Jo Shierlaw

Green with envy

The Resene paint pot impromptu, meaning “done without being planned or rehearsed”. When seeing my silk fabric for the first time I wanted to plan ahead and had the urge to think of a design process. I had a quick feel and play around with my silk, seeing what could inspire me.

One thing that caught my attention was the elegance and the beautiful flow of the drape in the fabric. This had lead me to finding inspiration from the Roman era and the way women wore their “Stola” dresses that draped beautifully around the female figure, creating an elegant silhouette. I wanted to create a modern day interpretation of the Roman era, incorporating the drape and fullness from their garments.

My design consists of two pieces. An oversized shirt that buttons up and ties at the front. The ties are big, long and dramatic creating a drape effect when they are tied together to one side. The back of the shirt has a simple, yet elegant drape. My sleeves are big, bold and puffy as I wanted to create a bold strong form with my look to tie back with the historical architecture of Rome. I complemented the top half of my look with fitted pants, one leg ruched up to create a dramatic gathered effect.

Overall my look relates back to my bold colour, it represents someone that is independent and uses their initiative. The person wearing Impromptu is bold and fearless. When walking passed in this look, everyone turns green with envy as they wish they were wearing this outfit.

Resene Whitecliffe Colour of Fashion clothing - 2018

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