2 Design

Once your research has been col lated, you can start on the design.
But t here is nothi ng more intimidating than a blank page. The process can
be very frustrat ing; even when the designs start to come toget her, it can take
a whi le before any of them are very satisfactory. Thi s is a natural part of the
design process. Many early designs are thrown away-and you might even
begin to question your abi lities . Don't pan icl lt takes time to hit your stride,
and after sweating a wh ile over t he page, better ideas w ill start to emerge.
Exp lore every possibility that co mes to mi nd and discard nothi ng at t his
stage . You might discover the potential of an idea later on w hen you look
back over your init ial designs.
Thi s chapter wi ll di scuss the basic ingredients needed when design ing
cloth es an d then different methods of re ndering and presenti ng your
ideas in 2D .
 1 Research
'- 2 Design Design identity Cr
3 Fabncs and techmques Ideal bodies >
4 Construction
5 Developing a collection

Design identity
A garment design needs three basic
ingredients:
: ;,;.
,,,
.
V)

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~

1. silhouette, proportion, and line.

V1
..,.

1
2. detail. ~

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3. fabric, color, and textu re. ~
Silhouette refers to the basic shape of the
garment or outfü: its overall shape, how the
. ~

'-. )

body is broken up in "parts" using line, and \'. \)

how these "parts" balance against each other

(proportion). Details give the garment focus,
Anish, and interest. Clothes are obviously
10' f/r -i S
'-
/JL
made of fabric, and ali fabric has color 9

and texture. j t :t'-1-

( -:;J
A designer's identity or style comes with
time, but the clothes themselves also need
an identity, or need to form part of a vision,
in order to stand apart from the competition.
For example, while Chanel's identity is
far-reaching and stays on track over many
seasons, the identity of a collection of clothes
may be based on.the use of silhouette;
proportion; and line, detail, or fabric for a t:
single season.
Certain elements should run through the
.is re"
l--¡
~
:--
~~
+ {,."mr.r
< --1

'~
designs to give them coherence . lt could ....._____
be where an armhole is cut, the placement l
of a seam on the body in a particular way,
ora method of Anishing the fabric. lf these
11l. ¡~
elements tie in strongly with your theme to ~
work as a "whole," you are on your way to
making a real statement with your designs.

•$

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-...
I

Kt;
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1
,.; 1
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/ '

"Fashion is very important. lt is life- 1-2 A coherent collection

These design drawings are
enhancing and, like everything that ali from the same collection.
gives pleasure, it is wort h doing well ." Silhouettes, details and
fabrics are repeated
Vivienne Westwood throughout to give the
collection coherence.

38 The Fundamentals of Fashion Design 39

 Research
' Des1gn identity
2 Design
Ideal bodies
3 Fabrics and techrnques
Stlhouette >
4 Const ruct1on

• 5 Develop1ng a collection

Ideal bodies
Historically, fashionable clothing was designed
to enhance and idealize the natural silhouette
of the female form by exaggerating certain
parts of the body to create an "hourglass"
silhouette. The "ideal" body shape continues
to be based on an "hourglass" today; however,
most clothes follow the line of the body
itself, and the fashionable silhouette is less
enhanced than it was befare. This is partly
because it is easier than ever to forego aids
su ch as the corset or bustle and to alter the
body itself by living a healthy lifestyle or
making use of cosmetic surgery. But the
evolution of the silhouette also relates to
changing social and cultural trends.

Nip and tuck

The corset, as we know it, has been worn by
women-and men-since the early part of
the sixteenth century. Since that time, various
contraptions have been added to corsets to
exaggerate the hips and buttocks in different
ways. Petticoats, farthingales, panniers,
crinolines, and bustles are all devices that
have been fashionable at different times in
the past 500 years and used to accentuate the
shapeliness of the human body, as well as to
project a shifting ideal of the female and
male forms.

Hourglass silhouette Corsets and bustles

These examples show off Examples of corsets and
typica l ideal ized Victorian hooped skirts with bustles
hourglass figures. that are designed to
exaggerate the buttocks .

