Here is one of my latest creations. I studied the traditional ways of dress construction, e.g., I looked into poncho-style dresses and kimono sleeves. I ended up designing a dress that looks into how an over-sized piece of fabric behaves on the body. The core of the dress is a rectangle - the side seams go past the shoulder line and thus collapse when I wear the dress. The sleeves are rectangles attached to the core - they are wide and kimono-inspired.
While I had fun exploring the shapes and how they work in a dress, I found it even more enjoyable to combine different fabric patterns. I took a traditional paisley print and combined it with an animal print. And it worked! The limited color scheme of the sleeves picks up on black and grey areas of the paisley and instead of clashing, the two patterns compliment each other.