Research and Development.

Research and development is the most important aspect of design work. Finding new ways to present your ideas requires quite a bit of experimentation. I loved the color of this cotton velvet jacket, but wear to the neck and a few small stains made it unwearable. Below are several experiments. I knew from the beginning I wanted to cut this fabric into small circles or stone shapes. Applique is a major theme I'm working with in this collection. I'll talk more about the direction I'm headed later.

Below are images of experiments in which I combined the velvet "stones" with other fabrics and colors; most of which were rejected.

The orange chiffon background seemed like a good idea until I saw it in real life. It's too evocative of Fred Flintstone.

Another idea was to back the "stones" individually and create a sort of lace effect. I didn't like the proportions of the pieces. I also felt it looked too much like I was trying to do some sort of Miro homage which wasn't the look I was going for at all. Creating the illusion of lightness is important as is finding a balance between positive and negative spaces. I might explore this idea more later.

The last idea was to apply the stones to a backing of cotton net, a very expensive fabric. The effect is clean, lovely and modern. I'll probably try applying them to a nylon tule and then on a silk net. It's important that visual and physical weights of the fabric combinations blend beautifully. Like a painting, if one element appears too heavy the composition is thrown off.