Chanel's Words

I have recently purchased a book that I've had my eye on for quite some time now. "The Gospel According to Coco Chanel," (the link takes you to Amazon to check the book out) by Karen Karbo, is very interesting and not what I thought it would be, but I really like the book. What Karbo does is divide the book into chapters, such as On Style, Money, Time, etc. and writes how Coco Chanel would view these things while adding in her (Karbo's) own ideas and stories. It's witty and humorous and I enjoy how she adds Madame Chanel's history and stories into the book, winding everything perfectly together. I'm not done with it yet, but I am almost done with chapter 9 out of 12 chapters. I've read a few books on Chanel, such as the fictitious (though does include real history of Chanel) novel "Coco, the Novel" by Patricia Soliman. That book is one reason why I became to admire Chanel, the book just creates this world around Coco Chanel that seems inviting and invigorating. I don't want to be Chanel, nor do I want the life she lived, but I do admire her a lot for the great qualities she possessed and I hope to someday make dramatic alterations in the fashion industry.   Once I set my heart on Chanel, nothing design wise has been the same for me in the sense that every now and then I find myself wondering "Would this work at Chanel? Should this be black instead of hot pink? There needs to be more pearls, more tweed, more structure, etc." I know I seem to post a lot about Chanel, but there's a lot to say about her, she was a woman who got what she wanted through hard work, determination, and being herself. But anyways, back to the book, if you want to know more about Chanel, or just how she would view certain topics, then I highly recommend this book. It's worded as if the author is actually speaking to you, she adds little foot notes, and it's filled with quotes and fun stories. It's not a dull book and it's worth every penny. I intend to check out other books by Karbo simply because I like the way she writes, also because she wrote a book about Katherine Hepburn, who is another fascinating woman. Hopefully I'll find more books at Half-Price Books, but until then I'll have to try and make it through the ones I currently have.

Clean Closet, Clean Room, Now What?

I posted a while ago about how I was going to clean out my closet (go here to read more: Cleaning Out the Closet). Well, now I'm going to share some pictures of the cleaning process and the outcome, well of my closet anyways. I didn't take an after picture of my room because since then it has slowly morphed into organized chaos again.
Anyways, here are the pictures:

To start off, here is what my room looked like right before I started cleaning. I just have piles of stuff scattered throughout my bedroom.

And here is a "cleaning-in-process" picture. My way to clean is to put everything in one spot and simply put it away. However, if you're like me and get easily distracted you may not want to use your bed as the spot to put everything because when it's time for bed and you haven't finished putting it all away you have to put everything on the floor and then your room is a mess all over again.

And it's slowly getting organized. Things are stacked, sorted, and cleaned up.

And my closet looks neat and is actually organized by sleeve length and dressy level. This means all my tank tops are together, short sleeve, long sleeve. And within those they're sort of sorted (at least my long sleeve shirts are sorted) by dressiness, if I would wear them to an interview or just day wear. Also my sweaters and jackets are behind my long sleeve shirts.





So, as you can see, my room is definitely better than how it was in the beginning but it's still not perfect. It's lived in, organized chaos, which fits me perfectly. When it starts to bother me I will simply clean it again. I went through all of my clothes, reorganized my dresser (as well as my closet), and now have a tub or more of clothing and shoes to get rid of. I still have to sort those into which I'm going to sell or donate, but I still have time.

Sewing and Art Room

I can't believe I haven't written about my sewing room. I took a room in my basement that had a lot of cobwebs and a few spiders (my dad sprayed the room so there shouldn't be any more) and transformed it into my sewing and art room. It's sort of always been my art room, I have an easel and tables and a lot of paint and random art stuff in it. It also has my drum set in it. But, I cleaned it, put my mannequin, a few pictures, and my new easel and sewing supplies and rug in it and it looks great. I didn't take any before pictures, but here are some after pictures:

My sewing table with my sewing machine, patterns, and lots of fabric!

My old easel with my Chanel No. 5 ads poster I made this past spring for
an English project.

My new easel (it's portable and fits in a small carrying bag) with some
of my art suplies.

My table with the rest of my sewing stuff: books, buttons, sewing tools,
etc. Also has some fabric hanging on the wall and the tub is full of
clothes I plan on using as fabric.

My mannequin and little window area.

