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Thursday, December 17, 2009

Making Hats For Donna Karan And Kinder Aggugini Spring-Summer 2010. London Part 2.

One of my most favorite projects this Fall was working on fantastically funky, huge, almost grotesque hats for Kinder Aggugini Spring-Summer 2010. Kinder Aggugini is a 42-year old Italian and a graduate of the Central Saint Martin's , based in London. He is regarded as the "international man of mystery" and was often called the "ghost" designer that is until his fist Collection premiered last Season. The reason is - Kinder Aggugini has been a creative force behind the scenes at major labels including Versace and Vivienne Westwood, not to mention the fact that Kinder is a former apprentice to John Galliano.
I loved the fact that Aggugini based this collection on the Grimm Brothers' fairy tales and motives of "Alice in Wonderland". When I first saw the sketches(done by Mr.Jones) of what he had in mind for Kinder's Collection, I admit, I got a little bit scared. Number one rule when it comes to any design - the proportions are everything. Clearly, any mistake with the size of the hats in this case was not an option due to the volume of fabric used for each hat and, of course, time concerns. Fabrics for the hats ware created on the spot in Mr. Jones Atelier. Then, the mock-up of the single hat was created for the first fitting to make sure that this is exactly what Kinder Aggugini had envisioned for his Collection.
It always amazes me how much construction, calculations and mechanical thought goes into creating spectacular hat. It was exactly the case with hats for Kinder Aggugini: we had to make sure that models would not drawn in this hats, that the hats are not too heavy, that the fabric would not collapse and would properly hold the shape. It was not an easy production, I got millions of pins under my nails, but once Collection premiered on September 19Th in London it totally rocked the runway. I absolutely fell in love with Kinder's Collection. I should, probably, mention that I have a weak spot for Chantilly lace and polka dots! Bravo to Kinder!:-)
As you may know by now, Donna Karan's Spring-Summer 2010 Collection was included in the list of Top 10 best Collections presented internationally for the Spring-Summer 2010 Season. I was, personally, very excited to have this great chance to work on hats for Donna Karan. I always thought of her Collections to be very "wearable chic".
When the fabrics for hats sent from New York arrived, I knew, that this is going to be a very special Collection: pearl greys and creams, very airy and light, I practically could not wait to see what Mr.Jones would come up with for Donna Karan. When the sketches were in, it became apparent that we are creating hats "spirited away", as I called them.The idea was to create an effect of wind blown hat as if the model wearing it had just encountered a stiff breeze on the runway.
There was no traditional blocking for this hats, instead, precisly calculated and measured wire structures went in place. Afterwards, the fabric was carefully draped over each wire structure. Draping is always very time consuming process. There is no such thing as an unimportant fold or pleat - everything has to be done just right.
Unfortunately, despite great reviews for the Collection itself, Mr.Jones hat designs didn't get good reviews from American editors. For example, Style.com review by Nicole Phelps stated that "...those Stephen Jones hats looked like deflated clouds..." . Well, Ms. Phelps, I respectfully disagree. I enjoyed every bit of working on this beautiful hats :-)))) Will never be able to fully describe how great it feels to see fantastic end result after many hours of hard work.
Donna Karan Spring-Summer 2010
Donna Karan Spring-Summer 2010, New York
Donna Karan Spring-Summer 2010, New York

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