Adventures and scribbles

Bonjour

2009-11-17T07:34:00.000-08:00

I was just sitting outside a cafe and a european man walked by and uttered "bonjour" to me with a glancing smile as he passed. Some of life's pleasures last only a second. Most people I have run into here think that I am French or Italian or Bulgarian, "no sorry - American" "Your parents are parisian then?" "ha ha no." Americans really don't have a great reputation here - many American tourists are rude and of lower intelligence. Workin to break the stereotype. Maybe someday I'll be a naturalized European : )

The past week or so....

2009-11-16T08:50:00.000-08:00

I've finally begun to plan trips to Paris (this weekend) Italy and Madrid. It's been hard for me to even think about leaving London, so I've been dragging my feet to plan trips until I found out that a round trip plane ticket is around £35. No kidding. I nearly peed my pants when I checked the airfare rates online. For three days in Paris including airfare and a hotel I'll be spending £80. You couldn't get to Portland for that cheap!

These are my flatmates (minus Aaron) at karaoke night at the local Tommy MacFlynns. I gave in and got up for a song, then found out later that it was a competition! Apparently it has been going on weekly for a while and all of the finalists compete in one night for a monetary prize. By some fluke my name was called as a finalist, and the final competition is tonight but, as my luck has it, I just got strep throat. : P Guess I wasn't meant to be karaoke queen.

This would be the ugliest building if it weren't lit in red.

The London Eye

I love the lines of this photo, such a perfect composition.

This one too

A romantic night at home by myself.

Little lovely things

2009-11-09T12:54:00.000-08:00

I realized today that one of my favorite things in the world is a pair of very skilled hands, worn with years of work.

A few other things I like...

Leaves in water

Brown paper patterns
Old worn tools

Mashed leaves

Signage

Vintage couches

This picture was made by a student at my school entirely out of cut pieces of paper. Amazing.

Cheers!

The Camden Market

2009-11-07T10:50:00.000-08:00

I live in an area of London called "Camden". It is reputed as being the rather punk/ghetto area of London proper, although London is so safe in general, even in Camden it's perfectly safe to walk around on your own late at night, as long as you're smart and stick to the larger streets.

North of my flat on Camden High Street is a market that I've been hearing about, and even passed through when I was not shopping or they were closed, but I had absolutely no idea what was in store for me there. (pun not intended)

The market doesn't really have a geographical plot, but as you walk down the street the shops steadily increase and are packed tighter and tighter in with sales clerks becoming more forward and vicious as you head into the heart of it. I found a large outdoor area filled with temporary stalls of clothing and decided that this would be a good start to my hunt for a warm winter coat. Camden shopping is also known as the cheapest in London. Everything in this particular square was primarily synthetic, made in China, and had the designer labels ripped out. But they are enticingly awesome designs, so I had to check it out.

I wandered into the stalls, and if I stopped to look at something, in an instant a middle-eastern man would approach. "Do you like that? Try it on. I will give you a very good deal on that. You are very beautiful. I have the best deals in my shop. You don't like that one? Then try this one." He took a jacket and put it on me. When I tried to button it he'd brush my hands away and button it and tie the belt and grab a mirror. If I didn't like it, he'd grab another and another until we had thoroughly exhausted his tiny stock. I said that I wanted to look around a bit more in the other stalls. "You don't like anything in my shop? Why not? This one is very nice on you. It has wool in it; it will keep you very warm. It is £40 but I will sell it to you for £37. Tomorrow is Saturday and it will sell for £50 then. You want to look around? Buy it now and I'll sell it for £35. If you leave and come back it will be £40." Then he got angry and nearly chased me as I left. " Why you not buy anything in my shop?"

As I made my way through the rest of the stalls, it was the same at each. "You like that? Try it on. I have the best deals in my shop. I will give you a very good deal, because you are so beautiful." I stopped to look at a jacket that was very good imitation leather, and when a man approached I asked if it was. "Yes, that is leather." "Oh, but the tag says 100% Polyurithane." "What? No. That is the lining." "But the tag says 'Shell: 100% Polyurithane' " "That is rediculous! They can't do that with polyester! It is leather." Thank god for content label laws.

