Some thoughts on color blocking...

As a fine artist, everyday I have to deal with color theory and understand the use of color in a effective way...it has been a very useful tool when it comes to my fashion design. And since, this season is full of color blocking, let me share some thoughts about color.

We all know our primary colors: red, blue and yellow; and our secondary colors: green, purple and orange. When color blocking, I usually pair a primary color with its subsequent secondary color, for example: blue and orange...I might include a neutral color such as black or white (remember these two are know in the artistic field as neutrals, thus grey is a neutral too). Sometimes, I use analoguos colors (colors that are next to each other in the color wheel), for example: red, orange and yellow... Another way to group colors, is by temparature and saturation, so you can choose groups of cool colors, muted colors, hot colors (hues), and so on.

In any event, a color wheel (as shown here) is a great tool to apply color correctly and easely... you can buy one at any art supply store...or download one from the internet...so there you go!, that is my approach to color...!

Toton Comella for TCN brand

Toton Comella is a Spanish designer born in Barcelona. In 1984 she was the first designer that started using cotton-lycra for her swimwear; this innovation lead her to great success, and as a result, she created the label TCN.



TCN brand is know for its comfort and avant garde design; moreover, by 1992 Comella launched another swimwear line named Choff to target the junior market. From there, she introduced lingerie, underwear and outwear. Comella has collaborated with designers and brands like Armand Basi, Victorio & Lucchino, Pepe Jeans and Prenatal.

Oscar Wilde Fashionista...

The Irish writer Oscar Wilde, whom I admire greatly, subscribed to the Aesthetic movement of the 19th century; this movement is known for the emphasis on the value of beauty in Art, Philosophy and Nature. The Aesthetic movement in the history of Fashion saw anything that was machine made (remember the Industrial Revolution was in full gear at this time) as ugly and undesirable; therefore, any garment produced in this manner and that was over-embellished was shunned. Also, corsets were avoided and a more "natural" look was look after. The aesthetic dress was cut looser and was worn in a comfortable way, having a bohemian look.

And, Oscar Wilde, loved to wear velvet jackets with loose pants; he was much critizided...check the movie "Wilde" is a fantastic movie with Stephen Fry as Oscar Wilde...and enjoy!

And the last three Chanel ateliers are....

Maison Michel:

Milliner Auguste Michel creates in 1936 Maison Michel, clients include: Pierre Cardin, Yves Saint Laurent, Givenchy, Nina Ricci, Chanel, Laroche, Lanvin, and Lacroix. Besides the Haute Couture Hats, they work with production customers.




Maison Desrues:

Founded in 1929 by Georges Desrues, they produce custom made jewelry and accessories. They have worked with Lanvin, Dior, Chanel and Yves Saint Laurent.




The House of Massaro:


Hand made shoes, the house of Massaro, is being around for over a century. Chanel took over in 2002 and Philippe Atienza, (who was picked by Raymond Massaro to succeed him) master shoemaker, directs the house at this point in time. These couture shoes had been favorite of celebrities and royals like: King Hassan II of Morocco, Duchess of Windsor, Marlene Dietrich, Barbara Hutton among others.

Maison Lemarie

Lemarie was founded by Palmyre Coyette (grandmother of Andre Lemarie) in 1880. Mr. Lemarie worked with Christian Dior, Balenciaga, Nina Ricci among others, and the atelier was the top feather workshop in France for years. Through out the years the craftsmanship of working with feathers has been disappearing; and Lemarie, is the only studio that is working in France. The studio was acquired by Chanel in 1996.

Lemarie works with feathers, man made flowers (Lemarie produces about 20,000 flowers each year for Chanel), and as well, produces smocking, inserts, trims for couture houses: Chanel, Dior, Lacroix, Givenchy, Valentino, Dolce & Gabbana and Armani.

Goossens Paris House and Chanel

Robert Goossens founded his atelier in 1950. He meet Chanel in 1953, and since then, she made him his jeweler. This encounter with Chanel makes him a super star and works with other fashion designers: Balenciaga, Gres, Yves Saint-Laurent among others. Currently, the house of Goossens is manage by his son Patrick Goossens and daughter Martine (who is the designer). Goosens has also made perfume bottles for Guerlain, Dior, Rykiel and Scherrer.

The House of Goossens was bought by Chanel in 2005. The following images are some pieces commissioned by Chanel and pieces that have been produce after Chanel's death.

Ecole Lesage...oh la la!

There is a great article about Lagerfeld, the House of Chanel and the most important ateliers that work for them (Chanel acquired these ateliers, but they let other Couture Houses like Dior use them) in the Wall Street Journal. There were two pieces of information that caught my eye. First, Lagerfeld explains the process he follows to create a collection: where his inspiration comes from, how the sketching process is done and the time frame it takes him to have a final product (shorter than I expected!). Secondly, and even more interesting to me, the article talks about the ateliers that Chanel uses to create their Haute Couture, Shoes, Hats, etc. So, without more delay, I embark in writing a small blog for each of these ateliers.

Lets begin !

ECOLE LESAGE

located in Paris, France at:

13 rue de la Grange
Batelier
75009 Paris, France
01 44 79 00 88

www.ecole-lesage-paris.com

An actual school, they have classes for enrichment purposes, as well as, for professionals. They teach the Art of Embroidery: beads, sequings, feathers, jewels, silk ribbon, among many techniques with needle and the Luneville hook.

They charge for enrichment classes 90 Euros per hour, and they have listed in their website the many choices of courses. These "amateur" lessons are in embroidery or interior design and furnishings.

Also, they have classes for the professional (embroidery (haute couture) and/or interior design and furnishings). The course for the professional is composed of 50 classes of 3 hours each at a rate of 6,279 Euros.

Following are pictures of the book they have published, the Luneville hook, and several samples of their work.