To show you: New York Fashion Week for Fall 2011 is underway! There are already some great things going down the runway - Doo.Ri showed us how beautiful grays can be, in luxurious draped jerseys and wool tailored coats; Rebecca Minkoff sent down some fabulous textures (and furs, and prints ...); and Threeasfour did some fascinatingly unusual garments you just have to see for yourself!
To tell you: I will be doing a graduation dress for one of my sister's classmates! My sister, in addition, will be wearing a dress I made and wore myself for my high school graduation - the infinity dress. You can tie it probably twenty different ways, and so even though it will be the same gown, you won't even know it is. The gown I'm doing for her classmate is literally going to be a copy of a bridal gown from the J Crew Collection - which runs for close to $900,00. I will be working on the sloper and first rough pattern tonight! I am very excited to do this - the fact that someone came to me and asked me to make this for them was incredibly flattering, and I couldn't be more honored. I will be fitting her throughout the process in a fully-functioning muslin before I begin the final-fabric version (which isn't needed until the end of May, to play it on the safe side - but it will be done before then). More updates to come!
To acquaint you: I bought a raw food cookbook today! I read the entire thing this afternoon with the sunshine pouring in through the window. I am not interested in going raw - I simply think the techniques to create interesting flavors and recreate every day dishes are fascinating! If you aren't familiar, raw eating is a vegan diet that goes a step further by keeping all foods raw (or cooked below 104 degrees). The belief is that fruits, nuts and vegetables maintain their highest nutrient levels when raw, or until meeting 104 degree heat, when the nutrients begin to fade slightly from cooking. All recipes are strictly fruit, nut and vegetable based, then. And you guessed it, the desserts are thus good for you (and you can eat chocolate - you simply use the raw cacao bean or cocoa nib instead, with something to sweeten it). You aren't confined to just eating apples and oranges and cashews plain though - there are recipes for "pasta" using zucchini ribbons and a pesto made from parsley, walnuts, avocado, sun-dried tomato, and lemon, for example - which sounds delicious. I find this all very interesting - as an inspiration, rather than a lifestyle, for me personally. What do you think of raw food? Are there any food-related things that you'd like to share?
And of course I didn't forget my promise to never have an all-words post. I love to look at designer sketches - the different styles, how they translate into real garments - their personality really comes through. Rather conversely, I don't recall who drew these - and the signature doesn't help.
Have a good weekend everyone!
I heard you were making Nathalia a dress, that's awesome! I always wondered what it might take to ask you to make something (bribery in food terms perhaps?)
ReplyDeleteThe j-crew inspired dress you're making sounds amazing! You must post a picture of it when it is finished! I like your new sharing post - really great way to round off at the end of the week. I might start something similar.
ReplyDeleteAlexandra Thérèse xx
www.alexandratherese.com
Nathalia will look gorgeous. I can't wait to see it. You're making two girls happy and confident on graduation day!
ReplyDeleteRaw food: interesting. Can it still be considered raw if you cook sauce and add the vegetables to the sauce after it is off the stovetop? I remember reading about how Escoffier (french cook) only believed that warm dishes were worthy of eating because when a dish is warm, it is strong-smelling, and a dish that is strong-smelling is also strong-tasting. Not saying that this is true, but it makes me think: what is it in these raw recipes that compensates for the lack of olfactory flavors? I wanna see your cookbook :D
Hahahah Elizabeth! What I usually do is I have whoever is commissioning me pay for the fabric and supplies, and then at the end we figure out how much more above that price we will go (so I'll take Nathalia fabric shopping, and then what I spend there will be the base price, and then maybe add another $50 or something at the end). But nowhere near $900 - I'll be sure to help her choose fabrics that resemble silk.
ReplyDeleteAlexandra Therese - you should! It's definitely fun to break out of the fashion topic sometimes. Plus people love to just read about regular things in your life :) I know I'd read it if you did it! And I will definitely post a photo!
Julia - Depends on what is in the sauce, but it is hard to cook something on a stovetop keeping the temp that low. Usually a blender is used instead - so you have to use ingredients that can be served raw just fine. And haha that's interesting! I do agree that some things taste more when warm (but I think iced tea and coffee have more flavor when cold). I will have to try some of these and let you know if there is any olefactory presence at all! I'll show you the book Friday!