First PFA Meeting

The Purdue Fashion Association (PFA) is a club for those who love fashion and want to be around those who also love fashion and I'm the secretary for the club this year. On Wednesday (the 28th) we had our call-out and a good amount of students came, I think 20-25 students besides the 5 of us officers. The 5 of us officers met before the call-out and combined all of the questions we had to compile a final list so that we could play Jeopardy during the meeting. Our categories were: Brands, History of Fashion, Designer, Icons, and Pop Culture. Each category had 5 questions with the easier questions ranked as 1 and the more difficult questions as 5 points. For an example, one of the 1 point questions was "What decade were poodle skirts popular?" Some of the answer is the 50s. The 5 point questions were extremely difficult and  I think 1 was left unanswered by the teams so no one won those points. It was a lot of fun and I can't wait for future meetings!

London College of Fashion

Since the application deadline for the FIT program is coming up relatively soon, I decided it was time to finally meet with financial aid and discuss how my scholarships and other aid would apply to FIT or London.

*For more information about my struggle to decide on the year at FIT verse the semester at London College of Fashion read Making Decisions: FIT Verses London College of Fashion. 

I can happily say my financial awards can be applied to London, none of them can be applied to the FIT program, meaning I will be applying to London for my fall semester next year. I am incredibly overjoyed and have been reading and watching a lot of videos about the program. I am especially excited because of the trip to Paris that is included in the semester. I will need certain things for my application, such as an essay and recommendations, but also a maximum of 5 pieces of my best work (so up to 5 pictures since the application is online). I am very glad I kept my work from the fashion show last year because I think that whole ensemble is amazing together; however, I don't know if the skirt, dress, and collar would count as 1 or 3 pieces since they're all separates but I put them together...I will be meeting with my adviser at some point to go over everything and make sure I don't miss any deadlines. Deep down one of the main reasons I came to Purdue for design was to go to London. I am ecstatic and really really hope I am accepted. If accepted I think I will be taking corsetry, shoe making, styling, and then possibly fashion speed sketching. We are only allowed up to 10 credits of electives. We do have 6 credits of mandatory classes: historical & contemporary fashion research studies, British cultural studies, and theoretical & social fashion studies. All of the mandatory classes sounds like a lot of fun. I will be posting updates on the different aspects of my application process and the 5 pictures I decide to send to them with my application. Stay tuned :)

Retail Classes

This semester I am taking a required Introduction to Retail Management course. So far it's not so bad, granted I've only had the class twice. I have the class on Tuesdays and Thursdays for an hour and fifteen minutes each time. However, almost every Tuesday we do not have class and instead have "Home Assignments" in which we either do the assignment by ourselves or with our group. Then, on Thursdays, we have our lectures in which we cover a chapter from the book.

Today we had our first assignment and it's a group paper. We had to visit a retail store and take notes on a variety of topics such as price, customer service, merchandise available, location, and stored design and display. My group decided to use a library cafe as our retail store for our paper. We discussed all of the topics and each person is assigned one specific topic to write at least a half page paragraph on it. After everyone emails me their portions I will them compile all of the paragraphs into our paper and insert transition sentences and just make sure everything runs smoothly within the paper. The paper is due at the end of class Thursday but we'll have it all done tomorrow night, and without meeting again.

So far from this assignment I have learned a few things:

1. I like my group; we get along very well and it's easy to bounce ideas off each other and no one has a super strong bossy personality so we mesh well together.
2. I think this class will be relatively easy if the rest of the assignments continue to be like this fist assignment.
3. I understand a lot of the material but I don't want to have my career be retail focused. I love the design aspect way too much.

Stay tuned for more short reports on retail classes, who knows, I may start to slowly love retail (though I highly doubt I would ever switch my major).

Strike a Pose

There's Nothing To It....VOGUE

My August edition of Vogue.

I was walking through a building with my friend and we passed a magazine stand and of course we had to search for the September issue of Vogue. We just HAD to. There is something about the September issue that makes it worth spending the money for a glossy magazine filled with advertisements, perfume samples, and short articles on people you may have never heard of but feel like you should know who they are. My friend told me she really only buys just the September issue, she doesn't even bother with the other months. I on the other hand, love admiring all of the issues, but I do admit I love flipping through the September issue the most. I feel like I'm an important part of the fashion world judging and critiquing stylists' choices, editors' notes, and designers' ideas and creations. 

