LibraStar's Journal: Second week of school

It's been a while since I last posted, it has finally became a reality that I am now living, breathing, sharing, learning everyday the thing that I have always loved - Fashion Design. I feel that overwhelming passion and excitement which seems so childish and naive but so right at the same time. I never thought that my homework could be something I actually want to do even without anyone asking me to - do a trend report on NYFW, go shopping in my favorite area in nyc and write up a market report, make sketches of figures and tear off inspirational pictures from fashion magazines. 

Also, I have been really enjoying the fashion sighting around me - my classmates, people I pass by everyday around the school area, they all have a distinct look of style that really shows individuality. Like today in class I saw this girl who was wearing a long black double-breasted vest and black leather laced-up ankle boots, she was wearing a thin white tee which was only showing slightly at the armhole. The look was so striking and chic I couldn't help but peeked a few times in class. She told me that she got it from Urban Outfitters - from the picture on the site it really didn't look that impressive, I swear it looked much better on that girl as a one piece with the laced up ankle boots!!

Anyway, I will try harder to post more frequently and share my thoughts and inspirations from time to time. 

Great Skirts

Love these two styles (from sartorialist). The first girl is my favorite and I would love to try making this skirt she has on (looks like a stiffer kind of polyester/cotton fabric) but as I study closer it looks like some kind of madness to make the darts and must be some magic on the fabric so it will actually not pleat and hold up like an umbrella.

The second skirt I love as well as it is very elegant and really enhance the hour glass shape of a women's body. Timeless!

Antwerp Fashion Show 2007

A follow up on the Fashion Show, a video by Diane Pernet, just a glimpse of what's going on in the prestigious student show.

There are also more detailed videos about the show here (too many videos so I am not going to post here)

LibraStar's Journal: Back to School!

When was the last time I got excited saying this? Excited about getting a step ahead to my dream, I got this new styling idea -

Top - H&M black and metallic stripy t-shirt dress
Trouser - Giorgio Armani (got it from a mad sale in Hong Kong about 10 years ago, never worn it once) light gray see through pants.
Heels - Nine West white patent heels
Belt - (No brand) Thick black leather belt
Bag - (No brand) Orange soft leather bag from Hong Kong

Holy smokes...what a dress, what a woman

Can't put this in word, this is just a stunning look! (from Diane's blog)

Show me your style : Fashion IV

Still with small audiences and participators and under development but I found a few looks at Fashion IV that are quite daring and captivating. Such beauties and style like lilyofthevalley (first one) and Frankincense (second two) are definitely great inspirations.

Antwerp Royal Acadamy of Fine Arts

Stay Tuned!

Parsons AAS Student Fashion Show

As a future attendee, I checked out the May Student Fashion Show (papierdoll). I guess it's hard to judge by looking at a few snapshots in the photo gallery, but I have to say the images did very little for me. Maybe I was hoping for a little more originality and sophistication in tailoring that could rival Antwerp Royal Academy, but not much gives me a hint of scholarly attitude in forming a concept, theme, or establishing a signature style. I do recognize some good craftsmanship that is looks very commercial (in a good way, as McQueen said), practical and luxurious, which is a signature strength for New York designers.

All in all I am still really excited and looking forward to my new venture. I believe that the school will provide sufficient knowledge and the outcome really depends on inspirations and hard work.

The End of Hyères 07!

I am happy to say that Two of my favorite designer (that I mentioned from my previous post) Sandra Backlund and Peter Bertsch won the First Price and 123 Price respectively!

check out the video:

Festival International de Mode et de Photographie in Hyères

The International competition for the new fashion and photography talents is happening in the South of France! From the look of a few shots on Diane's blog I see some really exciting new designs that is absolutely innovative and refreshing - so far I am liking Peter Bertsch "Bionic" collection from Belgium (first 2 images on the bottom) and of course that "McQueen of kitwear" Sandra Backlund "Ink Blot Test" Sweden (last 3 images on the bottom - I have already blogged her twice, Knit gone wild and When art is fashion).

I am looking forward to see more new shots, and if I can find my way to a good source for the event I will definitely post it here!

Innovative Pattern Cutting - Romina Karamanea

Showcasing beautiful designs by London fashion designer Romina Karamanea (originates in Athens). She did Fashion Design and Product Development at Nottingham Trent University, then she went to Central Saint Martin for Innovative Pattern Cutting.

I can clearly see the Innovative Pattern Cutting directly applied in her recent collection (which is my favorite by far). And I have to say first thing that captured my eyes is really the stunning Fashion Photography! The blood red jewel toned satin cut in an architectural shapes, with just the right amount of stiffness which complements with the fluidity and luster of the fabric, on the skin that seem like an immortal (or corpse like). I could really stare at this photo forever...and the longer I stare the image reminds me of the movie "sin city". There is definitely a common feel to the color and mood manipulation between the two.

The Impeccable Tailoring

I have really been quite disappointed (and uninspired) with the recent stuff that came down on the major runway, by major I mean the stuff that you can look through style.com, or any major fashion mags like Vogue or Harper Bazaar (at least the US ones). Therefore it is absolutely essential to look at some of the most influential blogs like "Diane, A Shaded View on Fashion"(which I have already "advertised" many times), or fashion forums like "The Fashion Spot". These places you will find a lot of insider's information and materials that will only come out in the major mags few months later, or they wouldn't come out at all because some people in the biz think the advertisements pages are more important.

