This post serves as an example of how Michelle Fite of Fite Fashion designs her dresses, this experience is not required for everyone.
Welcome to part deux of the Positive Publicity x Fite Fashion collaboration! If you missed part one, you can check that out here.
So let’s see, where were we last? Well for starters, Michelle’s designs were recently featured at the Philadelphia Flower Show. The shade of pink on her dress matched the orchids at her display beautifully:
Here’s a quick recap of the first post, and what Michelle did to prepare for part 2: Michelle took my measurements to begin the dress design process. From those measurements, she went through her size guide and compared that to the pattern to be the best starting point. She traced all the pattern pieces and compared, made adjustments, and bada-boom, bada-bing, here we are!
Just to show how dedicated Michelle is to her brand and her art, she has her logo tattooed on her arm. We have no choice but to stan.
Our second meeting for this project was dedicated to making adjustments to the blueprint of the dress. An “intuitive method of math” is how Michelle Fite would describe this next part of the design process.
“A fashion collection is like a poem,” Michelle described. “Each piece is like a stanza.” That’s pretty beautiful, isn’t it?
Michelle presented the design of the dress I would be wearing (!). This is especially exciting, because this is not part of her collection yet. She explained how although this would be the design of the dress, it would be a different fabric. Her expertise in designing has showed her that each fabric behaves differently, and every fabric has a personality. She learned for this design, this dress would need a much different personality than what she had originally envisioned. I am really enjoying learning about Michelle’s process as she creates, and I’ve grown to appreciate fashion so much more.
Riffs on organic sculptural forms, sculptured pleats, and asymmetry are the staples of Fite Fashion.
“I want everything that you wear of mine, to photograph beautifully from every angle, so you have this confidence no matter what angle you’re at,” said Michelle. “You’ll always have a fitted waist and definition with me.”
Showing off curves and celebrating the body are at the cornerstone of her designs.
Michelle then brought out the swatch of the dress color. It’s the most gorgeous emerald green, silk-wool fabric. The fabric catches the light beautifully, see for yourself below.
She brought with her a cotton muslin. The muslin is your educated guess about where you need to go with a pattern as you mark it up. It’s the starting point – a foundation you can transfer from, the building block, the blueprint. Think the preliminary model moment Project Runway.
Like a painter to a canvas, Michelle worked away with a purple marker about what needs to be taken in, what needs to be let out, with precision and accuracy.
Voilà! The finished muslin mock-up. Part three is coming soon – the finished product!
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