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The lazy days of summer are
not-so-lazy any longer and the fall season is one click away. The
Center for Pattern Design is entering its second full year with lots
going on, kicking off with our Pattern Design 2009 Conference in San
Francisco from October 2 - 4!
And this season there is also a
cultural transition going on out there from what seemed to be a race to
the bottom to a deeper appreciation of what has value and why. Many
are now looking for quality rather than quantity and we anticipate a
greater demand for knowledge about what gives a beautiful garment its
value. Nothing is more fundamental to that value than cut and fabric
and how they join to create beauty and business.
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Pattern Design 2009 Conference .
San Francisco, October 2 - 4
This event will be the first time ever that pattern people will have come together from all corners of the field to talk to each other, get great ideas and share a community spirit. Pattern designers often work alone, unidentified, and yet their genius creates our most personal environment.We are meeting in a beautiful historic hotel and have a wonderful roster of speakers and events! Gail Gondek, pattern designer for many of the best in NY; Julian Roberts, Subtraction Cutter Extraordinaire; Josh Jakus, brain behind the Um bags and many other interesting and very talented speakers will be there -- plus a FREE avatar of your body, TC2's introduction to their avatar engine, new to the garment industry.
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Meet Me in Paris!!
A Tour of the Vionnet, Puriste de la Mode Exhibit
This
event is CFPD complimentary! I will be in Paris soaking up the exhibit for
a week from October 20 to 27 and would be delighted to schedule an entire afternoon at the museum exhibit with all the details gathered from my 35 years of
Vionnet collecting, cutting and constructing. If anyone is interested,
send me an email and we'll get a group together and discuss the best
day & time. Some have already -- I have your info. Limited to 20 due to logistics. No trip planning
involved, just the museum part.
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Draping Class
Next Weekend in St. Helena
There is still room in the Draping for Design class meeting next weekend if you want to end the summer on a triumphant note! We will be draping from the new book, Draping, the Art and Craftsmanship in Fashion Design -- see fabulous possibilities in the photo on the right, a Madame Gres dress. Anyone in this class will be ready for the next level coming in the spring.
In order for those in the fashion business to avoid legal repercussions, the new piracy law, coming soon, will make draping your own designs ever more important. See the item below for more information.
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We're Working On . . .
- CoPA, the Commercial Pattern Archive at the University
 of Rhode Island (RISD) is an archive of over 46,000 records and 72,000 images from 1868 to 2000 of commercial patterns -- so many brands, you'll be amazed -- that help researchers and designers date or recreate fashion. It is vintage nirvana! They published a CD set for $350 (in our library) and now it is all online for a price. Although we are working to sponsor free access for our members for a specific time, it will be FREE to everyone for one week starting Wednesday, August 19, through Tuesday, August 25. Go to CoPA to login. The username is guest and the password is pattern.
We have an amazing book, Il Modellismo, on Italian pattern  drafting (men & women) and it includes the most amazing
lingerie (think seriously engineered thongs & briefs) We are
looking at how to get it over here for purchase. It is in both Italian
and English, not available in the US. Members can access it at
our library by appointment.
 A paper half scale dress form that you cut and assemble for display or a quick drape idea. It will make its debut wearing the toiles at the Vionnet Identique exhbition at the October 14-18 annual conference of the Association of Sewing and Design Professionals (ASDP) in Chicago. They will be exhibiting all the models in Betty Kirke's famous book, Vionnet, both toile (muslin) and fashion fabric. This exhbition is open to the public and will be incredible -- do not miss it! The photo at left shows the 1/2 scale muslin toile of #17 on page 96. Imagine it in red silk crepe as it was done in the 1930's!
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Coming in the New Year
Lots!
New Patterns-- a Chanel skirt taken from an original (way past copyright) that is a pencil with a deep pleat and a beautiful sash tie, a new ArtCoat 2 and the TapeMeasure Coat, a completely custom fitted coat for every body, which anybody can do!
New Books -- Reprints of rare pattern 'bibles' -- all scanned and ready to go to lay out.
New Tools -- the Drapometer, a device that makes it possible to measure the drape-ability of a fabric and assign it a value. The drape number of the fabric can be used to determine which alternative fabrics will drape the same way as the design was envisioned -- just think, no trial and error.
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Textile Clothing Technology Corporation (TC2)
Where You Go When Money is on the Line
So many don't know about TC2 that it is a serious obstacle to bridging the gap between start-ups and the big leagues. TC2 is the think tank for the garment industry in the US and they are responsible for solving major technology, processing and distribution problems for the garment industry. Large or small, membership is on a sliding scale, and is invaluable. If you must know how things actually work in the real world, you go there or you call their hotline for instant advice. Check out their classes on a regular basis -- 2 are coming up for pattern designers: Pattern Development and Grading for Fit. Their new avatar engine will be at our Pattern Design 2009 Conference and you will be able to get a free avatar of you, usable as a croquis for designing! |
 Many independent garment companies are formed around an individual who designs/creates the clothing, often the pattern designer. Like the film industry, clothing independents are increasingly being counted for strong design influences and their $$ numbers are becoming more significant, especially as we watch the larger firms lack the flexibility to withstand the current economic 'perfect storm'. So, for the independents, there is Nolcha. To quote " Nolcha is an organization that brings business to the forefront of the emerging and independent fashion market. It is a continuing education resource for those who wish to further their text book learning and adapt it to a corporate position or as an entrepreneur within the fashion industry." See if that means you!
