In our last post about how our Dobbin patterns are developed, I skipped over our actual design process. Mainly because the design process is an incredibly subjective part of creating clothing, and less of a ‘pulling back the curtain’ on the path of taking a garment from sketch to production. Every designer has his or her own point of view, and customer in mind, when they design a line or start a business. 

Neither Catherine nor myself comes from a traditional design background, like a professional program at a fashion or art school. Instead, with both of us armed with liberal arts degrees, Catherine’s design skills have been mostly honed on the job throughout her career, and mine have been picked up second-hand through more than 15 years on the business side of the retail and fashion industry. Since we’d already spent the better part of a decade collaborating on design and incorporating customer demand into a line at Liz Lange Maternity, Catherine and I work together very well. We collaborate closely on all aspects of the business, and particularly on design, with a clear goal in mind: we want to create garments that look good on as many bodies as possible (though as mentioned previously, we’re still small and not yet able to design petite, plus nor tall), in primarily washable designer level European fabrics, all for under $200 at retail.

Catherine and I discovered at Liz Lange that our taste levels and interests were very similar, and in some cases complementary. Catherine and I both favor classic sportswear designs from the ’60s and ’70s, as well as ’90s minimalism. We admire designers like Halston, Bonnie Cashin, Donald Brooks, Valentino, YSL and Givenchy. We both like fashion that is timeless and elegant. Catherine’s personal style is sometimes more romantic than mine, and my own is more preppy than hers. We try to steer clear of our more specific personal styles and instead focus on what we think and have learned our customers are really interested in wearing.

When we begin to design a season, in terms of silhouettes, we pull together huge folders of inspirational images. We look for anything with clean lines, streamlined shapes and good construction. We like a ladylike look, but avoid anything too prissy. We want our clothes to have an easy, wearable sophistication. We watch what women around us wear on a day-to-day basis, and ask for advice from our friends, family, industry colleagues and (especially) our customers. Now that we’re in our third season, we have an idea of what our customers like and don’t like, and what they would like us to create in the future. I know from experience that shoppers like an element of surprise, but they also want to find what they’re looking for. We also take trips to all kinds of stores, and try on things from all different designers and retailers. It’s in our best interest to know what we’re up against, and what’s working and what’s not for other companies. Like many other designers, we also shop vintage and thrift stores for silhouette and print inspiration.

We don’t typically have a theme for a season (say, something based on travel, or a movie or book character); instead, we think more about the wearability of the individual pieces of clothing we’re making and how they work together. Most importantly, we think about how each piece we design can be worn at work, to dinner, on the weekend, on a trip and beyond. We think about how women with different body types will look in a garment and how she wants to feel. Then we tend to incorporate trends most by choosing which colors we use each season. A classic body in a chic and high-fashion color makes for what we hope is a winning combination.

Throughout, we also have to think about all the small details of each garment when designing. From pocket placement to hip length to the amount of flare that a skirt has, we need to commit to many choices before we discuss a design with our pattern maker. Small changes can be made throughout the fit process, but we can’t entirely alter our original design. This season, we wrestled with a shirtdress design. We liked the idea of a button-less poplin dress, but the more we played with the sketch and with the sample in-hand, the less we liked the reality of it. So we changed the design incrementally, towards something more traditional, but probably more flattering in reality.

As we grow, we plan to stick to the same design philosophy, but to expand the number of silhouettes we design each season. We want our customers to continue to rely on us for the workhorses of their wardrobes, and to be able to add and incorporate new Dobbin pieces into what they already own. 

Next post, we’ll cover our fit and how we chose our fit model, as well as pictures from an actual fitting!

Design Inspiration Boards

This feels like the most “rough around the edges” or RATE outfit that I’ve posted. Greg begs to differ. He thinks I look polished and not intentionally “rough” and “untidy”. But it’s all relative because to me, the combination of faded baggy boyfriend jeans, a casual chunky cable knit pullover, distressed Frye boots and new punk do, create a different visual to the clean, crisp, graphic and simple outfits that I usually wear. 

The blush moto jacket that I bought last year was a very unexpected purchase. And even more surprisingly has become a wardrobe workhorse. I have worn it A LOT over the last five months — much more than my black moto jackets. More and more I’m drawn to wardrobe items in light colours, especially in shades of white. I tend to think of this jacket as “pinky cream” as opposed to a blush so I guess that’s why I’m wearing it so often. 

The acrylic-rich, chunky rose pink pullover from Zara was bought to go with the moto. I liked the idea of wearing tones of light pink because it’s soft and pretty. I’m glad I rekindled my love for light blue and pink last year because it makes for a nice change against my wardrobe of black, ink blue, white and sour brights.

