Tell Us About Your Design
The coat is made with a mini-pleat lightweight synthetic that is backed with foam and fused with miracle web and Siri for structure. The bottom of the coat is and made with 100% cashmere that is draped to have high-to-low tuckpleats and lazer cut leather piecings along the hem. The high collar also provides structure and have tuckpleats as well. The lining is a duchess satin with cashmere facing. The front closure is a an industrial RiRi zipper. This coat as a look is paired with a sheer charcoal organza blouse and a burnout motif copper pant.
Who or What Were Your Biggest Inspirations During This Process?
It is always a venture for me to experiment with translating abstract sketches and ideas into tangible designs.
My aesthetic is also very much romantic. I’m always in love and obsessed with stories of dark tragedies and much of the stories or inspirations I take in are of surrealistic motifs. I like to create garments where there is a fantasy and where you can have your imagination stirred of where that woman is going. She looks cool, artistic, collected, beautiful and interesting. You’d want to get to know her and what she’s about. I like to use a lot of patternmaking, draping, and construction techniques such as smocking, origami, and macramé and I like to display my emphasis on craftiness and unique detailing.
Some fantasies are of Luxury, quality, and travel. A realm created for the wandering traveler, satisfying the wanderlust of industrial discovery: A gypsy-jetset in a gaslight affair, invoking her sentiments and fantasy of industrial idealization.
It is an amalgamation of Victorian aesthetics along with the idea of transition and advancement of travel: the juxtaposition of softness in texture and the architectural construction of garments that emulate a mist that seeps in between iron cast buildings at the dawn of a morning fog.
Which Retailer(s) Would You Most Like to Sell Your Design?
Bergdorfs, Barneys, Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, Nina Raynor, Elisa B., Saks Jandel, Vivaldi, Jimmy's, Luisa Via Roma, Harrods.
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- Initial Sketch
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- Translation of sketch into fabric
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- Top of coat: pre-pleat synthetic on top of foam, fused with miracle-web and siri for structure.
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- Bottom of coat: 100% Cashmere
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- Lazer cut leather
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- Leather pieces at hem have an undulating geometric motif cut in as a pattern
Judges’ Rating: 4/5
Judges’ Comments: “Not a design for everyone, but very fashion-forward and beautiful.” – Cynthia Smoot
Janice Hijin Lee
Janice Lee studied design at The Fashion Institute of Technology in New York and Polimoda Istituto Internazionale Fashion Design & Marketing in Florence, Italy. She has been a design and production intern at a variety of fashion houses such as Oscar de la Renta, Germån Valdivia, Truth + Pride, and LORICK NY. Janice would describe her design aesthetic to be very bold, geometric and architectural. She experiments with construction, deconstruction, textures and printwork. With a fine arts, design, and technical background, she intertwines various mediums together to produce wearable art, and also finds herself creating many of her own prints and textiles. It is always an adventure for her to translate abstract ideas into tangible design and art. Janice uses patternmaking, draping and construction techniques such as smocking, origami, and macramé and displays her emphasis on craftiness and unique detailing. She is currently freelance designing, working as a Fashion Illustrator, participating in artist collaborations, exhibits, shows, and a multitude of competitions. Janice is continually working towards growing her portfolio and experimenting with different medias and settings.
