A day with Amanda and Omar
During the later stages of my collection, Amanda and Omar modelled several garments that were nearing completion. With the help of my friend’s Chloe, Frances, and Raphaella, we photographed the pieces in various parts of the industrial area of Marrickville, Sydney.
Omar in ‘DAPPLED LIGHT’
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Omar in ‘DAPPLED LIGHT’ *
‘DAPPLED LIGHT’ consists of a jacket and shorts. The jacket is made from 100% cotton denim upcycled from second-hand jeans and has been treated with bleach. Its colour, texture, and print have been created using hand-painted silk organza, which has been woven into itself and sewn onto the denim surface. The under layer of the jacket is constructed from up-cycled blue denim.
The jacket features a high-neck collar and an off-centre closure with buttons that have been covered using leftover silk organza.
The shorts are made from 100% cotton upcycled denim and have also been bleached. A solid-coloured denim panel has been inserted at the front to accommodate the limited width of the original denim jeans. The shorts feature a thick, asymmetric waistband and are secured with two glass buttons.
Amanda in ‘GLAUCOUS SHADE’ top and 'CORRUGATED WEAVE’
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Amanda in ‘GLAUCOUS SHADE’ top and 'CORRUGATED WEAVE’ *
The top is made from %100 silk organza. The front features two layers, with the outer layer hand-draped and gathered, and secured at the sides. A placement print of hand-painted silk organza forms the focal point of the front panel.
The back of the top is constructed from a single layer of silk organza and is finished with two ties that act as the closure.
The pants are made from %100 cotton denim and feature a woven textile application. The weave is constructed from %100 silk organza, which has been hand-painted using synthetic dyes and set with algae.
After dyeing, the organza was torn into even strips, pressed, and carefully woven and layered onto the surface of the pants. The garment features a large waistband and is secured with a yellow glass button.
Omar in ‘BAL!’
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Omar in ‘BAL!’ *
‘BAL!’ consists of a hand-painted silk organza set dyed using algae. The dress is cut on the bias and uses approximately 12 metres of silk. It is faced with the same fabric to ensure solidity and depth of colour.
The final construction of the dress took approximately 18 hours, due to the delicacy of the silk, the bias cut, and the complexity of the lower skirt panel construction. The hem alone required seven hours to complete.
To minimise fabric waste, the offcuts created when cutting the silk on the bias were reused in other garments within the collection. For example, the woven sections of the pants in ‘CORRUGATED WEAVE’ were constructed from leftover silk originally used in ‘BAL!’.
Amanda in ‘NOONDAY HEIGHT’
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Amanda in ‘NOONDAY HEIGHT’ *
‘NOONDAY HEIGHT’ is a straight-grain layered silk organza dress made from 100% silk organza. The fabric has been entirely hand-painted using synthetic dyes and set using algae.
The dress features a solid base layer at the front and back, while loose outer panels are secured at the bust and hand-tacked into position at the front. It also features rouleau loops and a side opening with a closure on the right-hand side.
The garment incorporates four individual hand-painted panels. Although the same colours and application techniques were used for each, the paintings developed slightly differently, creating subtle variations across the dress.
The dress is named after my grandfather’s novel ‘The Noonday Height’, after noticing that the book cover had a striking similarity to the print design of the garment.
