haute couture - SAI Programs

HAUTE
COUTURE
SEWING TECHNIQUES
AND CONSTRUCTION
FALL 2012
Florence University of the Arts
FAST, School of Fashion and
Accessory Studies and
Technology
Instructor: Dagmar Elizabeth
Mecca
Course Code: FT FD HC 352
Section: 101
Delia Tung
Givenchy,
Spring/ Summer
2007
Giambattista
Valli, Autumn/
Winter 2013
Valentino,
Autumn/Winter
2009
Christian Dior,
Spring/Summer
2003 Haute Couture Fashion Haute couture is French for “high sewing” or “high
dressmaking”. The term refers to the creation of exclusive
custom-fitted clothing. It is usually made to order for a
specific customer and from high quality, expensive fabric. Chanel, Spring
Summer 2012
Valentino Assignment
Valentino has dominated
haute couture, the Italian style,
for five decades. The
assignment was to find three
inspirational images of
Valentino gowns and sketch
our own design incorporating
our desired corset pattern.
• 
• 
Valentino Red 2010
• 
Black satin for the
headpiece and trousers
Black chiffon for the
corset sleeves
Black and red silk
taffeta for the corset
• 
• 
Valentino Spring 2010 RTW Strapless
Gray Gown • 
Purple silk for half of the
dress
Gray silk for the corset and
half of the dress Back half of the dress is hand
plisse with the purple silk
• 
• 
Valentino for Audrey Hepburn, Vogue
• 
Black satin for the
headpiece and
trousers
Black chiffon for the
corset sleeves
Black and red silk
taffeta for the corset
Corsets
Corsets have a commonplace among haute
couture fashion. Every student in this course
created a unique corset.
I chose a corset pattern representative of the late 16th century and early
17th century. These garments were worn by upper class women in the royal
courts. This version features the Elizabethan-era dropped center front
waist and the square-neck corset with fastens in front. Boning
Bones, also known as stays or steels, comprise of
the skeletal structure of the corset. There are
three main types of boning.
1. Spiral Boning
Most flexible of all
bones
–  Cut using bolt cutters
on each small
individual ring of the
bone –  U-tips are used as
ends and crimping is
used to keep the tips
in place
– 
2. Solid Plastic Boning
–  Very flexible
–  Simplest form of
boning use
–  Cut using scissors,
rounded at the end
–  Can also have
slanted ends
3. Woven Plastic Boning
–  Contains several rows
of fine tubular plastic
that are woven
together with a fine
thread
–  Cut with scissors,
then rounded with
fire
–  Ends are sewn on
Bone Casing Samples
1.
2.
4.
5.
3.
Bone Casing Samples
These samples were made to show
how different types of boning could
be sewn into fabric.
1.  Two Layers of Fabric
2.  Using Seam Allowance
3.  Using Ribbons
4.  Woven Plastic without Bone
Casing
5.  Using Ribbons Over Seam
Allowance
The First Steps
The first step was to make an initial twill out of muslin fabric. I
traced the corset pattern on the muslin, cut it out, and sewed it
together. Here, I show how it looked on the mannequin. Then, I took my own measurements and added fabric in the areas needed. Detailed Drawing of my Corset
I later made some small changes while I sewing, such as having
elastic straps and a sweetheart neckline. Sketches of outfits with the corset
This outfit has the traditional
head scarf altered to my design.
The corset is made of black
cotton. This outfit has a black fabric for the
corset. I envision it with a jacquard
cotton. The trousers are made of
blue silk with white polka dots. Sketches of outfits with the corset
This dress will have a pink
chiffon over the silk dress. The
corset will be made with pink
silk with ribbons as the bone
casing
The corset will have sheer blue
sleeves and the skirt will have a
thin black organza over the blue
skirt. Silk Lurex Taffeta
Gold and Red Shantung
Orange and Black Shantung
Single Thread Brocade
Silk Taffeta
Pongee Silk
Jacquard Cotton
Ottoman
Drill Cotton
Fabric Board
Fabrics
The class theme was the French
Revolution. From looking at my
mood board, I was inspired by
laicism in France. The bottom
kitschy fabric is representative
of the French Revolution when
peasants stormed the palaces of
France. The top corduroy fabric
signifies the current struggles
for Muslims in France. Black is
the color of many traditional
clothing for women. Beginning the Corset
I started my final corset like the twill. The
pattern was cut out of two layers of muslin, one
thicker and one thinner. Then I did the same
with the outside fabric. I laid the thinner muslin
between the two other fabrics and tacked them
together using a simple needle and thread. The Makings of the Corset
My particular corset requires a large amount of straight boning. The
boning was sewn in between two fabrics. I used a ruler to measure the
bone casing for solid plastic boning and metal boning. Solid plastic
boning required a width of .7 cm and metal boning, 1 cm. Here you can
see that I have sewn all the straight boning in for the center front of my
corset. In the very center, I used one piece of metal boning. The rest of
the bone casings were meant for solid plastic.
Here are the materials that I used for my
corset (in the box above). On the bottom
right are the pliers and bolt cutter that I
used for crimping and cutting metal
boning. Metal boning was also used on
the back of my corset.
Here, I am cutting and inserting
plastic boning into my corset.
After all the boning was cut and put into the corset, I sewed the lining
for both corsets. I used a dark blue satin for the kitschy fabric and a
black satin for the corduroy. The right sides had to be facing each other
and I connected the fabrics together. I left the sides open to flip the right
side fabrics out later on, shown on the black corset to the left. The sides
were hand stitched together at the end.
Here, I am sewing in the lining to my corset. For the straps of my corset, I used elastic bands so that I would have
more room to move. I sewed on my elastic straps by hand and inserted
them into the corset in open seams. This was my last step.
The Finished Corset
The Finished Corset
Our Class