Decadence: The Shape of Fashion

The silhouette of the garment is perhaps one of the most important parts of creating a piece. It’s the first thing to be seen, judged, and cause a response. Creating new silhouettes can be tedious; however, building on shapes seen in the past to create new approaches of proportioning the body can be a place to start. Inspired by the 16th and 19th centuries the collection is reminiscent of the time period. Taking the female body and exaggerated certain aspects has been in play for centuries. The hips, bust, bum, and shoulders are all points of focus when it comes to creating a strong silhouette. By taking age old techniques and extending them to create overstated points of focus, new proportions for the body can be created. Taking traditional ideas of boned bodices and hoop skirts one can create innovative looks that can be manipulated by the wearer. One of the main directions is being able to give the wearer the ability to “design” the garment in a sense. This can be achieved by creating looks that when interacted with the silhouette of the garments change to take on a new shape. Another aspect of the collection is bringing in the neoclassical and baroque architecture characteristics to adorn the body in physical sculptures. The right materials can be manipulated into pieces that resemble marble sculptures to be put on the garments. The point is to make each piece a masterpiece of decadence.