02Sustainable design and pattern development

Adjustable Linen Blouse

A pleated, adjustable blouse made from white designer deadstock linen for the Street Works Earth sustainable fashion show in Queens.

Close view of a woman wearing the white pleated linen blouse with shoulder ties — Adjustable linen blouse · Front pleats, shoulder ties and bound edges

Objective: Design one half of a two-piece runway look that uses both material choice and adjustable fit to support a longer life.
My role: Concept development, patternmaking, fitting and construction
Material: White designer deadstock linen
Outcome: An adjustable pleated blouse that treats longevity as part of the design, with three tie points that let different women shape the same garment to their bodies.

For me, sustainability is not only about what a garment is made from. It is also about how long it can stay in use.

I am making this two-piece look for the upcoming Street Works Earth sustainable fashion show in Queens. I wanted the blouse to be something that could be passed down, handed to a friend and worn by different women instead of belonging to one fixed body.

16Front pleats

4Back pleats

3Adjustment points

2Models photographed

01 · Longevity through fit

The same blouse, shaped by two different models.

I wanted to think beyond using a sustainable fabric. If the blouse can adjust to more than one body, it has a better chance of being worn often, passed down or handed to a friend instead of being limited to one fixed size and one moment.

Front view of the adjustable white linen blouse on the first model — First model · the shoulder, bust and waist ties adjusted to her body

Front view of the adjustable white linen blouse on a second model — Second model · the same blouse adjusted to a different body

02 · Pattern and construction

From a basic bodice block to twenty controlled pleats.

I started with a simple bodice block and used slash and spread to create 16 pleats across the front, with four more at the back. I narrowed the shoulders, baby-hemmed the armholes and used binding to finish the neckline and lower edge.

White linen pleats pinned in place during construction — Pinning the repeated pleats before stitching

Narrow white linen ties arranged on a wooden table — Preparing the narrow linen ties

Side view of the open-back blouse showing the bust and waist ties — Adjustability at the bust and waist

03 · Built-in adjustability

Ties at the shoulders, bust and waist let the wearer control the fit.

The open back creates room for adjustment instead of locking the blouse into one circumference. Each wearer can change the shoulder length, bring the sides closer or leave them looser, and shape the waist in the way that feels most flattering to her.

Back view of the white linen blouse on the first model showing the open back and ties — Open back · bust and waist ties on the first model

Back view of the white linen blouse on a second model showing the waist tie — Back fit · waist tie shaped to the second model

Outcome

One half of a two-piece runway look that uses beautiful designer deadstock linen while also treating adaptability—and the longer life it can create—as part of sustainable design.