Archive note: This newly written historical account revisits Melitta Baumeister, the subject of Grandpa Style’s earlier Visionary entry. The original feature and photographs are not reproduced here.
A sculptural starting point
Melitta Baumeister’s early work offers a way to think about clothing as a form in space. The LVMH Prize archive records her as a 2016 semi-finalist and notes her 2013 MFA in Fashion Design and Society at Parsons.
The useful question for this archive is how her clothes acquired their shape: through the cut, the material, a mold, or a combination of these. Dated reporting provides specific examples.
Casting a familiar garment
In Colleen Kelsey’s July 2014 Interview feature, Baumeister discussed sculpture as a central interest. The report described silicone-cast cable-knit sweaters alongside vinyl jackets and other experiments in silhouette. Familiar garment types became starting points for a different treatment of surface and structure.
The same article documented her installation at Dover Street Market New York. Used plaster molds appeared alongside garments and cast objects, making the production process part of the display. The installation belongs to that 2014 moment in her work.
Material changes the silhouette
Amy Verner’s Spring 2015 collection review, published by Vogue on 3 October 2014, described cotton bonded with jersey giving wide trousers a rigid form. Verner also raised questions about movement in particular looks, keeping the relationship between shape and practical wear in view.
For Fall 2015, her review of 31 March 2015 described velvet bonded to foam and the crinkled appearance of Tyvek trousers. These examples show why the material treatment matters as much as the outline when discussing Baumeister’s early collections.
Reading volume
Our editorial reading is to look at the space between body and garment. An enlarged sleeve, a projected skirt or a firm trouser shape can change the whole silhouette. When viewing the collection images linked above, consider three questions:
- Where does the garment move away from the body?
- Which areas appear firm, and which appear able to fold?
- How does an enlarged form change the proportions around it?
These are ways to study design. A photograph can suggest structure; judging comfort still calls for experience of the actual garment.
Related archive reading
For another approach to form, read our note on Bande des Quatres and geometric jewelry, or explore more people and projects in the Archive.
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