The Language of Fashion Design

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Fabric, whether knitted or woven, is a symmetrical

raw material, rectangularly produced in bands by

hand or machine. A minimally cut square woven

or knitted piece of fabric, joined at the shoulders

or side seams, creates simple, clean, symmetric

asymmetry

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the language of fashion design

shapes, like the poncho, caftan, gathered-

waist skirt (dirndl), or drop-crotched pant by

cutting half shapes on a fold of fabric and

opening them into a bilaterally symmetrical

form. Most likely, saris, scarves, and wrapped

pieces of woven cloth tied onto the body

introduced the first ventures into asymmetry

in dress as fabric was pulled or draped across

and around the figure. Overlapping

front-edge closures, surplice fronts, wrap

skirts, double-breasted jackets and coats, or

symmetrical garments cut from different

colors or textures for each side, are moderate

design ventures into asymmetry.

(continued on page 120)

Color blocking and piecing

along seam lines is surprising

in this armhole–princess

line fitted sheath, catching

the eye immediately with its

thoughtful improvisation to

a piece that might otherwise

be harshly square.

ATELIER SWAROVSKI,

BY PRABAL GURUNG,

Singapore/New York, NY, USA

Katya Leonovich

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Uneven necklines and hem-

lines with cut-out effects and

straps counteract swirling

original patterns with clean

borders, carving beautiful

shapes out of the arms, neck-

line, and legs. Irregularity is

the norm.

Katya Leonovich is a Moscow-born de-

signer based in Manhattan since 2009. She

graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts

in Moscow, studying fine arts, then fashion,

and uses her trained art eye for her design,

as well as her paintings for fabric designs.

She also lived and worked in France and

Italy at the house of Gattinoni, which fo-

cused on embroideries, corsets, and lux-

ury dresses and made her aware that she

wanted to create a new vision of fashion.

Considering Rome her second home, she

is inspired by the many differences in each

city’s architecture, the colors, the differ-

ent types of people, their styles of dressing,

and the musicality of their languages. All

of these aspects inform her artistic vision.

Her abstract vision liberates her from tra-

ditional dressmaking’s perspective.

One of her fashion shows was an in-

stallation that featured her large, colorful

paintings as the backdrop for her fashion

models, and you could see the direct cor-

relation of her magical color sense and aes-

thetic. In her spring/summer 2011 runway

show, she began to paint live onto a couture

bridal gown during the show.

Starting her career by entering com-

petitions, she has won the Mittelmodal

Prize, the Smirnoff International Compe-

tition, the Nadejda Lamanova Prize of the

Russian Federation, and Supima’s inaugu-

ral Competition for Emerging Designers.

L Gallery in New York had a retrospective

exhibit of her designs. She represents the

new generation of Russian fashion, accord-

ing to Russia’s Encyclopedia of Fashion.

Her “Beautiful Garbage” design aes-

thetic, couture techniques, and bold-paint-

ed digital prints are unique and definitive

of her style. Based on the idea that beauty

doesn’t last forever, driving her to constant

NEW YORK

creation, it embraces the freedom to find

beauty in what has been cast aside, like

discarded scraps of fabric.

Her collections balance solid neutrals

in firm fabrics with soft, wild, colorful,

dreamy prints on soft, shiny, or thin fabrics

such as fur, wool, silk, leather, gauze, and

chion. Asymmetry, cutouts, and leather are

also outstanding features in her work along

with corsetry and draping. Soft and hard

also always find a balance in her collections.

Leonovich’s design concept revolves

around her belief in “Beautiful Garbage.”

She incorporates fabrics of chiffon and

silks with unexpected materials including

torn paper, pieces of aluminum, feathers,

and fringes. A pair of her dresses made to

walk the runway together featured paint-

ings of Mitt Romney and Barack Obama.

She has a lighthearted joy and love of art

and life that infuses her work and person-

ality. Not a trend follower, she aims to use

modern silhouettes but infuse new and fu-

turistic ideas while still keeping it wearable.

Her inspirations are more abstract,

never about a singular theme or idea. To

keep it relevant, she designed a recent

collection for the women in her New York

neighborhood, based on what she wished

they would wear. She also designs for men,

but with less color and more minimal style.