Well, here we go!

This week I found out I was accepted into the NYU Masters program for Costume Studies. Now, only two days have passed and I have already been asked a few times what exactly that entails. Or, my favorite: "You are gonna have to elaborate on that for me." Simply put, this program focuses on the history and development of fashion.

Now, if any of my Meredith College fashion department friends are reading this, they are most likely clutching their heads saying "Meredith! Why would you do that to yourself!?" These ladies who have suffered along side of me learning everything from the nine different pairs of sandals that ancient greeks wore (all of which start with a C, and sound exactly the same), to the delightfully named fashions of men in the 16th century, easily the most happy-go-lucky names of all the centuries as far as fashion is concerned (galligaskins! pickadils! pantofles! Smiling yet?), know that studying the history of costume can be incredibly tedious and dry.

But, I kind of liked it. Studying the history of fashion illuminated so much about why we dress the way we do today, and the emotions that were present at a given time in history. We were taught in our first merchandising class that "fashion is cyclical." We are all currently wearing the grandchild of a style that has come before.

Except for jeggings. Those are awful.

Also, from a pragmatic point of view, this opens many other employment avenues. Costume studies lends itself to jobs in fields ranging from historical preservation, fashion design, costume design, teaching (to which my mother frequently chimes in "you could work at Meredith! You could be in ALICE!"), journalism, and fashion forecasting.

I will always love design, and although this is not a design-based program, I do firmly believe that knowledge and appreciation for the development of fashion, textiles and people's tastes will only serve to enhance The Hootique. And as I still have a few months till the schooling starts, keep an eye out at my etsy store for new merchandise! I have been a little lazy lately, but someone has got to pay those student loans!

The Joys of a New Semester

Hello one and all!
I hope Thursday finds you well! I have a lot to share since my last post. My final project in pattern making went swimmingly. It helped me remember why I chose my major in the first place. I love having ideas and I love bringing them to fruition. The following pictures are of my final garment and its coordinating accessories.
It looks far more glorious on a person or a dress form, but it has a wonderfully full skirt. Perfect for twirling! (and pockets!)This is the collar (I wanted you all to be able to see some of the fun details)
More fun details in the sleeves.
The next pictures are the accessories. I had a hard time getting some of the details of the fabric and stitching in there, so forgive me!

So that was my final ensemble! It was well received by our panel of industry professionals, one of whom was the head pattern maker for the Hanes corporation! This semester I am in draping, another method of pattern making (opposed to flat pattern, the class I took last semester), where we are going to be making two outfits. One outfit will be a regular garment. The second outfit is called our couture project. I'm excited/bracing myself. We will be presenting to the same panel as last semester once we are finished. I am also in Auto-Cad, a class devoted to using the computer to design fabrics and clothing. Lastly, as far as my fashion classes go, I am in Visual Merchandising. In this class we arrange three displays, two in Cameron Village (a local shopping center), and one on campus, design our "dream store," leaving no stone unturned, and, as a class, coordinate a fashion show for the public to see.

My display partner and I have already completed one display window. It was in the store Thompson & Lynch. It became very apparent that the owner of the store had not had a great experience with Meredith students doing her display window in the past, so we felt pressured to redeem the fashion department! AND WE DID! The woman said she was very happy with our window, and it was one of her favorites that she has had from our department. I had trouble with the pictures because of the reflection, however.....

We got a 24 out of 25 because our teacher wished we would switch the two lamps resting on the chest. Some may call it quibbling, but for my first ever display window, I am very pleased!

I must run to Auto-Cad. We are designing plaids today! But there are some exciting things happening this semester to stay tuned!

Accessory to Fashion...

So! I planned my next semester for my Fashion program. I am going to be taking Draping, Apparel Design Development (you work on creating a cohesive collection), and CAD (amongst other classes, unrelated to the program--FENCING!). I am starting to plan for my senior fashion show, and I am thrilled that I did not get a door in my face for the accessory show idea. I want my show to focus more on purses, hats, hairbands, and brooches rather than clothing. I have some great ideas (at least I think so) and I can't wait to show them. It is when I start thinking of these things that I remember why I am even trying in the fashion industry. Which leads us to the tip of the week.....
"That head band is banging"
Head bands are so much fun! Especially lately, now that feathers and fun details have taken center stage, get a fun headband!
I don't particularly have a connection to Urban outfitters, but I was there with my mom this weekend, and we saw these...


