Behind the Seams: How Long it Takes to Create The Season’s Best Pieces
By W magazine
There’s a reason the season’s most highly wrought pieces cost a pretty penny.
1. Marni skirt
Courtesy of CNP Montrose
Before work even begins on this skirt, there is a three-hour quality-control process during which goose, rooster, and Dutch duck feathers are inspected, ensuring they are up to snuff. Each of the plush plumes is then exactingly positioned and hand-stitched onto alpaca wool. Once the desired color-block effect is achieved, the waistband is embroidered with rhinestones and brass casings.
Price: $2,790.
2. Christopher Kane dress
Courtesy of CNP Montrose
Thirty hours are spent creating this dress, which is made from different triangular components, each consisting of 30 layers of French silk organza. The individual layers are cut by hand and carefully sewn together using delicate chain stitches, giving the effect of pages flipping open in a book.
Price: $7,805.
3. Fendi fur coat
Courtesy of Fendi
Comprising a quilted undercoat made with diagonal stitching and a knit collar, and an outercoat assembled from multicolored mink inlaid on mesh, this camouflage creation takes about 60 hours for an in-house artisan to complete.
Price: $21,000.
4. Mary Katrantzou sweater
Courtesy of CNP Montrose.
Partnering with royal warrant holder Hand & Lock, the oldest embroidery house in England, Katrantzou creates elaborate heraldic designs, which are embellished with gold bullion thread and hand-sewn onto a sweater made from sustainably sourced Saga mink. The 100-hour-plus process has been documented in a film currently viewable on Hand & Lock’s website.
Price: $71,775.
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