Witty & Wise Writing

While Christmas shopping at Target for my friends and family I found a few items for myself...including this snazzy journal to the left. I just couldn't resist, it has a little bit of everything I like: Paris, Audrey Hepburn, the French language, shoes, and pink. It's a hard back journal with lined pages that have faded decorations on them, similar to the cover minus the shoe and Audrey H. quote. It's really pretty and while I bought a purple leather bound journal with an Eiffel Tower and "Bonjour!" on it not too long ago, I started writing in this journal the day I bought it. I figure that by the time I study abroad in London, so about 1 year, I will need another journal and my purple one is smaller and might be the right size for my entire trip to London. Whenever I go on trips I take a journal, it started more when I went to Australia because we were supposed to keep track of what we did each day. Also, I really just love writing, it's relaxing.

I have a lot of journals and in the past I went from colorful and exciting diaries to plain old composition books you get at the store for a dollar or less. For example, I keep my poems in a black and white composition book. But I haven't kept a diary in a while, and I miss that relaxing moment of writing about my day before I go to bed. It's nice to just get everything out and not going over everything in your head while you're trying to fall asleep. Also, it'll just be great to get back into writing more, especially because I think this spring semester will be filled with a lot of interesting days and events.

Staying On Track

Just a few updates:
1. I have gotten all of my grades:

• B in AS114, B in ECON 210, A in French 202, A in Consumer Behavior, A in Intro to retail, A+ in my Mentor class and an A+ in Apparel Design

2. I am back at Express, I worked 6hrs yesterday and I'm scheduled for more times this week :)

3. I am sick and slowly getting better....and still watching Project Runway

I am loving this season of the show (9), it is just filled with all of these different competitions and it's just amazing.

I am now planning on going shopping for presents for everyone in my family and a few friends. Hopefully I will be able to get something for everyone.

Awesome Assignments

So I found this gem stashed in my Drafts folder, I don't know why I never published it, but here it is!

September 2, 2013
For my draping and pattern making class we were assigned a group project where we are given an age group and then have to come up with ideas, inspiration, and create 10 crouquis (front view only) and present them in 1 portfolio. My group was assigned ages 40-50 and we decided to go with a Gatsby theme. We will have more than 10 croquis though. On the left sides of our portfolio will be inspiration pages with amgazine clippings, fabric swatches, and quotes. On the right sides will be our croquis, anywhere from 1-3 croquis depending on the size and stance of the croquis. For the sides with our croquis we will have different, almost contrasting colors, colored backgrounds with the same strip of cream paper at the top with the word "Gatsby" or something else, we haven't settled on that part yet. Then our croquis will be on the page with quotes or fabric swatches that were actually used in the sketches at the bottom of the pages. We decided all of our croquis wll have bobs, red lips, and will be outlined. Besides that, the 3 of us will be creating different garments that illustrate how differently we sketch while still maintaining that they all are cohesive and work well together.

September 5, 2013
Well yesterday we met before class started and managed to cut all the paper, glue croquis and magazine clippings, and write some quotes to create our final portfolio for the project. In my opinion, it could have been a little better, maybe more cohesive if it looked as though 1 person had drew all of the croquis but with understanding that everyone has a different illustration technique, it turned out amazingly. Our first page was a light blue paper with antique writing and a few stamps, but a large picture of Daisy and Gatsby from the '74 film. It was light and ethereal. Then we had a page of magazine clippings and then our croquis. Our first page was a pearl background with 3 figures: 2 in cream and pastels with a dark grey & black ensemble in between the 2. Then we had 2 pages of 3 figures each with a mixture of dresses and pants ensembles. Then we ended with the left page being my red evening dress croquis on a red faux leather paper and on the right side having a dark brown faux leather page with a magazine picture that embodied the Gatsby feeling and a few quotes on cream colored paper we had used at the top of every other page. All in all it was great. We knew what we wanted to do and we did it.

Supposed to be Relaxing...

