Pleats x 3D-Lines

The task of the course was to combine a traditional finishing technique with a modern one. From the rectilinear folds I tried to create 3D shapes. After some experimentation and thought, I came up with the idea of working with drawn two-dimensional parallel lines that could create a 3D effect or trompe l'oeil, and in turn put them in optical connection with the pleats of a pleated fabric.

The idea of optical illusion finds its roots as early as the Renaissance - for example, in the work of the Italian painter Andrea Mantegna. Trompe-l'oeil was also a popular technique in Italian and French Baroque painting to evoke the viewer's astonishment.

In recent years, however, a new variant of this art has developed: the silhouette of the painted or drawn motifs is no longer depicted in concrete terms, but is only hinted at by drawing parallel lines, i.e. straight lines are drawn running in a certain direction, and at the point where there should be an elevation or depression, this plasticity is indicated with a corresponding curve. This makes the overall image look as if an object that was under the lines had pushed the latter up like black threads. This technique also works with other geometric shapes instead of straight lines. And many fashion designers used this technique in the design of their collections, such as Jean Paul Gautier in his 2019 haute couture show or Thierry Mugler.

Having acquired this technique, I tried to combine the modern finishing technique with the old one. I succeeded in this when I had one of the 3D drawings printed on a fabric and straight lines on another fabric. I then pleated this one by hand and then sewed it to the bottom edge of the fabric with the 3D drawing, in such a way that the lines of the first fabric merged into the second, pleated one, without interruption. This created a visual illusion: the parallel lines turn into folds.