Job:02-30034 Title:RP-Fashion Design Ref and Spec Book
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(Text)
What brought you into fashion?
Actually, I was always interested in how costume/clothing and headgear affects perception
and body movement. You can influence people by what you wear and how you move in it, and I
found that aspect fascinating. When I was in school, I did a lot of plays; you had to think about
character and about how to assess the character in the costume. Then, too, I was always
aware of the supernatural power of a lot of fabric: When you have a lot of fabric it’s very im-
posing—and a tall headdress is dominating.
What should a designer understand about the business of fashion first and foremost?
Make something useful. If you’re a clothing designer (“clothing,” “fashion,” I use the terms
interchangeably, so one does not negate the other), if you’re a fashion designer, your medium
is clothing, right? And if you’re going to make clothes, you might as well make clothes that are
useful, clothes with a sense of purpose. Why would you do anything other than that? It doesn’t
make any sense, particularly today when time is of the essence. If your clothes are not func-
tional, you’re just wasting everybody’s time, including your own.
How important is the world of architecture to your creative process? How do you interpret and
apply architectural principles to structures that surround the human body in a more intimate
way, to clothing?
Architecture is definitely a source of inspiration. Sometimes it’s serendipitous. I was working
on my Fall 2005 collection, which had some flourishes and details that I didn’t realize were
Spanish-influenced. Then I went to Mexico City and saw Luis Barragán’s house. And I discov-
ered a real connection between the mood of his house, especially his use of color and shape,
to the collection I was already working on. So that happened by chance. On the other hand, I
was in L.A. and I visited the Schindler House, which is known architecturally as one of the first
modern houses. And the thing that had the most impact on me was the reduction of materials.
It was concrete, wood, and glass. I drew upon that simplicity and made a collection for Spring
2007 that was completely reduced. I think I used maybe five different fabrics, the predominant
color of which was white. And also Schindler had devised this process of pouring concrete and
then having the concrete hoisted up to form the walls. So within the collection I made clothes
that were “hoisted” onto the body, resonating with Schindler’s construction technique.
Construct 187
Job:02-30034 Title:RP-Fashion Design Ref and Spec Book
#175 Dtp:225 Page:187
Book
e:186
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