I’ve frequently worn this pullover with the jacket and I’m thrilled to report that it’s warm and does not itch! I like the contrast between the clean and crisp lines of the leather jacket and the fuzzy hand-knit look of the pullover. It’s like combining structure with chaos. And when hubby thinks you look cuddly, so much the better.

I chose my faded Gap boyfriend jeans because light blue works well with soft pinks. The bagginess of the jeans adds to the casual vibe of the outfit, and at this point also makes it more fashion forward; Wearing your clothes looser is one of the biggest fashion directions for 2013.

The casual taupe booties serve to add length to the jeans, which are a little short on the leg for my liking. They used to be eight-hour-shoes, but that two inch heel has demoted them to four hour shoes as my feet unfortunately become fussier with age. I finished off the outfit with a gold watch, wedding ring, retro black specs and cream satchel. Ideally, I want to wear an off-white clutch with this outfit but I don’t have one yet. I’ve added it to my Spring shopping list as an item I can wear year round.

And there’s the scarf. I love my Burberry scarf, but I did not love it with the outfit. The addition felt too complicated, layered and maximal for my style. But it did keep me toasty warm, and I liked that aspect of it. But it wasn’t that cold and I was fine to leave it off. The happiness-factor of this outfit skyrocketed as soon as I removed the scarf, and that was that. 

Arty style isn’t classic, but more whimsical, ethereal and eclectic. Items are usually soft, detailed, never strict, usually casual, sometimes flowing and always playful. Here’s a little roundup of arty pieces that my clients have liked recently. 

• Roll Sleeve Crinkled Jacket: My heart skipped a beat when my client fitted this on yesterday in the lunette colour option (which I prefer to call “oyster”). It looks a million times better on my client than on the model, especially when she wore it with white jeans and pearlized fashion sneakers. It’s beautifully made and has a hidden hood. The fabric is crinkly, lightweight, slightly iridescent and drapes well despite its stiffness. It’s also available in blue, and well worth the price. A stunning piece that will not date. 
• Vince Camuto Floral Print Blazer: A blouse-weight blazer in a photographic floral pattern. A perfect warm weather topper, and so on trend. No need to fold back the sleeves to showcase the lining. 
• Steve Madden Blomm Boot: A little floral ’90s grunge. They run true to size and look amazing with faded denim. 
• Vince Camuto Geo Stripe Pleat Front Blouse: The intricate front panel is effective, and the sides float comfortably away from the body. Great for petites with a small bust line. 
• Deconstructed Chambray Field Jacket: This style might be more “tough” than arty but it can be worn in an arty way. Wear it over a soft blouse and jeans, or romantic dress with a pair of the above Blomm booties and you’ll create a more whimsical outfit vibe. 
• Patricia Nash ‘Venezia’ Crossbody Bag: Loving the pinky-tan, which will only look better as it wears over time.

I don’t have an arty style, but I do dabble in the odd romantic piece because I like lace, some florals, soft fabrications and full flirty skirts. Do you have an arty streak?

Here’s a summary of the most important posts that I have written about pant lengths. Unsurprisingly, I have a lot to say on the subject because it’s my thing. 

Full Length Pants

I like full length pants and jeans to hang extra long. The first post I wrote in 2006 is still a good guide for pants and jeans with flared hems, which should almost skim the surface of the ground. I fleshed out the concept again in 2011 when flared pants were on trend. Again, I do like them long and there was quite the debate in the comments section.

I often hear the objection that it is impractical for full length pants to skim the ground. To some extent this might be a misinterpretation of what I mean, which is that the pants should be close enough to the ground that it visually seems like they are skimming the surface. Not that they are actually touching the ground. Still I do take the point that the closer to the ground they are, the faster they are going to get dirty, especially in wintery weather. My approach when the weather is bad is not to wear my pants shorter, but to rather wear tapered pants instead.

Skinny and straight leg pants and jeans can’t skim the surface of the ground because they are tapered. Personally I like skinnies and straight leg jeans with scrunch because it adds textural interest, lengthens the leg line, and makes the item look less tight. The amount of scrunch is up to you. I also prefer trousers with tapered hems that scrunch because the effect creates a good balance between luxurious and relaxed fit.

Cropped Pants

I don’t have poison eye for cropped pants. After all, I wear them myself. What I do think is that the length is hard to pull off, so you have to be extremely particular about their length, fit, width at the hem, and how you style them. It’s a tricky business!

Cropped pants can look horrible, especially when their hem widths are wide. And at the moment this look is trending. But there are those who feel differently, and that’s why we had a huge cropped pants debate.

But I am not without solutions, so here are guidelines on how to create a flattering line with cropped pants, how to visually lengthen them with booties, and how to wear them cuffed or rolled. And here are some fabulous outfits with cropped pants. 

Finally, here’s an interview I did on Style by Karen that sums up my views on perfect pant lengths. Karen added some visuals that illustrate the points nicely.