I grew more and more afraid to even pause to look at something, completely exhausted by the aggressive sales interactions, and booked my way out onto the street as quickly as possible.

I hadn't even reached the market.

I can't really say much about it, it is something too big to explain. It's a labyrinth of shops weaving in and out and around and up and down. I didn't even know when I was underground or outdoors. I can't fathom how so many businesses could possibly survive in one area. Maybe if you told me that the Camden market supplied all of London, citizens and tourists, I might believe you, but this is only one of more than a dozen markets, not to mention the slew of established businesses. I spent four hours trying to find a jacket, and finally about to cry in frustration, I slipped into the crisp mountain air-like refreshingly sterile and open atmosphere of H&M and bought one there. Once home, I felt as though I had just swam my way out of a tidal wave, and milked a delicious beer to settle my nerves.

It was so much worse than shopping in Tijuana. At once I hate it and love it. I never want to go back, and I have to go back.

The British Museum

2009-11-05T10:56:00.001-08:00

My draping instructor told me that the British Museum is the largest museum in London, and that he has been there around fifty times and still hasn't seen three whole wings of it. So I decided to pace myself, see a couple exhibits, and return many times :)

When you enter you walk in to a hall and then through another door that leads you to this. The picture doesn't do it justice. You automatically halt when you step through the doorway because the light is so brilliant. Laura coined it "the room of amazing light."

Some obelisk thing from Egypt

The sculptures were my absolute favorite, I always want to sit and draw them for hours.

Immense and beautiful columns outside

I just like this picture

There is currently a huge Aztec exibit at the museum that I didn't see, but they had some Aztec performers come in and sing and dance and drum. It was pretty cool.

Awesome headpiece: perhaps my next couture hat project.

I love this guy's hair

This little dancer had the most beautiful poise.

They tied nuts around their ankles and did a little stomp routine

Ok I swear this is my last post for today - I am computered out!

How to make a couture hat, Vol. I

2009-11-05T10:07:00.000-08:00

This is my instructor Prudence showing Laura how to make leaves.

Prudence is a charming eccentric British lady who makes hats for the fashion shows for Vivienne Westwood, Lacoste, Yves Saint Laurent, etc. She is absolutely wonderful. She is one of those very few and far between craftsmen who carries the knowledge of a very old trade and takes her time to make everything so couture and so perfect. When she speaks, everything is "little" and "lovely." "Take your little bias strip to the little iron and give it a little press and be very careful not to press the fold because we want that to have a nice little curve in it. Oh, do you have a little pin? Ok, yes, lovely. That's just lovely." She's also one of those wonderful people who know all the little stories behind everything. For instance, she told us that flappers are not called flappers because of their fringy dresses. The girls of the flapper generation, when they were young used to wear big huge bows on top of their heads and when they walked the bows would flap in the wind and everyone would make fun of these little "flapper" girls, and when they grew up and changed their style, the nickname stuck. And do you know why men have buttons on their cuffs? It's because during the war many soldiers got ill and had runny noses and they'd wipe their noses on their sleeves, and when Napoleon saw this he thought it utterly disgusting, so he had buttons put on all their cuffs so that it would hurt if they tried to wipe their nose on it. Then everyone thought that buttoned cuffs were a Napoleonic fashion statement, and they followed his trend; and it stuck.

Laura making little leaves for her little hat.

So lovely.

Ok time to make a hat. Gather your millinery supplies, your sketch, and find an apron.

Step 1: take a piece of heavily starched millinery canvas, dampen it and stretch it over a wooden form. Pin it in place. The pins all have to go right into the wood, so this was a difficult skill to master, and when I finished my arms were covered in layers of sticky starch.

Step 2: Blow dry until completely stiff

And remove the pins (as demonstrated by Aaron)

This is called "blocking" your base.

Step 3: Mark the shape of your little hat and cut it out very neatly. Oh lovely.

