During the past few months, I have been seriously considering the wasteful nature of my sewing habit. Although the pieces I construct may remain in my closet for years to come and keep me from purchasing (and discarding) lots of trash clothing in the same period of time, there is fabric waste involved in capturing the volume of the curving, complex human form. Many historical Japanese garments were created with next to no fabric waste; narrower bands of fabric were sewn together in ingenious ways, and gathered about the body with a tie or belt. The inherent simplicity in these garments highlights the elegance of the human form, and incidentally provides a comfortable style of dress.
I had been considering how to create pieces which are pleasing to wear and look at, and that also use the entire length and width of the fabric. As I began sketching through this problem, pleating the fabric seemed to stand out as the most logical solution. Fabric could be gathered in strategic locations, providing structure and shape, while allowing the remainder of the garment to drape over the body loosely. I hoped this would create a piece with inherent tension in its construction, making it an interesting item to wear.
For anyone looking at my wardrobe, it’s clear I have a strong preference for elongated vest-like garments which provide an additional layer of modesty and security in public against unwelcome eyes, while presenting a strong fashion statement. They can be layered over jeans and a plain shirt, or over dressy clothes, and with a well-chosen pair of shoes, elevate any simple outfit to a flowing, eye-catching ensemble worthy of gliding down the sidewalk in. Whenever I start sewing without much of a plan, I end up making something like this, so it follows that my exploration in pleats would lead to yet another long vest.
When I began sewing, I simply took a square of the fabric and started ironing it in different ways to learn about how structured pleats would work. I had never worked with stripes before, and this proved more helpful than difficult, as the lines in the fabric made it easy to keep everything square and crisp. Soon, an idea and a garment began to take shape. As I pinned the flat, folded piece of fabric to my dressform, the curve of the padded hip pushed against the pleats. Suddenly, a flat surface was forced to adopt a new form by the shape of the human body. The pleats of the fabric expanded like an accordion to create a visually compelling series of valleys and ridges. I began designing a jacket in earnest.
In the end, I still threw some small strips of fabric away. These were cut from the bodice back, which was the only piece not made from a rectangle of fabric. The finished jacket is unique and fun to wear, although I will work on a more clever way of constructing the back next time. For now, here is the result!
