Trends in prints

[DJCNOR]

Hello all,

I would be interested in a discussion of trends in prints. How are florals being handled in the new collections? Cleanly drawn? Watercolor? Cartoon/60's ish? Line drawings? Techniquey? What types of stripes? What types of geometrics? What subjects for conversationals? And so on and so on. Anyone else interested in watching out for and discussing these?

 

[D'Felipe]

The most interesting florals I've seen are Alexander McQueen s/s 07 where he uses (what seems to be) silk flower petals under tulle. you should take a look at how the floral theme recurs in the entire collection if you haven't already. it's very 3 dimensional*

 

[Lena]

i think prints and especially florals are getting somehow 'tired' ..

geometrics, 2 tones, 3D and soft bluring seem more interesting for seasons to come

 

[emi25]

A lot of geometric and "wild animal"-prints...

Hand-drawed naive allover prints and "fake" monogram prints for street-brands...

About the flowers: more macro than micro...

 

[DJCNOR]

Emi,

That's more what I was talking about. I had noticed the"fake" monogram prints a few years ago on bags. Are they now being used for fabric as well?

If hand-drawn prints are back in, I'm delighted. I know that a new technology is bound to be used, but I just don't like the prints based on photographs, and I much prefer the "hand" of hand-drawn over computer-drawn prints.

When you say all-over, do you mean scatter patterns with a high degree of coverage of the backgrounds? Are the backgrounds plain or textured?

I think prints and florals, in particular, are never tired, but types of them are. For example, I'd love to see a new twist on all those wild animal prints. The last fun one I saw was a print that looked like an animal print on first impression, but was actually a floral when you looked closer.

As for florals, any textile designer will tell you that florals are what sells the most, IF you can meet the present trend demand regarding colors, coverage, size, style (where the naive, versus, for example, botanical-print-like or abstract comes in), and technique (watercolor versus line drawing, for example).

D'Felipe, thanks. I'll look at the McQueen collection. I'm always interested in embellishment as well, and your description sounds like it might fit into that category.

 

[emi25]

Emi,

That's more what I was talking about. I had noticed the"fake" monogram prints a few years ago on bags. Are they now being used for fabric as well?

Street-labels used it for a long time...with ironic prints like dollarsigns and stuff..I don't know the names but I've seen it a lot in Stockholm...Where I work we do it for underwear as well...

When you say all-over, do you mean scatter patterns with a high degree of coverage of the backgrounds? Are the backgrounds plain or textured?

Allover prints are a "modulo" or "rapport" (i dont know the english word) that are repeated...It means that you first print the fabric and then do the garment.../T-shirts are often printed afterwords..Then it's not a allover-print..The background depends on the print..you can print an allover on a already printed fabric..the effect is a bit "Cavalli" -->too much..

I think prints and florals, in particular, are never tired, but types of them are. For example, I'd love to see a new twist on all those wild animal prints. The last fun one I saw was a print that looked like an animal print on first impression, but was actually a floral when you looked closer.

Same thing with the camouflage/mimetic prints..now you can find them in all kind of ways...

 

[DJCNOR]

Ahha. Now I know the words in Italian for a repeat. In English, we have that general word for what you describe and a bunch of other words for the type of repeat it is. If the individual motifs don't touch each other, it's a scatter print even if they are arranged so as to almost cover the background. If the print is of leaves, or boats, or telephones, or some other "thing" besides floral, it's a conversational. There are also words for how the repeat is arranged. For example, a half-drop is a repeat in which the pattern drops down halfway in the next-door sections, kind of like brickwork. Byoderes (and I'm not sure of the spelling of that one) are repeats in which the repeats are place side by side and are made up of continuous elaborate "stripes" like you might use for the border of a skirt. And that doesn't even start on the words for how the repeat is put on the fabric. If you dye the fabric all over, remove the dye from the area where the design will be, and then print the design, or if you dye the fabric all over and then remove dye to produce the pattern, it's a discharge print. I'll stop now. All this is of great interest to me, but probably only to other textile designers or those involved in producing the fabrics.

 

[emi25]

wow!

 

[lemeray]

I think floral prints are dead now. I hope.

Im definitely seeing a lot plaid tartan houndstooth and geometric prints on the streets.

 

[Tinetush]

I like the idea of more 2 toned and geometric prints, I'm looking forward to that
and plaid tartan houndstooth is nice...

Though I still like floral prints, but I don't mind at disappearing from the streets. I'll still wear it.

 

[DJCNOR]

Floral prints are never dead. They just change types. Yesterday i saw a type I hadn't seen in a while, very vintage looking to my eye. A scatter of tiny sprays of flowers, like bouquets about 3 inches across.

Tinetush, are the houndstooths, plaids, and tartans (which are different things entirely) you have seen woven or printed? I know weavers who have made a career of weaving tartans for movie and performance kilts.

 

[DJCNOR]

Floral prints are never dead. They just change types. Yesterday i saw a type I hadn't seen in a while, very vintage looking to my eye. A scatter of tiny sprays of flowers, like bouquets about 3 inches across.

Tinetush, are the houndstooths, plaids, and tartans (which are different things entirely) you have seen woven or printed? I know weavers who have made a career of weaving tartans for movie and performance kilts. Denmark has some excellent handweavers. Does the company Harem still exist?

 

[Tinetush]

^woven mostly, which I myself prefer. I don't think many of the printed once are that nice.
Really I didn't now. I don't know actually, I've never heard of the company which is slight embarrassing actually.

 

[DJCNOR]

OT Re: Harem

This was a company that existed when I was there in 1992, so it's not that surprising that you haven't heard of it. Denmark was accepting a lot of Bosnian war refugees, and the conpany was set up to put the women to work and integrate them into Danish society. What they did was to bring in Danish designers, show them all the hand skills and weaving skills that the new emigrant women practiced, and gave them the mission of designing garments that made use of those skills, conformed to Muslim standards of dress, and yet also fit the tastes of Danish women in general. Thus, all at once, they employed the emigrant women, got them out into the general Danish society in a situation where they would learn the language as a part of interacting with Danes with common interests, used them as a new market to be supplied, andhelped the Danish designers get started as well. Brilliant.

The also designed and made rugs.

 

[Tinetush]

^thank you so much for the explanation - Quite interesting. And I agree with you brilliant. I'll have to ask someone if they know if it still exists, someone who wasn't 4 in 1992.

 

[D'Felipe]

Floral prints are never dead. They just change types. Yesterday i saw a type I hadn't seen in a while, very vintage looking to my eye. A scatter of tiny sprays of flowers, like bouquets about 3 inches across.

Tinetush, are the houndstooths, plaids, and tartans (which are different things entirely) you have seen woven or printed? I know weavers who have made a career of weaving tartans for movie and performance kilts. Denmark has some excellent handweavers. Does the company Harem still exist?

I agree the other day I also saw these beautiful floral prints that looked like vintage botanical drawrings they were beautiful!

 

[PrinceOfCats]

All of Dries Van Noten's leopard-print stuff for men is on sale now, like I always knew it would be... That trend was never going to catch on.

 

[DJCNOR]

Leopard print for men? I don't think so. Men tend to be really picky about prints....but somehow, Hawaiian-type prints, they are OK with. Go figure. One of the companies in the US that I think has the best prints for men is Territory Ahead. Their dobby weaves are generally excellent as well. So good that I'd love to be one of their textile designers (even for their women's line).