Challenge 5 "Steampunked"

The Challenge:
This week's challenge is all about the sub culture known as "Steampunk".  This unique fashion genre runs the gamut from purely Victorian to post-apocalyptic.  Steampunk may take many forms of alternative clothing, often romantic with a twist of futuristic technology.  It has been described as Jules Verne meet the Wild Wild West.  Just like real life, Steampunk can encompass many aspects of fashion...the explorer/traveler, the air ship pilots, the warrior, the aristocrat, or the mad scientist.  To keep with the up and coming fashion trends, such as the new military look for 2010, the twist of this challenge is to create a Steampunk inspired fashion with a military theme.

Inspiration board photos.

I decided to go with the Victorian look. I have never made a Victorian Fashion before and having only 2 days to complete this challenge was a challenge in itself!   I started with drafting my own pattern pieces using American publications of the 19th century for guidance.  I knew drafting such complicated pieces required much more then a couple days, even though we were given 2 weeks to complete, but such as life getting in the way I couldn't start earlier.  Since these publications don't give you instructions  I had to sit for many hours drafting the pattern pieces and trying to figure out how they were put together.  I think given the time I did quite well. And yes I made this pattern  to fit Samantha not another doll.  I decided to use black even though the details would not show up very well in photos. Trying to find jewelry pieces and right size buttons in such a small scale proved to be not so easy in such a short time for me.  But I managed to find  tiny steampunk style watch earrings that I took apart and put them on the chain and  that worked quite well,  and industrial look jewelry.

Now I didn't quite get or read anywhere that we were supposed to create a runway modern look, I would have changed my entry, so I made an accurate Victorian gown.

But anyway I learned a lot from this challenge, making a Historical gown for the very first time and I fell in love with making Victorian gowns,  And now I have many ideas for new gowns.  So it was very rewarding to me to be able to make something like this in such a short time.

Here is my version of a Steampunk Victorian gown.

Work Progress

Drafting cutting pattern 

Making a corset muslin sample

Sewing the jacket panels

Steampunk image was printed on my printer. First cut a piece of fabric (I used fine muslin), the same size as a normal printer sheet, iron the fabric onto a freezer paper, iron out any air bubbles, trim it. And then put the paper into your printer print your image and voila you have printed your very own fabric!

Peel the fabric off the was paper and start sewing!

The finished lined corset

Fitting the corset

Final fittings, at this point I made almost the entire outfit in one night, racing against time,

I can't believe I am almost finished. Making the pleats very done entirely by hand as I don't have a pleater something I must get in the future.  Still have the hat to do and add the final jewelry touches.

This outfit  looks awesome on the doll in person.

Scores:

Theme: 4
Originality: 4
Creativity: 4.5
Construction: 5
Judith
This is a great outfit as it is but I can see it as a really sexy pantsuit. I see the jacket, pannier and bustle with skinny pants with a military stripe ( to match the jacket) and stilettos strutting the runway. Adore the top hat, jacket, with the oversize buttons and corset but the skirt for me just makes the outfit too much a costume when it could be fabulous fashion. Even a tight short skirt with a pleated hem would work. Beautiful printed fabric in the corset and lining. Army pants would also have added the military touch needed in this design.

Theme: 2.5
Originality: 3
Creativity: 3
Construction: 4.5
Rob
I like that the jacket is reversible, but I am not crazy about the overall look of this fashion.  I can see the Victorian influence, but I am not getting military influence at all.  The top hat is not as nicely shaped as I would like, it looks a bit battered. I do love the skirt, but I am missing the technological edge that most Steampunk has. You made a nice Victorian inspired fashion, but it falls short of the challenge.  The fit and construction/finish is very nice.

Theme: 4
Originality: 4
Creativity: 3
Construction: 5
Tom
J’adore everything above the hip!  It’s not very military though (buttons alone do not make ‘military’)…and the long, heavy skirt kills the whole look of the dress.  The print is beautiful and nicely incorporated into the design

Theme: 3
Originality: 2.5
Creativity: 2.5
Construction: 4
Durelle
At first glance this entry has a lot of drama and eye appeal. I like the overall feel, it seems a bit mournful and would work great as a fashion for Evangeline Ghastly. The garment has a somber emotion to it. And I love your art pic.  However other than the accessories and the hat I am not feeling the steampunk or the military. It has more of a Victorian Goth look. Looking past the drama a closer look reveals to me that there are a lot of scale issues with this garment. The hat is fabulous, great job, but it is way over scale, although I did enjoy the drama you got from it. The one thing that hinted military was the buttons on the jacket but they were way too big as well. The whole entry had an over-scale, baggy look as if it were made for a different doll. 
The piping detail on the back of the jacket was over scale as well and created a bulky look and crumpled the jacket. I much prefer the silhouette without the jacket, even though, once again, the corset top looks as thought it could fit a much bigger doll. Your construction is good but I did take off points for fit.  One great thing I have to mention is I did like the scale you were able to achieve with the bustle and the pleats on the skirt. A lot of designers have not been able to get proper scale when they have swaged and gathered fabric. You were very successful with this technique.   Kudos also for printing your lining fabric……it was subtle and soft and not in your face Steampunk. I would love to know how you did it.

