ok so it's not THAT bad...

my CAD class was a disaster.  the software (kaledo) is the least intuitive program EVER, the teacher had her busiest semester in life, and the school computers couldn't handle the complicated software so it constantly shut down.  thus, my creative endeavors were thwarted and i learned very little.  luckily, i could use my trusty photoshop/illustrator combo to complete the final project with a little help from my flats rendered from tech drawing.  [borrowing for the sake of time is ALWAYS ok when its from your own portfolio, right?]  as mentioned back in february when i assembled the mood board, this is an intimates collection for anthropologie, drawing inspiration from beach/storms/miu miu.  our CAD class was geared toward textile/print design, so all prints and plaids designed/altered by moi.

and here's my excuse for absence....

finals at a prestigious fashion school are not the typical 1 week whirlwind of deadlines.  finals are a month long event that consume all hours of the student's life, breeding a hoard of blistered-finger, unshowered, sleep-deprived hermits.  the upside? there are things to show for it besides exam grades. (click to enlarge!)

my construction 2 final was based on the Egon Schiele collection posted previously.  techniques/features included? twist, shirring, elastic waist/legs, hidden pockets, invisible zipper, bias lining.  whew!!--much more exhausting that it appears.  unfortunately, i lost my back view, but basically it looks the same, just add back-bodice darts, and tie the ends of the twist in a small bow/knot.  fabric: silk/cotton voile.

fashion drawing 2 final consisted of two mini-collections.  one commercial, and one more avant-garde.  these drawings make more sense with the swatches included, but my teacher still has them for grading purposes.  i re-drew these MULTIPLE times, but my over-achiever, people-pleasing self could not stop until my favorite teacher was happy.  he wanted me to challenge myself by loosening up my line quality, so this is 'messier' than my usual work.  i can dig it, but it will take some practice.  oh--and my teacher STILL said i have a long way to go (notice the awkward far-right figure in both collections--haha!).... too bad class is over.

tech drawing final had to be a small collection using more complicated flat drawings, patterns, and various color fills.  i misunderstood the due date and did 90% of this in one night---the first of many sleepless nights this past 10 days.  my collection is another spin off of the Egon Schiele inspiration, but presented as pajamas/loungewear/lingerie.

i still have one more to go, but i'm not particularly excited about it, so it will not be shared. :) and my other two were a fashion history exam and a paper on sustainability applied to the magazine industry.  maybe i'll post the 10 page paper, but i doubt anyone has the attention span to read it.

and now time for some well-overdue sleep. goodnight, loves!

delayed final

so my teacher stinks at timeliness. here's my final project that was JUST NOW RETURNED! from my fashion industry design course--entitled Dressed in the Dark.


Customer Profile/Line Info

Brand Name:  ell.

Age Range:  22-32 years old, but mentally/emotionally suspended between childhood                        and adulthood.

Occupation:  She is a young professional, working a 9-5 for wages to fund her valued                        free time adventures.  She may be in advertising, copywriting, public relations, or                        architecture.  She loves her job and dresses professionally, but the                                                majority of her wardrobe consists of “play clothes” for adults that she                                    sports after work and on the weekends.

Annual Income:  $35K—$50K

Education/Institution/Degree:  She graduated from the local state university with a bachelor of science in communication/advertising/marketing.  She chose this school based on federal grants and in-state tuition so she could graduate without debt.  She was involved with the school paper/radio, and she interned at a local television production studio.  Education was an important accomplishment, but 4 years was plenty for her to begin her career.

 Residence (type/location):  Her single-floor, 1,200 sq foot, suburban house is a century old, slightly lacking in stability, but making up for it in charm.  Decorated mostly in clean neutrals and muted pastels, her home is a soothing escape with whimsical flair, boasting abundant handmade accoutrements from the local market and vintage trinkets acquired via inheritance or thrifting. 

