In yesterday's post we looked at the late Paco Rabanne and at his passion for unusual materials. Let's continue the thread with a quick focus on a design that showed an exploration of the properties of materials, a shift dress from Junya Watanabe's S/S 2000 collection (from the Kyoto Costume Institute archives).
The collection was presented with a show featuring models walking and running under a rained-on runway to demonstrate the material was able to withstand 80 washings.
Among the designs featured in the collection there were wrap-around plastic foulards attached to skirts and shirts, and waterproof skirts that could be turned onto themselves and featured a different color and print, often hidden under a protective plastic layer.
There was also a selection of shifts in different colours, but in these cases the protective layer was made of strips of ruffled polypropylene that created a three-dimensional texture and gave the shifts a futuristic touch with an architectural twist.
Among such shifts there was one (first and second image in this post) that featured underneath the ruffled transparent film a plaid-patterned polyester plain-weave fabric that ensured a pleasant feel on the skin. Challenge for this weekend: think about how you can reuse a variety of materials such as plastic and metal combining them with softer ones in a garment or accessory. Museum archives can be great starting points as they can offer brilliant inspirations. Enjoy the challenge.
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