31 Tuesday Jan 2012
Tags
Draping, Jason WU, Joann Fabrics, Sew True, Tailors' chalk, Target
Thinking about sewing supplies? Remember many suppliers give student discount like Joann Fabrics & New York’s Sew True where this super cute tailors’ chalk is from.
http://www.joann.com/studentdiscount/?_requestid=51871
http://sewtrue.com/Educational-Discount-T37.html
Haven’t we seen this nail varnish somewhere before?
Jason Wu for Target launches this Sunday- wish our creations came to life so magically!
31 Tuesday Jan 2012
Posted in Campus chic, Colour, Education, Fashion, Fashion designers
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This fabulous Betsey Johnson bag spotted in the fashion studio- loving the coordinating nail varnish too!
30 Monday Jan 2012
Posted in Books, Colour, Cute websites, Education, Fashion, Fashion designers, London, Magazines, Music, Recycled / Upcycled Fashion, Sewing
Tags
Angela Johnson, Annabel Lwin, Betsey Johnson, Bow Wow Wow, Christopher Kane, Gary Harvey, Hawaiian Shirt, Recycled fashion, T-shirt, Viktor & Rolf
I Want Candy! Freshman Sewing Techniques mini project
The energy of 1980’s new wave band Bow Wow Wow is unleashed for Summer 2012– acid brights, punk styling and the spirit of playfulness graced the catwalks at Christopher Kane, Viktor & Rolf & Betsey Johnson. The energy of punk D-I-Y & 21st century ethical fashion meet in this recycled fashion project. Look to designers Gary Harvey and Angela Johnson who recycle discarded clothing to create fabulous eco-friendly fashion pieces. Using trend research and your own fabulous fashion sense collect thrift pieces in this season’s candy brights to rework into an upcycled garment for Spring/Summer 2012. Create a moodboard to support your design & record the trashion transformation. Don’t be shy- studs, glitter & frou frou are the order of the day!
Christopher Kane. Viktor & Rolf. Betsey Johnson. S/S 2012
Gary Harvey designs couture pieces that highlight unethical working conditions in the fashion industry & promote recycling: Black T-shirt dress. Baseball Puffball dress. Hawaiian shirt dress & corset.
http://garyharveycreative.com/
Angela Johnson makes innovative eco-friendly gowns from thrifted t-shirts: grey ruffle party dress, rainbow finale, 2 tshirt ruffle neck dresses.
http://www.angelajohnsondesigns.com/index.html
Check out the library for styles & techniques to upcycle unwanted pieces:
Born Again Vintage– Bridgett Artise & Jen Karetnick. T-Shirt Makeovers– Sistahs of Harlem. Denim Revolution– Nancy Minsky. Rip It! Elissa Meyrich.
http://www.villa.edu/library.html
Last year’s class had a fun time recycling- check out some of their work here:
For more ethical fashion check out http://www.ecouterre.com/
Due: presentation of work including fashion illustration, moodboard & completed garment in class February 13th
Grading: moodboard 15% Illustration 15% innovation & trend 10% visual presentation on blog 20% finishing 40%
29 Sunday Jan 2012
Posted in Campus chic, Education, Sewing
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So we talked about not wearing heels on the sewing machine, but who started their Sewing class in these shoes?
29 Sunday Jan 2012
Posted in Cute websites, Knitting & Crochet
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We know we have one super knitter in our midst & I know many of you are keen to learn. How about starting our own campus knitting group– thoughts?
What better way to occupy yourself on these wintry evenings, or even in class or faculty meetings than knitting? I like to have several projects on the go at once and have just completed this wool Snowdrop Beret from a free Marya Speton pattern on Ravelry a great online resource for knitting & crochet patterns, yarns and inspirations.
https://www.ravelry.com/account/login
You can find the free pattern here on Marya’s blog
http://swallowsreturn.typepad.com/swallows_return/snowdrops.html
28 Saturday Jan 2012
Posted in Colour, Education, Embroidery, Exhibitions, Fashion
At the end of last semester the Couture class visited the Burchfield Penney Gallery and then worked on a mini project to create fairytale fashions.
Just as Charles Burchfield drew from his love of nature, fashion designers also seek inspiration from the world around them. Natural found materials such as feathers petals and leaves serve as inspiration for materials and works such as Hillary Fayle’s stitched leaves from the Burchfield Penney exhibition Art in Craft Media 2011 serve as technical inspiration. Check out the finished pieces in the upcoming fashion fine arts exhibition in the VMC gallery space from 3rd February.
http://hillaryfayle.wordpress.com/lovestitching/
http://www.burchfieldpenney.org/
http://www.burchfieldpenney.org/exhibitions/exhibition:10-15-2011-01-15-2012-art-in-craft-media/
26 Thursday Jan 2012
Posted in Exhibitions, Fashion, Fashion designers, History of Fashion, Magazines, Paris
When Christian Dior unveiled his historic Corolle collection in Spring 1947 the rounded shoulder and hourglass silhouette was such a refreshing change from the austerity fashions of WWII that Carmel Snow– Harpers Bazaar‘s fashion editor- christened it the New Look. In 1997, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the house of Dior, Mattel dressed Barbie in her own Bar suit. Now it looks as though Barbie is revisiting the New Look in her Afternoon Suit.
See an original Bar suit in the Metropolitan Museums’ collection:
http://www.metmuseum.org/Collections/search-the-collections/80002618
http://www.barbiecollector.com/
26 Thursday Jan 2012
Tags
bunka fashion college, Draping, fabric manipulation, Pattern Magic, Shingo Sato, Tomoko Nakamichi, Transformational Reconstruction
We love patterncutters with novel approaches to the human form. Tomoko Nakamichi a former professor at Tokyo’s Bunka Fashion College works with draping and flat patterns to create clean sculptural pieces- check the college library for her book Pattern Magic.
http://www.villa.edu/library.html
Shingo Sato also inspires with his fabric manipulation using a technique he calls Transformational Reconstruction, a system that encourages experimentation and embraces those ‘mistakes’ we often make in the design studio. Watch him at work on his beautiful ribbon dress design.
24 Tuesday Jan 2012
Posted in History of Fashion, Magazines, Sewing
Tags
Remember in our History of Fashion course we talked about how paper patterns developed in the 19th century for home dressmakers. Burda magazine started producing paper patterns in 1952 and continues today, along with a website and blog featuring trends, competitions, designer diaries and free projects- we love those! Vintage lovers check out this free downloadable pattern for 1933 undies.
http://www.burdastyle.com/blog/you-can-have-underwear-that-fits-as-it-should
23 Monday Jan 2012
Posted in Campus chic, Education, Fashion
vmcfashion 