Anyways, one of the thing i would like to achieve in this blog is to archive some of the designers that really inspire me. I feel like my vision and my taste in this fabric manipulation art has been growing along with my blog. If you back track my entries you see stuff that I pick at first are like easy breezy La Rok, Forty's, and Tracy Reese. But what really inspire me now is the more sober, fluid yet feminine design, and more importantly, is the impeccable tailoring that make a piece deserve a timeless status. I found the Fall/Winter 2007 collection by this Argentinian-French designer Gaspard Yurkievich absolutely captivating. The soft flow cling comfortably on the body, the slim dress pants, mini skirt and blazer with big stripes (fabulous detail on the back of the blazer), beautiful sheer contrast with the satin bow on the chest, and its great that he threw in the more whimsical piece like the crochet + feather tube over the sheer grey blue turtle neck, ends with a bubble mini.

New International Forces

I am really loving this one piece designed by Gaurav Gupta, a graduate from Central Saint Martins, who returned to India to become the local fashion star in his own country...this is definitely a great inspiration for me. I love the fabric (should be some sort of luster rayon material), the top embellishments (not too heavy but shows a little bit of the ethnic influence), the draping and the layering down the waist. I am wishing him all the best in his early career (I wonder how its like to start out in India as a fashion designer, more so I wonder how its like to start out in China as a fashion designer...).

LibraStar's Journal: Preparations

Sickness after sickness, it has been draining my energy to blog!
Just want to update on a couple things that I have been doing in my "down time":

1. Attended my first intermediate sewing class! We got our own custom measured skirt pattern which we will be using to make various style skirts (flare, A-line, pencil, bubble, pleats...you name it!) and first we are using Muslin to make the sample pattern. (Muslin is plain-woven cotton fabric that uses to make a trial version of the garment)

2. Fabric shopping craze!! yea well...now I know how people say they use all their lunch money to buy fabric - i think this week i have been using my lunch and dinner money to get fabric! (top pics: the top three I am thinking of making printed canvas bag with brown vinyl trimming; the lower three are some printed cotton stretch fabric, I am thinking of making some asymmetrical dresses using these! see the tibi one)

3. Got lots of beautiful gem stones from M&J trimming! I have been in love with the big gem (since Marni & Marc's inspiration) so now i will be playing with these on my bag designs and clothings!

4. Sew another makeup bag! This is a gift for the person who kindly helped me in the application process! :) There are still more customization to this, which I will be adding later.

5. Realized that I have been needing a lot of trimmings, zippers, buttons, eye & hooks for my sewing projects. It is time to get some kind of organizer for these things! Really love Bit & Bobbins big drawer with those little compartments...

I am so glad that spring is here! We all need to get out of the cold weather soon! Have a sweet weekend!

Sewing 101: Finding True Bias

Starting my new project. I bought this pattern package which has 2 different tops, a skirt and a flare dress pants pattern. I will be doing one of the top using a red satin fabric...nothing too fancy just want to practice my sewing and study how the construction using a pattern works.

One of the most important lesson is that you really need to layout your pattern on fabric on a "true bias". A true bias makes an angle of 45 degree across the length and width of a fabric, fabric cut on a bias has maximum stretch. Fabric also have something called "selvage" which is the edge of either side of the woven fabric. Lengthwise of the fabric (aka straight grain/warp) runs parallel to the selvages, which has almost no stretch (or "gives") at all; whereas crosswise (aka weft) runs across selvages and has a little gives. These are the fundamental for beginning sewers and as I go on I started to realize how much different fabric influences the "sewability" and out come of the product.

I will be posting my progress :)

Blogger's Delight

I just found out that Blogger is migrating all the photos in the blog to Picasa Web Album!

Now you can just flip through all the images direct on my blog album! (but you still have to come to read my blog!!) ^^

LibraStar's Journal: Puff Skirt I

I should have post the skirt that i made from the sewing class a few months back, but it was such a bad skirt so didn't want to show it. Today I made a new one using slightly altered methods and a better fabric (it's a jacquard brocade fabric, the color is silver grey, black with thin gold thread).

It is still a bit too puffy (as you see on the mannequin) so i took the sides in a bit as well as shorten the hem - so the pictures with me wearing the skirt is the final product with the adjustments. I am still not really happy about it, I think mainly this fabric would be much better to do a pencil skirt with or with less pleats - now i learn how pleats would make the skirt look like an umbrella!

My intermediate sewing classes will be starting soon, so I will be posting my new work from time to time. Also I will be doing more designs of tote bags and makeup bags...I know once I start cranking those little bags i won't be able to stop! stay tune~!

Etsy - An Organic Shopping Experience

Have been reading up a bit about consumer trend. It is apparent that consumers are much smarter and being more critical when buying products. They care about where the product is from (i.e. what kind of material they use to make the product? how do they obtain the material?), how it was produce (i.e. are they using child labor? are they giving a living wage to their labors and employees?) and whether they are potentially harmful to the environment (i.e. is the product biodegradable?). In a world that is overwhelmed with choices, a lot us are no longer satisfied with just the brand name goods or just the cheap knock offs or imitation of certain seasonal trends.

Etsy is one of the force that reckon this shifting trend. It is like the "Organic Ebay", except - it is actually much more advanced. There are many different search methods as well as innovative browsing engine, as a web design/developer I am totally impressed by the ease of use and features of this online marketplace! One of the feature is the "Time Machine" - this is a new concept that shows you the items that were sold, 1 min ago, 2 mins ago...etc. You can browse through this in three different visual display, watching items coming at you and passing out of the screen.

Another new way of browsing is through selecting a particular color. Once you selected the color, the items in that color will pops up on the same screen, and then you can keep picking different colors until the whole screen is full of colorful items!

There is also a geographical browsing method, where you click on a map and the seller from that area will pops up.

There are still tons of features there for you to play with. I am definitely considering opening my own store in there soon, so whenever i do, I will definitely let you guys know! :)