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Two Interviews
 The Pattern Doctor: An outlook on NYC's Garment Discrict. Laura Moore spells out the real value of a trained pattern designer to the bottom line. If you think its a formula, read on.
- Behind the Scenes With a Technical Designer. Morgan, a FIT graduate who moved from Tennessee to NYC to become a technical designer, talks about what the job entails in this time of global sourcing and virtual companies. More on that.
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New Cuts for Fall 
Each season, CFPD will try to give a heads up on what you should be thinking about cutting. Sometimes this may mean going back to the books or a new class and this season there are four tricky areas emerging:
!. Shoulders, a feature that usually makes its appearance during competitive economic times. Some say they are the most important part of the pattern -- St. Laurent made a career out of doing them well. The trick is to use all the smart tools (modified pattern, design illusions and fabric characteristics) to give the impression of a strong shoulder without having to over-use pads.
2. Suits -- they are here again for good reason -- they possess the power to convey authority and mold any figure into one you want, or need to have. Interviews alone may bring back real clothes!
3. Fluted skirts & Eclectic shapes
-- an indication of the triage going on in the world of all manufactured products. Design people are asking themselves, "what's really important?" and "where's the bang for the buck?" when confronted with any decision, not just economic. So we will see more emphasis on structural cutting and less on applied decorations. Two words for the times, substance and strength. Clothing is non-verbal communication and people want to look serious.
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Books
 There are two books out there which are available now and should not be missed by pattern designers: Isabel Toledo: Fashion From the Inside Out, by Valerie Steele and Patricia Mears, and Madeleine Vionnet, by Pamela Golbin and Patrick Gries, which accompanies the Vionnet, Puriste de la Mode exhibition going on now in Paris. Both will give you the most important part of pattern designing, the designer's mindset -- that is, how they see the task -- without that, one is just copying. P.S. Amazon recently cut the price of both in half!! It's the economy.
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Speaking of Copying . . .
 Hanne Melin, a competition and IP associate at the law firm Sidley Austin LLP, based in Brussels, has written the following analysis on the current legal arguments picking up steam world wide. "The fashion industry is currently fighting two battles on the intellectual property front. The first is against counterfeiters exploiting trademarks and logos. The second, more complicated battle is against those not-so-imaginative designers from within the industry who are simply aping the designs of their peers. This second fight is the one that is most harmful to creativity, investment and reputation." For the complete article . . .
Also, check out Counterfeit Chic, for itemized cases of copying. Note: one of the ways that smart firms are counteracting counterfeiting is to use complex designs, custom draped. It simply becomes too expensive to copy such designs. Voila! -- problem solved!
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And Now for the Entertainment!
- Thanks to Joyce Hittesdorf for Emami's amazing dress, site and video. No matter where you go, you bring three of these and nothing else -- wardrobe done -- maybe shoes.
- Madeleine Vionnet, Puriste de la Mode video of the exhibit in Paris.
- CoCo Before Chanel, the new movie by Anne Fontaine. View the trailer and understand.
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Download a list of all the pattern books available in our Library.
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People
In closing, I would like to give a very well deserved tribute to Dr. Elizabeth Rhodes who lost her 15 year fight with cancer a short time ago. She chaired the Kent State University School of Fashion Design and Merchandising and was responsible for setting the mark for quality education, innovative thinking and personal leadership. She was a star and a model for us all.  - The University has chosen J.R. Campbell, recently from the University of Glasgow and a stint at UC Cal at Davis where he cut new ground (and clothing!) in patterns for digital prints, to take over and all reports are that he is continuing Dr. Rhodes' vision and high standards. Wonderful choice!
- More changes at Kent State: Anne Bissonette, the curating genius at Kent's Fashion Museum, having delivered so many of the most creative and thoroughly researched exhibitions in the US, is now at the University of Edmonton -- she goes home to Canada. We can thank Anne for showing us, not only the clothes, but for going deeper and teaching us about the patterns. Be sure to see her new work at Edmonton!
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Join Us!
Save $$ and receive the ArtCoat 1 pattern just for signing up, free to all new members. For a convincing review, check out Leslie Gleber's blog, Just Another Mystery!
Lastly, a silver lining to the economic news, there is renewed emphasis on seeking higher quality in products. This resurgent interest in the the 'value of value' means that there will more careful scrutiny of cut and sewn products and greater recognition of pattern and design skills. These skills are fundamental to great fit, long life and the purchase of one prize keeper! The math works: the price of clothing is the per-wearing cost; therefore, better cut = more wearing = lower cost. Intelligent.
Do your best work always,
Sandra Ericson
Center for Pattern Design
Next issue of Cutting Cloth published in October with all the Pattern Design 2009 Conference details plus Chicago, Paris & NYC!
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