Modern Me

As this year comes to a close, so does another part of my life. A part that was closed off has now opened and will remain open from here on out.

I am Me, a Fashion Designer by trade. 

• I declare to adopt a permanent style.
• I declare that I will periodically view fashion show for each new season, and familiarize myself with notable designers.
• I will still remain to true to myself. 

I have learned a lot this year, and will carry it all with me throughout life.  

"Fashions come and go, but Styles remain forever," by Asia Unique.   

Sheer?

This upcoming Spring 2010 is full of sheer gear. 

There are some designers like Christian Dior who have incorporated sheer in simple ways that I am sure will grab the attention of many consumers in a variety of markets. This sophisticated sheer double breasted belted trench with floral burnout detail will dominate this spring. Women will love this look, be it for work, school, or a night out this trench will be seen again. 

 

Christian Dior's sheer overlay dress with printed floral detail will also be a staple this Spring season. Solid under sheer gives a graceful look that only few can pull off. Yet the design aesthetics of this garment can enhance just about any one's look. 

 

However their are some sheer garments that wont even make it to production. 

I happen to love sheer fabrics, like organza, cotton voile, and chiffon, but I've seen sheer overlay blazers, sheer dresses with nothing but underclothes underneath, and such clothing is only fashionable on the runway. 

Work Place Fashionista

Tamara Taylor aka Dr. Camille Saroyan as she is known on the hit series Bones, sets the tone for workplace fashions. She plays a coroner who is Head of the Forensic Team at the Jeffersonian Institution. 

Dr. Saroyan's attire is flirtatious, professional, yet demands attention. It's is classic fashion for the 21st century, yet never too sexy for the workplace. She stands out, and at times I have to wonder if real life coroners would actually mimic her style, but nonetheless it's daring and fun. 

Quality

As a fashion designer, I love couture clothing. Quality is the epitome of Fashion for me. With out it, why bother. I know that this view can be taken either as too extreme or right on target.

I love to sew, and am a stickler for neatness. I like the inside of my garment to look as good as the outside. Tailored clothing is not my chosen field, but all my clothing has the same degree of quality as tailored clothing.

Understandably people don't like to spend a lot of money on fashion clothing, thus low cost and low quality tend to go hand in hand. At the rate in which styles change this view is understandable.

I myself don't like to spend a lot of money on clothing, yet I like for my clothing to be of good quality. Is their a way to bridge the gap? 

AA-320-A

AA-320-A is a Fashion Research and Communications class at Marymount University. This course has forced me to leave my shell.

I am a Fashion Design student, and I didn't learn to sew till my second semester in college. Hence, my knowledge of the fashion world was nonexistent. I wasn't driven to want to know more about other designers, but instead I wanted to develop my own style based on my own experiences, with out the influence of other designers.

Starting this course, I had to write a personal essay about why I'm in fashion, and the answer is simple. I love to sew, and this ability allows me to create garments that express who I am without words.

Writing has never been my strong point, but the more I do it, the more I learn. Interestingly enough, I don't feel that it's the writing that is helping me the most, but rather all the research about the fashion industry that is allowing me to gain a wider knowledge of my field.

Recently, I wrote a fashion report on Spring 2010. This report truly showed me how much I have learned over the past four years, and also exposed me to notable fashion designers. My ability to recall fashion terms at a whim is amazing. I'm learning that I can describe clothing very explicitly, and in a way allows you to actually visualize it through words.

Overall, this course has provided me something truly invaluable, an unmeasurable knowledge foundation.

Shoe Fetish

We all have some kind of fetish. Mine happens to be shoes.

Shopping is something I love all across the board, and as a clothing designer one wouldn't think that shoes would be my weakness, but they are. I can't walk past a store that sells shoes with out taking a peak, unless I absolutely know that I don't like their particular style.

I have high heel shoes and boots in every color imaginable, black, white, clear, purple, blue, orange, pink, green, red, yellow, silver, tan, brown, maroon, mustard, gold, grey, cream, and every shade in between. You name it, I have it.

Just four years ago when I came to college, I got my first pair of puma's and could live with out them. This was the first time that I wore sneakers everyday. This changed my attire drastically, and made me a lot more laid back. However, I still couldn't stop buying shoes. Solids, prints, cloth, leather, plastic, I have it all.

My favorite stores to get basic shoes is wet seal, their pumps are inexpensive and very comfy.
Easy Pickins is great as well, they have the basics and fashionable styles available all at low prices.Of course when you visit the mall, their is always a Macy's and they have some cute shoes, and their always on sale.

