So I have made another makeup bag, this time I have another design in mind which is cutting strips of fabrics (two different color, which actually is just the front and back of the fabric) and sew them back together - I was thinking of the classic "bandage dress" introduced by Hervé Léger in the eighties (Helena Christensen looks especially stunning in this one) , and the great modern work by Proenza Schouler in his Spring 2007 collection.
My recent project is to make some cute makeup bags. I have a few makeup bags in different sizes, I use one to carry my daily makeup and the rest I would use when I travel around, they are great because I like to pack things in little compartments, like I would stuff one with socks, one with panties, one with some toiletries and a one with pads and tampons.
So the first bag I made was very basic. I used the fabric that I made my tote bag, one long invisible zipper and started sewing away. I wasn't too experience with handling the zipper, so on the right corner you can see the little defect. Also the fabric frays so doesn't look finished on the edge (see I have another reason to get a serger!), and the big problem is that the bag has no body so if I don't put anything inside it will look very saggy. Not the most attractive bag shape although I do like the pattern of the fabric a lot!
Anyway, tonight I made my second attempt to make an improved version of the bag. I figured that I need: fusible fleece interfacing to give the bag body, lining to hide all the edges of the fabric to look more finished. I also improved my skills in dealing with the zippers so this time it's not poking out on one corner like the first time.
This will make a perfect holiday gifts as well! :)
After my shopping spree at the outlet, Susie Bubble got me into these cool looking pieces from All Saints, a British street wear label which hasn't really been advertising in the States at all (not like TopShop).
The red dress is simply stunning, it will definitely be a magnificant dress for xmas party! And this time I actually like the leggings although I am never too fond of leggings - I am a tights and stockings lover, but these has the tattoo like pattern on the legging which is really chic and toned down the whole outfit instantly. And I also really love the day outfit on the right, the jacket seems soft and comfortable but the big collar, the straps on the cuffs and the waist belt gives the jacket a lot more structure.
Very tempting...but I am still going to stick to my plan and save up some money until I go home!
After 10 weeks of stitching and being bitched at, I am finally graduated as a Beginner Seamstress at the Stitch & Bitch University (uh...not sure how cool this sound when I told parsons about my sewing experience).
Anyways, I will be sewing some more for sure. Next steps will be sketching some designs, deconstruct some clothes that I was about to throwaway...etc.
It must have been the longest food coma ever on the blogging planet. It was a very very full, sleepy and satisfying weekend with some crazy shopping at the outlet! ;) yes, of course there has to be some retail therapy involved in the process of holiday celebration. Although I am saving up most of my money for x'mas and new year shopping when I go back to my beloved homeland - Hong Kong, but I can't possibly pass on those devilishly deep discounts in the Woodbury Outlet...can I?
So I spent most of my money at the Off 5th Saks Fifth store and Max Studio.com. They are both great bargins, and not like Dolce & Gabbana, YSL, Celine, Prada and Miu Miu, where prices are still too high for my budget, style are either straight off the funkway or the dullway and size small or petite are rarely in sight. Well I almost gave in to this white trousers from Dolce & Gabbana (they are just the right looseness and make my legs looks like miles long!)but they are quite high maintenance to wear and cost almost 200 bucks...humm ok...I need to just tell myself I don't regret not buying it!
Back to what I got:
-Leopard print v-neck top from Laundry by Shelli Segal (~$45, org. ~$180)
-Green silk top with jewel embellishment on the halter neckline by YA-YA ($46, org. $268)
-Black silk skirt with unique flowery pattern stitch work by Cynthia Steffe ( $31, org. $305)
-Khaki knit tan top from Max Studio.com ($25, org. $78)
-Nylon tunic with velvet trimmings on neckline, sleeves finishing and waistline from Max Studio.com ($35, org. $98)
-Lace tunic from Max Studio.com-my fav. piece! ($35, org. $98)
Even though stores close at 10pm at the outlet, I was unable to finish going through all the stores. I quickly went in Diane Von Furstenburg, Juicy, Miss Sixty, Barney's, Theory, but maybe I just didn't have enough time to flip through everything and try on anything, I came out empty handed in those places. But then again, I am really saving for the big and crazy shopping time in HK which is 2 and a half weeks away!
P.S. Can someone guess where I was in the picture? This very very very delicious chocolate place...heehee...if you have heard of this place then you should know by now. :p
The talented Ms Backlund strikes again (see my earlier coverage on Sandra Backlund, When art is fashion...)
She has once again used knit to create art forms on the body, this time they are bloodly red. This picture is from a famous blog "Diane, a shaded view on fashion" - Sandra Backlund and her Don't Walk Collection (you can view more pictures from this collection through her blog). I don't like stealing posts from people, but I exceptionally love this designer and I would like to introduce you to this fashion forward blog as well.