I love Vogue, and I think working for them would be an amazing opportunity. Hopefully one day my designs will be featured in the magazine and others can critique my work (good and bad). I'm going to end this short little post that was really just a brief story and some dreams with a quote from the Sex and the City:

"When I first moved to New York I bought Vogue instead of dinner. I just felt it fed me more." -Carrie Bradshaw

Decisions Decisions Decisions....And All About Shoes & Books

So I have recently moved into an apartment and today was my first day of classes. I moved in last Thursday and have been just chilling and waiting for school to start. These past few days have been rather relaxing and it has been nice to enjoy some worry-free time. However, last week before I moved into my apartment I was stressing about some very important decisions. I was worrying about what shoes and books to bring. Sort of silly but both require some actual time to think about the choices I had to make.

Since I don't go home until November I needed to think about the transition from the summer heat to the cool fall breeze. On top of this I also wanted to limit myself and bring less than 25 pairs and make sure all my shoes fit into 1 tote box. I also learned from last year that besides interviews or formal events I don't need a lot of heels. Thus, I only brought 2 pairs of heels: one pair of nude heels for professional attire (think interviews) and a pair of maroon suede wedges more for when it starts turning into fall and the colors turn into darker, more rich colors. I also only brought 3 pairs of boots: my rain boots, 1 pair for true fall and 1 pair is all weather (rain, snow, etc). so that if it suddenly becomes colder I will be prepared. Besides those I brought an assortment of sneakers, Keds, flats, and sandals. I hope I will be fine with my decisions, so far so good. :)

Besides shoes I love books; all kinds of books. Last year during school I didn't have a lot of free time to read the books of my choice, so this year I decided to only bring a handful of books. I brought Dracula and Coco the Novel, as well as a handful of others I have already read. I only brought a couple of books I haven't read yet (this includes the Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Hobbit). This will allow me to focus on my school work and not get too involved in a new series but at the same time just relax with a book every now and then. I brought a variety of genres so I can pick one to satisfy my hunger to read whenever I want. I am glad I brought the books I did I just wish I brought more, but then again I will probably always wish I brought more books. I am a bookworm at heart and I just love surrounding myself with books. At home I have shelves and shelves around my room and then random piles stacked up throughout my rooms in the house. Hopefully when I'm a well-known designer and am making an amazing salary I will be able to afford a home with a library, or at least some really nifty shelving throughout the house.

My words of wisdom on the topic of choosing and limiting yourself on shoes and books is to make of list of the absolute necessary items. Shoes wise that would be sneakers, maybe rain boots or flip flops, and a pair of dress shoes. Besides that it's all about if you know you will wear them at least 10 times in the time span you'll be away. After that I would say it's just a personal preference. Now about the books, it's a hard decision and I would say just go with your gut, you can always get a library card from the local library and visit whenever you feel the urge to read something you didn't bring with you.

Being Involved in my Major

I have recently been accepted to be a mentor for a class that is required for my major, and any major in the Consumer Sciences and Retailing section of the College of Health and Human Sciences (Design, Retail, Financial, etc.). It's called Introduction to Consumer Sciences and Retailing, one of those 1 credit 8 week courses that introduces you to college life (things like LinkedIn) and lets you know more about your major with a recitation each week. I will be a mentor for a small group of students during the recitation for retail management and apparel design & technology majors. I am assuming I will only have design majors since that's how it was for me last year in the class. I had to move my schedule around and I had to work with my adviser because I was already at my maximum for 18 credit hours and being a mentor gives me another credit (taking me to 19) but everything is good now and I am able to be a mentor for freshman (or transfer students just coming into year 1 of design). 

In the class last year, at least the recitation portion, you learned about a lot of the opportunities that are available for our majors at Purdue. For example, retail mentors spoke about their different internships for different companies. One girl even got to come back to help with the company during Fashion Week. Some design students spoke about going to Italy for study abroad, and others about going to London and everything those trips entail. Also, the design students spoke about their internships; my mentor went to Australia for hers. We also did ice breaker games and got to know each other, especially those in our group, really well. After the first 8 weeks the class no longer meets but as a group you have to do a group outing together and then write a group paper. Along with that you interview someone related to the major with your group and then write individual papers. It's relatively easy and it's fun and interesting all at the same time!

