Collection development

My main source of inspiration for my 15 piece collection is based around the characteristics of the straitjacket and prison confinement, in terms of texture, colour pallet and finishes.


Alexander Wang's Spring/ Summer 2011 collection has an 'under construction' vibe as he describes it, and is also influenced by psych wards. I find this collection quite refreshing with not an inch of black in sight. You can see the influence of the straitjacket emerging in the crisp wrap-around lapels and kimono style vests and jackets. I really like the loose fitting, low waisted dresses and jumpsuits, which gives it a relaxed look. The colours are minimalist with only a few highlight colours, which is what I would like to do in my collection.



















Another person that has used the straitjacket as their inspiration is American designer Jeremy Scott. This is his straitjacket wedding dress for his spring collection. Even though it's quite comical, I really like the fastenings at the front of the dress as a design feature.

Second toile



I have decided to keep the back opening very streamline and simple to relate to my theme of confinement and straitjackets. I think that with the lapel strips, it would be too busy if I put an actual lapel shape at the opening.




This is where the collar is attatched to.







This is Danielle, who will be wearing the garment for assessment. After working out a shape that works best, I cut half the original toile up and traced them onto paper to produce proper patterns. This is the second toile I made from the original toile that I traced off and fixed up.



The collar/ lapel acts as the core design feature, being able to be crossed over and tied at the front. A simple and easy solution to fasten the back opening would be hook and eyes placed at the top CB and possibly one at the waist. I don't want to put too many hook and eyes as I like the fact that it opens slightly showing your back.

The lapel strip can be either tied at the front, similar to a Kimono, pulled through the front jet pockets or wrapped around the neck to act as a scarf.

Project Response

This studio project explores and demonstrates several aspects of the constraining straitjacket whilst relating them back to the tailored jacket. I took the straitjacket as the initial concept; the rawness of the material and the primitiveness of its appearance, and through my personal transitional process adapted selected features. One of the key elements of the straitjacket that instantly appealed to me was the notion of ‘reversing’. Through design and toiling, I explored the concept of reversing in terms of technical ‘front’ and technical ‘back’, whilst also considering the possibility of functions that can be reversed such as pockets and lapels.

The sleeves of a straitjacket are typically sewn at the ends to restrain the use of the hands, the arms are then folded across the front and fastened behind the back where friction buckles are used to fasten the opening at the back. Various aspects of these features have been subtly incorporated into the fifteen-piece collection. However, the primary experimental jacket has simply focused on the element of ‘reversing’, having the opening and front features such as the lapel, at the technical back of the jacket.
Another key stimulation that inspired the design of my experimental jacket, is this
1950’s Balenciaga dress.

A true fashion innovator, Cristobal Balenciaga radically altered the fashionable silhouette of women in the mid-twentieth century. With the methodical skill of an expert tailor, he created garments of fluidity and grace. Unlike many couturiers, Balenciaga was able to drape, cut, and fit his own muslin patterns, known as toiles. He was respected throughout the fashion world for both his knowledge of technique and construction, and his unflinching perfectionism.

Source: Cristobal Balenciaga (1895–1972) Thematic Essay Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History The Metropolitan Museum of Art
I found this tubular, calf-length day dress by Balenciaga appealing as the collar appears to recede down the back of the garment, making an interesting feature that could be taken further. The wide, bias-cut, stand-away collar creates a relaxed look that floats over the neck, and rolls towards, and down the back. This image of the 1950’s day-dress inspired me to focus on and extract the lapel, making it the core design feature of my experimental jacket, which extends over the shoulders, draping down the back, and have the ability to be crossed over, looped and tied at the front.

To begin my toile exploration, I decided to use the block of the tailored jacket and eliminate the opening, the collar and lapel from the front block, replacing them with a seam at the centre front. On the back bock I left the centre back open to allow for a lapel. To generate the collar and lapel that I am after, I cut a strip of calico and attached it to the neckline, slash and opening it to produce the right shape. The finished result of the toile is still a work in progress, yet I am content with the shape I am achieving through working on the stand, as opposed to 2-dimensional patterns.

The collection is a simple, yet sophisticated range of attire that plays on the characteristics of the straitjacket and ‘reversing’; having features that would usually be on the back, on the front, and vice-versa. The basic elements of these garments such as lapels, pockets, openings and vents, have been altered and somewhat simplified to replicate the qualities of the straitjacket and what it represents.

The fabrics for this Spring/Summer collection are light, crisp and loosely constructed. Some of the core fabrics that are used in this collection is linen, cotton and a linen/ viscose blend that are in understated colours such as nude, soft greys and pale washed out pinks to reflect the mundane life of prison confinement. On the other hand, this colour palette creates a soft yet crisp look that accentuates the construction of the garments as opposed to a bright, bold colour, which may take away from the subtle design features.

Overall, this collection succeeds in turning the crude and rudimentary into tailored and elegant. The superficial elements of this collection were in reversing selected features and to some extent simplifying the construction of the garments. The experimental toile in particular, allows the wearer to be intrigued and wear the garment in alternative non-traditional ways. The colour palette and fabric choice was influenced by the overall vibe of the prison experience, limiting it only to nudes, soft greys and washed-out tones. The textural qualities of the collection are established through the fabrics. The ‘blank’ canvas-like fabrics reflect the blandness of the straitjacket.

Drafting the toile on the stand

To begin my toile exploration, I decided to use the block of the tailored jacket and eliminate the opening, the collar and lapel from the front block, replacing them with a seam at the centre front. On the back bock I left the centre back open to allow for a lapel.

To generate the collar and lapel that I am after, I cut a strip of calico and attached it to the neckline, slash and opening it to produce the right shape. The finished result of the toile is still a work in progress, yet I am content with the shape I am achieving through working on the stand, as opposed to 2-dimensional patterns.
Slash and opening on the neckline: Firstly I marked in where I wanted to slash and open from, I then cut straight onto the strip of calico then sewed in small rectangular pieces of fabric to fill in the slash and open lines.













This is the back view of my toile. The shape it is creating is looking a lot like an oversized lapel, which could be interesting to have at the back opening.











The darts and pockets are left the same as the original block. I want to keep the front as simple as possible.








It's starting to form a nice shape, but I will have to trim a lot back from the collar strip.


The collar will only be attatched until the back neck, then will reciede down the back of the body.