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.