Step 4: Fuse "stayflex" (fusible interfacing - everything has a different name here) to the top of your little hat, and sew millinery wire just inside the edge.

Step 5: Stretch a piece of fluffy damet (no idea what that's called in the states) over the hat and stitch it around the edge.

Oh lovely.

The damet gives it a sort of quality body, so it doesn't feel flimsy.

Step 6: Stretch your fabric over the base and stitch in place.

Ta da! The beginning :)

Step 7: Drape your little bias piece in little ruffles. To accomplish the sort of careless rumpled-up look is much more time-consuming than you would think.

and tack carefully into place with a tailor's tack.

Next week, flowers and eventually a veil :)

More exercises for draping class

2009-11-05T08:53:00.000-08:00

We are continuing to drape with odd materials to expand our creativity and use of mediums. The second draping exercise was entirely out of paper, which lends itself very well to creative pleating.

A little jacket and skirt

A sort of three-piece dress: bustier, skirt and back with belts weaving in and out

Front

Side

Back

The back of another dress that has a short bubble skirt in the back

To slope down

into a streight sheath skirt in front

Often when I start taking something apart I find the most beautiful version.

The next week we draped with unusual household items, I chose foil and vanilla-ice scented trash can liners! (They are waste or rubbish bins here, if you say trash can they don't know what you're talking about) (and if you ever wondered what Vanilla Ice smells like, now I know. He smells like cheap candles from the 99p store)

I have decided that for my final I really want to have a transparent garment heavily draped or with creative volume over the top of another garment, so here is where I started experimenting with transparencies.

Side view

Back view

Close-up

And THIS is a perfect example of why we experiment - so that we can rule out the horrendous ideas before they are made into something permanent!

For the next week, to continue my transparency work, I bought an amazing cotton organdy fabric that has the most incredible stability. This first picture I literally crumpled a handful each at the top and bottom and shoved a pin in and it looked this fabulous. When I bought the fabric I purchased the last of the bolt, so I asked the older sales clerk if I happened to fall in love with this and want more, could it be ordered easily? He said that women in love has never ended well for him, but yes it could be here in a few days.

I am obsessed with the concept of a sheer bubble dress that ends like shorts around the legs over a cute little fitted garment, so there's a lot of that here and in my sketch book. My instructor told me "that looks great, but now try moving it up or down or somewhere else!"

This is that bubble dress with pleating over one shoulder with the lines of the organdy sort of echoing the shape of the jacket on the other shoulder. I think it'd be cute with one long slim black sleeve on the (viewer's) right side.

Ok no bubble skirt this time...

Looking over one shoulder (where the arm would normally come out :)

Then I started getting burnt out and took a coffee break where I had a brilliant revelation:

What if I took one piece of fabric and pleated it up to make a sort of turtleneck...

And the pleats opened out into a collar (same piece of fabric, no seams) and then went back in to form the rest of the bodice...

(Yes that is my handsome instructor's blaring wedding ring ; ) covering up the one idea I had that we'll edit out of this design)

This is over-the-shoulder view of the collar/turtleneck

And the back of the collar.

And that's it for draping up til this point

Trafalgar Square, etc.

2009-11-05T07:03:00.000-08:00

Trafalgar square is a sort of central hub at the south end of the Soho district. It's beautifully lit up by changing lights at night...

Fall is here!! the beautiful walkway I pass through every day : )

For halloween we had to be cowgirls - since we're westerners of course. (Or because our creativity was spent and you can get a beautifully bedazzled cowgirl hat at the 99 pence store around the corner)

My flatmate Aaron dressed as a sexy army dude. He designs costumes for drag queens and is convinced that the above couture pose in combination with "blue steel" is soon to break into mens modeling.

Some lovely cast-iron and beautiful buildings...

A fair warning posted at a pub. I have an instructor who told us that he went to the states and had a beer over lunch and everyone looked at him like he was an alcoholic, but he said here everyone has a beer over lunch and if you don't people think you're an alcoholic because you can't trust yourself to stop at just one. He also said that the biggest goal of an englishman is to die without ever having been emberrassed. Still trying to wrap my head around that one.