40 The Fundamentals of Fashion Design

The Fundamentals of Fashion Design 41
 1 Research
\J 2 Design
Fabrics and techniques
4 Construction
5 Developing a collection
3 1!150s
A Christian Dior day dress
from 1955 displaying
the silhouette Dior first
developed with his "New
Look" collection; sloping
shoulders, a narrow waist
anda full skirt.
42 The Fundamentals of Fashion Design
Changing shapes
Dior's "New Look" collection of 1947 was
created in response to the sparing use of
fabrics that occurred as a result of rationing
during the war years and involved a conscious
fe minization of the fe mal e form. lt was defined
by the generous use of luxurious fabrics and
an accentuated wasp-waisted silhouette with
widely flared skirts over padded hips, and its
influence endured throughout the 1950s.
Corsets have also affected the shape of the
chest, from the cleavage of the eighteenth and
nineteenth centuries through to the mono-
bosom of the early twentieth century. The
supported chest reached a climax with the
torpedo-like girdles and bras ofthe late 1940s
and 1950s, revived and refigured in Jean Paul
Gaultier's signature bra tops of the early 1990s.
In t he 1920s and later in the 1960s,
fashionable women adopted a radical
silhouette that subverted the hourglass form.
The 1920s si lhouette was less constrained
than what had preceded it-although,
perversely, curvier women were required to
artificially flatten their bodies with tube-
like bandeaux in arder to fit with the times.
4 innovations and the development of sports
4 1!160s
The model Jean Shrimpton
in a typical 1960s dress by
Mary Quant.
5 1!120s
< Des1gn identity
Ideal bodies
Silhouette >
The 1960s silhouette went hand-in-hand
with the trend for a more boyish look .
Fashionable women wore their hair short and,
if they were lucky, already had flat chests,
narrow shoulders, and hips, which naturally
complemented miniskirts and dresses.
Another example of an enhanced silhouette
that was hugely popular in the 1980s and
1990s, as well as more recently in the late
2000s, was the use of exaggerated shoulder
pads in what became known in the 1990s as
"power dressing." The exaggerated shape
became synonymous with strength, authority,
and the excesses of capitalism. The large pads
allowed unstructured garments to hang from
them, but as garments became more fitted, t he
triangulation became more extreme. Giorgio
Armani was a designer heavily associated
with this look, as was Christophe Decarnin
for French fashion house Balmain in the late
2000s. His use of the strong-shouldered
si lhouette was here combined with a more
body-conscious form, often worn with skinny
trousers or Jeans.
Today's silhouette is much more subtle
than it has been historically. Factors such as
technology, lifestyle, and environment impact
how we choose to dress and, therefore,
directly affect the silhouette. Technological
fabrics mean that we wear more sportswear,
or athleisure clothing, as casual wear. The
technology used to manufacture cloth ing also
informs the types of clothes being made. For
example, sportswear can be highly technical
to manufacture, but the garment shapes
are often simple and relaxed in terms of
silhouette. Active lifestyles and social customs
mean that it can be acceptable to show more
flesh, and in terms of the environment, we live
in warmer houses and this also affects
clothing choices.
A fashion illustration from
the 1920s showing a typica l
straight up-and-down
silhouette from the time.
The Fundamentals of Fashion Design 43 •
 ' Ideal bodies
1 Research Silhouette
2 Design
Fabrics and techrnques
4 Construct1on

• 5 Developing a collection

Silhouette
Our first impression of an outfit when it
emerges on the catwalk is created by its
silhouette, which means that we look at its
overall shape before we interrogate the detail,
fabric, or texture of the garment.
Silhouette is a fundamental consideration in
your design decision making. Which parts
of the body do you want to emphasize and
why7 A full skirt will draw attention to the
waist, forming an arrow shape between
waist and hem. Wide shoulders produce the
same result and can also make the hips look
narrower. The waist itself does not have to
be fixed as it is anatomically placed. lt can be
displaced through curved si de seams or the
raising or lowering of a horizontal (waist) line.
The silhouette can also be affected by using
fabric to create volume around the body or by
making it clase-fitting to accentuate it.
Choosing the size of a shoulder pad or
where the waist is to be accentuated may
seem like small decisions to make, but these
subtle choices about silhouette give your
clothes a unifying identity and stop them
from becoming generic shapes. For example ,
Alexander McQueen's early collections in the
1990s suggested strong female sexuality and
power through severe, close-fitted tailoring
and shoulder pads that formed right angles to
the neck. Ata time when other designers were
avoiding excessive shoulder pads because
of their connotations with the 1980s and
early 1990s, McQueen's shoulder line was
aggressive and bold.

2 Vetements
Vetements
This jacket by Vetements
This outfit by Vetements
for the Autumn/Winter
for their Autu mn/Winter
2016-17 collection uses
2016-17 collection ·uses
shoulder pads to create
narrow shoulder pads to
an exaggerated curved
raise the shoulder, giving
shou lder line, wh ich
the silhouette a hunched
strongly reinforces the
ap pearance .
silhouette.