Marital Status:  She has been planning her wedding day since she received Dream Bride Barbie, but if she has not yet tied the knot, she’s not necessarily in a rush to do so.  If she’s met her “Ken”, they are newlyweds just beginning co-inhabitance and compromises while still very much infatuated.  If he hasn’t popped the question, or even come along yet, she’s a dreamer and patiently waiting for Handsome to ease his way into her simple life.

Spouse’s Occupation:  If hubby exists, he is in civil/environmental engineering.  His job pays him well enough to support a single-income family (but she works anyway). He works for the city, trying to make civil structures more sustainable, and environmentalism infiltrates his entire life—work, play, and home.

Children (ages):  Since she still feels like a child, she has no children….yet.

Leisure Activities:  She loves to go on a nightly bike ride with her husband after dinner. On the weekends, the couple travels to nearby nature reserves for hiking, swimming, climbing, or just skipping rocks.  It’s not unusual for the couple to be spotted on the playground at the neighborhood park or throwing Frisbees into the river for their dog to swim-fetch.  They are also avid indie-film movie-goers.  Her long list of favorite activities is indicative of her sporadic and spontaneous personality.  She thrives on unpredictability, risks, and the instantaneous.

Vacation/Travel:  She saves 10% of every paycheck so she can look forward to her one week of paid vacation per year.  She only travels to conferences for her job, which are held in larger cities throughout the US, so she chooses paradise and relaxation over sight-seeing adventure for her time off work.  She finds the best paradise deal on travel websites and hops a plane to vitamin d, sea breeze, and exotic            sights.

Favorite Designers:  She loves environment-conscious Stella McCartney.  Alexander Wang, Fendi (except for their furs),  and Miu Miu are other favorites, but she looks to these designers for inspiration, only buying limited classic “must-haves” from higher-end brands.

Favorite Stores:  She shops on a budget, but not for cheaply constructed garments, so she looks to J.Crew, Gap, Madewell, and Zara for her shopping fix, only stopping ever-so-rarely at Saks Fifth Avenue and Barney’s New York (only during trips to the City for the occasional Stella McCartney or Alexander Wang).  She could window shop yuppy, semi-urban/urban boutiques for hours if given the freedom to do so.

Current Trends:  Current trends that really capture her attention include sustainability, soft materials, sheers, simple lines, wearability/versatility, and simple palettes/dark--neutral tones.

Demographics

Age:  22-32

Gender:  female

Income/Socioeconomic Status:  single [$35K—$50K, middle class], combined [$70K--$120K, upper middle class]

Marital Status:  single or newlywed, no kids

Ethnicity:  not specified

Location:  suburban America

Garment

Year/Season:  Fall I/2011

Store to Sell: Stand-alone “Ell.” boutiques, select Bloomingdales. stores

Price Range:  contemporary, $160—$300

illustration

flats

fabrics

you can never make something "new"

the best way to clearer skin is the completion of finals.  i looked in the mirror this morning, just two days post-hell (aka week of presentations), and almost didn't recognize my healing face.  my theory: if school's didn't take the we'll-throw-everything-stressful-at-our-students-until-they-drop-out approach, no one over the age of 18 would need benzoyl peroxide.

that said, i have taken a step back to observe my style influences.  there are some that i admired from the start, some that my work tends to resemble, and some that i strive to be.  unfortunately, as new as i may think an idea is, i keep seeing my "ingenious" designs already interpreted by someone bigger, better, and with more money--without me ever knowing about it.  that's okay though, because as my first semester in fashion school concludes, it's nice to know that my thinking is at least along the lines of some of fashion's greats.

before i digress on my style specs, here are a couple more projects from the semester.

