Arts Thread

This project is inspired by a scene in The Silence of the Lambs in which Hannibal Lecter is completely restrained by a straight jacket, but is still the most powerful person in the room. The goal was to show that dichotomy of restraint/power through the use of innovative pattern cutting techniques. The straight jacket and bondage soon became the main inspirations I pulled from. I also developed a print for my collection, the concept behind the print was to see what it would look like if someone was covered in paint and restrained, while thrashing around on a piece of fabric. So I tied up a friend of mine using bondage knotting techniques, covered her in black paint, and had her roll around on a piece of muslin. Images from this process later became the photographic screen prints used on my garments. I wanted to show my deep appreciation for the craft of the modelist in this collection. Thus, the development of happened almost entirely on the dress form, draping rough ideas of a design and then resolving it through pattern cutting. I also pulled some inspiration from a pattern cutting technique used in a F/W 1995 Comme des Garçons collection in which the armhole encompasses almost the entire bodice, resulting in an unusual sleeve silhouette. The result is a cohesive, six look collection that explores restraint vs. power, through the use of restrictive clothing and underlines my craftsmanship and love for sewing, draping, and patterning.