obsession : fruit prints

Possibly the most-talked-about print of the spring season was Prada's ridiculous and wonderful banana print (well, the whole show was perfection in my opinion, but that's me). 

 Perfectly bold and graphic.  Had then been smaller, it might have looked garish.  

Stella McCartney was on the same brainwave - bright, punchy, and totally different.

 

Very contrasting to Miuccia's print - photographic and realistic, and with a computer-graphic type symmetry.

That last print hasn't left my mind since I first saw it.  At the fabric store today, I was browsing the clearance section after having picked up a mint georgette for my draping final (think sheer, gathers, column shape - pics soon).  I stopped mid-step when I saw an outlandish white fabric with a lemon and lime print.  Are these going to become shorts?  What else would they be.

 

 

That is exactly the fabric right there.  High-waisted shorts with no waistband; invisible side zipper, darts in front and back, no cuffs.  Just totally clean.  Can you picture this with a sheer white jersey tank?  Summer heaven. 

Just for a little fun:

 

Great minds think alike - top from Zara.

obsession : jil sander floral gown

I know, I posted earlier about my obsession with micro florals.  Maybe I should just say I love florals in general.  But prints are really important this season.  And macro florals look amazing in super saturated tones, unlike the more neutral tones found in many micros.  On that note, I haven't been able to stop thinking about this dress from the Jil Sander Spring 2011 RTW show ... I even tried to watercolor the print today.

Photo by Garance Doré

 

Never realized this dress was one-shouldered, or had such an amazing sleeve (though I still want to see more views of it!) - also, isn't that lipstick perfect?

A tank version of the dress (perhaps what is under the jacket?  Though the one-shoulder version wasn't on the runway) is sold for $2,885.  The outer fabric and lining are both silk.  A shorter version sells for $2,445.  A single fold in the front of the two tank versions "cuts" the floral and adds an interesting vertical interruption; a pleat details the back.

The colors are beyond amazing - saturated, bright, a little surreal.  Placements of photorealistic flowers are truly interesting - notice how some flowers are "half" another, or stop down the middle and become a different color.  

"The Dress" in Vogue Paris March 2011

From WSJ March 2011

Another swatch of the fabric - I just love the slash of real and surreal

On the cover of Elle Czech May 2011

Helen Seamons' shoot for the Observer on Sunday

Marie Claire France

Can you tell I'm obsessed?  Now, why do I think this dress is so great, you may ask?  Because it is impeccable in every aspect - the silhouette is minimal, the length is dramatic and new, each iteration is as exciting as the next (sleeves, no sleeves, long, short), and the fabric really seals the deal.  Nothing is more precious than a designer's custom print - and nothing is more meant to fill a blank canvas of a simple gown than one like this.

If anyone would like to buy me this dress, it would be greatly appreciated.  Or even the envelope clutch.  Haha but who am I kidding - way beyond anyone's price range.  I am on the hunt already for a fabric somewhat like this - doubtful I'll find one perfect enough, but I do know of a website that allows you to print your own ... good use for those swatches, huh?

Getting tired of it yet?  I'm not.

spray-on fabric

Ok, I was going to be done for the day and then I saw this:

Spray-on clothing. Developed by Spanish fashion designer Manel Torres, he has found a way to cross-link fibers of plastic and cotton so that they can be sprayed, in color, directly onto the body. Once the fibers have met with air, they harden into a fabric. The result is a very cobweb-like, delicate material that you can wear again, or dissolve back into a spray and recreate. Interesting, no?

It brings some interesting ideas to the table. For example, it puts new meaning to recycling clothing - rather than giving it away to someone or repurposing it into something new, you literally break it down and start again, sort of like unraveling a knitted sweater and making a hat out of it instead (something I did this summer). It also has the possibility to be repaired - you wear it a bunch of times, a hole develops, and you grab a bottle of spray-on fabric and the hole is now gone. While the technology to repair a hole in pre-made (or, not sprayed on) fabrics doesn't exist yet, it certainly opens the door to that being a possibility in the future. Check out the site here for more information and some videos of the process being done!