Making Decisions: FIT Verses London College of Fashion

One of the many reasons why I chose to study apparel design at Purdue University is the amazing opportunities involved with the major. There are great study abroad opportunities available—Beijing, China, London, England, and Sydney, Australia—to not only take classes but to fulfill your internship requirements. For apparel design majors we need to have at least 2 internships: 1 in a retail setting and 1 in design. Besides the study abroad internship opportunities there are 2 major places to go for 3 potentially amazing additions to your resume and list of experiences:

1.   Attend the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in New York for one year as a Fashion Design student. When you graduate from Purdue you will not only receive your degree from Purdue but you will receive an Associate’s degree from FIT for apparel design.

2.   Attend FIT for the Fashion Merchandise Management (retail) program for a whole year and receive an Associate’s degree in this when you graduate from Purdue.

3.   Attend London College of Fashion for a semester (or 2 if you want) and take 3 mandatory classes (6 credits total) and choose from a list  of elective classes such as shoe making, fashion illustration, and corsetry, and decide on 10 credits (for a total of 16 for the semester). For a list of classes go here: http://www.fashion.arts.ac.uk/study-abroad/design-semester/

The Needle and Button in the Fashion District in NYC.
Picture taken from bus tour when I went to NYC.

These are all GREAT chances to gain a lot of experience and stand out with your resume. However, you can only pick 1 out of the 3 chances. You can only apply to 1 place for 1 major, meaning you can only apply to FIT for either design or retail, not both. And you can’t apply to FIT and London; it’s either or, not both. To top it all off, getting into the design track for FIT is incredibly challenging and requires a portfolio. FIT for retail and the semester in London are based on grades and other academic qualities. Also, you apply fall of your sophomore year (so for me this fall, October I think) in order to go your junior year; which means if I want to apply to FIT for design I have a short amount of time to create a kick ass portfolio. However, there are pluses and minuses to each. If I apply to FIT for fashion design and get in, then I face an extremely difficult year in which I do nothing but focus on my coursework. If I apply but don’t get in, well then I lose a huge opportunity for my junior year. If I apply for FIT in retail and get in I can most likely do an internship while attending classes because the class schedule and options are more flexible than the design track offered. Once again, if I don’t get accepted I do nothing extraordinary my junior year. If I get into London College of Fashion, then I can take specific courses and learn specific talents I can’t learn at Purdue. Also, you go to Paris during the semester (which is probably a main reason I am leaning towards London). And, just like the others, if I apply but don’t get in I waste an excellent opportunity. But which do I decide on? Where should I try and spend my junior year? What if no one else from Purdue goes to London for their junior year and I am utterly alone by myself, I can make friends and such but it really would be nice to go there with a familiar face and have someone else in the same situation as you when you return. Also, what classes count for my required classes? I really don’t want to spend more than the 4 years to graduate from Purdue. I feel as though all of these questions will be answered once I get back to school and can talk to my adviser and other students. Personally, I think deep down I have already made the decision to go to London, but if it would cause me to stay an extra semester at Purdue, then I might not go.

Me in summer of 2010 visiting England and Wales for
a soccer tournament and tour.

Every time I talk about this topic with my friends they don’t understand why this is so difficult, or life changing. I want to get the most out of my years at Purdue and I want to graduate with an exceptional resume and transcript, I want to have lots of experience and be able to stand out among other candidates when I apply for jobs. However, I also want to have a great time and enjoy life, which is one more reason I might choose London. I can see myself there having a wonderful time and really learning more than just sewing techniques and information.

Dior Couture

I realized I haven't been posting as much as I usually do and it's because pretty much all last weekend and going into the week I was sick, and then of course 4th of July (which is my mom's birthday as well as a holiday). However, I am now healthy and full of things to share and talk about!

First of which, is all of the couture shows, more specifically Christian Dior's couture show. All of the garments were different and unique. I loved the color choices and the way each ensemble was accessorized with shoes, gloves, and more. One of my favorite details was when a dress had buttons going from one shoulder all the way down, following the edge, to the bottom of the dress. It's something you don't see everyday and it was pleasing to the eye. Something I wasn't quite sure I liked at the beginning, but now I find refreshing, is all of the different slits. Some dresses have them in the front, on a side, in the front and the side, and some look (to me) as if they're hidden and just peekaboo surprise slit. Plus they're all different lengths. I didn't like the slits at first because they just didn't click for me, but after seeing them multiple times they grew on me. I think it's the way the fabric lays and how it moves when the model walks. In the end, the slits work for the garments. One of my favorite pieces was the emerald green gown and black gloves towards the end of the show. To me it is a beautifully made gown that is the picture of elegance. 

