Apparel Design

I have to admit, after seeing it around so much, I’m starting to get interested in the “I’m not a plastic bag” by Anya Hindmarch. I have a kitchen cabinet full of plastic bags I have toted home from stores (why do they double bag everything?) and would love a reusable, fabric alternative. Especially one that is also used by supermodels.

It will be interesting to see if the bag takes off in the US as much as it has everywhere else. I’m keeping an eye out.

Posted by Kathleen at 10:24 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

What was the hottest fashion show of the year? The VICTORIA’S SECRET FASHION SHOW. This year’s show features the most beautiful women in the world wearing the very latest in Victoria’s Secret lingerie. There was also performances by the Spice Girls, in their first television appearance since they reunited, will.i.am and Seal. It was a very creative show and entertaining to watch!

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Singer Sewing Machine
Singer.com
I am currently enrolled in FTT 109 which is a sewing class. We have been sewing every Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 6-8 pm. This course is required for all Apparel Design majors in the Fashion Textile and Technology Department here at Buffalo State.

Joann’s
This is either a really fun class or an extremely difficult class depending on the person. I personally love this class and get so much out of it. This class really helps to decide if you are really cut out to be a fashion designer or not. This is the class where many students change their concentration. If you really have a passion for fashion, love sewing, the design processes, and are up for some challenges then this is a great class for you. I have wanted to be a fashion designer since I was a young girl playing with my Barbie’s. I always knew I would be in the field of fashion because I have loved shopping since I was a little girl with my mom. When I was growing up my grandmother and sometimes my mother helped me with various sewing projects I guess sewing just runs in our blood. I have wanted to attend a school with a fashion design program since I began looking at colleges. As we all attend class together we run into many challenges such as I didn’t buy enough fabric, I bought the wrong pattern size, I ripped my project on the serger, and many more but it’s all worth it because we are the future fashion designers of America standing in our sewing class room. When the class first began we worked on alterations which have a lot of math with it. Then we finally moved on to our Techniques Notebook where we learned to do many basic sewing procedures such as putting in a set in sleeve, patch pockets, sewing on buttons, button holes, various zipper styles and so on. Then we moved on to the best part actually making our own garments for us to wear!

Joann’s
Our first project was our knit project where we had to pick out a shirt preferably with sleeves that was suitable for knits. I choose to make a tunic with contrasting sleeve bands. Our next project was very tedious and made many of us want to scream which were our plaid projects. We had to either make plaid pants, shorts, or a skirt. I chose to make plaid pants by far this was one of the hardest sewing projects I have had to do it wasn’t so hard but the whole process can be very tedious because you have to match up all the plaid together and if you have ever done this than you know what we had to go through. Our last project was making a lined or unlined jacket out of muslin for fit then out of actual jacket fabric. This jacket had to have sleeves, a collar, and buttons. My jacket is actually a long coat with princess seams lined. These projects really taught me and I am sure many of the other students in my class a lot of new techniques as well as skills.

Ashley Jimenez

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http://gliving.tv/fashion/save-the-future-choose-organic-cotton/#more-256
Organic

Going Organic is on the rise in the fashion business. Organic clothing is gaining popularity throughout the world. Many designers and companies are using alternative materials.

Natural collection
Such as 100% organic cotton, wool, bamboo, and hemp. Although organic clothing is more expensive to produce which makes the product more expensive consumers are still willing to pay more. Their are many popular stores following this trend such as Levis, H&M,
American Apparel and many more. Another very popular line is EDUN which can be found here in Buffalo on Elmwood at Lu Modern Classic, 504 Elmwood. “EDUN is a socially conscious clothing company launched in Spring 2005 by Ali Hewson and Bono with New York clothing designer Rogan Gregory. The company’s mission is to create beautiful clothing while fostering sustainable employment in developing areas of the world, particularly Africa.” Rogan Gregory also has another organic brand called Loomstate which is 100% organic cotton jeans sold at Barneys New York nationwide and Bloomingdales nationwide as well as a few other stores.
http://www.edunonline.com/
There are many designers and celebrities who are helping to make organic clothing a reality as well as trying to “Save the Future”. A few designers are Stella McCartney, Katharine Hamnett and Rogan Gregory. Celebrities such as Demi Moore, Cameron Diaz, and Jake Gyllenhaal to name a few. These designers, celebrities and activists are trying to show us something new so we can be more eco-friendly and more aware of what is going on with the environment.

Ashley Jimenez

Posted by Ashley at 05:39 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack

All week during fashion week it was actually someone’s job to keep track of which models opened and closed the big shows. Award points based on the number and importance of shows each model walked in — we can reveal who made the biggest splash during fashion week.

From left: Deyn, McNeil, Kulikova.

1. Irina Kulikova. The Russian was in every big show this week. She racked up over twenty in total, opening Marc by Marc Jacobs, Carolina Herrera, Peter Som, and Donna Karan.

2. Agyness Deyn. Popped up at many of the most buzzworthy shows: Opened and closed punky Anna Sui, closed Oscar and Narciso, and opened Temperley too.

3. Catherine McNeil. A very balanced scorecard, with a balance of old-school glamour (Carolina Herrera), new-school beauty (Zac Posen) and rising stars (Preen and Thakoon).

4. Suvi Koponen. Opened and closed Max Azria and closed Carolina Herrera. Also strutted in Proenza Schouler, Michael Kors, Philosophy, and more.

5. Chanel Iman. Hit her stride late in the week, and ended up with the most eclectic range. Before opening and closing Custo Barcelona, she also walked in flashy Heatherette, celeb labels L.A.M.B. and JustSweet, and fashion favorites Vera and Alexander Wang.

6. Raquel Zimmermann. Brazilian veteran won opening spots at Proenza and Rodarte, and pounded the catwalk for all the big names: Calvin Klein, Michael Kors, and Carolina Herrera.

7. Toni. Opening and closing Calvin Klein was a refreshing surprise to the fashion world.

8. Kasia Struss. Dominated the smaller shows, bookmarking TSE and Malo and opening Phi, Jill Stuart, and Philosophy. Her biggest moment: closing Vera Wang.

9. Flavia de Oliveira. Reigned at the younger brands, scoring the opening spot at Trovata and JustSweet, and closing Chaiken, Badgley Mischka, and Monique Lhuillier.

10. Serafima Vakulenko. This relative newcomer had a strong showing, opening Yigal Azrouel and Adam Lippes. Plus, she walked in Marc Jacobs, Marc by Marc Jacobs and Phillip Lim.

Posted by Kathleen at 08:52 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

With the SPRING 2008 collections already underway in Paris it seems like spring is right around the corner and full of floral prints and bright colors. Graphic prints are also predicted to be a hot item. These spring collections are very different from last spring season. Forecasters have predicted long flowing dresses but also short lingerie inspired dresses. Alot of these pieces can go from day to night by simply adding accessories and dramatic make-up for at night. One ite, that is still carrying over into spring is belts, everything is belted. One item that was not hot last year was hats. The runway was flooded with hats galour! Check out this site to see more collections and your new wardrobe for spring ‘08! fashion.about.com/od/fashionweeks/p/nyfashionweek.htm

Posted by Kathleen at 08:29 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

What influences your personal style? From your everyday “outfits” to a night on the town. Everyone has their own style but it usually stems from something or someone. I like to look for ideas and certain pieces of clothing from watchin E! and also celebrity magazines and store billboards. Here is a survey to see what things influence your style the most. If I get quite a few responses I will post where the fashion in Buffalo comes from!

A. Magazines
B. T.V
C. Fellow students and friemds
D. Store billboards and manequins
E. All of the above

Posted by Kathleen at 07:50 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack