Exhibited at International Textile and Apparel Association juried design exhibition, 2014 , 43% acceptance rate

Best of the Show: Senior Showcase, San Francisco State University

The purpose of Modetecture was to transform the elliptical shapes found in the interior of the Ginger Park restaurant in Boston, MA into a three-dimensional form on the body. In the restaurant, the entire ceiling and all of the walls throughout the restaurant are covered in wood panels that are carved in oval-like shapes. Each shape in the sequence of panels is larger than the last creating a rhythmic pattern. This sequence creates the appearance that the walls are melting and moving as one walks throughout the interior space. The shape of the walls, the movement one experiences when walking within this space, and the sequence of the pattern served as the main source of inspiration for this design

To create the melting and movement effect in this design, the designer incorporated alternating colors and varied the size and direction of the lines across the body. The front and back of the dress appear to be melting off the body in the same way the wood panels in Ginger Park appear to be melting off the wall. Each oval shape in the progression on the front gets larger as the eye moves down the front of the design.

The design was created utilizing flat pattern and draping techniques. Twenty-nine pattern pieces were needed to create the dress. A corset understructure was sewn in-between the lining and the fashion fabric. A lightweight flexible zipper secures the corset structure on the interior. Steel-wire boning was inserted in a casing and stitched to the understructure. All patterns were matched at side seams, and all pattern pieces were topstitched. Materials used to create the design include pleather, crushed organza, shantung, and polyester. The crushed organza was used over white fabric in order to achieve a textured and grey appearance. An invisible zipper serves as the closure at the center back seam.

Modetecture.pdf