So now that exams are over you think I'd be chilling and relaxing, and I am, but I'm stressing just a little about grades. All semester I have been worried about grades slipping because of having 19 credits hours and 2 jobs that I put a lot of effort into. As of now I know I have an A+ for my mentor class, and A in Intro to Retail, and A+ in Consumer Behavior and a B in my art class (AD114). Which isn't bad at all, though I wish I got a little more than just a 4.0 for A+s. However, I am still waiting for my Apparel Design, Econ, and French 202 classes. I am worried that i'll get a C in Econ and that maybe I won't do so hot in French either. Though I had completely forgotten that if you miss 3 or less French classes you get an entire 1% added to your end grade...so I have an 88% now and if I end with an 89% then I get a 90% and get an A-, which is still an A! And as of now I'm not missing a lot of points in my design class and I know I got over 40pts of extra credit, so I am (hopefully) getting an A.

So not too horrible, but my application to London College of Fashion is mostly my GPA and academic achievements because we only send in 5 pictures of our work. It's a little stressful but if I get into London for design I think it'll all be worth it.

Resorting to Project Runway

I haven't seen a whole Project Runway episode in forever! When it first came out I watched every single episode, maybe like the first 3 or 4 seasons I was an avid viewer. However, I just kind of quit trying to catch every episode and just watch a few here and there. Well, now that it's break and I have a solid month off I'm thinking of watching a few episodes....or you know at least a whole season. So I am starting now with season 9, maybe a little random but that's what I saw online so I'm going for it.

Almost done with episode 1. The designers had to take their pjs and their bed sheet and make something super creative. So far I am enjoying this episode, and I can't wait to see who wins. It's always interesting to see the outfits I like and then get the judges' point of view. Usually it's really different, I generally tend to like someone's design who doesn't get to be in the top picks. Or...I might actually like someone who goes home. It all just depends i guess, though I do admire superb tailoring and garment construction.

I can't wait to finish the entire season and move on to another, haha this is going to get so bad watching all of these episodes I've missed. Maybe I'll have to stop for awhile...

Winter Wonderland

I love snow, and it's been snowing since last night. I went out for pizza last night with some friends and the snow looked so pretty. I love when it's just fallen and it's crisp and white and clean. It's relaxing and calming. Something about snow just makes me so happy. It's like it's okay to be a little kid and hope that it snows on Christmas and that you can build a snowman and make snow angels and have snow ball fights. It's juts something I associate with the holiday season. Everyone seems more happy, and I know it's probably not because of the snow (because of bad roads and delays) buuuuut I think that it's pure demeanor really connects with people on some level. Like the snow takes them back to simpler times when all they wanted was a snow day and to hang out with their friends outside and then come in for hot cocoa and cookies.

All I know is I love snow and I really do hope that it snows on Christmas day because that would be magical and my little brother still believes in Santa so it'd be wonderful.

Went For It

Well after watching the Victoria's Secret Fashion show and discussing it with my friend, I decided to look into if they have internships. Annnnnd they do!

I registered for an account, entered my information, and uploaded my resume and cover letter. Then a little bit later I received an email saying they had received my application and would either contact me if they're interested or just keep my application on file for a year. Which, is still good because when I am an actual junior next year I can reapply and have more skills and other great things on my resume. 

Similar to other design internships, they are looking for juniors and seniors, and I am only a sophomore though after this semester I am a junior based on the number of credits I've earned. I figured the worst that could happen is they don't contact me, my application stays on file for the year, and I just go ahead and reapply next fall. 

In order for me to go to London for the design semester I need to take summer classes this coming summer. I will only be getting 6 credits for going to London and even though I have a ton of credits already I still have required classes to take that I can't take in London. 

So if they don't contact me I will be perfectly fine staying at Purdue over the summer, working and taking 3 classes. But....if they do contact me, I'll have to reevaluate my plans but it would definitely be worth it! So stay tuned!

Victoria's Secret Fashion Show 2013

So I just finished watching the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show and I have to say it was amazing. It's hard to believe that they are able to do the show every year and have it be so different. I love it! Its great and I like how they showcase the models in between the runway shows. It's refreshing to see how real the models are and how much they enjoy working at Victoria's Secret.

