Clothing Construction
Non-Western Dress: The Rectangle
Another early development in clothing construction, after the manipulation of animal skins,
was the use of rectangular, loom-woven cloth. Although western fashion has mostly been
constructed using fitted pattern pieces, non-western dress has been made primarily from
uncut lengths of fabric.
In her revolutionary, mid-century, ready-to-wear designs, Bonnie
Cashin consistently referenced non-western clothing, such as the
kimono. Cashin created functional fashions that fit a broad range
of sizes and were decades ahead of their time.
Yeohlee’s contemporary "One-Piece" coat employs her "Zero
Waste" philosophy. Only one, small scrap of fabric from a
rectangular length was left unused.
