start to finish

Have you ever wondered how a clothing style changes as it’s developed? I love to see the behind-the-scenes process, so it was a real pleasure to visit the Balenciaga Museum last fall and see examples of the toiles from some of the styles on display, side by side, to see the changes that were made and the design decisions as the design developed.

Fun to see, right? The muslin, or toile, is where you work out the details, the volume, refine the shapes. Balenciaga was a master.

Here are some of his sketches. I always love to see the sketches because it’s so easy to see the details, the desired silhouette, and the thought process behind it.

So good, right?

I was cleaning up the studio the other day and came across some of my sketches. It’s rare that a style happens exactly as I initially envisioned it. So I thought I’d share some of my development sketches with you. Not on the same level as Balenciaga, obviously, but I thought you might enjoy seeing how I sketched these styles and what changed as the style developed.

The Prado Trench Coat didn’t have the princess seams or the cape at the front in my first sketches. I added them after making the first toile, when I realized we could get a better (and more adjustable) fit that way. Plus, I think the cape sandwiched into the princess seams is just really cool…

And yes, if you read my little notes on the sketch I did indeed find the right pocket for the style, in the end: inserted into the princess seam! Sometimes it just takes a couple of tries to find the right solution.

For the Isola Blouse + Dress, I’m not sure where the original blouse sketch with the neck ruffle is. Probably I’ll find it the next time I clean! My blouse sketch didn’t have the princess seams and the belt, but by the time I arrived at the dress option (View B) I had already added the princess seams. It took a while in my sketchbook to arrive there. The belt and on-seam pockets are my favorite detail on this style.

The Positano Blouse + Dress looks surprisingly similar to the finished design! The hem got straighter, I added the short ruffled sleeve, and the long sleeve got elastic instead of a bias binding. But it’s not far from the original.

The tricky part about designing the Laureles Top + Dress was getting just the right shaping and the right square neckline. The body needed to relaxed but not too boxy. And the neck needed to be just the right height, not too low or too high. So in the end not much changed from the original sketch here, either. It was more a matter of adjusting until the shape was just as I wanted, and of course getting the armholes and sleeves just right so it can also be made sleeveless. The addition of the dress came later, when I realized a simple gathered skirt might be a cute option.

Other styles have evolved more gradually, with more changes and ideas as I progressed. But these are the sketches I came across, and I thought you might enjoy comparing them. Happy sewing!