Co-Op Collection Inspiration

These past few days have been devoted to nailing down a final concept for the collection I am creating for my winter co-op, and after going back and forth quite a bit I finally have it figured out! The collection I am designing will be a Women's Ready-to-Wear Line for Fall/Winter 2012.

I am taking my inspiration from ski resorts like the ones in Aspen and Vail, Colorado as well as Breckenridge, Denver. I love the luxury of these places and the mixes of materials and textiles that are everywhere there, from the stone and wood buildings and cabins to the interiors filled with furs, wool and other textiles. These places represent a carefree, luxurious atmosphere that I want in my line. I am also taking an inspiration from the winter, skiing culture that is there. The girl I am designing for is fashion forward, someone who wants to be seen and is not afraid to be hands on and hit the slopes and be active.

Designing with this girl in mind, one key detail that I want to use throughout my line is quilting, not the cliche "puffer jacket or vest" heavy quilting that can come off cheesy at times, but a lighter, softer quilting that is mixed with suede's, knits and wools. This I think, will provide the luxury feel I am looking for as well and give real depth to each look. As with all of my other designs I really want this line to be fully functional. I want all the outerwear pieces to be fully lined and insulated so they are not just something to look at, but something to be worn in a cold weather environment as well. I also want to include some interestingly pieced leggings throughout the collection to give a more activewear feel to the looks. The more active looks will also be accompanied with more classic silhouettes, wide leg pants, blazers and blouses with seaming details and a mix of fabrics to provide balance to the collection as a whole. I also want to include chunky, knit accessories in the collection. These will include headbands, earmuffs, gloves, scarves and hopefully a few sweaters (time permitting of course). Time management will be a big factor for me with this collection. There will be 10 complete looks that i have a little over 10 weeks to make!
Wish me luck!

As promised here are a few sneak peeks of quick sketches of some of the looks I have designed. There are many, many more on the way but I think this will give you a good idea of the beginning of the line. A lot more sketches will be coming in the next few days!

Original Designs

xoxo Hillary C.