44 The Fundamentals of Fashion Design

 1 Research < Ideal bodies
--(~ 2 Design Silhouette
Fabrics and techn1ques Proportion and line ">
4 Construction
5 Developing a collection

The sculptural silhouette

Choosing the subtleties of sil houette and
cut is essential , but sorne designers choose
to make bolder statement s by working
far more sculpturally on the body. Le igh
Bowery was an Australian designer and
performance arti st who died in 1994. He
appeared to be completely unconcerned
with convention or perceptions of taste,
possibly because he never t rained formal ly
in fashion design. Bowery constant ly
experimented w ith his own silhouette,
augmenting and constricting it, using
bon ing, padding, and even gaffer tape.
He even displaced his own flesh (hence
the gaffer tape) so t hat the line between
(temporary) body modification and
clot hing became blurred. Leigh explained
"Because l'm chu bby, 1 can pleat the flesh
across my chest and hold it in place with
heavy-grade gaffer tape. Then, by wearing
a specially constructed, under-padded bra,
1 create the impression of a heaving bosom
with a six-inch cleavage."
The clothes would often fit because
he altered t he shape of his own
body. Bowery's body was capáb le of
innumerable shapes and forms . "The idea
of transforming oneself gives courage and
vigour lt reduces the absurd ity; you can
do anything dressed like th is. 1 want to
disturb, entertain and stimulate. lt's more
about sil houette alteration than restriction,
though 1 do like that frisson of sexual
danger. 1 li ke to think that 1 reform rather
than deform the body," he went on
to explain.
(Leigh Bow ery: Th e Life and Times of an /con ,
Sue Tilley)

3-4 Leigh Bowery

A ustrali an performance
artist, fashion design er
and icon, Leigh Bowery .

46 The Fundamentals of Fashion Design

•
 1 Research ' Ideal bod1es
2 Design Silhouette
3 Fabncs and tec hrnques Proport1on and line '
4 Construction
-
• 5 Developmg a collectlon

Parodying the silhouette

For the Comme des Gan;:ons "Body Meets
Dress, Dress Meets Body" Spring/Summer
1997 collecti on, down pads were sewn into
dresses in irregular places, creat ing a new
silhouette and challenging preconceptions
of the body and conventions of beauty by
making the wearer look ill -proportioned
and deformed
Dutch designers Viktor & Rolf also explore t he
sculptural potential of silhouette. Their clot hes
often parody recognizabl e forms, historical
references, and trad iti onal haute couture- but
with fresh vision and humor. Scale and volume
are taken to extremes, and in so doing, they
display their mastery ove r construction and
tailoring andan understanding of the symbolic
10 11
value of clothing.

6-14 Viktor & Rolf

Viktor & Rolf. Haute
Couture Autumn/Winter
1999-2000 collection ,
Fi rst, Second, Third,
Fourth, Fifth , Sixth ,
13 14 Seventh, Eighth, and
Final Preparation. This
series of ni ne outfits by
Dutch designers Vikto r &
Rolf was inspired in part
by Russian matryoshka
dolls. The smallest outfit
was shown on a model
and then the next outfit
was fttted o ver the top .
This continued until the
model was wearing ni ne
outfits, one on top of t he
Comme des Gar~ons other, with each garment
Dress by Comme des augmenting the silhouette
Garco ns for t he ir "Body of the previous outftt.
Meets Dress, Dress Meets
Body" Spring/S ummer
1997 collection featuring
down pads.

48 The Fundamentals of Fashion Design The Fundamentals of Fashion Design 49

 1 Research
'Silhouette
() 2 Design
Pro portion and li ne
3 Fabncs and techniques
Deta1I '>
4 Construction
• 5 Developing a collect1on

Proportion and line

The proportions of a garment develop from
the silhouette. lf the silhouette is the overall
shape of the garment. then proportion is how
t he body is divided up either through lines
(horizontal. vertical. diagonal. or curved) or
with blocks of color or fabric.
Every time we shop for clothes or get dressed,
we are playing with the perceptions of our
own proportions: what flatters our bodies and
makes us fashionable. How and where we
break up our bodies with horizontal hemlines.
trouser widths, necklines, and the position and
emphasis of the waist depends on what flatters
us, which can also be informed by what we
perceive asan "ideal body"
The line of the garment generally refers to The line and proportion of your designs are
its cut , where seams and darts are placed critica!, but it is often not until the clothes have
on the body and the effect that they have been realized, either as a toile (see page 142)
visually. Confusingly, sorne designers w ill refer General rules of
or in real fabrics, and they are on a body that
to the line of a garment w hen they actually they can be assessed in terms of their success.
proporti on and line
mean its silhouette . The important thing to Vertical lines lengthen
remember about any lines that are created on the body.
clothes is that they must be judged visually
Horizontal lines
and balanced against each other as well as
emphasize width.
against any other nearby details-for example,
openings, necklines, and pockets Straight lines are perceived
to be hard and masculine.
Curved lines are considered
to be soft and feminine.
Seams and darts are not
standard and can be moved
around the body.