I love different, but I also like basic, and comfort is a must. Shoes can tell you a lot about a person. Walking the streets of NY, you wouldn't guess it's me, but as quiet as I am, my shoes tell it all.

Never Tried it, But Always Wanted to...

Many of us have felt this way at one time or another. We really like something and wanted to try it but we just didn't have the guts to. Fashion can be that way at times. Style and appearance are important to each individual, and if something is way out of the box, there is a chance that many will not try it.

For me, I've always wanted to cut my hair really short, but have always been too afraid to do so. I just knew the style would look great on me, but the thought of having to wait for it to grow back always stopped me. I cut my hair twice, but only to my chin, never could just chop it all off.

I haven't ever really liked fake hair, but a lot of people do use it. Although many people put extensions in their hair, I wanted a short hair style. So, I sucked it up and got a wig made. Sounds crazy, I know. However, it really isn't that bad. I never wanted to go this route because it seems to have always been a stigma attached to fake hair. But now that I have it, I love it.

This short wig of mine suits me well, and I'm glad that I've finally tried it. Finding alternatives are always good options.

Don't be shy about trying new things, the results may turn out better than you thought.

Why don't you have a style?

This question was posed to me two months ago. "I am a fashion designer, who didn't look the part." Excuse after excuse is all I had, but now there is time for a change. As I approach my last semester in college, and embark upon a journey into the fashion world, it is crucial for me to look the part.

First impressions are important. Looking your best at all times seemed to be a stretch at first, but as time moves forward, it really isn't as hard as I thought. 

We all want to look the part for whatever job or ideal we aspire to, and to do this we must: 

1st: Gain the correct mentality; deciding who we want to be, and how we would like to be perceived. 

2nd: Decide what style will reflect this new image, and insure that it suits who you are.

3rd: Raid your closet to see if you have the necessary clothing to pull this style off. 

 

Lastly, if you don't have the clothes, GO SHOPPING!!!

(Not to hard is it, if you truly desire change)

   

To Match or Not

A few days ago, I watched the Tyra Banks show for the first time. The topic that caught my attention was a young girl who felt she had to look perfect everywhere she went. Her definition of perfect was matching. I found this to be interesting because matching jumps out to me as not being fashionable. Why?

Color is important, but to wear a pair of shoes that match you shirt or skirt is a bit much, unless it's a neutral of course. I feel its overbearing to wear a red shirt with a red cardigan on top. Matching is okay, yet coordination is more important than matching per se.

I recently came into my own style, and color is a key ingredient to this style. I wear a range of colors in one outfit. It is possible to break up colors and prints, and still look tasteful. I found this to be true the week, I said "forget the black and lets try color on color". Interestingly enough, I walked out the house with suede brown flat scrunch boots, grey jeans, a silk burnt orange turtle neck, and a virgin wool sandy pinstripe blue and white blazer. This isn't the only or last time that I've mixed colors, I've also mixed prints in my own outfits and garments that I've made. But most importantly it all looks good and is fashionable.

Another aspect of this is prints with color; one example of this mixing took place when I made my first menswear vest. It was a print of black and greys, and another print of red's and burgundy, all composing different aspects of the same garment. Although these colors are seemingly common the combination made a statement. Prints and color make sportswear come alive.

Pick up a British Vogue, and it becomes apparent that mixing colors are in, bold, bright and neutrals.

The Essence of Fashion: “Everyone’s Choice”

Fashion is the epitome of our daily lives? Every person in the universe eats, and sleeps fashion whether they choose to or not. Every day that you put an article of clothing on your back, you are introducing your style to the world; bringing forth a personification of you through clothing. Fashion may not be your life, but you become a part of it as you choose to wear and purchase clothing.

As first impressions are important, clothing answers a lot of questions. Your personal appearance may exude confidence and pride in oneself or it can exude uncertainty and self-depreciation. We choose our clothing based on how we feel about ourselves, and on how we would like to be portrayed. If we are going to the office we want to dress professional, if we are going to a ball we want to dress classy. Fashion is all about feeling. It is about expressing yourself through clothing.

You are what you wear. How often do we let our clothing define our mood; every chance we get? If we wake up in the morning feeling down, either we’ll put on clothing that will help us hide, or we’ll put on clothing to make us feel better. On the other hand if we wake up happy, our outfit usually reflects this. Be it a sundress, on a nice hot day, or a beautiful coat on a chilly afternoon that is as simple or intricate as we define ourselves to be, that elegant beauty or that dazzling diva.

Today, I choose to be that dazzling diva, wearing a beautiful lace blouse, slacks, and high heel boots that are to die for.

My fashion is ME! Who are you today?