Caspian Era education
childhood collection
(sophomore year)
My capsule collection from the second semester of my sophomore year revolved around evoking childhood youth, through inspiration from early childhood objects, to the experience of wearing clothing as a kid. One aspect I focused on in my design process was proportions and silhouette. As seen in the first, third and fourth looks I exaggerated the proportions of classic patterns, in order to make the wearer appear as a child wearing their parents' and even grandparents' clothing. To further push this narrative, I included more sophisticated ways of design and sewing (tailoring techniques and traditional designs), of which I manipulated. However, I made sure to maintain the childlike nature, through color schemes, patterns, and motifs referencing toys and objects from our youth.
Look 1
This look comprises of a heavy-weight cotton button-up shirt and heavyweight tweed trousers.
The shirt, utilizes a red and cream pinstriped heavy-weight cotton to reference youth baseball jerseys. Design details include a collar that extends into the side seam, large closely-placed blue buttons, boxy sleeves, and an elastic waist, creating for cinching and billowing at the waist. [Base: %100 cotton]
The trousers, made from an Italian twill wool (with multi-colored neps), include an oversized silhouette with exaggerated pleats, oversized blue buttons, contrasting geometric knee patches (inspired by children's block toys), a cinching contrasting band at the hem, and crossed suspenders buttoning to the waist band. [Base: %100 wool; Contrast: Wool-cotton blend]
Look 2
This is a fully hand knitted look, comprising of a sweater vest and an asymmetrical skirt, with a pant leg.
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The sweater vest was inspired by the mundane and sophisticated garb of which the elderly might wear. Design details include: asymmetrical armhole ribbed cuffs, a raised ribbed V neckline, multi-colored neps, a ribbed waistband, and a caligpaphical Q (inspired by the essence of the elderly). [Acrylic-wool blend yarn]
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The bottom is a horizontally striped skirt, with a single asymmetrical pant leg, and a tie going across. [Acrylic-wool blend yarn]
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Look 3
This look comprises of an oversized hand-knitted sweater and the trousers from look one, only now having the suspenders tied in a bow.
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The 'A' sweater is an incredibly oversized sweater, with greatly exaggerated drop sleeves, contrasting ribbed neckline and waist cuffs, and an intarsia design, displaying an 'A' in a bordered box. This boxed 'A' is a direct reference to the letter wooden block toys (seen below) we played with as children. Just like the trousers, the oversized nature of the sweater was intended to make the wearer appear as a child wearing their parents' clothing. [Acrylic-wool blend yarn]
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Look 4
The final look and piece of the collection is the tailored "Pinwheel Dress". The pattern-making for this silhouette began by multiplying the dimensions of the torso sloper, as to proportionally enlarge the standard sloper. This made for an authentic visual experience of a kid wearing their parents' clothing. The pattern of the dress now lacks a regard way to the wearer as if it is not intended for them, retaining the fisheye darts, which center way below the waist, and the hem rather than stopping at the hips, ending at the knees.
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To retain a sophistication and maturity to the garment, of which a child would see in their parents' clothing, I focused on more tailored design details. Seen in the placket and cuffs on the sleeves, a diagonal welt pocket, invisible hand sewn hem, fisheye darts, and exaggerated structured shoulder pads which collapse under the gravity and weight of the fabric. The more notable components of this dress includes the placket opening going from the neckline to the armhole, off centered along with the shifting of the collar, making the dress appear to twist, a nod to the theme of the dress: a pinwheel. A more literal translation in design to the theme is the embrodiery of a pinwheel motif above the heart, a symbol for evoking the youth.