G.D. Falksen
While this entry was a very interesting take on steampunk, including nice accessories set on the chain, it lacked the military aspect requested by the competition.  The style would be much more appropriate for a style of steampunk mourning dress.

Challenge 4 "It's all in the details"

                           For this challenge  we have to creature Haute Couture Daywear paying particular attention to the little details.
                      
 For the skirt I used stretch white denim,cut out shapes of different types of fabric sewn onto the skirt to create different textures, for looks and feel.  For the bottom I cut out lots of fabric and scrunched it.  I love adding different textures to fabrics.  The skirt is lined and has an invisible zipper.
For the blouse I used white and black stretch poplin.  I made a collar, short sleeves with folds on the tops of sleeves, lined them for ease of slipping on.  I made a under bust corset, and stitched white fabric strips over  many seams of the top.

Work progress:

Drafting and making a muslin samples

Top

The under bust corset

And the finished garments

Sewing for Samantha is a real pleasure, she has such a perfect realistic doll body,

and poses super well.  You don't need to cover her too much with clothing to hide joints etc.

And she is a substantial size, not too small or too big.

Here what the judges have to say

Theme: 3.5
Originality: 4
Creativity: 4
Construction: 5
Judith
Very cute styling with that's edgy and different. A  design that hasn't been overworked and whose details are in the use of fabric in an unconventional way. Simple but works for this challenge even if a little too Ready To Wear.

Theme: 2
Originality: 3.5
Creativity: 3.5
Construction: 4.5
Rob
This is a cute fashion, not extremely professional daywear. It feels more like resort wear.  I like the detail and the fit and construction are nice. It doesn’t come across as Haute Couture Daywear.  The bare mid drift is a distraction for daywear, and makes it too casual.  On a side note, that doll has HUGE feet! But she is cute.  Good job, but I think you missed the challenge

Theme: 4
Originality: 3
Creativity: 3
Construction: 4
Tom
I like the effort put into the construction…but the top and skirt seem to go with two very different outfits. The skirt silhouette is odd…and not very flattering. The designer did a fine job of detail use, but failed in the ensemble cohesion that would have created a highly detailed and effective design. The handbag is almost criminal.

Theme: 3
Originality: 5
Creativity: 3
Construction: 5
Steven
subtle details and beautifully made

 

Challenge 3 "Fashion Falls Apart"

This Challenge is all about all about the Fabric and your deconstruction of it.  Your challenge is to design a Haute Couture garment in the newest hottest style of deconstruction.  From ripped seams... to stringy hems ..to rumpled fabrics, slices of zipper and vandalized denim, this challenge is about how well you can design a garment in the deconstruction style while still keeping it Couture.

My inspiration for this challenge came from designer  Balmain, I love his jeans and his vision for his military jackets. For the jeans I used stretch white denim, black top stitching details,  real working pockets front and back and a tiny zipper.  I shredded the jeans in the front using methods for making fabrics look distressed.  For some glamour I glued on Swarovski crystals near the pockets.   For the military jacket I used black stretch fabric, I made silver satin piping to make multiple seams stand out, I love how that makes an outfit look chic.  Crystal buttons for added glamour.  For the back I made a silver satin distressed  bow.  Left the  bottom of sleeves unfinished. And used the same silver satin for the lining.  Braided ribbon was used for the detail in front of jacket.  And she had to have white hair, so I made a wig to finish the whole look.

                                     And this is my distressed look modeled on Samantha Herren

                                                               

                                           This is what the judges have to say:

Theme: 5
Originality: 3.5
Creativity: 4
Construction: 5
Judith
Clever contemporary styling for this outfit. Skillful detailing on the pants. The jacket works well, however the braid loops down the front could be a fraction smaller. They tend to overpower the panel seams and crystal buttons. I would also lose the back satin bow, it looks like it was put there as an afterthought

Theme: 4.5
Originality: 4
Creativity: 4
Construction: 5
Rob
You made couture!  Great!  I do see a few Deconstruction elements used, I think you could have pushed that further.  The military look is hot right now, and this captures that perfectly, had this been a military challenge, it would have been perfect. The overall design is basic, but the application is fantastic. The jeans are wonderful, the fit, construction, and detailing are really beautiful.  The jacket is beautiful, well finished and constructed. I like that you added the deconstructed elements with the bow, the sleeves, and the braided ribbon. Job well done, I appreciate the effort and work that you put into the details of the fashion. This is an example of if you use simple basic designs they need to be done to perfection, good job!

