—  The Rachel  —

Spring/Summer 2018 Ready-to-Wear

The Rachel is a mod-inspired dress named after my mother who was born in the late '60s. I designed, patterned, and constructed The Rachel for my Draping course. My assignment required that we choose a decade between 1920-1990 as inspiration. The dress is made of a double-faced neoprene, featuring a center front quarter zip with a ring pull, french darts, a mock neck, and raw hems. 

—  Sourcing Inspiration  —

My instructor asked that we use the archived vogue subscriptions my university's library has, as one source of inspiration. A huge trend in women's fashion in the 60s was mod fashion, mini-skirts and mini-dresses. I found interesting variations of style-lines and design details in dresses from the archives.  Daring hemlines, geometric shapes, and fun cut-outs spoke to me. 

—  Research  —

Along with the inspiration I got from the archives, I also did research online for more history on 60s fashion and dresses. I found two designers from the 60s who had intriguing designs. One was Pierre Cardin, and the other was Mary Quant. 

—  Narrowing Down the Details  —

Ultimately, I chose Mary Quant as my main source of inspiration. It was the way she incorporated zippers in the front of wool dresses that really caught my eye. I loved the athleisure feel of her quarter-zip dress she wore to Buckingham Palace to receive her O.B.E. award from the Queen. 

—  Sketching  —

My instructor had us sketch three possible designs we would like our final project to look like. Although I had a pretty good idea of what I already wanted, I drew up two other designs I really liked.

—  Draping  —

After developing the silhouette and transferring my draped pieces into pattern paper, I was able to create the collar and placket of my dress.

Along the design process I was able to find a fabric that best fit what I was looking for. I found a double-faced neoprene. One side bubblegum pink, and the other side forest green.

—  Final  —