A bridal collection always needs a great deal of creativity, a quality generally considered to be innate, and a gift that flowers on its own. Yet, the creative processes that lead to success are the result of the ability to come up with original solutions to concrete problems and situations that beyond talent and individual gifts, stem from certain methodologies of work. As Pablo Picasso said, "Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working." Good ideas, important contributions, and new solutions are the consequences of specific procedures in which analysis, observation, reflection, and proposals form part of the same mechanism that encompasses distinct mental processes. You can also refer to a short article about Lunss Couture to learn more.
In the development of a bridal collection, there are several must-have steps:
- Get inspired
- Sketch your idea
- Define silhouettes, lines, colors, materials, and fabrics
- Produce a concept book or thematic panel
- Develop patterns and test garments
- Create prototypes
Get Inspired
Before the creation of a bridal dress line or collection, the bridal designer must immerse themself in a process of investigation that permits finding and detecting inspirational things, ones that potentially can be transformed into new sketches on paper. It is not easy to guess what the public will want next especially when one is working a year before it even begins. Thus, in order to be able to gather the resources needed for the proper planning of the collection, it is imperative to carry out a wide-ranging assessment of what is going on in the world. For this, one needs to be up-to-date regarding fashion, social, and consumer trends. Of course, referring to some famous brands to get inspired is also a popular way. Here is a list of some famous bridal designers.
The Sketchbook
The sketchbook is used to record the creative process of the designer. It is a means of expression where ideas are collected and proposals are developed freely, with the aim of presenting the conceptual character of the collection, the making of the garments, the search for materials and fabrics, and the suggestions of possible looks. It functions as a travel book as well as a tool that allows one to explore the sources of inspiration for the collection personally and by hand.
The ideas developed in the sketchbook derive from two sources:
Observation: centered primarily on external documentation that might include clippings from magazines, texts, advertising, photographs, small objects, etc.
Invention: original ideas that are given expression on paper through text and/or drawings.
The formats, materials, applications, sizes, volumes, and textures are totally at the designer's discretion and will depend on what happens to be most comfortable for her in terms of expression, from the use of a simple notepad to a suitcase filled with references. The techniques, at the same time, are extremely varied, as they depend on the particular intention of the designer. The most commonly used method is collage, which allows for cutting, gluing, drawing, and assembly. The ultimate objective of the sketchbook is to first obtain proposals that later will evolve and be transformed into a fashion collection. To begin with, there are certain very important factors to keep In mind as they will help to specify, identify, and define ideas better. These elements are silhouettes, lines, colors, materials, and fabrics.
Silhouettes and Lines
Over the decades women came to take on a different role with their own dress and styles-the young, free-spirit of the 1920s or the "ideal" wife of the 1950s becoming in the process an iconic figure that even today is still used as a reference for defining a collection. The silhouette, being the first impression one has of a garment, dictates the general spirit of the collection from the get-go. For this reason, it will serve as a guide in the making of each of the garments and will determine, among other details, the volumes, the proportions, and materials. For example, a geometric silhouette will need a more rigid fabric than a free-flowing silhouette. The standard term used for defining silhouettes is the line, articulated by the cut, the placement of pleats, and the effect these create. There are various kinds of lines like the A-line, which refers to a garment that is narrow in the upper part with a low waist that widens toward the lower extreme; To preserve coherency and order in a collection, it is important to maintain common lines or details that recur throughout the pieces.
Color
Color is the most important element in one bridal collection. It is one of the factors that first draws the attention of consumers, conveying the spirit and emotions that the collection wishes to express: sensuality, mystery, innocence, maturity, madness, etc. Such is its importance that over the history of contemporary fashion, there have been designers associated with a particular color to the extent that it identifies them, resulting in a symbiosis where one cannot exist without the other, such as the case of Lanvin blue, Valentino red, or the shocking pink of Elsa Schiaparelli. In order to create a color menu (a selection of between four and ten tones to be used in the production of a collection, some more frequently as base colors, others exclusively for details) it is important to keep in mind the three dimensions of color if one wishes to obtain a chromatically harmonious color menu in which nothing is too shrill.
Color: the color itself, such as red, blue, or yellow.
Value: the degree of luminosity or darkness a color has. The highest or most luminous values of a color are its hues and the lowest or darkest are its shadows.
Saturation: the degree of intensity of a color, the brightness or paleness that it emits depending on its level of purity; when it is pure, and neither black nor white or any other color has been added to it, the color Is at its maximum level of saturation. Playing with colors and their dimensions in various ways produces different harmonic ranges.
Monochromatic range: the selection of a single color; varying its saturation and/or value produces different shades.Analogous range: the result of using two or three colors closely situated in the chromatic circle (analogous) and some of its shades, also the result of the variation of value and/or saturation. - Complementary range: the result of the use of two complementary colors and their shades, obtained in the same way as in the above-mentioned cases.
Fabric
Lace, satins, sculptural silk failles and mikados, crisp taffetas, flowing chiffons, floating organzas, and ethereal tulle illusions each have their distinct characteristics and their unique beauty is brought to life in the collection. Bridal dress designers always choose the finest and most beautiful materials from around the world to use in making their creations.
Produce a concept book or thematic panel
Once the references have been selected and the lines and themes to be explored in the future collection analyzed, the next step is to develop the gathered material in the form of a thematic panel or concept book. This tool allows for expressing through images and keywords the overall idea that is to be transmitted in the collection, that is, the compendium of values and symbols that represent it: ideas, feelings, visual references, environments, colors, music, important figures, etc. In addition, by representing, visualizing, and putting into writing -whether abstractly or concretely- the references that have served as sources of inspiration, it is possible to better manage the idea of the brand, line, or collection. This guide creates a symbolic universe that serves as the overarching context of the creation. It helps to define the placement of the message or messages that will be developed further in the product, establishing a particular manner of communication and defining the strategy that will be followed with the contribution of a concrete stylistic filter.
Develop patterns and test garments
Patterns are the architecture of fashion, to the extent that they are geometric constructions based on the measures of the body that are used as forms in the production of garments. Each pattern consists of all the pieces that go into a garment, and the larger the number of pieces the more complex the composition of the design will be.
The test garment is the first sample of the garment once the pattern has been developed. Generally, it is done with calico, percale, or some other fabric with the same weight and behavior as the fabric that will be used for the final garment, as it is possible that a pattern will not function with a fabric different from the one for which it has been conceived. For instance, if the fabric to be used for the garment is elastic, a knit fabric must be used for the test garment. Normally, the fabric is white or natural, given that these colors make the cuts and tailoring of the pattern easier to see.
Create prototypes
The final step in the creative process is to make a prototype, that is, a version of the garment as it will later appear at retail respecting fabrics, colors, finishes, etc. Normally, prototypes are used as a sample of the collection on fashion runways and in the press and are therefore generally made in size 36 or 38 in order to fit the models. Once the prototype is completed, the developmental process of a collection is over and the time has come to present it, to offer it to possible buyers, to begin production, and to follow the necessary steps so that the garments actually will be able to be worn.