1 Louis Vuitton Autumn/ Garments can be of any length,

Winter 2016-17 creating horizontal lines across
The curved lines and the body.
co ntrast panels on this
sweater sli m the body but Layers of clothing create
wide n the shoulder.
multiple lines.

2 Louis Vuitton • -
Autumn / Winter Giambattista Valli
2016- 17 Autumn/ Winter 2016-1 7
The boxy cropped jacket This pleated dress uses black
contrasts the fttted lin es to draw attention to the
waist, exaggerating the waist and hi ps . dividing the
proportions of both. body into sections.

50 The Fundamentals of Fashion Desig n

The Fundamentals of Fas hion Design 51
 1 Research
r¡ 2 Design
3 Fabrics and techn 1ques
4 Construction
• Develop1ng a collect1on
Detail
An outfit can have a dramatic silhouette and
good line, but without great detailing it can
appear amateur and unresolved. Outfits that
lack detail can survive on the catwalk, but
will not bear clase scrutiny-for example, on
the rail in a shop. Detail s in clothes are often
the clincher when it comes to persuading
someone to part with their money. Detailing
is particularly important in menswear, where
outlandish silhouette, line, fabric, and pattern
are generally off-putting to what is a largely
conservative clientele.
52 The Fundamentals of Fashion Design
Details are practica! considerations: which
fastening to choose, which type of pocket
to have, and how much top-stitching to use.
Clever use of detail can also be used to give
a collection of clothes a unique identity or
signature; cutting a pocket in a particular
way, using an embelli shment in one area of a
garment, or the finishing of an edge can help
to differentiate the garments of one designer
from those of another.
Magician Coat
Shoulder detail of Magician
Coat designed by Boudicca
for the Autumn/Win ter
2005 collection. The line of
the fringed circ/e gives the
effect of epaul ettes .
"Pocket One" jacket and
"Explode Pocket" shirt
Designed by Boud icca for
the Autumn/Winter 2005
collection. The shirt has
an "exploding" collar, and
both shirt and jacket have
suspended pockets.
' Proportion and lme
Detail
Fabric, color and texture ">
Thinking about pocket types and fastenings
might seem a little mundane, but choosing
these things doesn't have to be like shopping
for items from a catalog. Although a pocket,
for example, has a generic function and the
concept is fixed, it doesn't mean that it needs
to be conceived in a form ulaic way. There are
rules about how certain pockets are made and
how these should look, but these notions can
(and shou ld) be distorted and reinvented.
Fash ion rules are made to be broken, after ali.
Christopher Kane
This coat by Christopher
Kane for the Autumn/
Winter 2016-17 col/ection
has an embellishment
detail purposefully made
to look like stap/es.
The Fundamentals of Fashion Design 53
 Research
Proportion and line
Design
Detail
3 Fabncs and techn 1ques
Fabric , color and texture ...
4 Construction
• 5 Developing a collect1on

Pockets 6 Collars
Pockets are functional and essential in certain A collar is the part of a garment that fastens
types of garment, particularly in menswear. around or frames the neck or neckline. In
There are several different types of pocket terms of construction, a collar often folds back
that are associated with different types of on itself and can be made from one or severa!
garment- for example, a Jeans pocket or the pattern pieces Collars often rise up the neck,
pockets found on the legs of cargo pants. but sorne collars- for example, a peter pan
Other types of pocket include jetted pocket, collar- lie flat to the shoulder. Revers collars
welt pocket. patch pocket. ora pocket or tuxedo collars are often found on tailored
concealed in the si de seam of a garment. jackets and can vary in shape and proportion
from design to design.
A jetted pocket is constructed by cutting the
' opening of the pocket through the garment A revers or rever collar is when the fabric is
t ·~·'
¡,:~: .
<>
... <?
1.: ;J
<·\
,,
and then binding the edges. A pocket bag is folded back to show the reverse, or facing,
of the fabric on the outside of the garment.
.:, . attached to the back of the garment.
J
e;, "~ ~ 1( A tuxedo collar often appears on a formal , or
' A welt pocket is similar in construction to the
! ~ .~ '. dress , suit formen. lts main characteristic is
,, , .,' jetted pocket. An extended flap is stitched
',,. . ., ,," ' onto the bottom edge of the pocket opening
that the rever collar is in a contrasting satin
;> fabric to the fabric of the rest of the jacket.
,.} ., (.
and stitched down at the si des and to cover
e.I"
.-;
the opening.

