This style shoe is everywhere in Brooklyn, so I found it only fitting to take a piece of Brooklyn back with me (in the form of a shoe). I am only here another 3 weeks!
And I can actually walk / get things done in these.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
new shoes
I got paid for the work on the Marc Jacobs dress today, and instantly knew what to do.
This style shoe is everywhere in Brooklyn, so I found it only fitting to take a piece of Brooklyn back with me (in the form of a shoe). I am only here another 3 weeks!
And I can actually walk / get things done in these.
This style shoe is everywhere in Brooklyn, so I found it only fitting to take a piece of Brooklyn back with me (in the form of a shoe). I am only here another 3 weeks!
And I can actually walk / get things done in these.
Friday, August 19, 2011
obsession : bracelets piled on
Friendship bracelets have been getting more and more attention lately - but rather than looking crafty or too reminiscent of scout camping trips, they look modern, edgy and cool. They add a pop of color and a hint of nostalgia intermixed with metal bracelets.
Time to put on my LOFT bracelet my mom got me, mix it with the friendship bracelet my boyfriend made me, and rock the trend.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
obsession : matthew williamson fall 2011 rtw
I have a new favorite designer, because of this collection.
Inspired by Russian artist Francisco Infante-Arana, Williamson combined geometric prints with beads, lamb, ombre, and patchwork wool to create a vibrant and fresh fall collection. I love everything about those prints, and how wearable (and cozy) some of the separates look. Recently I've been loving those Pendleton-type wool blankets with the native geometric squares and triangles in bright colors.
I am trying to gather inspiration for tailoring - I will go fabric shopping this weekend. I intend to do some serious bead work on my coat (I know, I know) and I also want to design the outfit to be worn with the coat, so it goes down the runway as a complete look. I'll give you a sneak hint: the stingray as inspiration.
Though if I find some native print wool, that may replace it.
Inspired by Russian artist Francisco Infante-Arana, Williamson combined geometric prints with beads, lamb, ombre, and patchwork wool to create a vibrant and fresh fall collection. I love everything about those prints, and how wearable (and cozy) some of the separates look. Recently I've been loving those Pendleton-type wool blankets with the native geometric squares and triangles in bright colors.
I am trying to gather inspiration for tailoring - I will go fabric shopping this weekend. I intend to do some serious bead work on my coat (I know, I know) and I also want to design the outfit to be worn with the coat, so it goes down the runway as a complete look. I'll give you a sneak hint: the stingray as inspiration.
Though if I find some native print wool, that may replace it.
Friday, August 12, 2011
CFDA competition finalist
Do you remember my post back in the spring about the CFDA vitaminwater "color collection" design competition?
I got a phone call today while at work that I am one of the 10 finalists!!
In 19 days, voting will open up on the vitaminwater Facebook page. I'll post again to remind everyone when the voting is up - but dear readers and followers (that are on Facebook), if you would like to help out and vote for me it would be amazing! The grand prize winner has their shirt produced along with the 6 other top designers' designs, and a $5,000 scholarship.
Since concentration was scarce today (big news is very distracting) I daydreamed a lot about what I would do with $5,000 dollars if I were gifted that opportunity.
I got a phone call today while at work that I am one of the 10 finalists!!
In 19 days, voting will open up on the vitaminwater Facebook page. I'll post again to remind everyone when the voting is up - but dear readers and followers (that are on Facebook), if you would like to help out and vote for me it would be amazing! The grand prize winner has their shirt produced along with the 6 other top designers' designs, and a $5,000 scholarship.
Since concentration was scarce today (big news is very distracting) I daydreamed a lot about what I would do with $5,000 dollars if I were gifted that opportunity.
A Superior Model Form in a size 6 (best brand on the market); $525
This would definitely be the big thing. And I think I'd stick the rest right into savings - and use it for my senior thesis collection fabric (which shouldn't put much of a dent in it at all), and then save the rest for starting up a line after I graduate. This would be such an incredible start to a business - so often money is what holds a lot of designers back, or causes them to fail.
If you would like to support my dream, stay posted for when I announce the date that voting opens. I'll include the link and it shouldn't take more than 30 seconds to help me out!
I am so excited!
However, whether I win the scholarship and design or not, all 10 finalists get to go to Fashion Week for a two-night stay in NYC with a friend (I'm bringing my mom! It's gonna be an awesome few days!). This will be unbelievably inspiring!!
