Round 3 Process plus Soul Searching

So here is what is actually written in my journal for this round:

"Little Black Dress Hints
Sing Sing on Wikipedia
Brassiere?
Breakfast at Tiffany's

The Fire Within
Containing

Boring
Points

Fortune Cookies

Columbine Skirt Variations
trying the kite shape :(

re-trying the squares - too short
tulle underskirt?

Construction -
More like quilting than my usual sewing

Give up -----> (edited since I describe the actual dress in 7 words)
together in one night

jewelry strung 3 times. Argh
Painting shoes - only ones."


Yep, THAT is it. When you look back at my other journal entries and compare, I think you will have a clear sense that this round was going very wrong for me.

I had taken much to heart Ted's complaints that the designers really weren't using him as he had imagined. I think he thought that he would participate more in the design process, and that he could guide us away from potentially disastrous design decisions. During the past two rounds, the only thing I really knew being that Ted thought the whole lot of us submitted disappointing work in round 2, I had been thinking a lot about one topic: Is designing for the judges, rather than being true to my own vision, possible and/or advisable? During this round, I thought I would give it a try the way Ted had envisioned. He, after all, was the only one that knew what the judges were actually thinking.

To start off, Little black dress was good for me. Silkstone? not so good. I owned one, but had never actually worked with the doll. I bought her more as insurance....a just in case, as I get random Barbie commissions once in a while. I had already prepared a sloper for Silkstone and FR as I had expected Round 2 to be a "small doll" round. So many of the designers fell in to one camp or the other, I expected the sizes to be apportioned evenly from the start.

My initial thought was to tweak the tradition. I wanted to make a statement about both the embracing and restricting nature of "traditional." Sounds very arty, doesn't it? I was actually rather impressed with myself....it was a spectacular idea and I even had the fabrics on hand to make it work. I could, and still can, see it in my mind's eye. I can see each step that will be required to make it. I think I will try to make it this week if I can get my "actual work" finished. It is called "The Fire Within."

Now, since this was my "communicate with Ted" round, I asked him about whether or not this was an homage to the little black dress in all seriousness or if this was a bit tongue in cheek. I don't think I told Ted what I was dreaming of so it certainly isn't anyone's fault but my own. He told me it was serious, I chickened out.

If I were a marvelous sketch artist like many of the other designers, now would be where I would post the sketches, but alas, it is all in my head still. If you would like to try to imagine it, I will try to explain: Plain strapless princess sheath in black silk, form-fitting of course. The top of the bodice is a straight line, the shape very close through the hips and just to the knee. Beginning at the top left, almost under the arm, there are 3 small, less than a millimeter wide inset bands that join together below the fullest part of the bust in to one which meanders down the left side of the dress to mid thigh where a godet is set in to the left princess seam. This godet is set so there are two trailing points that hang unequally to about mid calf, shortest one to hte center. The fabric is a fire silk taffeta, red and gold cross-woven. Along the river of lava, three tiny metal bands are "riveted" holding the crack closed.

There was much discussion as to whether or not the accent color could be ON the dress, or if it should be in the accessories. It was clear to me that Ted felt that the dress should be BLACK, and that if that was the rule, then I would not be meeting the challenge. Yep, I chickened out.

With sloper in hand and a few commercial Barbie patterns for a base for the patterns I was going to generate, I set about on a different idea. I finally got Ted to admit that if it wasn't on the SURFACE of the dress, then the accent color could be ON the dress....because really, the only solutions that were presenting themselves needed the color.
I designed a Plain sheath a la the original Fire gown, but instead of the Modern Spirit escaping the confines of tradition, well, I inset the pleats. I do have a picture of this pattern trial. In the silks I chose it looks ineffably day wear rather than cocktail. The collar points were supposed to be much more dramatic on the jacket, but my lack of regular work in this size was telling here. I imagine I could get closer to my second original vision, if I tried it again

When I sent the picture to Ted he said, predictably because of my practice colors I suppose, that it didn't look much like a party dress, and that I shouldn't have the jacket close in the front if the pleats were off the side. He was right, of course. I don't ever really think of the little balck dress as a "Party" dress, although it is clearly a Cocktail dress....not sure if there is a real distinction between the two anywhere but in my mind. hehehe This ensemble is complete, except for the hooks, which are easy to add if you would like to have it for your collection. Email me.

After Ted's response I started in with another round of second guessing. I knew that my designs were considered to lack "wow." I decided to try for some new kind of shape. I am good at structured form-fitting, but was that too predictable? What would be more of a Party dress? What? Where? How? You see how things were going. We are at the Journal Entry "Boring."

The Fortune Cookies said this: (care of Panda Express dinner one night) "Forge Ahead with You New Ideas" and "Speculations Will Turn Out Well." I had to laugh and I was even a little heartened.

The Columbine is the Colorado State Flower. My mother, who currently resides in Colorado, was of inestimable help during this round as I agonized. She listed as I talked through all my waffling. The dress I designed next has what I call the Columbine Skirt. If you have seen the flower it will make sense, I think. If not, well, here is a link to some pictures that might help, but maybe not.

Columbine Pics

The idea is that the skirt would have inset squared that would create almost cone shaped sections...like the way the Columbine petals are. The lining of this skirt would be the bright magenta I had selected instead of the Fire silk (even then I knew that SOMEDAY I would need that last tiny scrap of silk to make the dress) and should show a bit, but the DRESS would be black.

I did it 3 times. It didn't work. Sigh!

The first one, which this is a picture of, was too short. (This is the picture I sent to Ted.) I thought if I inset a Kite Shape, instead of a square I would be able to lengthen it enough. That shape didn't work at all. So I went back to Squares, but I didn't want to have the skirt flare much below the hip....maybe if I had moved it down to mid-thigh. (Now you can really tell I am in trouble with the second guessing.) I tired the third one that was at the Hip with a Tulle underskirt. That one is nearly finished also, and if you would like to see it, comment or email me and I will shoot some pics.

After Senneth was asleep and Isaac was with Grandma for Mama's nervous breakdown, we talked it through and I decided that I needed to start again. I hated what I had. I started again at about 9:00 p.m. on Saturday. That doesn't sound like the 11th hour to you probably, but I have a long standing tradition of no Sunday sewing. By 11:30 the dress was constructed. I was listening to a book called "The River of Doubt" while I sewed that night. Perhaps that is why all the Soul Searching. (The book is actually about Theodore Roosevelt and a South American Adventure.)

When I took the dress, completed but without the straps attached or hooks done, my mother said "Yes!" and I went to bed.

On Monday morning I did my jewelry 3 times, with much near shrieking in the interim. First it was too short. The second was long enough but rode too high on the neck...I realized that the necklace needed an extra bead in an opportune place to solve the problem....but they all had to come off to make it work. Ugh! The Shoes were also going to present a problem as I only had one pair. They were black, but how to "adapt them?" Lucky Magazine the month before had given me the answer....and I almost guarantee that you will not be able to see what I did in the pictures.

This was not a happy round for me. I am used to making a thing, knowing it is good and being able to confidently present it to the world. Although I ended up feeling that way about the final product....it is still classically boxpleat for all its being on a Silkstone, and maybe even recognizable as such...I learned that trying to meet someone else's mind without knowing their mind is a losing battle.