A patch pocket is made of a separate piece of

fabric sewn on to the outside of a garment.
lt is necessary to be specific about which
pockets you will use on your designs because
each pocket has a different look and will affect
the style of your design.

Fastenings
A fastening is a detail that el oses or secures 4 Balmain
a garment. such as a zip, buttons, Velero, Bal main garments are laden
press studs (snap fastener) . or hooks and with detai l. This top from
Autum n/Wi nter 201 6-17
eyes. An obvious place for a fastening is at the uses a lacing faste ning
center front (for example , a jacket or coat) or as a decorative as we ll as
center back of a garment (such as a dress), practica! detail.
but garment openings can also be in side or
shoulder seams, using a fastening for closure. \11-- - - -· 6 Alexander McQueen
A fastening might also be a part of a pocket. A n asymmet ric coll ar on
5 Marni
Fastenings are functional but can also a jacket for the Alexande r
Pocket detail from Marni McQue en Autumn/Win te r
be decorative .
Autumn/Winter 2016-17. 2016-1 7 collection.

54 The Fundamentals of Fashion Design

The Fundamentals of Fashion Design 55 •
 1 Research
2 Design
Fabncs and techniques
4 Construction
• 5 Develop1ng a collect1on
Fabric, color and texture
You must underst and the different varieties
and qualiti es of fabric befare you can apply
them to a design. lf t he fabric is already in
front of you. th en knowing what you can
design w it h it is paramount. For example,
chiffon won't make a t ailored jacket as well
as wi ll a wool fab ric, and leather wil l not drape
as well as will a fabric cut on the bias (across
the grain) .
Fabric cho ices are often dictated by your
theme and season. You r theme may suggest
a mood or co lor palette that can then be
interpreted into fab ric. The season that you
are designing for often directs the weights
and, to a degree, the textures that you w ill
work with. Lighter fabrics tend to be used
more in Spring/Summer co ll ections. and
heavier fabrics, suitable for outerwear, tend to
be used more for Autumn/Winter. Season can
also influence colo r. Lighter colors are often
used more in Spring/Summer as are darker
tones in Autum,n/Winter, but thi s is nota firm
rule. The notion of seasonal collection is also
changing. Designers are th inking much more
globally, and different territories have different
seasons (and at different t imes), so the
difference between a Spring/Summer and
Autumn/Winter co llection is not so extreme or
apparent as it used to be . General ly, however,
the feel and drape of a fabric will gu ide you as
to what type of garment you can make w it h
it- and this fam iliarity w il l buy you experience.
"I try to draw from day to day.
Th ings 1find and th ings 1see ...
l'm trying to define a style that
has not hing to do with fash ion;
it's more about ind ividuality."
Alexander McQueen
56 The Fundamentals of Fashion Design
... Deta1I
Fabric, color and texture
Rendenng your ideas ~
The way in wh ich you choose to adopt co lor 2 Proenza Schouler
is generally an issue of pe rsonal taste, and This outfit by Proenza
Schouler Autumn/Winter
there are few rules, although sorne colo r 2016-17 uses a vari ety
comb inations shou ld generall y be avoided. of text ures including
Red and black together can look cl ichéd shearling , PVC, and
knitwear.
(t hough McQueen would often put the t wo
toget her masterfully). Trad itionall y, black and
navy would not be worn together, but th is
is no longer a hard-and-fast rule. Too many
pri mary colors can look garish or cheap .
tho ugh in the right hands, it can work, often
by complement ing them with a more subdued
color. Sorne co lors don't wo rk well next to
certain skin tones. Beige and other "flesh "
tones can make skin look pink or red . Using
a small amount of a color as a highli ght or
accent when contrasted wit h other co lors can
have a st ronger impact than by using large
blocks of competing color. W hen developing a
palette of colors , it is important to consider the
proportional use of each color.
1 Chanel
This outfit from Chane!
Autumn/W inter 2016-17
color blocks th e body wit h
the baby pin k wool tweed.
57 ..
 1 Research < Detall
( ' 2 Design Fabric, color and texture
3 Fabncs and techniques Rendenng your ideas >
4 Con struct1on
• 5 Developing a collect1on

