Christian Dior

Christian Dior was the master of control and release. Anchoring garments and volume to understructures was one of his many fortes. The combination of restriction with areas of sensuous volume is something that I particularly hope to achieve in my work - Dior is a masterclass.

References:

img1 http://emariam.tumblr.com/post/1426263234
img2 http://www.bluetramontana.com/2010/02/book-clifford-coffin-photographs-from.html

Vivienne Westwood

I am including Westwood in my designer index no so much because her aesthetic resonates with mine but because her design practice does. I heard from someone who worked with her that a very large component of her designing process and construction process is done by tweaking on the stand. I find it necessary to do the same thing. Though I think flat pattern-making extremely important and enjoyable, I find every little change I make I need to toile - that physical incarnation is so important. Then - slicing it here, pinning it there - somethings can only be done on the stand. Viva la toile!

References:

img1+2 Spring/Summer 2010 style.com

Claude Montana

Claude Montana's work in the 80s and early 90s was BIG - influenced, I'm sure, by the period. However his work betrays an ongoing fascination with volume that cannot be explained away by the decade. His enduring dedication to cut, fabric and creating space between the garment and the body (similarly to Miyake now), Montana's designs are an exciting parallel to my own interest regarding interaction between the body and fabric. Also, discovering his use of folding and peeling - revealing - is a serendipitous realisation considering my current project.

References:

img1+2 http://strawberige.blogspot.com/2009/11/fashion-flashback-claude-montana.html
img3 http://fashionproject9.onsugar.com/Claude-Montana---What-Counts-11823011