Well, when in Rome...

And Chinatown.

Regents Park

2009-11-05T06:37:00.001-08:00

Yes! I have a good excuse for not attending to my blog. I'm in London and I have much better things to do with my time than to sit in front of a computer! Here's a little proof: my visit to Regents Park and Queen Mary's gardens (the rose pictures)

At each rose patch, some trees and in a few other places there were these little signs with just one or two words on them, I want to know what they are - they're not the names of the plants. This one says "Ice Cream" it's my favorite.

"Nostalgia"

"Keep Smiling"

New favorite terms...

2009-10-26T11:54:00.000-07:00

The aforementioned greeting "you alright?" Is in proper British use mashed together slurred and accented and often comes out sounding "y'woight?"

Of course a "biscuit" is a cookie, "chips" are fries and "crisps" are potato chips.... but my new favorites are "a rubber" is not a condom, but an eraser. Your neighbor in class may ask you out loud if you have a rubber on you. And if someone asks you what time you would like to be knocked up in the morning, they are referring to tapping on your door to awaken you. :)

Ooooodles of pictures

2009-10-15T07:02:00.000-07:00

Drumroll please........

The first day in London we toured a lot of the city. This is my wonderful flatmate Laura who you will see gracing many of my pictures : )

First exhibit: St. Paul's Cathedral in all its glory

Self explanatory, a rubbish-eater on the Thames river (pronounced Tames)

This spire was the original inspiration for what is now the standard of wedding cakes! It is the church of the matron saint of beer, London's favorite saint.

This is technically the Millenium bridge, but the locals call it the "wibbly wobbly bridge" because that's what brits call things, and apparently the day it opened in 2000 so many people walked across it that it began to wobble and they had to close it down for 8 months of fortifying reconstruction. A little bit humiliating.

A replica of the Globe Theatre, for you Shakespeare fans!

One of the oldest pubs in London. In my first few days here someone told me that London is so cool because the pub down the street has been there longer than the United States, and the drunk sitting outside it nearly as long as I've been alive.

The Clink prison museum, (previously an actual prison) I haven't been inside yet but I will. We were told that the worst offense was not murder, theft or treason, but a woman who cheated on her husband. It was punishable by boiling in hot oil, and it was up to the mercy of the prison guard whether the oil was heated before or after she got in.

In this cage hanging from the side of the prison is a warning of what would happen to you if you broke the law in London. It's funny because now things aren't so much "illegal" as discouraged for your own welfare. There are very few bums and beggars around, and if one tries to plant himself on a street corner, he won't get fined but a police officer will go up to him and try to pursuade him that there are indeed much better ways of making a living than to resort to this. And it's not really illegal to drink alcohol out on the streets, it's just that if you are, you probably have a sleeping bag under the other arm.

My stylish flatmate ;)

A beautiful old window

"The Golden Hinde" a replica of Sir Francis Drake's famous ship. This replica has actually sailed round the world.

I love this picture : )

The current London Bridge (yes there have been many reconstructions and we all know why) quite insignificant, huh?

The Tower of London. To me it looks like Disneyland. If you want to see a great movie about a French guy who tightrope walked between the tops of these two towers and then moved on to do the same between the Twin Towers in New York, watch "Man on Wire". Super awesome I highly recommend it.

A cool building. I think this is the London Parliament but I could be totally wrong.

The white castle on the hill. There's more to that story, but the tour was already getting really long when I got to this point so my memory is not so great.

A fabulous window display, of which there are hundreds in London

Our first show in London! Laura and I stopped to have a drink at a restaurant and the guys in this band came by and gave us tickets, so we thought "why not?" They turned out to be pretty impressive. A totally american style rockabilly band, but they're from Spain and only two of them know any English. They're called "Dusty Trip."

Yeah I'm pretty much an awesome photographer.... (it's Laura)

Laura rocking out to Dusty Trip

Having a blast

Ok so here are some pics of my Creative Drape and Volume class. Each of us were told to bring in two old garments and drape them into something new, really fast, take a picture and tear it down and do a new one. It was a great exercize in just letting creative juices flow and see what kind of shapes we could come up with. I had a sweater and a long boxy skirt and these are a few of my creations.