I think I'll be a good mentor even though this will only be my second year for a couple reasons. First off, I worked all of this summer at Express and though it wasn't an internship, it is still experience and I can discuss the whole interview experience as well. Along with that I was involved in several different activities last year relating to the major such as the career fair and I was a member (still am, and will be Secretary this year) of Purdue's Fashion Association (PFA). As well as those activities relating to the major, I was published in the Bell Tower, participated in the Spring Writing Showcase, and had a campus job at one of the dining courts for pretty much all year. I can't wait to meet everyone, share my experiences, and hang out with some of my really good friends who are also mentors for the class! This is a wonderful opportunity and I'm glad I am able to be even more involved with my major. I will probably post more about it after hearing some of the others speak about their experiences and see what everyone will be discussing during the recitation.

Superheroes, More Than Just a Cape

First off, I love comics and superheroes. When I was in France I went to the little grocery type store with some friends and when leaving my friend said "Only you would leave a store with a copy of Paris Vogue and a stack of comic books." In a way that one sentence sums me up. I love DC and Marvel, I could never pick one over the other. I've always admired the costumes too, all of the colors are amazing. Now with all of the movies I've been admiring the fabric choices as well and everything that transfers the hero from regular to super. One of my favorite heroes, notice I didn't say superhero, is Batman. One reason I didn't say superhero is because he has no powers and many people think that he is just a rich guy who is gifted in different aspects but since he has now powers he is not a superhero. However, to me, he and Iron Man will always be superheroes. I understand they have no powers and that's fine, they can just be amazing heroes. But Batman is probably in my top 3, maybe even my all time favorite.

Me (L) and my younger brother (R)
running down the street.

A couple years ago it was around Halloween time and my siblings were trying to decide what costumes they wanted to get. My 2 sisters wanted to be zombie related characters. I think one was a zombie prom queen and the other a zombie bride, I am not exactly sure. Anyways, my youngest brother (actually the youngest out of all of us) didn't want to be something dead. He didn't want to be something scary. He wanted to be Batman, but he didn't want to stand out and be alone. So, instead of hanging out with my friends, I decided I would go trick or treating with my brother so he wouldn't be alone. When i told him I'd go with him and I could his Robin he was so excited and said "No you have to be Batman too!" We all went to the store and sure enough I found a relatively modest Batman related costume. It's a sleeveless black dress with the Batman symbol on the front and a cut bottom. It came with a bright yellow belt with the Batman symbol in the middle, 2 gauntlets for my arms, and a cape that detaches as well as a very bad mask and things that go over your shoes to make it look like you're wearing boots. I knew more girls would be wearing the same costume so I made it my own. I wore black tights and a long sleeve t shirt under my dress. I also wore black gloves from marching band and black suede boots. I chose not to the wear the mask for 2 reasons: I wanted to just wear my glasses and it looked really dumb. We had a blast and everyone loved our costumes and how we were a pair. It was great because I knew I had made my brother's night and that may be his favorite Halloween. As the oldest of my 5 siblings I know they look up to me for guidance and advice. I try my best to be a good solid role model. But he's the thing, since I'm the oldest who did I have as my role models? Of course you have your parents and other family members, but when life was hectic and "abnormal" I had my superheroes to help guide me. They have good character qualities, do the right thing no matter what. Sure I get a lot of inspiration from them with their crazy costumes and the villains they face, but it's more than that. They've inspired some of my designs but they're also inspired me to be a better person and that's the whole point of this post. Sometimes inspiration comes from something totally random like a character in a comic book you read when you were 7, but that inspiration spreads through your life for more than just a drawing or a quick sketch. It affects you, and really, any inspiration can affect you if you just spend a little more time thinking about it.

Here we are posing.

We are Batman!

Getting Ready For Back To School Means More Shoes, Right?

Recently I did a little back to school shopping for bras, and while I did manage to snag a great deal for those, I found 2 great pairs of shoes on sale. One is a black pair of ankle boots, flat and with a round toe and interesting fabric on the inside. They will be great for late fall and for when it starts to get colder at Purdue. They're really neat, however, the other pair is absolutely amazing. 