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
janet echelman
I happened across these photographs today, and as thumbnails, thought they were photo manipulations of shapes and color in space, done digitally. It wasn't until I visited the artist's website, however, that I realized it was so much more.
These incredible forms are composed of fiber net, by artist Janet Echelman. Her biography couldn't say it better: "American artist Janet Echelman reshapes urban airspace with monumental, fluidly moving sculpture that responds to environmental forces including wind, water, and sunlight."
This takes fiber arts to the next level completely.
These incredible forms are composed of fiber net, by artist Janet Echelman. Her biography couldn't say it better: "American artist Janet Echelman reshapes urban airspace with monumental, fluidly moving sculpture that responds to environmental forces including wind, water, and sunlight."
This takes fiber arts to the next level completely.
Sunday, August 7, 2011
scarf sneak peek
Still in the experimenting-with-different-stitches stage (and figuring out if they'll even work together - got some kinks already) but here are a few sneak peek shots of preliminary swatching and the yarn for the scarf I am designing. The actual color is not to be revealed until it is finished! Shown here is a skein I got for testing purposes (gorgeous color though).
The yarn is Madeline Tosh Merino Light, and the color pictured here is "Dusk". It is a fingering weight yarn, 4 ply, 16 wpi. It is unplied, which is my favorite - the yarn has a smoother texture that I love.
I got this yarn from a store called Purl SOHO, in the Soho neighborhood of Manhattan. It was an incredible store - bustling and busy, and I'd never seen a busy yarn store before. There was a wonderful selection of not only yarns and supplies, but books as well, and some I'd never even seen before (including some of the ones I saw in the Japanese bookstore at Mitsuwa - mental note has been made). In addition to the skein for swatching and of course the final one for Andrew, I got myself a skein, in the color "Calligraphy", a beautiful blue-toned dove gray with hints of peachy pink. This I will use for the "counterpart" to Andrew's scarf.
In other news, my green sweater is finished! At least the knitting part. Got a blocking mat in the mail on its way to me so I can actually sew it together (as well as my silver lace tee) and get those ready to wear. Can't wait!
The yarn is Madeline Tosh Merino Light, and the color pictured here is "Dusk". It is a fingering weight yarn, 4 ply, 16 wpi. It is unplied, which is my favorite - the yarn has a smoother texture that I love.
I got this yarn from a store called Purl SOHO, in the Soho neighborhood of Manhattan. It was an incredible store - bustling and busy, and I'd never seen a busy yarn store before. There was a wonderful selection of not only yarns and supplies, but books as well, and some I'd never even seen before (including some of the ones I saw in the Japanese bookstore at Mitsuwa - mental note has been made). In addition to the skein for swatching and of course the final one for Andrew, I got myself a skein, in the color "Calligraphy", a beautiful blue-toned dove gray with hints of peachy pink. This I will use for the "counterpart" to Andrew's scarf.
In other news, my green sweater is finished! At least the knitting part. Got a blocking mat in the mail on its way to me so I can actually sew it together (as well as my silver lace tee) and get those ready to wear. Can't wait!
Friday, August 5, 2011
knitting a sweater, and gorgeous knits of the season
Hey, what's that Rachel? Oh, just a sweater I'm knitting in my un-air conditioned apartment in August!
A little sneak peak. Almost 75% done, but it knits up really fast. Is that a neckline? An armhole? You will find out!
But really, knits have been on my radar. And after a lot of thinking, and a huge revelation that knitting really truly makes me happy, I've decided that for next summer I will take an "entrepreneurial quarter" (in which you develop your own line in place of a co-op). I'll take the time to swatch my little heart out, design a few pieces, and knit them (in the summer). I am beyond excited for this.
So, since I always get excited too far in advance (is a year enough?) I've decided I'm going to try my ways at my first knit design. Because I've never designed a hand-knit piece before, I'm going to do a scarf so I won't have to worry about shaping (necks, arms, etcetera). Yet the masochist in me is all oh let's combine millions of complicated patterns in cool stripes but one color so you have this textural difference so before I know it, it's not going to be easy at all. But hey, that's part of the fun - knitting is a puzzle, and that's why I love it.
I have this week off work, so I will take some time to visit various knitting shops and find some yarn for swatching samples. After years of avoiding swatching, I've finally realized it is somewhat important. (Funny how it happens that way. Same as pre-shrinking fabric.) But because of all this knitting going on, I've become obsessed with how they're being used in high fashion. Knitwear gets a bad rap for being dowdy or mumsy, or very conservative. And yes, those patterns exist. But then you could say that all shorts are inappropriate for work, which isn't true. It's just about finding the right ones (length is a big factor, no doubt).