The reason I love grey might have something to do with the fact that I am a libra, and I love a median, something in between black and white, something that is moderate and gentle but yet beautiful. Grey also reminds me of the school days, when I was in boarding school in Hong Kong. Back then, I used to wear uniforms to school, and now I realized that a lot of girls were using their sweater to make their own fashion statement. It was interesting that I remember how I used to think how come the same old uniform sweater look so much cooler on one girl than the other? And I also remember seeing some über skinny girl wearing this XL sweater to school - which I didn't realize it actually is cool.
Anyways, I suspect this might be one of the inspiration for Stella McCartney's 2006 fall collection. I love the navy grey she is using to match with different shades of grey - or simply different shades of grey together.
I recently found this grey sweater at Charlotte Russe (yes, I do shop at budget girlie store like this!) I was attracted by the puffed bat shaped sleeves on the upper arm and fitted on the lower arm, and the big v neck and loose fit on the body. I couldn't find a small or even a medium, but to my surprise I loved the fit in a size large! And on top of that it was half priced and cost a lovely 11 bucks...11 bucks!!! I couldn't even take the train to get home for $11! So there it is, I was wearing this with a demin mini skirt, black tights and boots from Target by Isaac Mizrahi. (see Shoes Shoes Shoes...)
Hola!! I am proud to present my first white t! It is made by a stretchy rippled polyester fabric, $3 a yard (it should cost more but he gave me a yard that is kind of dirty on some parts and yellowy on the edge), which was the first purchase I made from the friendly Indian (who later on told me I was actually his first customer since he opened the store that day - read My Sewing Saga) It worked, people loves this fabric and the fit somehow worked magically. It was a good size small pattern for me...I will sure be making some more of these and definitely...I am seriously considering getting myself a serger this winter...
This is a dress by Future Paradise, which I actually have never heard of. When I searched online hardly anything came up. Its work seems to have alot of vintage influence, and lace, flower details are often involved. I absolutely adore this dress, it did made a huge huge hugeeee dent on my wallet but at the same time I got tons of compliments from a fashion event that I have recently attended (more on that later). I am really happy I got this dress and I will sure be wearing this little black dress some more during holiday parties!
So, I started taking sewing class in Sept. How I found this place is simply by searching "sewing class nyc" and this Sew Fast Sew Easy place came up. It is amazing how much online marketing they have been doing (or how little the other sewing business have been advertising online, since I haven't found any other ones). I even found some ads they have on Craigslist. Anyways, so I went to the fashion district one day to check it out. It was much smaller and hidden than I have expected, and when I went in there was a sewing class going on. I looked around and saw a friendly looking guy who was most likely a gay man (who later became one of my instructor). He came to the counter and I asked him about the sewing classes - I told him that I am planning to apply for fashion school and would like to start learning sewing to prepare for my portfolio. He recommended the beginner comprehensive course (10 sessions, 2.5 hrs each) and told me that I would learn everything I needed to prepare for the portfolio plus more, because fashion school don't teach much sewing techniques to their students. So 5 mins later, I made a $590 dent on my credit card and walked out with a registration receipt and a list of things I needed to buy for the class (sewing notions like big scissors for cutting fabrics, long ruler, needles, pins, tracing wheel, measuring tapes, fuse tape, magnetic seam guide, tailor's chalk...etc.).
It would be better if I had started writing about my lessons when I first started, as there are tons of interesting, funny, and hideous experiences I have encountered. But I guess I could also summarize it and talk about some of the memorable things.
I remember I went to the first class with excitement, also kind of curious as to what kind of people would be in the class with me. I remember when I first went there to register for class, the students that I saw were quite young (in their 20s or 30s). About a few mins later I got to meet them all: they were mostly very young, 9 girls and 1 guy, and that guy also had the same goal as me, to apply to fashion school. There were 2 plus size ladies, and actually I got pretty friendly with one of them whom I think was incredibly funny (especially in stressful situations, i.e. trying the 10th time to wind the bobbins or simply to get the machine to sew correctly). Everyone tends to be at different levels during the class, and because it was such an intense group learning environment, I got to see many different personalities. The instructor (who I think is gay) is humorous and friendly.
In terms of the learning experiences, I am proud to say that I have gone from "what is a bobbin and how to a thread the machine?" to altering a dress that I bought (hemming, and turning a flare dress into a bubble dress - see pic) The class location is also great and I am fortunate enough to be learning in the fashion district, where I can find fabrics, trims and other sewing notions that I needed just a walk away. Another interesting experience was bargaining with the fabric stores. I did have some bad experience when I was sort of harassed by some shopkeepers (I guess not many young asian girls shop around there) and then I made friend with this Indian fabric store owner who gives me a good discount and has a friendly attitude. He later told me that I was actually his first customer.
