McQueen A/W 2011 'The ice queen and her court'

This is another McQueen collection by Sarah Burton. Named the Ice Queen and her Court the collection drew on "heritage Silhouettes"and was made up of fitted or structured pieces constructed from or edged in furs. other pieces combined furs on feminine yet edgy silhouettes, such as dropped waist halterneck dresses or hooded sleeveless sheath dresses. and then adding a soft femininity with the addition of frayed streaming silk organza. and most with harness details to further the edgy theme.

I really like the structure of the pieces in this collection, and the way that Burton has created a pattern and textural details within the construction of the pieces, for example the panel detailing, this is a similar idea to what i had in mind for the patterns on the fish. possible using lighter fabrics and creating similar textural designs on the actual garment structure. ideas i will sample in my sketchbook.

below are some images of the collection.

  

i was particular  inspired by a few design from this collection as they relate to some of my initial ideas for silhouette and fabrics textural and structural details.
The first pictured below.

 

Above shows the garment shown on the catwalk, the image to the left the garment is being modelled and to the right is a close up of the skirt and waist detail.the piece is a dress of knee length constructed in a fitted silhouette with a looser skirt,  and a textural panelled effect to the body and design of the garment, all in tones of grey and blacks and light and thicker fabrics of cotton and silk organza's.

the design has an edgy look yet is wearable with a hint of femininity from the fabric choices and silhouette reflecting the theme of 'The Ice Queen and her Qourt'. to me this piece appeals as i like the silhouette and textural elements in the structure of the piece which make up its fabric detailing.
The materials used are a combination of textural cottons and lighter chiffon's or organza's layered and constructed on top of each other in an applique way. this design would have required advanced pattern cutting and manipulations of the pattern and fabrics to achieve the silhouette with the textural details to look effective. the colour palette is kept to a mix of black and grey tones restricted yet continual throughout the piece similar to the panelled textural detailing in the fabric of the piece.
all these elements are what interests me about the pieces however i feel i would possibly choose lighter fabrics for example the organza's to make up the main body of the piece. however combining the textural detailing within the structure of the piece is something i would like to experiment with in sampling within my sketch book for possible designs on the garment.

The image above is another of the pieces from this collection that inspired me, i was particularly drawn to the silhouette and again the textural element within the design of the piece. shown here modelled on the catwalk it is knee lenghth dress made from lighter weight fabrics which form the textural element of the piece and also the sleeves. 

this piece is one of the most feminine of the collection yet follows the theme of  textural  and slightly edgy.it has a feeling of femininity yet restriction from some of the detailing which replicates the harnessing in some of the other pieces. again here i am drawn to the silhouette and texture from the fabrics used, which are similar to those i have envisioned for my own piece.

the fabrics are a mix of silk organza, light cottons etc on a fitted bodice and loose skirt. again this design would require an advanced knowledge of pattern cutting, fabrics and how to work them to get this result. the colour pallet is unified in one tone of off white throughout the piece, not distracting from the textural effects on the entire garment.

This design inspires me as i wish to take the feminine fabrics and feminine silhouette as shown here and work them into my own design to most effectively capture the movement and beauty of the fish within the piece. but i also want to challenge my pattern cutting and manipulation skills to an achievable yet a more advanced level.

The last piece form this collection that inspired me for this project is the garment shown above, shown on the catwalk being modelled, it is a knee length piece with textural detailing to the bodice which is fitted to the hem and lined with fur. it has a cut out section to the neckline and sleeves made form organza, all in black and grey tones.

The piece conjures up a feeling of restriction and a harsh cold almost fantasy atmosphere, just like the theme of the collection. it is constructed from a combination of fur, thicker cotton and light organza to give the piece a strong body with a hint of femininity. this piece is made up of many fabrics and elements to the design, from the sleeves to the body of the piece so would require a strong knowledge of pattern cutting and manipulating to create the desired effect as well as basic skills such as hand and machine sewing etc.

the colour palette is kept to tones of blacks and greys throughout with textural detailing such as the fur trim to the skirt, applique to the bodice and organza sleeves unified and placed thoughtfully on the piece.

another design that has a feminine yet edgy look and design, i particularly like the textural bodice and the idea of the floating organza sleeves ideas i will develop within my sketch book from my own theme.