Millinery class: wire-frame projects

[labricoleuse]

My millinery students presented wire-frame projects this past week, and i have a few photos to share.


Blue silk taffeta collapsible bonnet by second-year grad Leah Pelz.


Calash by first-year grad Corinne Hodges.


Lace bonnet by PRC Wardrobe Supervisor Whitney Vaughan.


Coronet inspired by a research image from Queen of the Damned by first-year grad Denise Dietrich.

Comments

Question on the first collapsible bike.

[ladycelia.livejournal.com]

It comes very far forward, does the whole thing collapse, or just part of it? If the whole thing collapses, what is the internal structure like for getting it to sit like that?

Re: Question on the first collapsible bike.

[labricoleuse.livejournal.com]

The whole thing collapses completely flat. You could pack it in a handbag!

The bonnet is made from silk taffeta and fully lined, and the ruched fabric itself gathered up between each wire rib is what gives it its shape. So, the only rigid structure in it is U-shaped wires in each channel onto which the bonnet's fabric is gathered. It wouldn't keep this nice of a shape if it were made with a floppy loose-woven fabric. I have made one with a taffeta lining and dupioni on the outside, which was not as extreme a shape as this one, but never tried anything flimsier than that.

It's super lightweight, too!

Re: Question on the first collapsible bike.

[ladycelia.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the quick response. Amazing use of materials. I'd not have suspected that the taffeta and ribs alone would be sufficient to hold that shape.

Re: Question on the first collapsible bike.

[labricoleuse.livejournal.com]

The first time i made one like this, i expected i'd need cross-braced wires, but i wasn't sure where or how many, so i made my mockup without them, figuring i could decide where once i had the U wires in. Then i realized the fabric itself would be enough to support the shape, AND it would be "squishable"! So, this is something we discuss in my class, when/where/why you need those cross-braces (which you do on some styles, like the lace bonnet in this same post).

Re: Question on the first collapsible bike.

[ladycelia.livejournal.com]

Just noticed that the lovely (not) spell check on my phone decided that "bonnet" was "bike". Not actually an idiot, just can't type worth a damn on my phone.