! My Dress Designs !

A design of my sister's wedding dress. I'm designing several more and then she'll pick her favorite. It will be creamy white, satin fabric, with some lace trailing off at the bottom.

This design on the left was inspired by the globe. I stared at it one day and decided to draw a design that sort of look like the globe, don't ask why. I was thinking the dress would be deep royal blue with chiffon outter-lining. The fabric would be metallic silk.

This one on left is one of my fav. It's very revealing, but I think it would be very pretty if it is designed right and with a beautiful model wearing it! I think this dress should be rich red, made of silk as well. The ties should be diamonds to add some sparkle, and silver diamond stileto heels to match. The other design on the upper right is a design inspired by lamp shades, with a combination of styles that I have seen online or fashion shows. The dress would be black and white, made of 50% cotton, and 50% polyester. The shoes should be red to give it a splash of color.

I have been interested in fashion since the sixth grade. I had made attempts to make my own clothes, but I was not very successful. The first item I made was a dress for a school project. It was 90% rayon, and 10% polyester. It was a pink, zebra printed fabric. It took me about two weeks to make it because the majority of it was, and had to be hand-sewin. It was a lot harder than I thought it would be. The hard part was choosing the fabric, and the style. I really liked the slit on the side then, so that that was what I ended up making. The front has a slight v, and the straps are made of pink beads to add some flare. The beads later broke and now it's stapless. My inspiration came from a girl's zebra sandals. I got a B for the final grade. I wore this dress to church on several occasions because I was so happy that I made it. The picture of the dress is shown above.

This second dress is the dress that I made for Homecoming '06. This project was extremely time consuming! It nearly took a full month because the entire ensemble was completely made by hands! I used leftover fabric that was very difficult to work with, and it could not be stitched using a sewing machine. It was a mixture of chiffon and polyester and nylon. The combination made it hard to keep straight and sew a perfect stitch. I used purple laces to make the dress more pretty. The dress is metallic silver and it reflects light. I had to use liners too because it could be seen through. I got the idea from one of my halloween costumes. It mostly resembles an empire dress. This dress is shown above the pink dress, the front and back of it.

The sketched pictures are the ones I am drawing right now. They are ideas conjured up from different ideas, and inspirations. I am designing dresses for the women in my life. I am also designing a wedding dress for my sister, and a dress I hope to make for my mom and myself. I have more ideas, but ultimately I do not want to be the woman making these dresses, I want to just design it and projects of that nature. Ultimately my ideas come from designs I have seen somewhere, magazine ads, or internet, or fashion shows.

Ethnic Influences on Apparel Design

It would be pretty hard to imagine that no designers out there have not had any sort of inspirations or concepts that have been influenced by other designers, ideas, or places such as the mall or a foreign country.

For instance, a research was conducted to see "...how strength of ethnic identification influences attitudes toward and ownership of ethnic apparel, importance of product and store-display attributes, and purchase intention among A Asian American consumers in Hawaii." The sample included 167 Asian Americans who visited apparel stores in Honolulu that had Asian-inspired clothing predominantly displayed." This is good example of how individuals can be inspired by a new setting, place, environment, and the culture of dress. By adding different elements to your apparel, it will add a twist of freshness and creativity. The idea is to have line that stands out from other designers.

It's not easy to imitate nor one should imitate other's ideas because that would be fraudulent, and just plain wrong. Nevertheless designers do attempt to re-create a similar line through their own interpretation. The above images of the cloth are examples of imitation of designs. The one on the very top is an imitation of the printed cloth below it. As you can see, the prints are not identical, but you can see where the inspirations came from. I own several pieces of clothing where I can tell that the designer their influence came from. For the most part I think that it's great the designers are striving to be original and using more ethnic influences because it makes their cloths look more unique, and not just the typical "American dress."

Furthermore, ethnic influences are also influenced by demographics. For example, age, sex, race, family size, level of income, education, occupation, and location of residence are all things that will determine the success of a company, or line of clothing, or just in general. Designers usually design to a specific target, such as teens for example. It would not appropriate to design "old ladylike" clothing for teens because that will not go anywhere. In addition, depending on the income, consumers will buy accordingly with how much as they have to lose. Last but not least, sex plays a big role on how consumers will behave. Girls of today tend to wear tighter and more flashy clothes, and the boys wear very loose fitting, and baggy pants and graphic t-shirts.

