Behind the Seams: Midsummer Mood Boards

The main source of inspiration I turn to for Atèlette are authentic one of a kind vintage garments. I'm an avid believer that nothing new exists under the sun and as a womenswear label and a self-taught designer, I'm not trying to reinvent the wheel. I love finding vintage clothing (whether from my own collection in real life) or listings online, as a starting off point for what I want to create. I wanted to share some of my reference images and my sketches of the four new additions coming soon to Atèlette.

The cover image features the Bea Top. I was absolutely pleased with myself that this top we got it right on the nose in the first round of sampling! It gives me some encouragement as I'm improving on my skills! The Development phase of designing can get very costly and often times a garment might not even make it into production. As in the case of some of my designs that were in the Development Room for voting, but didn't receive enough votes to warrant moving forward. The main inspiration for the silhouette of the Bea was this early 1940s top I found on Etsy and I wanted to add a similar lace detail along the neckline like on the Edwardian top. 

The Andes Dress was also pretty straight forward as it's a bit of a blend of the Odile Chemise with the Seville Dress hem. I did add some pretty lace details along the straps, buttons on the bodice (so it's nursing friendly) and I wanted a sash with it because I love the option of being able to wear it loose or cinched at the waist.

The Garcelle Top came from a bunch of different inspirations, and I know I will probably do an embroidered floral rendition of this someday or possible a dress. I was really inspired by Maggie Gyllenhall's picnic outfit in Nanny McPhee 2, I just love how floaty it is. The lace trim inspiration came from Eric Rohmer's film, Pauline at the Beach.

And last but not least, the Camille Skirt. This was another pretty straight forward recreation of a vintage garment I spotted on Etsy that sold long ago and I always wanted. So, why not recreate it? The inspiration to do larger floral embroidery came from Maggie's outfit. A lot of brands are making Edwardian petticoat inspired skirts lately (probably due to the popularity of Doen's Sebastiane Skirt). I try not to pay too much attention to what other brands are doing and instead focus on what bygone era clothing do I want to recreate.