McQueen Dress for Givenchy

McQueen Kimono Top

McQueen Dress for Givenchy Final

Finished version of the Givenchy dress found here. Stable woven fabric from Lida Baday. Composition: 56% linen, 35% cotton, 9% polyamide. Do want to make this again in other fabrics. Will have to wear it properly at some point.

Bonus: Have  you seen Masters of Style featuring Alexander McQueen (season 1, episode 1)? It features a lot of McQueen's work at Givenchy and variations of this dress are included. Here are some stitched together screen grabs.

McQueen Dress for Givenchy Process

Totally didn't realize that there were patterns available from Vogue when McQueen was designing for Givenchy. Upon discovery, a mad flurry of frantic research ensued ending with a trip to this blog: http://blog.pattern-vault.com/alexander-mcqueen-series/ All McQueen x Givenchy collaborations are accounted for.
Two designs are loved above the rest. Here's the favourite. Always love for asymmetry and tailoring. Production commences. Using a linen-cotton blend... might not be the best choice, but it was at hand. Goal: finish cutting this week.

McQueen Kimono Top Final

Finished version of the Alexander McQueen Kimono top found here. Striped twill fabric from Lida Baday. Composition: 60% polyester, 40% silk. 160cm wide; 1.7 metres used, 0.7 of a metre just for sleeves.

Progress pics of front sections. Flounce added to front for improved fit.

Front and back finished and collar applied. Very happy with the sleeveless look. Figuring it would take about one metre of 160cm wide fabric to make again. Shot of inside. Black fabric on inside is interfacing. All raw edges are serged out of laziness. Probably should have been bias bound. 

Finished top with sleeves in natural light. Very happy with results. In the end, it wasn't too difficult to finish. It was important to read the instructions and make notes on the pattern pieces. Trials in muslin are necessary to teach oneself how to understand the pattern. It was a personal choice to omit a step or two, and the instructions do not appear to be 100% complete. Definitely going to make this again though.
Thought a lot about McQueen while making this. Is it part of the mourning process? Thought: the world doesn't get to experience anything new from the man. It's over. Everything he had to offer is already out there. That said, his work is for the wealthy few. Take what you can and keep learning and pushing forward.

Issey Miyake for Vogue Patterns

Getting excited over vintage designer patterns for Vogue. Looking at Issey Miyake... trying to decide which ones to hunt for. Current top five picks: 1836, 2449, 2687, 1736, 1875

Bonus: the original Issey Miyake blazer on etsy: http://www.etsy.com/listing/89439656/issey-miyake-striped-blazer-coat-black

McQueen Kimono Top Progress

First trial process in muslin. Sorting out instructions and pattern markings. Xing out unnecessary markings (less to thread baste on final pieces). Orange shaded area for interfacing (gives stability to folds). Blue dashed lines for fabric pattern matching. Added pattern piece "front flounce" to slash in extra fullness over upper hips. Modified fit is somewhere between US 6 and 8. All original markings transferred to muslin and lines are drawn in. Life is much easier.

 

McQueen Kimono Top Pattern

from Alexander McQueen Fall/Winter 2003 "Scanners"


In this instance, the most barren of sets – an ice and rubble-strewn wasteland as seen from above – only serves to emphasise the opulence and strength of the clothes. These mix tradition with modernity - from fourteenth and fifteenth century samurai armour to Manga cartoons – as McQueen’s displaced travellers journey from Siberia over the Russian tundra, through Tibet before finally reaching the land of the rising sun. If the backdrop serves as a reflection of the instability of our times, the clothes are the ultimate modern-day armour. Over-sized hooded fur-trimmed jackets belted tightly at the waist and worn with voluminous skirts, an A-line metal slatted skirt teamed with 1950s cut wool jacket and black bandage dresses finished with gleaming gold zips. High above the audience a model walks through a wind-tunnel in a white embroidered kimono with a huge, billowing train.


Watch the video: here.





Pattern available for free on SHOWstudio:
http://showstudio.com/project/design_download_alexander_mcqueen



Another person's completed design:
http://www.burdastyle.com/projects/alexander-mcqueens-kimono-blouse?image=24659

 

This is finally getting made by yours truly. It's been far too long.