In conclusion, ethnic influences on apparel is a much practiced tactic that many designers use to enhance their line. Human societies are not closed; we are continuously receiving stimuli from each other that affect dress. Dress is worn to identify a group, but at the same time to distinguish one's self from other groups.

References:

Giddings, V.L. (1990). African American dress in the 1960s. In Starke, B.M., Holloman, L.O., &Nordquist, B.K., eds., African American Dress and Adornment: A Cultural Perspective, Dubuque, IA: Kendall/Hunt Publishing Co., pp. 152-155.

Mead, P.& Pederson, E.L. (1995). West African apparel textiles depicted in selected magazines from 1960 to 1979: Application of cultural authentication. Family and Consumer Sciences Research Journal, 23(4), 430-452.

New York Fashion Week!

The main trends of the New York fashion week appears to be a mixture of everything. I did not see anything in particulare that was consistent throughout the photos that I viewed.

The Top 10 Most Interesting Trends from New York:

-Seasonless Clothing

-Black-clad Femme Fatale

-Fur-Grey Dresses

-Slouchy

-Chic, High

-Waisted Trousers

-Metallics

-Color, Color & More Color

-Hats

-Spats

-Touches of Classic Red

There were a couple of dresses that I really liked for one reason or another. I really liked the dress on the above right, I love the color collaborations. It just screams fresh to me. It reminds me of Cleopatra for some odd reason. It might not be very practical for wearing at school setting, but maybe for a very formal event, or a modern ball. It's definitely made for she catwalk, but anything goes for me. When it comes to clothing, I wear what I feel like wearing.

There was one designer in particular that I liked, BCBGMAXAZRIA . I really like his catwalk collection of dresses. I especially like this one peachy-orange dress (shown above). I like the simplicity of it, yet it was sexy and elegant. I would definitely wear it!! :) Overall, I think the NY Fashion Week was very impressive, vibrant with lots of colors.

Source: http://www.mbfashionweek.com/newyork/spring2009/designers/bcbgmaxazria/index.html

http://www.designersurf.org/wp-content/uploads/2007/09/nyc-fashion-week.jpg

Organic and Environmental Friendly Clothing

I am totally for the organic and environmental friendly clothing. I have seen some people wear it, and you cannot tell the difference, and it looks just as good as regular material made from animals, and such. I don't think that many people are aware that there are organic clothing out there, which is why you don't see many wearing it.
Furthermore, according to the Organic Trade Association, organic fiber sales rose approximately 23 % in 2003, which brings organic fibers in the marketplace to 0.04% of the total marketplace fibers. the OTA estimates a 11-18% per year in the span of the next four years. "Although alternative fibers can complicate the production process, manufacturers continue to pursue them." (OTA)
Some examples of organic fiber are, organic wool, which will assures sheep are treated in an ethical manner and helps promote organic agriculture. Next there is organic cotton, which will eliminate the use of chemical pesticides, fertilizer, delfoliants and other toxins. Currently, organic cotton makes up only 0.06% of the world's supply. Hemp is known for its strength and insulate properties, and been used for thousand of years. "It is the strongest natural fiber known, wicks moisture and helps block UV and UVB rays." (Berne Broudy). Last but not least, bamboo, a grass fiber, wild harvested and mostly in China. There is a limited demand for bamboo, but it is being considered for making organic fibers.
I have learned a few things about these natural fibers, and I think that this is not just a trend, but a revolution, and it is here to stay.

source:

http://geartrends.com/geartrends/upload/winter_ch4.2.pdf

My Favorite Designer

My favorite designer is Valentino. The number one reason is because he makes GORGEOUS dresses! I can see myself wearing most of them. I love the styles he creates,the color, and texture of the fabric. He makes everything look so glamorous, and beautiful and the woman wearing it look radiant. He has a great sense of what will flatter the body. I would love to wear of his dresses for my wedding. :) In addition, his handbags are also very nice looking, and would go with most anything. I also love his perfumes, it smells really really good. Overall, I think he has a great business sense of what works, and what do not. He knows how to market well, and where to focus his attention. I think it would be a great honor to have an internship with him!!!! There are other designers whom I also like, but I have been a fan of his designs for the longest time.