4-6 Fabrics
Colors and seasons
T hese are init ial ranges
Each season tends to highlight specifk of fabrics th at have been
fashionable colors. Trend forecasters predict gathered in sketchbooks.
T he range ex plores a
wh ich co lors wil l be prevalent by analyzing variety of fabrics, colors
catwalk shows and creating an overview of and t extures .
that season's most popular colors . However,
it is important to note that ready-to-wear and
haute couture designers pay little attention to
color trends; they set trends rather than follow
them. Color trends are more relevant for high-
street retailers and those w ho supply them.
Sorne colors are enduring. Black tends to be
constantly in fashion because it is slimming
and can easily be worn with other colors.
Certain co lor palettes become synonymous
with certain designers. For example, Rick
Owens and Ann Demeulemeester typically
use blacks, greys, muted colors, and neutrals
in their col lections. Designers also make use of
certain patterns as part of their signature. Paul
Smith has become associated with a certain
candy-stripe pattern, and Missoni is known
for its knitted zigzag. The choice of which
colors to use is personal and subjective; not
all color comb inations appeal to all people.
You can learn a lot from look ing at how
designers use color within their collections;
consider proportions and blocks of colors,
combinations t hat appeal, and how (colorful)
pattern can be used .
When developing your own set of colors (a
color palette) to use in your designs, it will be
important to reflect on your original so urces of
inspiration (research) for the direction.
3 Versace You should endeavor to develop a range
Stark cont rasting bands of colors and fabrics early on in the design
of color are use d in th is
Versace Haute Cout ure
process. lt may well be that you explore
Spring/Summer 2016 dress. a variety of ideas using different color
combinations befare focusing on one group
to design with. Any init ial color and fabric
"So rne peop le fo cu s on ret ro, meaning sixties choices might need bu ilding on to fill in gaps.
and sevent ies rev ivals. Sorne people stic k to ve ry For example, a choice of five colors or fabrics
may need an additional two to make the
trad itional class ic clot hi ng, w hat we call 'real'
palette fl ow. lnitial fabric choices may not have
cl othes, very easy to put on, simpl e cl ot hes . 1 the breadth of weights and textures necessary
wanted to create something that did n't be long t o to design a variety of clothing . •¡·; Al U ~

any of those categories, and go forward ." VORANATT

Rei Kawakubo

'(...__..4
· -9 58 The Fundamentals of Fashion Design The Fundamentals of Fas hion Design 59
 Research
2 Design
3 Fabrics and techniques
4 Construct 1on
e 5 Developing a collection
Rendering your ideas
Drawing is a tool w ith which to communicate
your design ideas- and is a means of literally
getting what's in your head down onto paper.
Ideas can be worked out three-dimensionally
on the mannequin, but even this method of
designing requires development on paper at
sorne stage. lt is not essential to be great at
drawing to be a good designer, but it helps.
Drawing can be an intimidating activity,
especially if you're out of practice. The thing
to remember is that unless you plan on being
a fashion illustrator, it is the design that is most
important, not the drawing. Practice
and repetition are key to improving drawing
skills, though repetition itself should be
thoroughly interrogated.
·5 Fashion dra;.,ing
Examples of
fas hion drawi ngs in
sketch books .
60 The Fundamentals of Fashion Design
Abad habit or mannerism can become
automatic if you are not actively thinking
about what is being rendered; a claw shape
where the hand should be becomes less
hand-like the more you lose your objectivity.
As a designer working primarily with the body,
it will be useful for you to undertake sorne
life-drawing classes at sorne stage. Drawing the
naked human body w ill help you to understand
anatomy, musculature, and proportion, as well
as how the body works in terms of balance and
stance. Drawinga dressed form is useful, too,
in arder to understand how clothes work on
the body. Both exercises require you to use art
media and to experiment with mark making
(how art materials are used to put ideas down
on paper)
·~·
. ._ Fabric, color and texture
Rendering your ideas
~
Fashion drawing versus
fashion illustration
lt is useful to make a distinction between
fashion drawing and fashion illustration.
A fash ion drawing is used at the beginning of
the design process; it is about communicating
your design id eas onto paper. A fashion
illustration is not so much about the design,
..•::. but about capturing the spirit of the clothes
and promoting the design itself. lt is usually
used at the end of the design process to help
visual ize the end garment on the body.
The illustration is then placed in the portfolio.
The Fundamentals of Fashion Design 61
 1 Researc.h
' Fabric, e.olor and texture
2 Design Rendering your ideas ( \
3 Fabric.s and techn iques
Portfolios >
4 Construct1on
• 5 Developing a co//ection

