Editorial note:

This work has been created in the context of the Bauhaus Open Studios programme with students from Cornell College of Human Ecology’s Department of Human Centered Design (studio lead: Catherine Kueffer Blumenkamp) in spring 2024. Students were asked to select an object from CF+TC, create a touchboard as in the preliminary course at the Bauhaus and then develop their own design based on this material analysis.

For this piece we were inspired by six historical dresses. We chose to focus on the various textile manipulation techniques that we observed in these garments to serve as the main point of inspiration. We both thought that these interesting design details could be incorporated into a future design in so many ways, and allowed us to both draw inspiration from the pieces, but still have our own original ideas be present in the design. We investigated one textile manipulation from each piece we chose from the collection, and ended up incorporating three of them into our final design.

The three elements we chose to really guide our design process were godets, stitched cord, and a twisted fabric tube. Both Liriana and I chose the same elements when we sketched our separate designs which made it easier to combine our designs together for the final idea. We thought that the use of the godets brought a more historical look to the design, so we chose to make the dress shorter so it was not quite as formal looking. We then combined the stitched cord and twisted fabric tubes together to create our own textile manipulation of stitching down the twisted pieces as a surface design detail.

Even though we made separate pieces layer together, we really wanted a strong interaction between the two pieces, rather than them just purely being styled together. This is why we chose to have a long sleeve dress and a vest, so that pieces of both garments are very visible. We also wanted the godets to be on the dress and poke through the slits in the vest so that it creates a really cohesive look that is not easily discernible which piece is part of what garment at first glance.

The process of draping and transferring this to patterns and final fabrics was very smooth. I didn’t have too much difficulty finding where to put darts and Liriana and I both draped along the princess lines so that our seams would match up. We experimented with the size of the godet to achieve the right volume and length that we wanted through more of a trial and error process. Because the godet is along the top of the sleeves, I eliminated the other seam along the bottom of the sleeves for a cleaner finish.

We both really liked the color palette that we chose and were happy with our fabric selection. When making finishing details, I really wanted to play into the purple and white color palette, so I chose to do an exposed white zipper and white top stitched seams to tie into the white godets against the purple dress.

The most difficult part was definitely the hand sewing of all the godet hems because the fabric is very slippery and that made it difficult to do all the hems. I am happy with the clean finish of it though and think it turned out well. I also made sure to hand tack the seams away from the shear godets so that they are not seen as well as the facing down, to really make sure the dress has a clean complete look.

I think Liriana and I worked really well together for this process because we both helped each other and kept each other updated along the way and made compromises to create a look that we were very both happy with.

Liriana Nezaj is a first-year Fashion Design student at Cornell University. She is very passionate about designing pieces that uplift the wearer and she is particularly interested in crochet. Having grown up in the small town of Valhalla, New York, Liriana values a tight-knit community and appreciation for the little details.

Margaret Watkins is a first-year Fashion Design student at Cornell University. Her interests in fashion include the intersection of fashion and technology, as well as textile manipulations to fabrics. She often finds herself drawn towards the dichotomy between structure and fluidity and how it can present itself within her work.