The first look in Sylvia is bright and airy, featuring a full, gathered pant and a corset top with an off-the-shoulder draped detail.
The textile used for the pant is a mix of a light chiffon and gathered tulle flowers that I hand appliquéd to the base chiffon fabric. I added over 100 hand sewn tulle flowers to add a nice, different texture to the overall look.
The full look gives off a light and innocent vibe, encompassing the early works of Sylvia Plath.
The second look in Sylvia features a loosely gathered pant and an olive green silk corset with an attached pleated belt in the same fabric.
This look is drifting more toward the darker side of Sylvia Plath’s journey, while remaining not super structured. The corset is definitely this look’s highlight, and while I would love to show more detailed shots of it, it is currently being used by professors at Baylor for the corset making demonstration portion of the strapless dress class. As soon as I receive it back, I will update this page with more photos of this look.
The third look in Sylvia is darker and much more structured than the previous two. It features only one shell fabric, a navy satin, which is also differential from the first two looks. The corset is topped with a carefully pleated ruffle that extends into an off-the-shoulder sleeve, a subtle call back to the first look’s sleeve.
The pant for this look is darted in the front and pleated in the back, creating an interesting dichotomy of flatness in the front mixed with an unexpected fullness in the back.
My model for this look was the smallest, being a commercial size 0, which created an interesting challenge when making the corset. Smaller corset panels means closer stitching lines and more overall precision was necessary in general.
The fourth look in Sylvia is structured and fierce, indicating us getting closer to the end of Sylvia’s works. I added a silver chain belt that I created by hand to further show the hardening of Sylvia’s mind. The metallic mesh sleeve adds to the armor effect of the chain belt.
The corset for this look features and extra layer of fabric, as I used two fabrics, a black satin mixed with an absolutely beautiful black chunky lace, for the corset shell. I flat lined the two shell fabrics together by hand, a technique I learned and used on a regular basis while working in the Baylor Costume Shop.
The pant is a lovely pleated number in black brocade.
The fifth and final look in Sylvia symbolizes the full dichotomy of Sylvia’s works in general, as it combines all of the textiles that I used throughout the full collection.
I colorblocked the fabrics between the pant and the corset. Princess seams create the overall structure of the pant. Mixing fabrics and sewing them alongside one another was certainly a unique challenge that I enjoyed immensely.