And that's all for now folks! Until we meet again...

Keflavik

2009-10-15T06:44:00.000-07:00

I finally figured out my camera situation and found a little spare time. Yay! So I'll show you a few in chronological order.

This was my short visit to Keflavik, Iceland. I really wanted to see Reyjavik (Bjork's hometown) but the buses didn't run until noon and I wouldn't have gotten back in time for my flight, so I just visited tiny Keflavik for a few hours until I could stand the cold no longer and caught a cab back to the airport. It was right on the ocean, and 21 degrees fahrenheit. I bought a pair of gloves within 20 min of being there, but they did hardly any good. I would absolutely love to study the language some and go back to see more of Iceland, it's so beautiful. (If you click on the pictures I think they enlarge)

This is the beautiful black rocks of the coastline.

This was a huge statue, I believe it is symbolic of a viking ship. Icelandic culture derives a lot from their viking predecessors and the mysticism they followed like runes (charms with symbols that had specific meaning)

When I arrived early in the morning, all of the park benches were turned upside down like this, a man drove up in a van and flipped them all over. I'm not sure if they were overturned intentionally or if the wind off the water blew them over. It was strong enough, I wouldn't be surprized.

So this "inserting pictures" method is a little wacked, I'm going to start a new post to insert the rest in a more effective manner.

London is the real deal, man

2009-10-12T12:10:00.000-07:00

Sorry I haven't posted in a while! I have sooooo much to write about and not nearly enough computer time for it all. I'll have to just give a few highlights.

So being here makes me so devastated that I am only staying for one quarter. There is so much to learn, so many people with incredible amounts of experience, I just want to sponge up everything in their brains and live and breathe that for years. I am taking a millinery (hat making) class from a woman named Prudence Spiegel. She makes all of the headpieces for all of the fashion shows of Yves Saint Laurent, Vivienne Westwood, Lacoste and more. For those of you not fashion savvy, those are some of the biggest names in the business. She is highly trained and has tons of experience.

Then I'm taking a creative drape and volume class from an incredible instructor named Georg (pronounced Ghay-orgh ... it's German) and he has a degree in fine arts and another in photography and graphic design, then he moved to London to work in fashion illustration and decided to study fashion design. He is really enthusiastic and artsy and I'm really excited to train under him, especially because our focus in the class is going to be a huge challenge for me and I love being challenged. Our assignment for the final project (after a series of other projects) is to create a runway garment that is inspired by electronic music, the color scheme is loud clashing colors, and it has to be really big and crazy and creative. As you can see from my portfolio (my first post) This is completely the opposite of my work, so I am really getting pushed out of my box and I'm gonna have to use a lot of muscles I'm not used to working, but it will be a fun challenge.

And finally, my internship with Ulrich! I forget if I posted this before, but I interviewed for and was accepted for an internship with Ulrich Engler. I had never heard of him before, but he is a very high-end couture designer, and his clientele includes royalty. AACKKKK!!!! wow. If I screw up a pocket, off with my head!!

Well I had my first day with Ulrich today, and I was sooooo nervous and scared, but it went ok and I know that when I get comfortable there I will really enjoy it. I helped to sew a suit jacket today, which was a great experience, because there is so much involved with the inner construction of suits, it takes a long time to learn how to make one properly. I only messed up a couple times, but Ulrich was really nice about it. He mostly makes really fine dresses, so I won't be doing a lot of suits, but I really valued this experience. I am really looking forward to all the hand sewing and couture techniques that I will learn from him. It's a very highly developed art, and I am really learning from the best.

I have to stop hogging my flatmate's computer (thanks Laura!) But I'll write more when I can! Ciao!

