"Into the Light"

Walter's Art Gallery

Since my entry on Mondo Guerra's Project Runway collection, I've been thinking about the sort of pieces I would design if I had the ability to sew.

Pieces that reflect the transition from winter to spring stand out most in my mind. There's something obviously compelling about the idea of leaving winter and coming into the light of springtime.

Jasmine's Collection:

Consider my (imaginary) collection the way you would a pair of glow worms in the grass "shining unto no higher end"--that is, with no appeal to transcendence (or an overarching theme) but merely, existing as a celebration of warmth and sunshine.

Imagine, for example, wearing a long organdy dress in summertime
or a necklace of neon-colored Neopets
or a smoking jacket with pointed shoulders....

There are fresh flowers, rompers, and bakelite rings here.
Braided cloth belts that wrap around your waist,
strings of ribbons in your hair,
light colors and muted shades.

I'm fond of both structure and elasticity, so my collection would consist of competing silhouettes. Rigidity for winter, obviously:

Leanne Marshall 2010

And as time passes, the clothes begin to loosen (like flower petals, perhaps) into defined, but relaxed shapes:

Harpar's Bazaar 2004

And then they brighten from quiet shades to not-quite-electric colors:

Finally, burning out into bareness:

Australian Vogue April 2010

The idea is to start with highly a constructed collection that sort of unravels itself...like the ends of a long dress that sweeps the dirt as you walk. It consists of floral prints reflecting a garden in some city, confusing mixes of shapes and colors, and flashes of brightness.....