My new oxfords. 

They are Steve Madden Tuddor Cap-Toe Oxfords in a light brown. I love them! Since they were on sale, my size was the display shoe and thus a little worn in. To me, they look even better getting them looking a little worn in. They fit wonderfully and they feel great. To me, they will be able to class any outfit up. I wore them to my meeting at Express with a dark wash skinny jean, mint green tank top with beading, and black and white 3/4 length sleeve. My outfit looked dressy, yet casual with jeans and sweater choice. Without the sweater and with heels my outfit would look more as if I was going out on the town for a night. If I wore plain flats however, my outfit would look a little more drab and I would have felt as if I was missing something. 

To me, shoes are kind of a huge deal for my outfit. I tend to decide what shoes I want to wear that day and then build an outfit around my shoe selection. That may be a bit silly for some people, but it's just how my brain works regarding how I select my clothing each day. Sometimes, of course, I just go with the flow and pull some jeans and a top on and grab a pair of flats. I have a pair of suede grey flats with a strip of patent shiny grey across the top front, making them not as boring as a plain pair of flats. 

One thing I did notice though, when I returned home, I have a few other pairs of oxfords and they are all different! I have 2 pairs I bought at Target for about $8 each last year. They are both suede, one if black with a blue bottom and the other a faded tan with a pink-orange bottom. Then of course I have my 2 pairs of gold shoes. One is by Jessica Simpson, very sparkly, no laces, and have more detail than the others. Then I have gold ones from Material Girl. These are darker, more cloth-like and have black laces. Lastly are my new Steve Madden oxfords. I wear my gold oxfords a lot and in the fall I wear my Target shoes every now and then. But, these new oxfords will definitely get worn a lot, though I will have to be careful not to wear them too often or else I will wear then down and ruin them. (This is why I have so many pairs, I wear them so many times they are on the verge of having to be "retired" and I get new ones while occasionally wearing the others).

My Oxford collection.

Update: Adding Pictures...Finally!

Hello everyone, I hope your summer is wrapping up nicely. I have finally gotten around to updating some posts I did a while ago. I've fixed some unnoticed grammar issues and I've also added pictures to a couple of posts. You may have already read them, but check out Shoe Dilemma: Desperate Need for Solution and Tassels On My Shoes. Both posts now have a picture of the shoes they are discussing. I find it amusing that I have so many posts involving shoes, but they are an important role in my everyday life. Now, besides grammar and pictures, I wanted to share that I am trying my best to juggle everything going on in my hectic life right now and post about some interesting things and not simply these update posts. 

Michelle (L) and Me (R) goofing off.

So stay tuned for more posts about fashion, people, shoes, and more!

Spreading the Music Spreading the Love

One of my all time favorite bands is My Chemical Romance. They broke up relatively recently (March 2013) but they are still my go to band. Just last night I listened to their Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys album just to fall asleep. They created 4 albums: I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love; Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge; The Black Parade; and Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys.They also released Conventional Weapons, a collection of songs recorded before their last album. I've been a listener for many years, I remember hanging out with my best friend Cheyanne and listening to one of their songs for the first time and just falling in love with the music. To me, it's more than just music, I feel as though there is a song for every moment of my life, that in a way they have managed to find a way to narrate my life with a handful of albums and songs. I listen to a mix of their more energetic songs when I work out (mixed with a couple of other artists as well) and I listen to their more poetic and softer songs when I'm feeling down. There is a song for every feeling: anger, grief, happiness, anxiety, just everything. I love it. I went to a Blink-182 concert with 2 friends of mine and My chemical Romance was there to play before Blink. My friends were there for Blink-182 but I was there for MCR. They were great in person, and now that they have split up I will probably never get to see an actual MCR concert, but I am still an avid listener and I am hoping they will create more music together some day.

So I have added some videos, probably 4 of my 5 favorite music videos to share. As the title for this post says, I am spreading their music, one of my sources for inspiration and happiness, and thus spreading the love I have for their music and creativity with the music videos and ability to take simple words but create music that works.

"Helena" from the album Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge.

"I'm Not Okay" from the album Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge.

"Welcome to the Black Parade" from the album The Black Parade.

"Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na)" from the album Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys.

I hope you've enjoyed the music and videos that go with them!