Daily life in London

2009-10-03T05:08:00.000-07:00

When I flew in on Thursday, I was pleased to find that although I have flatmates (it's not an apartment, it's a flat) I have my own room with a large desk for studying and a small bathroom and shower. Our building has roof access, and I love to wander up to the roof early morning or at night before bed to look out over the city. I can see off in the distance an arch lit in purple lights and I wonder if it's the famous London ferris wheel.

We walk absolutely everywhere. We've been warned thoroughly that when crossing the road even at a crosswalk you must watch for cars because they do not stop for pedestrians. It's your responsibility to jump out of their way,and if you don't you will be hit. Everything is so fast, I walk twice as fast as I ever have, and if you need to purchase something or swipe your oyster card to get on the tube it's all done in passing, no one pauses to do anything. It makes me realize why everyone refers to Seattle as painfully laidback.

I've gotten in the habit of eating one meal a day and having a protein bar in the evening because it's just so expensive to eat here, but I'm headed out to the market today with my flatmate Laura so we can stock up on fruit and veggies, and stock the cupboard a little. It's true that England has no good cuisine of its own, but they are so international that you can walk down one street and find cuisine from two dozen different countries within a few blocks.

Well I'm off to the market - Cheers!

I'm Here!

2009-10-02T08:10:00.000-07:00

Ok only a brief moment to post, but I wanted you all to know that I'm here, made it safely and I'm never leaving.

Iceland was gorgeous and I will write more and post pictures when I have a little more computer time.

So London is fifty times more incredible than I ever dreamed of. It's not british so much as international. As I walk down the street I hear different accents from different countries all around me. 30% of the population is foreign born. As I walked down the street back from a grocer an hour after I arrived I passed a shabby bum on the street who stopped me in my steps with "got a spot o' change, love?" too bad for him I'm a broke student, 'cause that accent would have convinced me in a second.

The transportation is amazing, I never want to return to the tangle of Seattle. They don't have a grid system or numbered streets, just winding streets every where but the tube is so easy to use, and the bus as well. I'm already (almost) comfortable getting anywhere on the map. There are posches and ferraris all over the place. My school is in the middle of the most expensive shopping district in London, and though shopping is utterly out of the question I walk the streets with the wealthiest, most stylish people in the world. I already stood by the Vogue building and have seen shops carrying Prada, Fendi, Dolce & Gabbana, Gucci, etc. Today I was passed by a male model who walked with a halo around him and a choir of angels singing hallelujia to make way for him. I'm sure he was an absolute stuck up jerk, but I've never walked the streets among such celebrity. I've heard it's common to see Kate Moss walking the road right outside my school.

Now I'm sure you all think I'm turning into a materialistic snob, I'm not. Just amazed by my surroundings. The historic buildings are incredible and I'll talk more about that when I can post pictures too.

Until then - Cherio!

OK - UK here I come...

2009-09-27T20:31:00.000-07:00

In 44 hours I will be mashed into a little economy seat on an Iceland Air plane bound for a final destination of Heathrow Airport after a 9-hour layover in Reyjavik, Iceland. Which, those of you who know me very well will know, is the hometown of my favorite singer in the world, Bjork.

I am nearly as excited for my 9-hour layover as for my 10-week time in UK.

I will be arriving in London on the 30th at 8:15 in the evening, and will have the first week to get to know London, the tube, my roommates, and interview for an internship. I have been arranged an internship with a very high-end couture designer who is apparently very famous in London (though I admit I had never heard of him) named Ulrich Engler. You can check out his work here --> http://www.ulrichengler.com/ I really didn't expect such a great opportunity for an internship, so it was a great surprise when the internship coordinator (in her adorable and polite british accent) left me the message of the interview that she had set up for me.

So after the first week, my schedule will be: Mon - internship, Tues - internship, Wed - one class, Thur - second class, and Fri - Sun free to explore London or take the train anywhere I wish. (Within my budget that is).

I am infamous for my oil-and-water-like relationship with technology, so I cannot promise that I will keep this blog as up-to-date as I'd like, but I will try. And I'm sure the more response I get from you guys the more often I will be drawn to blog.

I just want to take an oscar moment here :) and thank a few of my family who have helped me very much in my preparations for the trip. You have made all the difference. Thank you.

