Earlier in the year, I was approached by Fabric Anthropology to create a TOP SECRET outfit using fabric which had been specifically designed to showcase at LA Fashion Week.  I was flattered, excited, and completely freaked out.  LA Fashion Week?  This was a big deal.

The Brief

Here is how it worked.  We selected one (or more) of the fabric designs that we wanted to use, specified the amounts and what fabric base we required, and then designed and sewed an outfit and provided photographs for the project.  The brief was very, very open; the Collaboration was to have a dark and brooding look, but other than that, we were given completely free creative license.  The outfit could be daywear or wearable art or anything in between.

The exciting thing about being involved in a project like this is that it 1) gives permission to work on something outrageous and 2) gives a focus and parameters.  I decided I wanted to do something a bit more outrageous; I could, and do, sew daywear all the time.  I wanted to sew NOT daywear.

I loved the look of the thorny ‘Fight’ fabric design, so I asked to sew with that. Most of the time, I sew knit fabrics- fabrics which stretch.  I find them more comfortable for my active lifestyle and they are more forgiving to sew with.  However, this was for LA Fashion Week, so I wanted to push myself. I decided my main piece would be a proper lace-up corset made with a woven cotton base.  It was a risky choice- I am not a corset maker, I rarely sew with woven fabric, and badly fitted corsets not only look unattractive but can lead to serious wardrobe malfunctions (i.e. not enough coverage, gaping necklines, painful metal bits that stick into your groin when you sit down, etc.)

I made three muslins to get a good fit for me.  Even after all the fittings, it was STILL stressful cutting into the Fabric Anthropology fabric, but happily, the corset worked out brilliantly.  It fits like a glove- enough coverage, no gaping, no metal bits in the groin when I sit down.  Speaking of which, all the metalware- the busks and the boning- were from Booby Traps, an Australian supplier of lingerie supplies.  I used a sturdy denim as my coutil (a thick fabric strong enough to take the strain of a corset), and when I lace the corset up, I can actually reduce my waist size, just like a corset is meant to.  Woo hoo!

If I lived in the US and postage wasn’t an issue, I probably would have asked for a few metres of fabric to make a long, dramatic ballgown skirt.  Instead, I made a hoop skirt to give the illusion and shape of a dress without obscuring the Fabric Anthropology fabric.  I have made a hoop skirt once before out of fabric, but this is the first time I have made a frame hoop skirt.  I used McCalls 7306 sewing pattern.

The rest of the outfit is made with Fight in cotton lycra.

I made all of the thorn accessories using wire, leather, and tape. (Yes, those are goosebumps on my arm.  It was cold.  I always seem to be doing summer clothing photo shoots in winter.  Now that the weather is warming up, I’ll probably start doing Winterwear photo shoots.).

Location 1

Our first photo shoot was at a dis-used trainline 10 minutes from home.  The day started out overcast, which was perfect for our shoot, but as Pete (my photographer husband) set up for the shoot, the sun came out, and the spot we had chosen, nicely hidden from a main and busy road by some bushes, was rendered un-useable because of the dappled light filtering through.  We needed to move  down 10 metres to a spot very close to and in clear sight of the road.  That was OK while I was still dressed like this:

But not so much like this:

I stood there in my corset and underwear while logging trucks roared past, usually acknowledging us with blasts from their horns.  I felt horribly exposed and embarrassed.  I saw one ute slow down as it passed us, then it did a U-turn and did another drive-by.  Then it did another U-Turn and drove by slowly with the windows down to call out to us.  And I said,”  Pete, that’s it, I’m done, let’s go!!!”

Just a side note, Peter used a bag of chicken feed to weigh down the reflector tripod in the wind because that’s just the resourceful kind of guy he is.

And another side note- those truck drivers were ALL talking about this shoot at the nearby paper mill.  We heard about it from people who didn’t realise it was us causing the commotion. Ha!

So we quickly packed up and drove off with 40 minutes to find and shoot at Location 2 before needing to pick up the kids from school.

Tune in next time for Shoot Location 2 (and 3!) of the Fabric Anthropology Fashion Week Collaboration!