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Understanding Dress Form From Top Designers' Perspectives

Posted: Sunday, July 21, 2013

By Kathy Amarati


Let's very briefly consider the way some of our successful designers started on their careers with dress form.

Charles Frederick Worth - left England as a penniless draper's assistant. Worked for a Parisian dressmaker until his designs began to attract attention and his design and dress form originality became too daring for his employer. At this stage he set himself up as a couturier and thus started an industry that even now endures. His son Jean Phillippe Worth studied with Co rot and later worked for his father. He set the dress form for all the costumes of his close friend and great actress - Eleanora Duse.

Poiret - as a child was apprenticed to an umbrella maker. Later worked for Worth. Designing for the stage brought him his first success. He was known for his love of romantic, brilliant colors in dress form and for his predictions and promotion of bobbed hair, short skirts, and the trouser skirt.

Paquin - set the vogue for fur trimmings in dress form.

Molyneux - An Irishman who found fame in Paris. After working for another firm set up his own shop. His designs were known for social distinction in dress form rather than artistic genius.

Lucien Lelong - used his exceptional sense of publicity. Under his name and direction the work of many designers achieved distinction.

Chanel - started as a milliner - persuaded by friends to do dress designing. Known for straight line well constructed dress form with simple design and no meaningless ornamentation. Though she denied being "arty" she backed the Russian Ballet at its beginning, and among her friends were Picasso, Cocteau, Stravinsky, etc.

Lanvin - began her career through the urging of people who admired the design and dress form she created for her own daughter. Known for superb technique, sense of dramatic, and regal style, of her adaptations which made up for the lack of original innovations in dress form.

Patou - was a great and witty showman who was willing to take chances. He restored the natural waistline and longer skirts in dress form. Designed for many actresses for the publicity value. Enjoyed commenting on anything that came to mind for the benefit of the press. His openings were always gala and smart functions flowing with champagne and stuffed with canapes. Known for the new colors and shades in dress form he launched each season.

Augusta Bernard - began her fashion career as a copyist. Known for perfection of technique and beauty of design which were not practical for mass production because of elegant workmanship and expensive materials.

Schiapparelli - owned and operated a small sweater shop in Paris before she got her start in fashions. Known for "Italian prodigality of ideas" and her starkly simple and highly stylized dress form based on bold, sharp, square lines which, though not pretty, were magnificent.

Dior - became internationally famous when he jolted the fashion world by dropping the hemline from the 2nd World War above the knee status down almost to the ankles.

Carnegie - began as a milliner, later had a dress shop. Known for excellent ability to anticipate fashion trends in women's wear.

Jesse Franklin Turner - painter and sculptor. Began fashion career with Bonwit Teller, later had her own shop. World-wide traveler in search of unusual fabrics and ideas. Known for originality and timeless elegance in dress form independent of current fashion.

Elizabeth Hawes - sold original children's designs at the age of 12, later worked for Bergdorf Goodman. Had art school training. Did fashion reporting from Paris and worked as designer for a minor Parisian house. Opened her own shop in New York and followed Parisian custom by running exclusive openings.

Bernard Newman - studied painting at Art Students League. Worked at sketching fashions and dressing Fifth Avenue Windows. In answer to his critical attitude toward fashions with which he worked in this capacity was challenged to do better - and so began his career of fashion designing for Bergdorf Goodman.

Sophie Gimble - designed for amateur theatricals. Today directs the designing studio for one of New York's high fashion stores in dress design and form.

California designers among whom Adrian, Banton, Cassini, Greer, and Irene must be mentioned as style leaders, have all worked for the various motion picture companies. When you consider the time lapse between picture production and release, you begin to realize how important it is for the designer to anticipate style trends in advance.

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