Final Portfolio!

2009-08-26T19:02:00.000-07:00

I finished my portfolio! Here it is for anyone who wants to see, sorry the pics are so small and I included my presentation speech so you understand the pages :)

"I never thought, as a child, that I would be a fashion designer. I simply loved to sew. My mother taught me to sew at a very young age and I’ve only grown to love it more through the years. I remember telling my parents that I was never going to college, because I couldn’t bear the thought of sitting in a huge lecture hall for four years. Then one day I met a woman named Charity who had just finished school to be a hairstylist, and I realized that I could take my love for creating and turn it into a career, and I might actually enjoy college! I have had many challenges along the road, but no matter what happened, I told myself that no one could take that dream away from me. So here I am today, and my dream glitters brighter and closer and more beautiful and exciting than it ever has.

Look at the clothes you are wearing. Almost every article of clothing has been mass manufactured. The majority of jobs in this field are with large companies and manufacturing, but I entered this field because I love to sew and I want to always continue to sew; so I am intending to start my own boutique where I can handcraft beautiful pieces. Being a niche market, and an expensive one, I understand that this will present me with large challenges, but I am ready, as ever, to take them on. The portfolio you are about to view has an emphasis on boutique-style apparel, along with other aspects of fashion design, as a small business owner can benefit from being versatile instead of having to contract out all of the jobs related to making and selling clothing.

Amara is my senior collection. I wanted to make a series of garments that a woman would find in a little specialty shop, buy one piece for generous sum and keep treasured in her closet as that one garment she loves, and when she wears it you know it’s a special day.

I created a line to celebrate femininity and delicacy. I chose a soft, muted color palette that intermingles cool and warm tones like a cool breeze in the early hours of a summer morning that promises to be hot by noon. I added a rich wine color to bring depth and intrigue to the collection. I chose silhouettes that celebrate a woman’s curves while maintaining a very comfortable style. I love texture, and used an assortment of textures as that one element that makes the garment capture your heart.

My first look is a Rayon blend lace dress that I wish you could feel in your hands right now because the fabric is so deliciously soft. It has a ruffle at the neck and pearl buttons down the front. The corresponding jacket has a jacquard diamond pattern, and is made of the perfect blend of cotton, so the seams press perfectly, polyester for wrinkle resistance and spandex for a little stretch for comfort. The reverse of the jacquard is used for contrast on the collar and cuffs and the seams are piped in the same lace from the dress, backed by the wine color to set off the lace.

Second is a breezy dress of the most delicate china silk with ruched detail at the waistline. It has a slouchy smoker-style jacket of silk charmeuse with details in silk duipioni. This jacket can be thrown on in the evening as the weather starts to cool down, for a relaxed but scrumptious cover with a waistband that adds a hint of femininity so you feel beautiful even in your comfort.

Third is a paneled dress, of silk chantung that has been laundered for softness. The neckline is designed for an elegant and tasteful frame to show off the neck and shoulders, and the vertical panels create a slimming waistline. The jacket is very minimal and airy to be worn on a warm day. The silk tussah provides a chunky texture along with a beautiful gleam, and it features pleating inside the collar and a pleated ruffle along the edge. The sleeves are a breezy Rayon/silk chiffon with a burnout floral print and the button is handcrafted with a floral design. The bottom edge of the jacket is designed to reflect the high empire waist of the dress.

Fourth is a lace dress in a cotton blend for those hot days when you need maximum breathability. It features a neck ruff, a small bow on the shoulder, and a waistband of silk chantung with a bow of Bemberg rayon that can be worn on the side or in the back.

The final look of my collection is a white cotton button-down dress full of detailing. The fabric has a Mexican hemstitched vertical stripe. The sleeves pouf at the cap and are fitted down to just above the elbow with exterior stitched-down box-pleats for a graceful silhouette. There are pintucks on the front and back bodice and a very detailed yoke.

