemingly random blobs on the top right of this picture are color ways that I was considering. When I was looking into the color ways, I started wondering if the number of color ways an item is sold in affects whether the item seems like a luxury product. To answer this question, I consulted the websites of luxury brands (e.g., Chloé, the Row, Khaite, and Paco Rabanne). What I realized is that luxury brands tend to sell fewer colorways for each product. In fact, most products in Chloé only came in one color way. Eventually, I came to the conclusion that three is the maximum number of color ways I should sell per item to create an air of exclusivity. However, I continued to wonder, how I could make the clothes suit the highest number of people within those color ways. I have since come up with an idea. I will have all color ways be neutral (not nude but like a neutral shade of a color, like a neutral navy blue as opposed to a warm or cool navy). I will have one of the colors be dark, another light, and another somewhere in the middle.

I also debated what material to use for this clothing item. I was thinking crepe silk because it’s loose, flowy, and luxurious. Another interesting alternative would be ramie, which is a cloth similar to linen but in some ways more sustainable. I will have to get back to you when I find an answer to this dilemma soon.

After compiling my ideas in this image, I engaged in some computer-aided design (CAD). CAD is a common practice in many if not most fashion brands. In simpler terms, I asked AI to improve upon my drawing.

I asked ChatGPT to draw it for me and then put it on a model. I liked the way it looks not too sheer because this is after all workwear, but it is still loose.

Finally, I asked ChatGPT to put this outfit in 3 different color ways: a neutral bright olive green with white pinstripes, a neutral beige with black pinstripes, and a neutral off-white with black pinstripes. Here is the final result.

Thank you for exploring how clothes are designed with me! See you next week on my blog!

WWD. (2006, October 5). Hermès spring 2007. Women’s Wear Daily. https://wwd.com/fashion-news/fashion-features/gallery/hermes-spring-2007/