I think my favorites were the Parisian Nights and Snow Angels, there were just so many fabulous designs walking down the runway. It's neat how they do the same runway but are able to create completely different atmospheres and settings for each collection. It's really great. 

Another neat thing about their fashion show is the collaboration of the musicians and how much fun they seem to have being there on the runway.

All of the creations are different and fun and just really great because women wear a bra and underwear everyday so these lingerie options are amazing. It  seems like a fun and involved fashion show, hopefully in the future I'll be able to attend in person (as a staff member-designer? or in the crowd).

Watch the show here:
Victoria's Secret Fashion Show 2013

Finally Done, Well Almost Done

For my class I was able to finish my dress for Gabrielle. It's short, but for the fashion show in the spring I plan on adding a long skirt and possibly a long train in the back. I haven't decided on my final plans yet, though I do have a lot floating around in my mind. 

Besides just finishing it I had to fill out cost sheets, do 2 technical sketches (front and back), and 2 croquis (front and back), along with an inspiration page. I even threw in a cover page because I couldn't decide on what pictures to use for my other pages. 

The first picture is Gabby all dolled up wearing the dress. She has white lace gloves, white Jackie-O sunglasses, and black patent peep-toe pumps. Also, the hem isn't done in this picture because I was still debating on if I wanted to hem it to turn it in or wait until I added the skirt. For the project I hemmed it so it looked neater.

The next picture is the back of the dress. As you can see the back V is a little loose, not the super tight look I was going for, but I actually like it. In my opinion, I think the darts look great. They lay right and make the dress really work for Gabby. 

Now for my presentation in my portfolio:

Here is my cover page, sort of a title page as if Gabby was in her own movie.

The next two pages are my inspiration page (left) and my page with the 2 technical sketches and my swatches of my fashion fabric and interfacing. I decided to go with a picture of one of the party scenes from "Breakfast at Tiffany's."

And finally, my croquis sketches. Originally I had wanted to just do the croquis sketches on the old parlor pictures, but then I really liked the idea of using Audrey Hepburn and the movie "Breakfast at Tiffany's" in my presentation of my dress.

Overall, I am pleased with my presentation in my portfolio. I like the way everything goes well together and how the idea is easily expressed.

Espresso Fueled Evening

Last night, well yesterday in general, was quite the experience. I realized just how much I can do in one day. I think I could definitely be a worthy competitor on Project Runway (time wise at least). 

Front View

I was in class for 3 hours and I managed to complete my darts (12 total), start sewing the dress and lining pieces separately on the seams. Then later in the day, after classes, around 4:30 I started sewing it more. I did the zipper and after a few mistakes I needed a break. I went to a PFA meeting and returned to the lab with bread sticks. After food and a doubleshot of espresso I started working again. It took about an hour and a half of seam ripping and a couple more mistakes to start off on the right foot. I watched a tutorial video and starting getting in the zone. 

I finally had found the answers and figured out what exactly I needed to do to fix my dress. I now have everything except the hem and trimming the seam allowances (since I have a fitting scheduled at 6pm tonight and may need to take it in). 

Since we need pictures for the fit of the garment on our model for the final presentation of our project, I will be taking some really fun pictures. I have lots of pearl jewelry, white lace gloves, white Jackie-O sunglasses, and more prepared for my model's mini fashion shoot. 

This project has been a lot of work, from day one with measuring my model to making patterns and then making a muslin dress and having to correct my patterns. Now I have an elegant, cocktail dress with a modest front and low back with darts that fit my model perfectly (at least the muslin version's did). All I want to do is finish this, prepare for final pictures tonight or tomorrow. 

Back View

I plan on creating a bottom for the dress to turn it into an evening, floor length gown for the spring fashion show. So I will definitely be posting more about that. As well as the rest of my presentation: inspiration page, croquis front and back views, and technical sketches front and back views. 
So just stay tuned!