TIFFANY REIMAGINED:
DIGITALLY PRINTED DRESS WITH 3D FABRIC FLOWERS
This dress was shown in the 2017 ITAA Juried Exhibition.
The purpose of this design was to create an engineered digital textile print inspired by Art Nouveau design and incorporating a 1950s silhouette, applique, and three-dimensional fabric flowers. The dress was inspired by 1950s styling, with an asymmetrical, lined bodice and a circle skirt digitally printed onto cotton sateen. The bodice was developed using flat pattern technique and the skirt was drafted. The pattern pieces were digitized into Optitex, imported into Adobe Illustrator, and opened in Adobe Photoshop for the design development. After developing the bodice design, I warped it around the darts so that it would continue seamlessly across the darts once they were sewn. The digital print for the skirt was developed using an image of a Louis Comfort Tiffany stained glass window (Tiffany 1981.159).
The fabric for this dress was engineered to fit the pattern pieces and digitally printed on cotton sateen. A side zipper was stitched by hand so that it would not detract from the dress design. Dogwood flowers were appliqued along the waistline seam using a hand buttonhole stitch. The dress features three-dimensional flowers made from a scrap of vintage cotton organdy and vintage millinery stamens.