Logs

Updated every Tuesday and Friday, these logs describe the work needed to be accomplished for the week and the results of the week. (comments below)

Alternate Solutions and Rationale *UPDATED*

Gown-Suit combo 1: Romantic/Classic
The first design concept is centered on the classic romantic theme of the prom. The two outfits connect in that they are stereotypical prom attire. The gown is made of red taffeta and shaped as an A-line dress. It is strapless with a slit going up the front skewed to the right to about mid-thigh. Towards the back the fabric is gathered towards the center and upwards. Going up the back is a zipper. There is beading around the slit as well as on the back of the dress. The suit is a classic tuxedo with a notched lapel. The lapel is satin as well as the buttons and a one-inch strip going up the side of the pant leg. The ensemble includes a red vest to be worn over a white tuxedo shirt. The outfit is topped off with a red bow tie.

Pros:
Appeals to large audience
Flattering fits for most
Suit increases form


Cons:
Commonplace design
Dress shows flaws
Dress must be fitted
Tuxedo expensive to manufacture

Gown-Suit Combo 2: Eccentric

The second design concept centers on the idea of an eccentric dress and suit combination. The dress is short, coming down to just above the knee and strapless. The top part of the dress is made of pink taffeta, while the skirt portion is made of layered organza. The dress is accented with pink shades of beads along the waistline. The back of the dress zips up and may be accented with beading if appropriate, but it is difficult to determine whether this will add or detract from the appeal of the dress at this time. The suit is a British-style suit, characterized by moderate padding on the shoulders and only slight tapering around the waist. This gives for an overall relaxed fit on the suit. It is accented with a matching pink tie and a white dress shirt beneath.

Pros:

Cheaper to make
Appeals to different crowd
Noticeable difference from most gowns and suits

Cons:

Does not appeal to large enough audience
Not dressy enough
Suit will not fit model well

Gown-Suit combo 3: Modern
The third design concept incorporates design elements of the first two designs, taking the classic look of design one and injecting it with a more modern feel. The gown is floor-length with a pink taffeta strapless top and a layered organza skirt. To enhance the skirt, a section of tulle will be inserted beneath layers of organza. Because of the scratchy nature of tulle, a layer of satin fabric will be needed to protect it from irritating skin. The skirt is floor length towards the back, but as it works its way around the front, it will gradually taper upwards to about ¾ the way up the calf at the front. The back of the dress will tie up with a satin tie from the top to below the waistline. The suit is an Italian style suit characterized by heavy padding on the shoulders and heavy tapering around the waist. The lapel design is peaked and the same fabric as the rest of the suit. The look is finished off with a white dress shirt and matching tie.

Pros:

Classic yet modern
Appeals to large audience
Suit increases form
Dress can hide flaws (hips)
Dress easily altered/can fit wide range of sizes

Cons:

Expensive to make dress

The gown and suit from set 3 seem to be the optimal choice. There is nothing lacking in the design that needs to be changed. Yet it is the nature of sewing to improvise so the finished product likely will show slight variations from the initial design.

UPDATE 3/4/09

I have decided to go in an entirely new direction with my design. I was inspired while visiting a fabric store this weekend and as a result will be creating a brand new dress for my project. My reason for doing this is simple: my original designs were done over the winter. Needless to say, there was not a large variety of "springy" fabrics to choose from. I picked out a beautiful red for my dress that, while it is appropriate for prom, did not bring out the season like i had hoped. Visiting Joann Fabrics over the weekend brought forth brand new ideas that i am very passionate about. For this reason i will be redesigning my dress. Pictures will be posted shortly of both preliminary drawings, final drawings, and (hopefully) the final product.

Brainstorming

The suit can be black, the standard color, but other colors, such as white make a bold statement. The Dress shirt beneath should match the color of the dress not necessarily in shade. Recommended lighter. The bow tie should match color of dress. Suit should be fitted for model.

