I remember the time when I first 'got' fabric. Not 'got' as in received, but rather 'got' as in understood it. Admittedly, it took some handling of it. It's not until you actually go to a fabric store to handle, fondle and get 'touchy feely' with the tactile, resilient and textural aspects of the bevy of wools, silks, cottons and skins that you get to realize the vulnerability of them. Vulnerability? Absolutely! These textiles are waiting to be draped, wrapped, cut, reinforced, stitched and morphed into the fabulous creations you see skim over the hip and a Hollywood starlet, encircle the shoulders of a leading man and mask the pony walk of an übermodel down a God-forsaken runway somewhere.
However, have you ever even stopped to ask yourself how the thinnest trestle of wool challis or peplum of silk gazar can seem to have lives all their own? Okay well maybe you rarely think thoughts involving words like challis, trestle, peplum or gazar, but it's important to note that seemingly thin lifeless fabrics are transformed in the hands of a skilled dress-maker to become clothing that inspires and creates fashion history.
Whether interlined, interfaced, deeply-pleated or shirred, for Fall 2012, the couture houses were enamored with volume and manipulation to over-accenuate or hyper-feminize the female form. From the hourglass shapes manipulated out of the thickest fabrics by Raf Simons for Dior to the lovely life-size floral-mocking silhouettes at Giambattista Valli, the softnesses, twists and turns of the female form were paid homage to in wonderful ways. Ironic that to achieve such a delicate hand, one had to employ crisp, structured linings and facings underneath. Next season's couture is still evidence that like the women it adorns, beauty may be evident on the outside but it take an intricate infrastructure to keep it all together.
*All Photos Courtesy of Style.com.
0 comments:
Post a Comment