Vol.16 Between Ideals and Reality

Yesterday was toile-check day.

If you’ve been following along, you may remember I’ve written about it before—but here’s a little refresher. If you already know the drill, feel free to skip ahead.

By the way, if you head to DESIGN / FORM on this site, you’ll find behind-the-scenes photos of the toile check process. I recently added quite a few more, so even if you’re skipping, you might enjoy browsing them when you have a moment. (MENU > BACKSTAGE > DESIGN / FORM)

Here’s how it works: the designer’s sketches are turned into paper patterns by the pattern maker, who then lays them out for cutting. (I talked about this “marking” process back in Vol.4 Marking is Serious Tetris.)

After that comes one of the most important steps—toile check—which I first introduced in Vol.8 About Toile Checks. This part can’t be skipped, so let’s dig a little deeper.

A toile is a trial garment made from unbleached cotton called muslin. It’s where we fine-tune the silhouette and balance in detail.

Just shifting the shoulder line by a few millimeters can completely change the impression and the comfort when worn. The curve of the armhole or the angle of a dart at the waist works the same way.

It might sound technical, but simply put, we’re pushing until we’re absolutely sure the garment looks natural and beautiful on the body.

At this stage, the designer mentally swaps out the muslin for the actual fabric that will eventually be used.

And it’s not only about looks.

We check how the skirt moves when walking, what wrinkles form when sitting down, and whether the arms can move freely without feeling tight.

The goal is to make sure the garment flows with everyday movements and stays comfortable and close to the body.

For DOMELLE, toile check is not just a technical step. It’s how we translate a design concept into something that works in real life. It’s the moment when flat fabric becomes three-dimensional and comes alive as clothing.

It may look like backstage work, but it’s precisely this accumulation of details that defines the care we put into every DOMELLE piece.

Here’s a little scene from yesterday’s toile check.

At one point, the director turned to me and asked, “What do you think?”

I can’t give too much away (or I’ll get scolded), but I can say that for 26AW, we’ll be using a truly beautiful lace.

Let’s call it ornament embroidery lace.

It’s a three-dimensional lace made with antique-style ornament motifs embroidered onto glossy organza with a delicate transparency—like a soft shimmer of light. The design actually comes from the archives of one of Switzerland’s most renowned lace makers, reworked exclusively into an original fabric for us.

The challenge was how to handle that delicate transparency.

It’s stunning, but transparency is tricky. In art, it might not matter, but in clothing that real women wear, it becomes a very important point.

So the idea was to use a lining fabric to adjust the sheer effect. That’s when the next question came up: should the lining be black or white?

The lace itself is black.

Black lace on black lining looks sculptural and dramatic. But with a white lining, the lace design stands out more clearly.

That was the exact moment the director asked me for my opinion.

Which made me think—does that mean she prefers black?

Black or white—what would you choose?

Well, the answer will stay under wraps until the collection launches in August next year.

Every season, we build a collection around a theme, but we also face the inevitable tension of balancing ideals with reality. After all, clothing must support the lives of the people who wear it.

Just as a few millimeters at the shoulder can change everything, clothing is endlessly deep. My hope is that one day, when you slip into a DOMELLE piece, you’ll feel that comfort for yourself.

Yesterday’s toile check was just one small step toward that moment.