Balenciaga and No Whimsy!

As a designer who is just really starting out in a serious way, I want to establish a style that I am known for. And it had better be good or I won't be a very successful designer. So I feel some pressure. I need to find a style that is accessible to lots of people but is still very much my own. There is no easy way to do this. Everyone is looking for this elusive, unique style and there are so few designers that find it.

I think that the only way to find my design style is to look at my own knitting.

I am not a whimsical knitter. I don't knit toys or cozies for inanimate objects. I don't like to make tchotchkes. I'm pretty sure that's heretical in the online knitting community. I'm okay with that. To each their own right?

That being said, I am not sitting and knitting austere cardigans in the dim glow of one hanging lightbulb either. I just have a slightly different take on knitting style than other people. I like to knit tailored pieces that fit well in a professional wardrobe. I like making fitted sweaters that show off a figure for a night out. Is there whimsy? Sure. I like to add small fun touches that keep me and my knitters entertained. I love a sweater with a fun motif on it or a detail on a hat. Still, I think it's unlikely that I will be knitting for elves and faeries any time soon. I leave that to the professionals.

In terms of designers and styles that I admire, it's all about shape. If you love the fitted look it's almost required to say that you admire Dior's New Look. Of course I do but I think that some of the designers that were going against this flow were even more interesting. For example I love the work that Balenciaga did after the Second World War. I love these experiments with shape and how the shape of the garment really draws attention to a woman's best features. You would think that they wouldn't be flattering at all but not only are they beautiful in and of themselves, they accentuate the beauty of the woman wearing them.

So in short what do I want? I want to make fitted, tailored pieces that play with shape. It should be flattering to the female figure but also capable of being beautiful on its own. It's a lofty goal, and it kind of makes me sound pretentious but I still think it's worth a shot.

Some inspirational photos:

Photos from : 

http://flickriver.com/photos/52899036@N05/4954279223/

http://blindflaneur.com/2008/02/29/fashionista-street-balenciaga%E2%80%99s-erotic-knowledge/

http://petulantrumblings.com/?paged=32