Eleganza – Pattison Outdoor Advertising Calgary AB – visit www.couturecalgary.com
Thank you Tania Lavoie – Pattison Outdoor Advertising
Students of EHC will feature their latest couture projects along with vintage couture garments and new couture wedding gown at the event. Sponsors will be there supporting the event, relax and enjoy live music (see who below) with wine and nibbles!
Couture vs Labels continued: Couture
…FOR the wedding gown we assimilated all the information gathered in the consultation process and started to produce sketches putting to paper a variety of ideas. Starting with sketches too early in the couture process just creates wasted time and effort; couturiers should more or less understand their clients before putting pencil to paper. Unfortunately, what may happen in very rare cases is that the client may take the couturiers creative ideas and abscond to someone else to be constructed. If this happens the other couturier should have the integrity not to copy someone else’s designs. Fortunately, this is a rare occurrence; by the time the couturier ought to be creating sketches is when the couturier/client relationship has been well established, trust has been developed, a contract signed, and the deposit paid with the cheque cleared.
Couturiers must understand and become very familiar with their client’s preferences, needs, lifestyle, etc. and – this is a very big AND – keep it to themselves as private not-for-public-consumption as confidential as information between doctors and their patients. Fabrics are sampled and sourced to make the whole image come together with sketches. Sketching is used a technique to communicate ideas – not an end in its self – rather a means to an end. Many ideas are explored, revised and developed but, this stage has a definite duration. After which, the client approves of the design in writing before anything else is done.
What happens if the client changes her mind along the way about the design? More on that next time…
Couture vs Labels: Labels
…BACK to ready-made wedding gowns, hems always need adjustment but, the other thing that needs altering nine times out of ten is the lining. Linings of production line garments seem to be a ‘one size fits all’ component. Beautiful gowns on the outside frequently have unsightly rippling showing through. Most people think what they see is the result of the dress being too big, in a way they’re right, but unless you are more experienced with dressmaking and tailoring you may not realize that it may only be the lining which is supposed to be exactly the same size and shape as the outside or slightly smaller.
In most ready-made garments the linings are not even seamed in the same place as the top fabric, excess fabric being only pleated in to match a seam line or folded over to take up excess lining. Let me repeat: this is NOT how it should be. Linings should be like a second skin to the top fabric following the contours and seaming of the top fabric. Overcoats and jackets may have special ‘giving pleats’ for ease of movement when a more flexible top fabric than lining is used. Please don’t confuse a ‘lining’ with an underlay, slip or underdress to the face of the garment.
Why don’t ready-made garments have linings these days? That next time….
Eleganza will be featuring the very talented Sarah Vann www.sarahvann.com singing and Los Morenos www.losmorenosmusic.com live band playing at Eleganza on November 20th, at the Calgary Winter Club www.calgarywinterclub.com
Ecole Holt Couture - School of Couture Sewing & Design 
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