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Home Again with New Insights . . .
 | | Shingo Sato teaching Transformational Reconstruction |
 | | Timo Ridssanen teaching Zero Waste Fashion Design |
It was a wonderful Pattern Design Tour and we owe everyone we met a special thank you for coming to our classes to learn new pattern design ideas. All of us who were there owe Shingo Sato and Timo Rissanen an even more special thank you for their knowledge, their accomplished teaching techniques and for changing how we think, in just a day!
We are working on making it possible for Shingo Sato to be in San Francisco in the fall for a month each year (starting this year!) to teach a few week long classes so that someone can create a TR design start to finish in fashion fabric. We have a place to stay but we need a place to teach, renting for weeks gets expensive -- send ideas! If you missed seeing Shingo, his book with DVD's are available on our site -- and, there is also a strong hint that he will do a commercial pattern of the "Ribbon Skirt" in 5 sizes for us; it got the most uuuuh's and aaaah's from everyone!
And, Timo Rissanen is already booked at California College of the Arts in late summer or early fall for a sustainability event there -- we will announce details here as it gets closer. If you haven't really caught on to zero waste design, believe me, it not only saves waste from polluting our lives but yields amazing new design ideas in the process -- a total win-win. Check Sylvie's Privat's Abby Jacket on our website along with Virginia West's book, A Cut Above.
We spoke to many teachers and students in the classes, asking what their goals were and how they felt the current economy would affect their careers. For all of those students who were frank and for all the teachers who are experiencing change in the industry and in their own careers, I submit a small editorial (see #18).
For more photos of all three venues, see the Gallery on our website and please do send in photos of your work. Nothing is more encouraging to students than to see what other's have done with their new ideas!
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The Exhibitions
We marvel at the number and quality of fashion exhibitions -- given the demographics of museum goers (mostly women), it could just be that they gross the most ticket sales! Happiness in any case, since the attention to dress raises the sartorial bar for both sexes and helps to generate a more civil society. Countless studies have proven that if we dress better, we act better -- remember how you stood up straighter in your Sunday best and minded your manners? So run around to everything -- nothing is more instructive of the cut and the grain than seeing the real thing in 3-D! 'Tis the season to get a serious fashion education a la backpack and most shows offer catalogs!
- Balenciaga and Spain, de Young Museum, San Francisco, CA, March 26, 2011 - July 4, 2011. This seems to be THE exhibit that is changing the fashion zeitgeist -- we will see more architectural clothing in next few years.
- Roberto Capucci: Art into Fashion,Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, PA March 16 - June 16th - June 5th, 2011. Theater people should absolutely not miss this -- a career-maker of ideas.
- Yohji Yamamoto: The Victoria and Albert Museum,London through July 10th, 2011.
 Yamamoto's work is always exquisitely cut and for real people -- it is identity clothing -- becoming you all your life. Also, here is a beautiful video in conversation with Yamamoto -- an insight to his thinking -- and a page on techniques.
- Madame Gres: Couture at Work, Bourdelle Museum, Paris France, March 25th - July 24th, 2011. This is the show of her work that is finally in its
 proper context -- sculptural pieces in a craft museum for sculptors.
- Color Moves: Art and Fashion by Sonia Delaunay, the Cooper-Hewitt National DesignMuseum, New York City, through June 5th, 2011. A definitive show and to really understand it you need to see this video of a conversation between some of those who knew her -- it's 1.5 hours but hang in there for the full meaning of her work. Exhibition.
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- Cocktail Culture, Ritual and Invention in American Fashion,1920-1980 Friday, April 15, through Sunday, July 31, 2011 Rhode Island School of Design.
 Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty, Metropolitan Museum of Art,New York City, May 4, 2011-July 31, 2011, Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Exhibition Hall, 2nd floor. An exquisite requiem. . . . the video to go with; it is a very educational overview of his work, filled with ideas.
- Fashion Independent, The Original Style of Ann BonfoeyTaylor: Phoenix Art Museum, Feb. 27 -May 29. Also there, Théatre de la Mode, March 12, to July 31, 2011. Both exhibitions.
 Scaasi, American Couturier: Ohio State University, September 25, 2010 - June 19, 2011 Loring Gallery, 276, Exhibition with catalog.
 His and Hers, F.I.T. Fashion & Textile History Gallery, November 30, 2010 through May 10, 2011. Exhibition. 
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Resources From the Tour & Everywhere . . .
 - From Linda Morand's Blog is a charming account of a fitting at Pierre Cardin.
- From Shingo's amazing world: Tamotsu Kondo, one of the best drapers in the
 world, in Hamburg, Germany. Photos of draping techniques; a school, The Institute of Contemporary Fashion; and dress forms with heads! You will need Google Translate for Japanese and German but, so wonderful.
