Portfolio de Cristina Sirbu (Rhode Island School of design)

• By 1916, WWI had created a significant strain on the fashion industry. The availability of high-end fabrics and the public’s income were both limited. Then, in May of 1916, Coco Chanel introduced the avant-garde jersey suit. My series entitled Blank is greatly influenced by Chanel’s ability to transform a textile that was traditionally used for undergarments into high-end fashion.
  I started my experiment by limiting myself to using only muslin. Muslin is a fabric that is conventionally considered unsophisticated and cheap. Through manipulation of the fabric, I wanted to achieve a look that would erase preconceived notions of its usage. After favorable results in my first attempts of applying traditional textile manipulation techniques to the muslin, I began experimenting with more unconventional methods to transform the fabric. Approaching all objects that I encountered with a naïve eye led me to explore combinations of the muslin with sewing thread, glue, and pool lining. By releasing these materials from their premeditated usage, they were re-invented as key elements of the garments in my collection.
  Colors trigger set emotions, therefore subconsciously creating emotional bias toward the garments. After experimenting with color for the first couple of garments, I began striping away color, and the unavoidable emotions that accompany it, to allow the viewer to form an un-manipulated opinion of each garment.
  The overall intent of the Blank collection was to create garments that question our undoubting acceptance of objects’ preconceived applications. I wanted to start with a blank slate.
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  Stencil cut pool lining. 
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  Half an inch strips of pool lining were woven into the pool lining shoulder cover. This was then attached to the body of the dress which consisted of muslin strips sewn together with the selvage edge on the outside of the dress.
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  Hot glue was applied to un-dyed muslin to creategeometrical pattern.
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  The garment was embellished bycrocheting muslin strips to create the back and collar of the shirt. The body of the garment was created by sewingtogether two inch strips of muslin with the selvage edges on the outside of thegarment.
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