The technical breakdown of the yoke illustrates the construction method I used. The yoke is a series of layers: On top, a basket-weave of lace over colored ribbons. That is mounted to a layer of organza, and sealed between this and the bottom layer of organza are nylon leaves, to created a very subtle detail of nearly hidden leaves behind the basket weave.

Being a small business owner I can benefit from being able to do my own visual merchandising displays and styling photoshoots for advertising.

This project was an exercise in creating a storefront window display using a layout that draws interest for your business. I built a 3-dimensional scale model of a bridal shop window. I sculpted a “mannequin” out of clay, sewed her gown, and built miniature furniture inside a proportionate box.

I wanted to touch the viewer with a very personal, relatable scene, so I portrayed a bride sitting in a room by herself to set the mood of “The intimate moment of a bride in deep reflection, moments before her walk down the aisle toward a new life, new challenges, new adventures.”

This is a photoshoot that I styled and shot in an exercise for advertising. The store was a contrasted split between delicate bridal and rock-inspired streetwear.

I played up the contrast of the two elements of the store to appeal to the viewer’s curiosity. One is not accustomed to seeing a store advertisement with a bride and a punk together, and the surprise factor leads the viewer to look deeper into the advertisement.

Pretty picnics is a line I designed for casual summer wear.

For my assortment plan I used a color palette that creates the feel of summer. I emphasized white to be worn in leisure on hot days, and slightly muted but rich greens, blues, reds and yellows to create a semblance of the relaxed, but perfectly happy and content feeling of spending time in the sun. Preferably, at a picnic. The silhouettes are reminiscent of 1920’s styles, which I love for summer because the wearer can bare enough skin to keep cool while still keeping a tasteful appearance. All of the pieces are designed to be low maintenance and comfortable.

The following are individual pieces I created for the markets of career, cocktail and evening wear.

My career woman has to maintain a level of professionalism, but doesn’t let that stop her from showing off her feminine and fashion-conscious side. The black cotton twill skirt is utilized as a basic piece, but without being boring. The back features a pleated skirt with a gentle feminine curve into the waistband. The vest is of silk chantung with black pinstripes, and a halter strap to emphasize broad shoulders. The blouse is her touch of fancy, made of cotton gauze with ruffled detail on the yoke and cuffs.

My cocktail dress is a crisp silk chantung to hold the shape of the curvy silhouette. The bias cut allows for gathers that fall in a diagonal and unstructured manner reminiscent of vintage silk pieces. The bustier is boned with a built-in bra so she doesn’t have to worry about understructures, and the waistband completes the curvy look by showing off her little waist. The halter top gives a flattering silhouette in the front while leaving the back open.

For evening I created “Only Tonight.” Nothing compares to the wonderful butterflies a woman has going out in the evening for a very formal affair. "Only Tonight" is designed to make you look and feel as incredible as the night promises to be, when you look like a million bucks, only tonight matters.

This black lace gown has a deep V neck in front and back to elongate the figure and a mermaid silhouette to celebrate those lovely curves of a woman. The gold accents subtly bring attention to her neckline and waist, and the sheer chiffon goudets flow beautifully when she walks. "Only Tonight" is elegance and taste with a hint of seduction.

Carpet Dress

In fall 2007 I was asked to join a team of interior designers to design and create an entire garment from interior design materials. Our assigned material was carpet fiber. When I joined the team they had already come up with the concept of the military ghillie suit and asked me to present them designs based on that concept. I didn’t know what a ghillie suit was, so I looked it up on the internet and was absolutely distraught that they had chosen this blob as our concept. However, I pulled out my pencils and came up with a series of designs, which the team chose from, and we all worked together to build our “carpet dress.”

Minoan Snake Goddess

This September 18^th I you are all invited to come to Imagine 2009, where many more students will be displaying their work in a huge fashion show production by my school. One of my garments that will be strutting down the runway is this conceptual piece. This was my final project for a humanities class that is inspired by the statuette of the mysterious Minoan Snake Goddess.

Thank you to Mike Sanabia who photographed all of my garments, and Amara Isaac, Laura Kincaid, and Dominic Chan for modeling!