FRAGILE 11 LOOK 4
~
6 fashion drawing 8 9

A fashion drawing is a figurat ive form that

is used to get ideas down quickly. lt doesn't
need to be fancy or the best drawing that you
have ever done. What it does need to be is
fairl y proportional; it has to bear a convincing
resemblance to a "real" human form. lf the
pro po rtions of your drawing are too abnormal,
thi s w ill follow through to the proportions of
you r designs; what looks good on a figure that
has too-long legs won't necessarily look good
on a real person.
A fashion drawing also needs to be a fairly fast
drawing; in an ideal world, when the creative
JU ices are flowing, ideas come to you rapidly and
need to be put down on paper quickly befare
they are forgotten. And forgotten they wi ll be
because the mind has a habit of moving on to
other ideas. As you draw your designs, try to put
down as much relevant information as possible;
you r designs are not only about silhouette and
detail- they're about color and fabric, too.

Fashion illustration
lllustration can be used to express a mood or
to give the clothes context by setting a scene
in w hich the clothes might be worn or by
representing the kind of person who might wear
the clothes through styling, make-up, hair, and
pose. A fashion illustration does not need to
show the whole of a garment unless it is used in a
portfolio in wh ich a design has not been made up
into a real outfit or garment; here, the illustration
takes the place of a photograph, showing how
the garment would look on the body.
But fashion draw ing and illustration are not
so lely about rendering the human form in a
realistic manner. Sorne fashion drawings and
ill ustrations are so stylized that they seem to 1
rel y little on a real human figure; they rather 1
re ly on a knowledge of fashion drawing
itsel f (in other words , they reference other 11 1
fashion drawings), and sorne fashion drawings 1! 1

become more like cartoons. With practice ,

6-9 Fashion illustration
Exa mples of fashion
illust ration s in po rtfo lios .
your fashion drawing and il lustration wi ll
eventually take on a character of its own and
become as individual as your signature .

62 The Fundamentals of Fashion Design

The Fundamentals of Fashion Design 63 •
 < Fabnc, color and texture
1 Research Rendering your ideas
-- -'- 2 Design Portfolios ')
3 Fabrics and techniq ues
4 Construction
• 5 Developing a collechon

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11 1 Garment Spec Sheet

Templates Namc: 1 -::...1..(rt•:-; C·~·"'i-',.,., 1Date I Colleetion: 1 1 Outfü:

Design draw ing is about speed getting your Garmcn1dcscrip1ioo:

ideas onto paperas quickly as possible befare

you forget them . lf you are a beginner, you can
use templat es of pre-draw n figures that can
B Hem fini shing 1 .....t.~ nui M -'. lX~.blt
then be traced through layout paper ( or any twv.ut a ...d • ¡:r;or.t:• ei-1 ~ -
C Zip
other transparent paper), thereby speeding
D Buttons
up the process of designing. Templates can E Lining CrOf-pe'... n~llM:t
be found in "how to do fashion illustration/ wi~-1 sil."'-.. -.. ~t ful l !:l l.w.d

drawing" type books or can be developed F Top stitch :?

wi\ ,-, s el '
5.~Í~c...~;t,:~ ~14-f: tw· \.!.f:·
from your own drawings. lt is preferable to Garment / Spi..'Cial fi nishing notes:
W..-.d )'¡<,ts;., ¡.u!W: U-u.. a¡.fl.lq.ct cv. t o l~ J:!L~<:.
develop templates from your ow n drawings ~3 ~«~ 'its'. fr.t l\ 5.lÍH)1 \o!m ~¡~.

to keep them individual. But be warned: lf

you rely too much on temp lates, it will mean
that your freehand fash ion draw ing wil l suffer
Fa.bric., &Trim samp les:
through lack of practice .
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S l!.lri:.SX'.dtJ 12- 13 Spec drawings
:l M , Xf.-\
.C-1 .!>0J>!r"'-
Examp les of spec/
worki ng/tech ni cal/
10 A "line up"
This is a draw ing of a
11 Garment spec sheet
A spec sheet contains · ------------- D ~~~~~·~~
..LM'"-OCM
C1Vr!1 0.
ftat drawings .

collection "line-up," ali the info rmatio n t hat C ~c a-..jt ~!:I (rt<l :hV! )

where ali the outfits are a man ufact urer would D~ít at Prív.t
R .A..S;-,ut,.-::
presented literally in a line require to actually make 1M :'.>OCM f.'!I0 .'5Di'tf ;".<.

so t hat th ey can be seen the garment. 5it~ M !t; l1 (~ ¡:ir'R. 9'~ t:l)
together as a coherent s t!~~ªl1
::!.M 4 1'.:CM
whole . Te mplates have !:.7. !IO~r;-.._
bee n used to create
these d rawings.