My mother and sister found a miliner in Boston who makes amazing headbands and hats.


You can find their styles at galvinized-hats.com

You don't have to be as bold as these headbands, but even something meant to hold your hair back can have a dramatic input on your ensemble.



Till next time....

Things Fall Apart

It’s official! It’s October! Fall is in full swing! With the yellowing of the leaves, also comes the yellowing of my brain. Midterm tests and projects have taken over my life. Today, in my pattern making class, our full scale slopers were due. These are the tools that are used to create outfits, and I will use them till I graduate from the fashion program. Many a tear has been shed over these design tools, so I am hoping against hopes that the grade will be outstanding. If not, I think those around me might be privy to confetti of the heart. Speaking of confetti of the heart…
I mentioned in my last entry that being a fashion student can sometimes be like confetti of the heart. What is confetti of the heart you ask? Confetti of the heart is when your heart breaks so completely and thoroughly that your heart turns to confetti. Yes, confetti like in a parade, but this is not a parade you want to attend.
Aside from my constant whining over how hard my life is (woe is me), I have a new favorite fashion trend. PLAID. It can be difficult for some people to wear plaid and not look like a lumberjack, but this season, you can find a lot of cute plaids that make you look very retro. Plaid is good anywhere from forest green on a rain boot, to a brown plaid shirt.
Fashion tip of the week: As fall begins and the temperature starts to drop, invest in a unique cardigan. This is a very broad statement; however, being unique is very broad.

It can be a cute pattern. (you daring souls go for an animal print cardigan!)


It can be more manly. Or...for the REALLY courageous, a man's sweater.




It can have fun details. (my favorite) Ok, I just keep finding these.

And for the brave ones.


GO FOR VOLUME!!! AH!!



A small disclaimer about voluminous cardigans: Balance is crucial! Do not wear a big chunky sweater and baggy pants with it. You will look like you are melting. Or you will just look like a size 42. I don't mean European shoe sizes either. Pencil skirts or more straight leg pants are better to wear with large sweaters than baggy pants are.

Here is the thing about cardigans. Let’s say one morning you are tired, and you don’t want to get out of bed, but, oh I don’t know, you are meeting someone for breakfast, or you are, let’s say a fashion design student, and not looking presentable in class makes you feel bad about yourself somedays. If you pair a cardigan with some jeans and a t-shirt (and I have the pleasure of going to a school where t-shirts are made for every event that could possibly ever occur) you will look put together. End of story.

Confetti of the Heart

Let’s start off my first blog by simply saying, being a fashion designer is hard. It is in very many ways, confetti of the heart. I am a junior fashion design student in the south, and I want to design clothes that everyone wants to wear, with the exception of the girls who are convinced that turtle necks were invented to choke them, that everyone wants to see their cleavage, and thereby, their under wear. (I DON’T WANT TO SEE YOUR BRA! Do you all understand that???? You are a mole on the face of the fashion industry!) I design for modest people. I design for people who want to make a statement, but also not look like a crazy person. What gets me, is most designers see my future as an “Old Navy designer” : Designing for the masses, using the cheapest, trashiest material possible.
Let’s get this straight: People like to feel good about themselves. People like to wear nice things, but this industry is so twisted that the only things that the masses can afford are trash. I want to design anti-trash (I’m not sure that means anything). I want people to afford what is in my store, and be proud to wear it.
Here is the issue with my mission (that while I type this I am getting riled up over) I. have. to. graduate. At the moment, that is seemingly impossible. I am in a flat pattern making class, and it seems like fate is out to get me at every turn. I have spent the whole weekend up to this point redrafting patterns that I messed up the first time around (even though I have no idea how I did). It wouldn’t be so bad if my teacher was not a psycho. She can be an understanding psycho if the stars align and the wind is blowing in a certain direction upon the walls of our sewing lab. Alas, if I am going to work to get women everywhere proud of who they are (Helen Reddy is roaring somewhere) I have to get through it.
As I leave you with this first installment. My fashion tip for the week: go back to the basics. Every wardrobe needs a basic white t-shirt. Invest in a nice one so it will last you a while. American Apparel sells awesome basic shirts (organic ones too!). Once you are armed with a basic white t-shirt wear it with a voluminous a-line skirt in the summer (fun color! Be brave! Go orange!) or you could wear it with jeans and a chunky cardigan in the fall or winter. Go crazy- get a black one while you’re at it.