As I learn about fashion design and develop my style as a designer, I consistently test my design ideas. I can put the wildest ideas on paper and then easily find out that technically it is impossible to create them in fabric or to incorporate them into a garment. I believe a good design about combining the creative side with the functional/technical side.
For a collection inspired by African tribal wear, I came up with the idea of layering neck covers on top of dresses and tops. The tribal lifestyle calls for layering to easily adjust to changing weather and temperatures from day to night. A piece like the one below would allow the wearer to add a layer, spruce up the color of the outfit, and a bring in a "jeweled" look to their neck/head area. I sketched the idea and then got to work on the dress form. I ended up changing the original design - I moved the seams around; folds became less frequent, the proportion changed. Several hours later, I had a sample, which I ended up using in my final collection.
Do you ever work on something and test out your original ideas to get to the best result?