So this has all been great fun, and I am determined to learn more and start defining my own design concepts. So - since you have scrolled this far down - Here are the "rewards" - I will share with you my humble sewing station in the basement of my home, a little tote bag that I have made and the dress that I have altered (I regret that I haven't taken a "before" pic, but I am going to try to go back to the store and take a picture of the dress later).
Thanks for reading! :)
I think it will be a good idea to start writing about my experiences while I am striving to become a fashion designer and have a cute little boutique in Hong Kong and Japan. I love little boutiques in Tokyo on the mysterious street, and the door is dark/black wood with antique carving, I am not sure if I want to have mannequins, I guess if they are as cute as the ones that Anna Sui has. Yes, you can see I am very inspired by Anna Sui. Okay. Enough dreaming.
A little bit more details about me: currently in New York, originally from Hong Kong, working as a web designer.
Since the last post I was raving on RTW designs, this time I would like to show some fashion design that are on a different level.
Sometimes fashion is considered a piece of art, which is a concept of the designer that would never became pret-a-porter. Like the stunning show S/S 2007 by Hussein Chalayan, a designer who has a mind of an architect and always put art and concept before wearability.
"Chalayan is the designer who pushes clothes to the point where they become sculpture, furniture or even architecture. While most fashion design seems to be obsessed with glamour, Chalayan's work is conceptual and political." - except from Icon Magazine, UK.I think it is true that a lot of time fashion is considered as "that piece that Kate Moss/Mischa Barton/Rachel Bilson wore", especially in the states, fashion is lead by celebrities (now even fashion magazine covers are celebrities), designers would give away 10-100K worth of clothings to celebrities just so their designs can appear on the media. It definitely pumps up the brand's image and induce sales, and the phenomenon shows that people are really focus on the business side of fashion, what is sell-able and wearable. Even on Project Runway, Nina "Gaga" and Heidi always have comment on the design by whether they can imagine themselves wearing the garment or not. I mean, there is nothing wrong with fashion being wearable, glamorous or practical, but it should not be settled in as "just that".
"Collage is my passion. In the same way that I like collage in picture form, it is also the way I prefer to work with fashion. I never make a sketch for a garment and then implement the sketch, but improvise from the ideas in my head. I work with a lot of small parts which I turn, twist and attach in different ways to build the shape that I want. The handicraft process and the handmade feeling is very significant. I do experiment a lot with different kinds of material and handicraft methods, but knitting is one technique which I keep returning to. I think it is important that we take responsibility and preserve ancient handicraft techniques which will die out if we do not carry them forward to a new level. Consciously I don´t think much about trends, it is more the feeling of timelessness that fascinates me. For me, fashion will always be the perfect combination of tradition and renewal." - From sandrabacklund.com
The girlie hamptoners:
Tibi, designed by Amy Smilovic, who moved to Hong Kong in 1997 after leaving her job and hometown, new york. She then started designing clothes, and finally moved back to home base new york to continue launching her successful brand. As the designer said: "Naiveté and an absolute love of pretty things has been my best asset so far", it is not a surprise to see a beautiful line of clothing that has such consistency in exquisite details, luxurious fabrics, girlie but chic design.
Crazy beautiful:
Tracy Reese, Parson Graduates in 1984, her designs are ultra-feminine and delicate. If comparing to also girlie design like Tibi, Tracy Reese is a little less high street but more romantic and glamorous. It certainly gives you a "billion dollar baby" look.
Super vintage:
Jovovich-Hawk: Co-designed by ex-models Carmen Hawk and Milla Jovovich, is selected for CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund nomination. Plenty of long flowy dress with vintage prints. Not really my personal favorite and I have yet to see more of her designs other than all these long vintage print dresses.
Vena Cava: Co-designed by recent Parson Graduates Lisa Mayock and Sophie Buhai, just having their second season of design. I feel like while their clothes are heavily vintage inspired, they have much more of a unique design factor that is more modern. I especially love some of the beautiful neckline that they have made.
The sophisticated and clean:
3.1 Philip Lim - There is always something different about young man designing clothes for women. His use of light fabric (tissue weight cashmeres, laundered cottons, washed silks and brushed wools), feminine and sophisticated night wear and the boyish cool day wear (the luxurious and flowy fabric makes it very inviting even to the ultra feminine type of girlie girl). Although only two seasons into his new fabulous line, this sure will become a staple of many fashionastas' wardrobe.