Here is a link so you can watch a video of it:

http://www.vogue.co.uk/news/2013/07/05/christian-dior-couture-film

I for one am looking forward to catching up on the couture shows. I read a few articles on the Chanel show and I can't wait to just sit down and watch it. Hopefully one day I will actually be able to attend all of the fashion shows I want. But, until then I am content with watching them online.

Interview With a Fellow Design Student #3 Featuring Emily Miles

I met Emily Miles over Facebook before we started going to Purdue. We somehow found each other and seemed to be the only apparel design majors using the Facebook group for incoming Purdue freshmen. We chatted a lot and decided to meet at Purdue when we realized we would both be going there for our STAR dates (schedule, take placement tests, etc.). We had dinner with our family members that took us (her parents and my grandma) at the dinner in the union. It was great because when fall classes started we already had at least one friend going into the major. Emily is really nice, funny, and a very talented sewer.

Here is her interview:

"This is a picture from my junior year 
of high school. For spring break, a group 
of girls that I sew with went to New York City
over spring break, and we went
 fabric shopping at Mood's!"
-Emily

What are you studying/majoring in? And why? I am majoring in Apparel Design and Technology with a minor in Art and Design Studio. I am also going to try to get a double major with Retail Merchandising. I picked this plan of study because I love everything that has to do with fashion, and want to have many different career options.

Why did you choose Purdue? And what made you want to decide on Apparel Design? I chose Purdue because of the large campus. I also still get that small campus feeling, because I always see several friends on my way to and from class every day. I chose the major of Apparel Design because I absolutely love sewing, and because it just makes me happy.

Emily (L) and her model Alyssa (R) at the
Purdue Fashion Show.

Please describe what you made for the spring fashion show and how you felt seeing all your hard work going down the runway. Also, if you want, any funny stories about making your garment or any struggles. For the spring fashion show, I made a maxi dress out of a purple stretch suiting material. I also made a blazer with a peplum out of a small black and white hound’s-tooth material. I felt amazing with my work going down the runway. It really makes me excited for fashion shows to come! I also loved that my roommate and long-time friend was able to be my model. I had a rough time making the jacket because my model’s back is 2 inches shorter than most people with her proportions, so I had to do a lot of alterations. I knew that I could have taken on a bigger challenge, but overall, I was satisfied with what I made for my first year.

What was your favorite class this past year/hardest and why? My favorite class so far this year was Introduction to Apparel Industry. I loved learning about different fashion designers from the past, and also seeing how fashion has progressed through the years. My hardest class from this past year was definitely Art History. I am a hands on, active learner, so I struggled a lot with memorizing tens of names, dates, places, and art pieces.

What would you say is your dream job? My dream job would either be working in corporate retail, or working under a large-name designer. At this point, I am very flexible with possible careers, as long as I am still able to sew rather it is for work, or for fun!

 

Emily in her senior prom dress
that she made.

Who are your favorite designers? This is such a tough question! I have so many designers that I like. I love Chanel because of the timeless styles. I also love Kate Spade.

Do you have a favorite quote? If so, please share. Do not follow where the path may lead. Go, instead, where there is no path and leave a trail. –Ralph Waldo Emerson

How would you describe your personal style? I love Korean fashion, which is reflected a lot in my wardrobe. I have a lot of lace and pale colors. I love vintage style clothing as well. One of my favorite accessories is necklaces. I really like quirky, unique jewelry.

What are your favorite stores? My favorite stores are Forever 21, Francesca’s, and any shoe stores! I also love looking for small boutiques on family vacations as well.

"These are my amazing sewing teachers Ann and Sue.
I started taking classes with them when I was in 7th grade,
and they were the reason that I chose to study fashion design."
-Emily

What’s your must-have accessory? My must have accessory is my Tiffany’s charm bracelet. I also can’t be without my statement necklaces!

What is your go-to outfit? My go-to outfit is dark wash skinny jeans, a simple style shirt, flats, and colorful jewelry.

How are you spending your summer before sophomore year? This summer, I am working at the Applebee’s restaurant in town. I worked there for two years before college. I am a server, and also work at the carry-out door. In my free time, I have been going on walks with friends, and attempting to start to learn Korean. (Which, by the way, is going really well!)