
the language of fashion design
A floral motif, for example, may be beaded
onto fabric; heat transferred; hand painted;
embroidered; constructed from fabric and
attached to the garment; integrated into the
seam line formations in the garment; printed
or woven repeatedly into the fabric; appear
on a button, earring, or shoe; or form
hardware on accessories. It may appear
in one way or a variety of ways across the
concept group.
A motif tends to “speak out” in symbols
or forms with associations, identifiable as
standing out from a background setting.
From abstract forms to realistic, or even
(continued on page 205)
FIRSTVIEW.COM
Life-size digital prints
on this pair of dresses—a
motif depicting lifestyle as
decoration.
UNIDENTIFIED DESIGNER,
MELBOURNE SPRING
FASHION WEEK,
Melbourne, Australia
Get The Language of Fashion Design now with the O’Reilly learning platform.
O’Reilly members experience live online training, plus books, videos, and digital content from nearly 200 publishers.