McQueen S/S 2011 collection

Further research into past McQueen collections resulted in my finding and being inspired by the S/S 2011 collection by Sarah Burton for McQueen. this collection was inspired again by nature and its raw power in a more Bohemian and pagan style. made up of light pieces with intricate hand workmanship, patchwork embroidery, tooled leather, frayed raffia, hand pleated organza, embroidered white work, ribbon work, hand painted butterflies,gold bullion, corn dollies, twisted feathers and crochet. all worked onto soft silhouette. the construction is light becoming increasingly elliptical as nature takes its course. the fabrics appear to almost fall away from the garment, to reveal the body beneath. the dresses are produced from ultra light silks, cotton voile's, chiffon's, fille coupe and cotton organdie.
and and exaggerated hip  idealises the feminine form.

below are some of my favourite pieces from the collection, chosen for their fabrics and designs which are light and free moving.

   

Below is one of the pieces from this collection that inspired me for my own designs for my current project.

The piece is shown modelled on the Catwalk which is kept plain to focus the attention on the dress, which is a close fitting silhouette from the top leading into a wider from the body skirt. created using patterned fabric.

this piece has an element of nature a fresh floral design on a futuristic silhouette giving the essence of modern meets future shapes. i feel that element of Bohemian style intended by the designer if reflective in the piece. this idea of modern silhouette combined with intricate and detailed print inspires me as it gives me ideas about how to interpret my own inspiration, into designs.

the dress is made from silks and fine cottons with hand and CAD produced print detailing, both hand and machine sewing and advanced pattern cutting would be needed to produce the piece. and further fashion construction techniques like dart placement and manipulation would be required to create the fitted and structured silhouette.

the colour palette is restricted to blacks, whites, pinks, greens, blues, red and grey in the same tone, non being brighter in shade than the others with the black tying the colours together and continued throughout the piece. complimenting each other and the fluidity of the shape from structured and fitted at the top to a fuller sharper skirt. the main textural detailing of the design comes from the actual structural details of the dress but is otherwise un textural.

This design inspires me as i want to further explore and expand my knowledge and skills in pattern cutting and manipulation and the structure of this piece appeals to me for this and how i may interpret my primary research into designs that are both feminine and elegant yet structured and more challenging in shape.

Iwas also drawn to the print and its restricted yet bright and effective design and colour palette, as this shows how the designer has thought about their themes and translated them into the design, similarly to how i wish to experiment with my own ideas from my research and into the designing stages. it also helps to see how another designer has used colour within the design to compliment rather than over power the garment.

i feel this work is important to the fashion world for these reasons and also that the garment is wearable rather than just a show piece.

this collection and this design will inspire me not only in this project but also in future projects for the reasons above and that it is created similarly to my own style and tastes.