France: Not Even All of It

Now that I'm back everything is less exciting, and nothing is the same. The food is more sugary, the bread isn't as good, and nothing is as beautiful. France for me is an amazing and wonderful place, and I am already starting to plan out my next trip. Who knows, maybe I'll decide to study or work somewhere and actually get to live there for a while.
 







One week wasn't enough time, but I did get to experience a lot of things. I got to learn how to cook, pair wine & cheeses, learn about wine, do wine tastings (even 1 at a vineyard), and that's just the food related things. I had a blast walking and exploring around Riorges and Roanne, as well as getting to spend all of Saturday going around Lyon and experiencing a larger French city. 

I got to experience fancy pastries, classic quiches, see a movie in a French cinema (Deadpool in French is very different), and browse a few bookstores. Not everything is so different, but I do know I'll be making a few changes to my lifestyle from this trip. I'll be taking more downtime, especially when it comes to meals. Instead of rushing and eating dinner on my way to somewhere I want to take the time to sit and enjoy my meals. It doesn't have to be a multiple course meal with wine or take hours, but it will be nice taking that time out of my day and actually resting and enjoying life. Along with meals, I'll be cooking more and trying new things. No more soup or pasta once a week just because I have it. I'd like to make some vinaigrettes or maybe actually make a multiple course meal. I'll probably cook for my friends too. 

I'm pretty excited about adding some French touches to my life, but it's not the same as actually being there. I hope to return relatively soon, but with work starting in the next month I don't think it will happen for a while.  

"America is my country, but Paris is my hometown."  
- Gertrude Stein.

Study Abroad France: Silk Related

During my study abroad in Riorges we spent Saturday in Lyon. It was pretty amazing to see the city and spend a whole day out and about. I'll write more on the whole day, but this post is all about the silk. My mini group decided to go to the 2 different silk factory places with our free time. We started off at this really fancy looking place, but their tours of the factory had already taken place for the day. We got to walk around and see their mini exhibit, which was really nice. They had the process laid out for you on how silk is made and then the weaving and also some history on Lyon and their silk. A lot of what I saw regarding the process and machinery I had learned about in my textiles class. I did enjoy reading the history of silk in Lyon, it was very interesting.

After the first place we decided to walk to another silk factory location. This one was less fancy and older looking. It was great to see the differences. This location actually used the machines, they weren't just for display like the first location. I was able to get 8 "coupons" for 2 euros and I plan on creating my own fabric swatch book with information and such, similar to the books we made for my early design class (and then used in textiles). It was a great experience to go to both places and actually see the machinery, read the history, and just explore Lyon.

After heading back towards the center of Lyon we decided to just walk around for some shopping. I found a fabric store and just had to go in and look around. I had asked the woman if they had any silk, because why not, and they only had 1. It was a golden mustard color and cost 99 euros per metre...so I kept browsing around the store. I came across some "coupons" and decided to get them, they're white with black circles. Then I found a really cool upholstery fabric that is very colorful, different on both sides, and was really wide so I knew I could afford the 1 metre of 35 euros. It's not silk, but it's beautiful and I can't wait to finish my senior collection and make a really awesome jacket for myself.

Stay tuned for more on Lyon & the rest of my travels from this past week!

Corsetry Progress

Pictured left is the corset after all of the side seams were sewn together. I was still debating on the zipper but in the end I chose an all black separating zipper for the front closure. There are no laces, it just zips on and off. Once I sewed the seams I pressed them open and then sewed the zipper. Then it was ready for a fitting to see how it fits over the dress.

Pictured right is the corset all sewn together with the zipper and on my mannequin over the dress for Gabby. I was pretty sure it looked to big but decided to wait for the fitting before changing anything. Also, I couldn't put the boning in before making sure it fit. However, I could have put the boning in the seams in which I wouldn't alter after the fitting. The 3 seams I alter are the center back and the 2 side seams. After the fitting I needed to take the corset in around 3 inches total. 

Pictured left is the corset after sewing twill tape down 4 of the seams to create a tunnel for the boning to go inside. I learned this method in my corsetry class at the London College of Fashion (LCF) and decided to use it for my more modernized corset instead of doing the run and fell seams. I am not using black twill tape for the entire insides. I've been debating on how to finish the other 5 seams, but I'm thinking as of now it'll be 2 red seams and 3 white seams. I'll be finishing the corset by hand sewing black twill tape along the top and bottom. I may be taking the corset with me to France to do some hand sewing while in the airport, but that's not set in stone since I haven't packed yet and don't know how heavy my bags will be. We shall see :)

Senior Collection & More!

My Shot for the Program.

Hello Everyone!

The fashion show is 33 days from now and I'm not freaking out at all, which is slightly surprising. I have a model practice tonight and I'll be able to see my line up and see how everyone's patterns look together. I'll also get to see the fit again and if I need to make tiny alterations. I'm pretty excited to see the clothes and shoes and what I've done so far come together. As of now I still have to cut & sew 1 pair of pants and 1 corset. Besides that everything is already cut and in the process of being completed. My goal is still to have everything done before spring break, which is in 12 days. 

Besides my senior collection I'm proud to announce that I've landed an amazing job for part of the summer. I will start late April and work until mid June at the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis at a 1st Hand. I'm really excited and can't wait to start! I'll be working on 4 productions and I'll get to do little apprenticeship type classes- millinery is 1 of them! But I think it's a wonderful opportunity and I did everything to make sure I could accept it, which included getting permission from all of my professors to spend the last 3 weeks (including exam week) off campus. I'm very lucky to have their approval and I can't wait to share my progress and projects! So stay tuned for some really awesome things!

Womenswear Progress

Work in progress: striped dress
with zipper detail.

I have 3 female models for my senior collection and since all my male models are wearing pants I figured I should make some different types of skirts or dresses for my looks. One model is in a skirt, one a short dress, and one a long dress. The dress pictured to the right is the same material as one of the men's shirts and has a zipper down the front. It's a stretch knit so the zipper isn't there for function but for fun. I wanted to break up the all over stripes look and I also plan on adding black rib knit to the collar and around the armholes so it'll connect the all over look. I'm really looking forward to seeing the whole look together with hair and makeup and shoes. 

Menswear Progress

Close up of hand sewing one cuff.

Last semester I made 4 menswear looks and this semester I'm only working on one menswear look. The look for this semester consists of a pair of black wool trousers with suede down the side seams and a color blocked t-shirt. The bottom half of the shirt is a black and white plaid, which was used for a pair of men's pants last semester, and the top half is a black cotton. For the collar and cuffs I chose a grey knit to kind of break up all the black and also add another texture into the look. Instead of focusing on elaborate and over the top designs and focus on simpler silhouettes but mixing textures and patterns. I'm pretty happy with the results so far and I can't wait to see it all come together! I have a model practice next week with all 8 of my models and I can't wait to see them all in their looks (what I've gotten done so far) and see how the outfits look all together instead of just individual pieces.