Intro to Making Fashion: Draw, Draft and Sew
Jay Calderin
Lessons
Intro to Making Fashion: Draw, Draft and Sew
07:10 2Why Start with a Sketch?
07:11 3Drawing: Draw Your Muse
35:41 4Drawing: Sketch a Figure and Define a Silhouette
19:07 5Drawing: Render Color
10:56 6Drawing: Add Texture, Patterns, and Details
12:58 7Pattern Draping: Working with Muslin
06:14 8Pattern Draping: Drape a Basic Form
25:44Lesson Info
Intro to Making Fashion: Draw, Draft and Sew
Hello and welcome to CreativeLive. My name is Kenna Klosterman and I am your host for Fashion Design: Start to Finish with Jay Calderin. Now, Jay Calderin is the founder and executive director of Boston Fashion Week, which he started over 20 years ago. They just celebrated their 20th anniversary, which is really, really exciting. Jay is a designer, an author, and he is also an instructor and the director of creative marketing at the fashion school, School of Fashion Design in Boston. In between doing things like authoring multiple books, Jay is also a mentor, he is a speaker, a promotional public speaker, and he is here, very much excited to teach all of you about fashion design, again, from start to finish. So Jay, I think when people hear the term fashion design, the fashion industry, people generally think, oh Project Runway, that must be exactly what it's all about, right? Yes. That's not what it's all about. No. Jay, what are some of the biggest misconceptions that you hav...
e seen your students and people in the industry have over the years about what fashion design is truly all about? Well I think, with reality shows and things like that, and even when we see runway shows online or see magazine spreads, we think about the finish line, we think about that rush at the end, that final bow or the beautiful images, and I think, for people who are really thinking about a career in fashion, the process is really the key. You know, that pathway to getting to that finish line is so rich with experiences and this whole creative process that's really fulfilling. So, I think, that's why I wanted to do this 'cause I think it's more about why to than how to, 'cause you can get the how to, but the why to is very important. I think that's really exciting. What I'm so thrilled about with this class is that there are so many nuts and bolts as well as that like why into what this industry, all the different pieces of the industry. I've been looking through some of the bonus materials that you're providing as part of this class and just the breadth and depth of all of the possibilities of what one could do in this industry is a little bit overwhelming. Yes. And so, what I am excited about is that you're gonna break that down and so people, there's something for everybody. People can really see what they might be drawn to most. Right, when they see the big picture, it often helps them kind of, because a lot of people think, oh fashion design is only about that designer. But there's so much more to it and when you see the big picture you can kind of figure out where you feel comfortable, where you're drawn to, find your niche. Alright, well, I think we're ready to get started, so Jay, take it away. Thank you for being here on CreativeLive. My pleasure. Now as we head into our lessons about making fashion, draw, draft, and sew, these are a few different words that I know for myself, scare me in terms of my ability to do them well. I hear the word draw and like I can draw a stick figure. But I'm looking forward to hearing about how these things are actually approachable. So, Jay could you kick off this segment by talking a little bit about what we're going to get out of this and how we all can do these to the level that we need to? Definitely. I think, like you said, the first thing people will say is, "I can't do that." And I always tell them, "Yes you can." Because I think the mystique built up around each of these things has to do with how long it takes to kind of master a lot of them. But you don't have to master it to do it initially and you'll never master it if you don't start. So, what I've tried to do is, with drawing we're gonna spend probably a little more time with that because I think that's more accessible. It's something people could start doing right now. I think with pattern making and construction with the sewing, you really need to invest the time in, you know, in terms of what goes into that because they are art forms unto their own, into their own, and what we've tried, my strategy for all of it is to compartmentalize, to go step by step and give, and also give the student permission to do it, to put it down on paper, just to do it one step at a time and see what starts to come up off the paper because one of the things that I run into, when our students run, you know, draw their first figure, they may go, "Oh it looks like an alien "or like a robot," and I'm like, "Good, you're halfway there, because aliens and robots are usually trying to look like humans." So, you know, we have a starting point and then you start to spend more time and you know, your technique improves and you notice little things you wanna adjust. But the way we've broken it down really makes it accessible so that you can take it one step at a time and our students in the studio are going to actually go along with me, so step by step and just see what comes up on your paper, you know, I mean like what comes up as you're going through the process because that'll be your first steps into it if you haven't drawn before. Great, thank you. Sure. So, with making fashion, we're going to learn how, I think with the whole goal of drawing is to go through all the different variations you can imagine around an idea and this is a very cost-effective thing to do because a lot of times we can't always make every single idea that comes into our mind. So we wanna, this is the first step of kind of doing a rough concept down on paper. With the pattern making, we're more concerned with building structure, figuring out how that puzzle comes together so that you take a two-dimensional idea and you figure out how to build that in three dimensions. And then, with the sewing, we could spend weeks and weeks on sewing, you know, and all these different incredible techniques, but I think the key is to figure out why you're learning those techniques and what's the purpose of them. So, quality, fit, and finish are the hallmarks of a good garment, and no matter what it is, you know, whether it's a costume or whether it's, you know, casual wear or an evening gown, so those points are probably the most essential because then you can judge what kind of things you wanna learn, you know? I wanna learn more hand sewing or I'm good with the machine, you know, like where do we wanna focus? Because there's a lot out there to take in.
Ratings and Reviews
Jacquelyn Bradley-Nelson
I love this class, I'm glad I found it. This what I want to learn or add to my knowledge. JayC you are awesome! I need more learning on rendering coloring for illustration for that is. I can't wait to see what's on the other class I will take. Thanks! Signed: rm515jb.
Andrea Leggett
I really enjoyed this and the draping really opened my eyes to what can be achieved. Jay made it look easy so I plan a shot at draping later and will post my effort on Instagram with thanks to him! Thank you Creative LIve for bringing this to me (in the UK) and special thanks to Jay. When I'm in Boston in August I"ll buy you a beer!
Susan
Loved the draping information. It was logical and clear enough to make me want to try it.