LESSON XXIX
ORIGINAL DRESS DESIGNING
Costume design is a very interesting subject and is an art in itself. If one can draw fashions correctly, he can learn to create them.
Study this lesson carefully and apply its principles on original work. Keep a note-book handy in which jot down ideas as they present themselves.
The student should also read and study the fashion papers. He must become familiar with the names of principal designers and their work, as for example:
Callot, Jenny, Cheruit, Lavin, Paquin, Poiret, Drecoll, Premet, Redfern, Doeiul-let, Bulloz, Soulie, Douchet, Worth, Beer, Armand, Revillion, Renard, Reboux, Chanel, Callot, Soeurs, Monge, Lacroix, Hallee, Talbot, Erte, Leon Bakst, Georgette, Lady Duff Gordon, (Lucile), etc.
He must visit the openings and French shops. The newspapers send artists to these shops to sketch the latest designs for their papers. Ideas for new designs may be taken from many things in which one not versed in this art would never dream that they existed.
The very first thing to know is what are the prevailing styles,. A design must be simple and have good lines. Long lines running up and down tend to make a stout person look more slender, while lines running around the figure lend breadth to the slim figure. Long lines from the shoulders down are good, but these may be broken at intervals without destroying the long line effect.
One great thing to be considered in costume designing is proper proportions. Have all proportions interesting. Do not divide up spaces into mechanical divisions.
For example, if you want to place very small tucks up and down on a waist, do not make the tucks the same size as the spaces between them, or any mechanical division of the same. This rule applies to cluster of tucks and to the space between the clusters.
Do not open a V neck one-quarter, one-half or one-third way down the front. Consider the proportion of cuffs to other dimensions, also of the size of the pockets to the distance down from the belt, length of over-skirt to under-skirt, etc.
Study Fig. 1. Note where the lines are omitted as indicated by dots. In Fig. A, lines 1 and 2 are continued to the bottom of the dress.