In good shape: COS and Usha Doshi’s pattern-making manual is a cut above

Creating with Shapes is based on the premise that the simple cut-out of a shape in a fabric can create a drape, and dictate the design of a garment. ‘By means of a simple manipulation of fabric in relation to the cut-out shape (by folding and fastening) each cut-out is transformed into a new volumetric shape,’ Doshi says in the book’s Method section. These simple snips, be they in the shape of a square or a diamond, can be used to make innovative garments, differing in form dependant on where the cut-out is placed on its silhouette.

In celebration of the launch of the book, COS has released an 11 piece capsule collection which employs Doshi’s garment-making methodology. The label is renowned for its sleek and simple approach to design, and this collection is imagined in an understated colour palette of navy, optic white and oatmeal.

The book is divided into seven sections according to shape, each marked with a creamy, calico-like page of paper marked with a cut out. Found inside each chapter are DIY diagrams for cutting into 150x150cm pieces of fabric, and beautiful black and white shots of toiles on mannequins. Seen here is the rectangle. ‘By multiplying the number of rectangles you use, you can create even more volume,’ Doshi says in the introductory text to the chapter. ‘It is a shape that always produces drapes with simplicity about them, results never looked overworked.’

The accompanying capsule collection includes a shirt with voluminous front folds and an inventive draped asymmetric silk dress, created using a method made up of multiple techniques from the book.

Creating with Shapes is a DIY tool for designers and garment makers. The calico toile of the asymmetric piece opposite is created using ‘Rectangle two’ – a cut out in the centre of a piece of fabric. ‘I was able to produce what I thought in the past was impossible, Doshi says in book’s Preface. ‘…without the use of seams or darts, achieving complicated drapes with little or no bulkiness in the finished seams, even pleating from a point in alternating directions.’

The garment patterns in the book vary according to complexity, from ‘Diamond six’ – a pattern of tiled diamonds which creates a voluminous gathered detail at the shoulder, to ‘Oval one’ which produces a simple drape on a skirt.

Doshi honed her pattern-cutting skills working as a Senior Technician at the RCA’s Fashion Department for over 20 years. The 11 piece capsule collection she has created for COS features a wool overcoat with a geometric back pleat detail. 

This short dress, with a draped central detail is created using the ‘Circle four’ pattern, wich sees three circles cut out in a line, which are folded, pleated and stitched together. ‘A circle works best when you don’t address the round shape already there,’ Doshi says in the introductory text to the chapter. ‘...but rather what lies beyond. Once you’ve mastered the circle, you are on a roll.’

While Creating with Shapes offers simple pattern-making steps for making innovative garments, the book’s author also encourages readers and designers to use the methodology as a starting point for their own creations. ‘What might a circle look like if cut from tin foil, or a square cut from a roll of acetate, or a triangle cut from a sheet of flexible wood veneer?’ she asks in the books final Play chapter. ‘What comes next lies in your head and your hands.’ Creating with Shapes, £49, published by COS