The first two things I started researching were firstly the different styles of waistcoat I could make, and secondly some examples of how architecture has been used in fashion design. I initially decided on a waistcoat as the piece to create for a number of reasons – it’s something I would wear and fits my own fashion style, it’s something that doesn’t require an enormous amount of fabric to make in the case I need to buy more, and lastly it isn’t massively complex, or requires very precise fitting.
Looking at the different styles, both more ‘normal’ styles and some more different and unique approaches, I quickly decided that again a standard format of waistcoat would be a better choice, considering my inexperience with actual sewing and garment making. From there I chose a few options – either an average or long button length at the front, and either with or without a collar. Both styles are fairly standard, and would be within my comfort zone, while still giving me a few options that I could decide on later down the line, depending on the final design and fabrics.
In terms of looking at other similarly designed garments, I didn’t limit myself to just waistcoats – partially because the general principles would still be the same or could be transferred at least, and also because it was difficult to find specifically what I was looking for, with it being a pretty niche search. Between browsing images and reading a handful of articles on designs, I decided that I wouldn’t want anything too bright or flashy, and that some kind of line drawing technique for the fabric design would fit best with both my personal skills and the piece in question.
Callum Falconer - Tradigital Artist 