[warning: low-quality images due to my memory card LOCKING ITSELF! boo. so these were taken on my droid]

this one, you're already familiar with, but i have some detail shots.

the over-underalls have too many details for me to EVER want to sew it again, but notice the button front, shirt pocket + pants pockets (all upside-down), and down-below collar.

viktor & rolf (s2011 RTW), proenza schouler (s2010 RTW) , and alexander wang (s2010 RTW) ALL have unique takes on this "dressed in the dark" concept of unconventional use of clothing pieces.  (though i was inspired by this image from the sartorialist.)

my skirt was inspired by looking through free people's online lookbook and an ease of design given that i had only one night to design, pattern, and sew this piece.  proenza, again, may be blamed for the ruffles. the only rule for this final was that it had to fit me, so voila!! new skirt (12 hrs later)!

and these pants, much less lame when on a body and photographed with my nikon instead of my phone, were constructed mid-semester for patternmaking class.  again, the only constraint was that they had to fit.

the black pair is my FAVORITE.  they are velvet and open-knit jersey.  they fall at the perfect length for heels and have a sophisticated high waist.  the edge of the jersey on either side is scalloped (my first experience with a purling machine).  i wore them proudly to a party with a black lace tank and this girl complimented my outfit.  naturally, i was SO flattered and excited, but then i found out her father helped fund the a.wang spring fashion show!! WHAT!?  maybe she and i should have lunch sometime to discuss backing, design, and logistics. :)  (in my dreams)

the other pair was very much annie hall inspired, made of a heavy linen.  they are a little bit too big, so i need to tailor them, but i LOVE the crochet detail.  these, too, are high-waisted, but with a tapered leg.

image from fashionrat

 so it seems that i like interesting (but simple) lines/diagonals, drapey-ness, neutral colors (with neon accents), whimsical features, feminine details, and classic silhouettes.
this is still so very broad.  all of the above put together describes quite a bit of fashion history, but i'm honing in on the whimsy, girly, and simplicity.


much of my edgy/feminine i would say is inspired by two of my favorite designers, rodarte and proenza schouler.
looking at these images, you can clearly see where some of my aesthetic comes from.

images from style.com, and the sister project. 

images from style.com 


for my less obvious inspiration, it's kinda like a giant, expensive grab-bag of everyone's favorite designers.  i love the colors/preppyness of marc jacobs + j.crew.  the unexpected wit behind viktor & rolf + alexander wang.  and the elegant simplicity of stella mccartney.  i only posted a pattern with samples of favorite 'bottom-halves' of these designers because i really can't choose few enough images to fit into one post.

images from you-guessed-it...style.com.

it's so excited to find my niche in the huuuuuuuge realm of fashion, but i certainly have much more to develop.  (not to mention, i desperately need to sharpen my construction skills.  i loved sewing before fit and grades mattered. go figure.)  i've never felt more relief than i felt friday, turning in my last project.  it was the hardest semester of my life, but also most exciting, fun, and enlightening 4 months ever.  so worth it, and so ready for my month-long break.

dressed in the dark

FINALS WEEEEEEEEEEK!! ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGHHHH!!

i'm feeling a lot like the screaming child with pants on her head in my mood board.

the mood board (a little lacking in the upper left corner) for my final collection.

(my design teacher still has all my sketches. boo.)

this shows my color palette, inspiration pieces, and the whimsy of my pieces.

final draping + sewing.

fake brand: ell.

collection title: dressed in the dark

concept: mismatched, topsy-turvy, adult "play clothes"

piece title: over-underalls

detail shots to come? maybe?

self-promo piece.

the top row is the front, bottom row is the back.  i printed this out, cut and glued the back to the front, and folded it like a three-panel brochure, but each panel is only 4"x 4".

in theory, this would be left with an interviewer so they remember me. :)

these are my potential business cards.  the four fit together like a puzzle, so the pale grey lines show where they would be sliced.

front is an illustration i made for my ideal customer (eco-friendly, casual, feminine, traveler, etc.)

back is my writing sample on theories of buying.

draping assignment: create a garment that when not on a form is completely flat (this basically means there can't be any shaping seams, like darts, or princess, or sleeves, etc...)

mine is a japanese-inspired bubble or flare top.  it has a detachable waistband that it connects with to form the optional bubble hem.  

everything on this is held together with tiny strips of velcro and really heavy steam-ironing. 

i know this is a dull post, but hopefully the images make up for it!! at least you know where i've been for the last 6 weeks.... on to more final projects!!