Suit can be double breasted or single breasted

Lapel Styles: Notched, Clover, Peak

Themes
Playful
Orange layered over yellow for gown. Strapless, semi-full skirt, beaded details
Suit would be black with light orange dress shirt and bow tie
Romantic
Red Dress, strapless, a line dress, flat skirt, gathering in back, slit up side, gathering around bust
Black Suit and Red dress shirt with black bow tie
Classic
Full skirt, maroon, extensive beading, strapless, gathering around bust
Black Suit and light maroon dress shirt and maroon bow tie

Back of dress can either be lace-up or zippered and can vary in length

Research

Basic Blocks:
Blocks are the basic for most outfit design, with the exception of completely custom pieces. They are technical drawings illustrating the proportions of pieces accompanied by a legend. Basic blocks can be found in a book while more complicated custom blocks can be purchased. In the case of a custom garment, certain measurements must always be made:

Bust: Pass tape measure around back and under arms at height of armholes and measure in front at greatest bust measurement
Waist: Place tape measure around waist at narrowest point above hips
Hips: Place tape measure horizontally at widest point
Across back: Measure from top of one shoulder to the outher.


Nape of neck to waist: Measure from center of neck to waist (already determined)


With these measurements and the help of blocks, a seamstress makes their own patterns. Patterns are life-size pieces of the garment on tracing paper. The patterns are laid out on the fabric of choice and pinned down and traced. It is highly recommended that cheap fabric be used before the actual choice fabric to ensure that the design is proper. In this way, a "mock" garment can be sewn and adjusted so that the actual outfit doesn't have to be.

When the fabric is finally cut, appropriate seam allowances must be left for stitching. Seam allowance is extra fabric outside the line to be sewn with the purpose of preventing the fabric from falling apart and leaving room for alterations. Generally seam allowance is about 1 cm but in specific areas, such as at the shouldersor hips, extra fabric should be left in case adjustments need to be made.

Suits:


Men's suits come in many different styles. In terms of the overall design and fit, there are four major categories: British, European (Italian), American, and Contemporary. British suits are moderately tapered around the waist with minimal shoulder padding. European suits are strongly tapered at the waist and heavily padded. They are more contoured and therefore improve the appearance. On the other hand, American suits have minimal tapering and moderate shoulder padding. They tend to look more relaxed. For prom, a tuxedo or a suit is worn, with the former being more formal and the latter more easygoing. Tuxedo patterns do not vary greatly from business suit patterns. The major differences between suits and tuxedo's is the details. Tuxedo buttons and lapels are covered in satin. The pants have a roughly 1" strip of satin along the seam. They are worn with tuxedo dress shirts and either a vest and tie or cummerbund and bowtie. It is common for the vest to match the color of the date's dress.

Pockets:
Pockets on a suit jacket are generally either fake or stitched closed, since placing items in the pockets tends to misshape the suit. The flap over the hole is called a welt. In many cases, the lining tends to show when the pocket is at rest, but in higher quality suits this is unnoticeable.

Sewing a Suit:

• Always press each seam after it’s been made for the most accurate professional suit


• Start with a basic pattern, modify to fit. Start on a cheap fabric beforehand to see how it will fit. Cut out all necessary pieces leaving room for seam allowance (1 cm or 2-3 along adjustable seams and arms.


• Sew the back pieces first. Next, sew the front to the back at the shoulders


• Sew in the sleeves. sew the sleeves and the side seams at the same time.
  

Fabric Types:

Fabric for the suit should be lightweight since the event is held during spring. wool is generally used for most suits. Satin embellishments will be added as well.
Fabric for the gown is more varied. Silk satin is a common fabric with a smooth, lustrous surface and is available in different weights. Taffeta, much like silk satin, is smooth with a crisp plain-weave silk fabric. It has very fine ribbing and a lustrous finish. The downfall is that it creases easily. Organza, commonly used for the skirt portion, is a fine, transparent, stiff plain-weave fabric. Also used for the skirt is tulle. Tulle is a mesh-like lining fabric made from nylon. It works to bring volume to the skirt. It is too abrasive to be worn against skin, so a liner is necessary.