FASHION DRAPING – A DESIGNER’S BLUE PRINT

The Diploma in Fashion Design, Weekend Batch July 2019, displayed draping techniques under the mentorship of Dr. Anusuya K, Head of Fashion Design Department.

Draping is the process of placing fabric on a dress form, to gauge the structure of a design. It is initial step in the design process and the simplest response of wearing clothes. Ideally a designer creates a 2 dimensional sketch of his design, however the draping method helps to understand the design in a 3 dimensional form. It further gives the designer liberty to make multiple changes, in a design and experiment with different silhouettes before finalising an idea.

Muslin, is the fabric choice and is usually pinned to the dress form as per the desired design. In order to get a well-structured look, before starting with the process of draping, the seam lines of the dress form needs to be well established. Once the desired design is finalised and the designer is satisfied, the fabric can be removed from the dress form and can be used as a reference to make paper patterns for the final garment.

With a profound understanding of the body and the treatment of the fabric, the students created various drapes using various elements like ruffles, pleats, folds, asymmetrical silhouette and braided belt.