Inspired by fond memories of playing in gardens as a little girl, especially in my Grandfather's, and the romance of Gardens in the French Countryside. Silhouettes with a graceful ease, a mix of floating fabrics and textural lace details, Le Jardin provides brides with gowns that reflect the love between her and groom on her wedding day with unique details in color, fabrics and elegant trims.
Every collection starts off with a small idea, that is built upon with layers and details of inspiration, which leads to the first steps designing, developing the big idea behind the collection. For Le Jardin, my first point of inspiration was my Grandfather's garden. Personal memories and aspects of my life always fuel my designs, as in this instance, since I always look back on times in the garden fondly.
To help gather my thoughts, I always begin collecting images I feel reflect my ideas or bring my inspiration to life. I start off with working in a sketchbook, keeping all of my ideas in one place and helping the concept grow from page to page.
Also in my sketchbook, I start collecting swatches of colors, fabrics and textures I have been drawn to through my research. Inspiration can come from anywhere. A perfect example is the dried flower, the perfume bottles and the spots of nail polish in purple and pale blue.
To further communicate my source of inspiration, I create a mood board which brings all aspects of my research together. The images help to define the mood of the collection and reflect details that will be shown, from color, textures, and silhouettes. For this collection, I used some family photos in my research and mood board. You can spot me, as a little girl, near the top!
Once my concept has been solidified, fabrics have been finalized and my creative juices are flowing, I start working on sketches, a lot of sketches. For Le Jardin, I must have done around over 40 sketches, out of which 10 would be picked to be illustrated for my portfolio and 4 would be picked to create to be shown at the fashion show. Pictured below are the top designs, the Lilah, Jane, Carrie and Tara gowns in their earliest forms. Also pictured is an early version of the Sybil Jumpsuit.
Fashion never stops moving, so sketching leads right into creating physical garments. Through draping and pattern making, muslins are made to fit the garments, and often, during this process, designs details are changed. Making the muslins gives the chance to experiment, so sometimes, things change for the better!
Then the most exciting piece of the puzzle! You finish your garments and those sketches you did so long ago leap off the page and fulfill your visions. With these four gowns, I tried a lot of new things, pushed myself to work harder than ever and as a result, the dresses truly reflected my aesthetic as a designer.
Le Jardin wouldn't have been complete with some illustrations! After the whirlwind of sewing and creating, I took the chance to illustrate the entire collection, bringing a whimsical and romantic sense to my drawings.
There you have it! From start to finish, that's the process needed to create Le Jardin. Since the collection walked the runway, a few more pieces have taken shape, The Sybil Jumpsuit and Belle Gown. If you want to see even more Le Jardin, head to the homepage to check out the entire collection!
Thanks for reading!