Spe c/working/technical/flat drawings

W hen drawing designs, you might include
10
little artistic flourishes that have little to do
w ith the design but are more to do w ith mark
making or how you imagine the fabric to fold
and move. You may also have unresolved
issues, such as fastenings , top-stitching,
seams, darts, and so on , and these issues need
to be addressed at sorne point. This can take
pl ace during pattern cutting and making the
to ile, but if someone else is going to cut the
pattern for the garment, these issues need to
be addressed sooner rather than later.
Spec drawings (short for specification
draw ings, but also sometimes called work ing
drawings, technical drawings, or "flats") are
fl at drawings of t he garment, front and back,
as if the garment is laid out on a tab le, showing
all its details and accurate proportions.
Spec drawings are line drawings only; they are
purely about structure and detail. Many are
executed with a black fine-line pen. One pen
(for example, 0.8-mm width) may be used for
outline, seams, darts, and details (depend ing
on what they are) anda finer pen (for example,
0.3-mm width) can be used for top-stitching.
There are two methods of representing top-
stitching: as a co ntinuous fine line, which in
fact it is, or more commonly as a dotted or
dashed lin e. lf using the latter method, make
su re that the dots or dashes are neat, regular,
and dense, or it may give the appearance of
large, crude, hand -tack in g stitches.
You might also choose a fine line fo r buttons,
press-studs, or other detai ls. There is no single
rule; as long as you communicate the garment
accurately, there should not be any problem.
In industry, the drawings are given to a pattern
cutter so that he or she can cut the pattern for
the design. The drawings should communicate
the design accurately so that the pattern cutte r
doesn't have to second -guess any aspect of it,
so the designs must be we ll -thought-th rough.
Spec drawin gs are also useful for the sample
machinist and help with construction when
the re is no toile available.
Spec drawing is one of the most important
tools in design, so this needs to be practiced
until they are of a high standardl lt is useful
to learn how to do spec drawings freehand,
but you can also learn to create them by using
computer programs such as Adobe lllu strator.

The Fundamentals of Fashion Design 65

64 The Fundamentals of Fashion Design
 ' Rendenng your ideas
1 Research
-- (- , 2 Design Portfolios
In fashion Peter Jensen,.
3 Fabncs and techniques
4 Construction

• 5 Developing a collection

Portfolios An independent designer's portfolio

Asan independent designer, your portfalio
An industry portfolio
As a professional designer working far other
w ill event ually become much more about companies , you r portfalio wi ll feature work
As a designer, your portfali o is one of the most
reco rding t he clothes and the collections that that you have designed far your employers,
important outcomes of all your hard work.
you have made. There may be catwalk shots incl uding photos and sketches, as well as
The portfali o (also called a "Book "), is how
or the results of a shoot styled by you or w ith press images of your design work. Most of the
you col late yo ur wo rk in arder to show it to
a stylist of your collection. The portfalio also design drawing that you do if you are working
oth ers. Togeth er w it h research sketchbooks ,
becomes an archive of your press cuttings. far a company w ill be executed as working
your portfali o is w hat yo u show to t utors,
drawings, so it is essential that you include
prospective investors or employers, stylists,
evidence of t hi s in the portfalio.
and journali sts in arder to pique the ir interest.
These last two examples of portfalios are
very different in content and facus from t he
graduate portfalio. Whi le t hey representa
more professional body of work, t his does
not negate the importance of the graduate
portfal io, which is t he designer's first step
toward a professional approach to a career in
fas hion design.

11-2 Student portfolio

Examples of w ork from
a student portfo lio.

~ 2
The graduate portfolio
The resu lt of each assessment during and
3-4 Press portfolio
upan co mpletion of a fash ion degree cou rse is
Press cuttings from
generally a portfa li o of wo rk. Your graduation Ri chard Sorger's
portfa li o w ill include research, fash ion press portfolio.
drawings, fash ion illustrations, working
drawings, fab ri c swatches, moodboards,
fabric boards, and photographs of actual
garments and outfits . lt might also inclu de
edited "process" wo rk, t he sketchbook work
you develop as part of t he design journey. Thi s
work com mu nicates how you wo rk and thin k
as a designer and can be very useful t o show
to others. There might also be actual sampl es
of detail s in real fabri cs, including exampl es of
embro idery or a parti cular met hod of fi nishing
a garment.

The Fundamentals of Fashion Design 67 •

66 The Fundamentals of Fashion Design