Theme: 5
Originality: 4
Creativity: 4
Construction: 5
Tom
I like this…it has an 80s feel (don’t believe, me? I wore something just like it in red and black), but there is a touch of modern, too.  Fashion is cyclical…so I don’t mind seeing 80s influences today.  I really want to hate that bow…but for some reason, think it’s a perfect little touch to this inspired jacket.  Very lovely, indeed

Theme: 4
Originality: 5
Creativity: 4
Construction: 5
Dal
I see the Balmain inspiration in your military jacket and beautifully “constructed” it is. No deconstruction there, I am afraid, except for the oversized braid ties that unfortunately may have worked if they weren’t so oversized and the sleeves which look more unfinished than deconstructed. I love the satin trim and details on your jacket but would have loved to see a slashed skirt paired with it instead of jeans or possibly a more unique style of “deconstructed” pant. The black and silver chains in the fab wig are a wonderful couture touch.
                                                      

                                                        

The work in progress:

I started with drafting a jean pattern.  I wanted to make white jeans with dark thread topstiching so It stands out.
I had this beautiful multi colored thread in black grey dark light thread called Storm Clouds.  It came out excatly as I hoped, as the thread itself looked distressed once stiched.   I stiched rows of stiching by the front pockets for some detail and glued on Swarovski Crystals as well.  This was my first try at jeans and they came out pretty good I think.  Then came the shredding fun!.  I made strategic cuts and sanding of the fabric and it worked wonderfully!  I love how they came out and they fit the model well.

My sketch, as usual I made some changes along the way.

Made the muslin sample first and did a fitting, they seem to fit nicely so far.

Adding the zipper to the jeans.

Shredding a sample fabric, this part if fun!

I love how both garments came out and they fit Samantha perfectly!

Challenge 2 "The Alice Challenge"

For this challenge we had to choose a character from children's literature(now I say children's because most of the heroes/heroines of children's literature have a distinct style that you can build on) and keeping their colours and style, design them a fresh new look, that is in keeping with their style.

                                          Little Red Riding Hood


                                                  

 I knew I wanted to do  Little Red Riding Hood immediately.   My vision was to take  Little Red Riding Hood from a childish innocent into a red-hot femme fatale.
I wanted to do something  different and unpredictable so I went with a sexy long gown.
For the gown I used red and black  silk with a big over sized bow, black silk scrunched effect for the bottom.  For the stole I made a wolf wrapped around her neck. I wasn't able to make a professional looking wolf stole given the time.   I made a reversible satin cape which drapes perfectly over her shoulders.  

To see all the photos go to : http://www.couturedoll.com/gordana.html

Here  is what the judges scores

Theme: 5
Originality: 4.5
Creativity: 4.5
Construction: 5
Judith
I love where this sassy outfit is going. It is certainly a fresh take on the Red Riding Hood character drawing on the elements from her style. Terrific choice of fabric and a beautifully constructed gown. Great detail with the black ruching at the hem and a nice touch with the wolf stole

Theme: 4.5
Originality: 3.5
Creativity: 4
Construction: 4.5
Rob
Your fashion is really pretty, seems to be well constructed and well fitted.  The finishing is very nice.  I like the fox stole, and that you kept the hooded cape.  The dress is very sexy and really a beautiful garment, I really like the ruching detail at the bottom of the skirt, and the bow is a nice accent. Everything is really pretty and well done, but a bit expected and not extremely original.  The fox stole was an original and cute thought for this character update.  You did pull of the challenge well.  It just feels a bit expected, and I wanted something more, something to really be excited about, which would put this fashion over the top for me.  I would like to see some elaborate detailing on the cape, something very luxurious and spectacular. Possibly a beautiful brocade with faux fur trim and lining would have been nice.  Some embellishment on the bodice of the dress could have added the extra touch I was looking for.  Overall, good job, very pretty, but it makes me want a bit more

Theme: 1
Originality: 2
Creativity: 2
Construction: 5
Tom
What a gorgeous gown…what a shame it doesn’t say a thing about ‘Red Riding Hood’s character…nor does the ‘red riding hood’ cape work…it makes the design look like a Halloween witches’ costume.  OK…we get it…you’re a fine couturier…but you’re not getting the challenge.  Oh yes…and I hate that wolf wrap…it’s silly, and it doesn’t work with your gorgeous gown except in a far-too-literal way. You have amazing talent in your design and execution skills (the black ruching is perfectly done, and not an easy thing to accomplish) – but you’re not getting the interpretation of the challenges, which is hurting you in Interpretation, Originality, and Creativity scoring.

Theme: 5
Originality: 5
Creativity: 5
Construction: 5
David
Super sexy and gorgeously made! Love the humor with the wolf stole!

Thank you judges for all the scores!

Work in Progress:

 Sketch

Made a few small changes along the way!

Measuring

Fittings

Cutting the cape

Final fittings

Voila! Completed garments

Samantha Herren is now ready for her modeling shoot

Fits her perfectly!

And this is my version of the Little Red Riding Hood for Challenge 2

Glamour Goddess Designs

http://www.glamourgoddess.biz/