- Jim Christianson has made the most perfect ties and
 the pattern yields a selvedge on one end -- take a look! And,while on the subject of men and their new approach to clothing -- here's some great sights & site of guy types -- all the dressing styles that have that certain look!
- And a new star on the horizon -- working withthose Vionnet-ish geometrics in a brand new way, Setareh Mohtarez -- her work is inspired and pulls printing into the patterning.
- Now you can be sized in the Mall! My Best Fit is a franchise that will open everywhere soon but for now is only in one state - PA. Since they can explain it better: "mybestfit is a free service that makes it easy to find clothes that fit your unique body.
 Because there is no sizing standard for apparel manufacturers, from one brand to the next, a shopper can wear different sizes. Most people have two or three different sizes in their closet (if not more).mybestfit matches you up to apparel that fits based on your unique and exact body measurements. There is no more guessing what size you wear." What a concept -- schools should get in the game!
- Related to that idea is this Size by Brand Chart (see #17) -- huge thanks to whoever actually created it; it arrived anonymously -- if you know from where, let me know! And related to that is this great essay on vanity sizing by Gotham Patterns.
- To get you in the mood -- three of the best YouTube Balenciaga videos. One must see the clothes moving on a body -- One, Two, Three!
Now for a few mentions and many thanks to those we visited in our travels!
- To Felicia at Ikram in Chicago. Highly fashion trained, she was literally the docent of the shop, knowledgeably explaining the designers' work and setting the present work in context -- especially fascinating was Rick Owen's work. If you are in Chicago, go see and please say hello!
- To the staff at Intermix, also in Chicago. This store is a collection of work of contemporary, extremely talented designers and Intermix filters the quality perfectly!
- To David Robinson in Vancouver, Canada. He and his family have a beautiful store filled with the best of Italian textiles cut beautifully into timeless easy pieces.
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At CFPD Now . . .
 BALENCIAGA IN DEPTH
 - MAY 20: A private tour of the exhibition, Balenciaga and Spain, with a focus on the cut, construction and fabrics followed by a no-host lunch on the patio and Q & A.
- MAY 20: "IN-DEPTH" Educational evening lecture and visual presentation of pattern design and construction with fabrics to touch.
- MAY 21: Draping "The Red Coat", Balencaga's iconic opera coat.
- MAY 22: Draping the Paletot, made famous by Marlene Dietrich.
 Each event is ticketed separately for convenience, interest and budget. See further details and registration information -- space limited. Lecture and Classes held at California College of the Arts in San Francisco. To Register for all events.
New Draping Series -- June 25 & 26: St. Laurent's Le Smoking Pant Suit We will drape the jacket and pants of one of the most significant designs ever -- significant because it gave woman social permission to wear pants for all occasions and because it was a pattern design masterpiece that made everyone look terrific. For this class (if all goes well with international shipping) there will be a special surprise. Also, this is the first time in the Series that we will drape pants. If anyone wishes to 'study' for the class, Alan Le Blanc's essay and precision drawings of the Pli de Souplesse technique is available for download in our store. Registration and location announcement around May 25. On Tap for Summer . . . A break in the schedule to think and read! Then we'll do two new books, Designer Diagonals by Virginia West and Harry Simon's Lessons for Men's WorkWear. And, most wonderfully, we will try out offering half-scale patterns of all the Draping Series designs beginning with the Dior dress, La Cigale, and the Courréges dress. They will be a download on a scaled grid for easy enlarging, perfect for developing a library of three dimensional work for teaching or for display. Our Big Thanks to Sylvie Privat for working with us on this. And finally, more Zero-Waste patterns -- lots of ideas bubbling up -- just have to organize! |
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The only topic I could possibly end the letter with this time of year is the garden and a poem that my great grandfather wrote. He was a Swedish immigrant who came to America just after WWI, an inventor who worked making lenses -- his feelings for nature touch us all.
My Religion
by
John O. Jansson
(Translated from Swedish by his daughter, Saga Low)
You will not find it amongst old and moldy scriptures,
Though painstakingly produced by kindly monks.
It does not tell about Jehovah's deeds and wishes
And does not mention crosses, blood or sacraments.
But you will find it in our nature's garden,
A trust, a love in which you have a part,
That makes your body full of goodness
And brings a tune to every singer's heart.
But we forget the blessings nature gives us.
Our foremost thought is chasing gold,
And we forget when age and sorrow hit us
And we discover, we are getting old.
But you will find it in our nature's gardens.
A trust, a hope, a love in every human heart
That makes your body filled with goodness
And brings a tune to every singer's heart.
May we then remember the poets' dream,
The whisper of the trees in the forest,
The colorful wildflowers on the hillside,
And the water dripping from the stream.
A Toast To Spring!
Sandra Ericson
Center for Pattern Design
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