Embellishment and Embroidery Placement 3 Months

June 3^rd to August 23^rd 2019

About her and the business 

Suzie is as couture designer hand crafting elaborate gowns all bespoke and individual, her designing shows the vast creative freedom she has without boundaries such as budget. The type of clientele who wear her garments are very lucrative and confidential, when I arrived I had the privilege to over see the production of a gown for Tiffany Trump. This was a silk organza dress with a clinched corset and embellished hand made feather flowers encrusted with Swarovski crystal centres trailing down. (see below) 

              

                                                  

Designing process & pieces I worked on 

Commission pieces go through many sample stages which I helped come up  with different designs for each embellishment pattern, how clustered or 'peppered' (dispersed) they are and the placing. Then embroidary as to what shapes will be over the dress and what colour yarns are best for each fabric will it need shading with other yarns and how far it's repeated over the gown. After practising this you move on the final couture piece and hand sew each detail with precision and high quality materials. She constantly asks your opinion on details and shapes of each dress and how you'd do it differently so you are very involved. Below are some pieces i working on and help brain storm ideas to develop it further.    

  

                     

                                   
         

For press pieces or garments she wants on her website for customers to view, you have more free-rein so we can experiment and come up with my own beading patterns and colour combinations for example she had a range of Chantilly Lace in grey, whites and greens and I came up with crystal combinations on each fabric which then developed into a dress which as a team we finalised the lining and overall placement which was then hand made. 

                                                                                                                                 

I have also helped tacking pattern pieces such a chule for wedding dresses as its such a delicate fabric you have sew notch marks and sew lines. Other hand sewing techniques like finishing off hems using cross stitch preparing the fabric and steaming, sewing on fastenings, hand sewing button holes and also checking garments for any snags or parts that may need mending which you fix.      

                                                   

She also arrange for us a private viewing at the V&A archives where we could see historic couture dresses dating back from the 60th century and how all the finishes internal sections and details are looked upon for inspiration now. It was interesting to see how each garment internal views looked like to see what techniques they used and how these skills are still used now in couture garments. It as also useful to gain new shape and material research to help influence our ideas for future work.