Liza Danilova's 'Grand Essentials' is a pathway to capturing the intricate process of making.
Grand Essentials focuses on highlighting essential hidden constructions, finishes and materials of garment design and development, that play a determining role in whether a garment is perceived as plain/essential or luxurious/grand. The collection itself is luxurious apparel incorporating aspects of sportswear in its stylistic qualities. It touches on the importance of quality and value in hand making process. The design development is approached through taking away the intention of the technique/material/process that is used and highlighting it in a way that imitates its true nature, but acting as a new technique/process/material.
This collection is filled with symbolic references to the process of making - loosely hung grosgrain ribbons to highlight the importance of grosgrain in construction; twin needle technique on waistbands and neckbands to highlight the use of ribbing in sportswear, and finally the grand silk thread, to highlight the importance of the use of thread in construction.
Silhouettes incorporate essentials from sportswear such as the t-shirt, loose fit pant, ribbing and sweatshirt blocks and raglan influences. The grand blocks include the full maxi skirt, dress and coat. By mixing the two together, a merging of a contemporary is style is achieved.
Materials are refined in accordance to the feeling the wearer would get from wearing the garments - soft and silky to the touch - hence feeling luxurious and special. these include 100% silks, scuba and wadding.
Colour palette reflects a wide spectrum of whites and reds - for a grand contrast, as well as references to the white t-shirt, and red for the red carpet and grand attention.