It's fun to browse high-end designer sites to see where knits are. And as knitwear grows in popularity with the DIY trend, it's easy to see why more and more people are becoming interested in knitting their own things. Some gorgeous knits at Net-a-Porter:
Stella McCartney and Rick Owens (look at the similar textures - popcorn stitch)
Rag & Bone and J Crew
Paul & Joe Sister and Stella McCartney
If you can knit, you can make these things.
**Disclaimer** It will not happen overnight. Knitting unfortunately takes time and patience. However, it does not come with a $935 price tag!
christopher kane fall 2011 rtw
Christopher Kane is one of my favorite designers. Why? Nude lace and spandex with neon zippers and galaxy prints, to start. However this just skyrockets him even further up my favorites list.
Ladies and gentleman, those are granny squares.
Reminiscent of rainbow-patchwork acrylic blankets of the 1970s, these looks are anything but. The models look chic and modern, and the smart use of color and symmetry keeps the crocheted squares (and printed leather) from looking kitschy. (May I also add those zig-zags on the last dress are those plastic squishy tunnels filled with sparkly liquid that you play with? Check out the rest of the collection to really see them better.)
This is a hard thing to make look cool. I might, might just pick up my old crochet hook now that's sitting in my room beneath a pile of the more popular knitting needles I use.
Ladies and gentleman, those are granny squares.
Reminiscent of rainbow-patchwork acrylic blankets of the 1970s, these looks are anything but. The models look chic and modern, and the smart use of color and symmetry keeps the crocheted squares (and printed leather) from looking kitschy. (May I also add those zig-zags on the last dress are those plastic squishy tunnels filled with sparkly liquid that you play with? Check out the rest of the collection to really see them better.)
This is a hard thing to make look cool. I might, might just pick up my old crochet hook now that's sitting in my room beneath a pile of the more popular knitting needles I use.
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
andrew visits me in brooklyn!!
Ok, so the real reason I haven't updated in a while - I had a visitor this weekend! My boyfriend Andrew flew in from Cincinnati on Thursday evening for a four-day vacation in Brooklyn to explore, eat, and hang out.
Our weekend included a picnic in Prospect Park, brunch in Williamsburg with Sam and her husband Mark, visiting the Brooklyn Flea Market, touring the garment district to see Mood and Muji (adorable Japanese version of IKEA but much smaller and much cuter), a fancy night out to dinner, and a two-course brunch before parting ways. It was perfect! Here are some food pictures, since that's what I do:
Our weekend included a picnic in Prospect Park, brunch in Williamsburg with Sam and her husband Mark, visiting the Brooklyn Flea Market, touring the garment district to see Mood and Muji (adorable Japanese version of IKEA but much smaller and much cuter), a fancy night out to dinner, and a two-course brunch before parting ways. It was perfect! Here are some food pictures, since that's what I do:
This is Andrew! We went to Naruto Ramen to order ... ramen! Mine was in a miso broth with corn, chives, bean sprouts, bamboo shoots, noodles, and this amazing pork that just melted in your mouth.
Dinner at Sotto Voce! I will be trying to recreate my dish - fusilli with smoked salmon and zucchini in a pink sauce. Andrew had pollo portobello in a brandy cream sauce. Both were amazing!
Can you tell we love food? Poached eggs in salsa verde with heirloom tomatoes and baguette; herbed potatoes and a roasted red pepper omelette.
Our two-course brunch - I got prosciutto, melon and balsamic figs, and then smoked salmon focaccia with poached eggs. Amazing!
And, of course, us!
ann taylor LOFT photo shoot
Last Thursday, I got to tag along to the Ann Taylor LOFT photo shoot for their next campaign! It was a rather calm shoot, as nothing ended up needing alteration, so I was able to sit back and observe the behind-the-scenes acts of setting up.
Catered food! And a view of the "wardrobe" van from the street.
The accessories (already see a scarf I want - on the right, in eggplant) and all the vans lined up on the street.
Jewelry!
The front, and fitting the male models in their Givenchy suits. (After their fitting I caught them all eating bacon in the catering tent).
Unrelated, but I was knitting with this during the shoot. Lovely, no? And fitting one of our female models. The first scene was shot in a cute restaurant across the street called "Blaue Gans" (the blue goose).
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