Project Runway Mt.Mary Version

Project Runway Student Competition has BEGUN!!

The first round of Mt.Mary's 2nd Annual Project Runway started this past Tuesday, Nov. 5th. I decided to enter as a designer and awaited the challenges that were on my way. This week's theme was "Junk Chic."

Our challenge was to make a garment out of a garbage bag. We had 2 items to incorporate and made visible to the audience: 3 ribbons and 3 floral bows. On the table given, laid miscellaneous items to help structure our garment.

Since each contestant only got 30 seconds to choose our items I quickly grabbed whatever I can. Pretty random things I can say, but I managed.

We had about 20-25 minutes to start on our garments, this was due to the bad timing --it was suppose to be 35-40 minutes.

Week 1

                      Front                                                          Back

Week 2

Challenge : Study Abroad Theme, Rome. The scenario I randomly chose was going sightseeing riding a moped. Didn't do so well this week, but this was Week 2's garment.

Week 3 (final)

Challenge: Cult Movies Theme, and I randomly chose Hunger Games. Make a garment inspired by the film. I used inspirations from District 12, representing mining and coal; and District 13 which represented rebellion.

Drum Roll Please....is the winner! Gladly with all the support from friends and students at school, I've impressed them and won the competition. Even though it was only held once every week for 3 weeks, I've learn a lot from this. It has taught me to think outside the box, use time wisely (only had 20-25 min), and be more actively involve in school and community. I've also got to meet and make new friends throughout the competition. It was a great and fun run, until next time.

Tailoring Class - Jacket

Been working on this jacket for quite awhile now. Still in progress and waiting to be done soon. I was inspired by the animal prints that are still trending now, so I decided to use zebra print as my lining.

Then I found inspiration through Pinterest. Korean wool jackets were the perfect idea. I was inspired by the asymmetrical center front and hem. There was a lot of peplum styled tops and coats that I also incorporated into my jacket. My color palette consists of 3 colors: red, white, and black.

Fabrics:
-Sew Classic Wool Suiting, Potting Soil (100% Wool)
-Simply Silky Print, Animal Print (100% Polyester)

In Progress...
Week 1

Week 5

Week 9 & 10

 Front

Back

Lining (inside)

Week 16

 It's finally completed!!!

 

Tori Kelly - Dear No One

Song Of The Day<3

Tori Kelly- Dear No One

Recycled Runway

Beep! Beep! Beep! The alarm clock going off at 6 a.m. I tried to get ready as quick as possible because I needed to be at school by 7:15 a.m.
Recently me and my fellow fashion classmates took a trip to Chicago. We wanted to stop by every store on the block but time wasn't going to be on our side because we only had 4 hours. As we get off of Michigan Ave, all I can see was buildings as tall as the skies, people running up and down the blocks, and traffic going no where.
We ran into the Water Tower Place, an amazing building with many beautiful features of different stores, food, and interior. Taking the escalator to go from floor to floor I came across a store called Candyality. It's not just an ordinary candy store, but it had these amazing garments made out of candy wrappers! I was so amazed and impressed by the layering, taping, gluing, and sewing techniques the designer used to put together the garments.
"light bulb" popped out of my head instantly. I was amazed and inspired by the works of these designers and hope to one day make a wrapper garment of my own.

5 Trends For Fall 2014

      As an assignment for class we were to choose 5 trends that were trending now and that will overlap onto next fall.
I choose to emphasize on Grunge, Leather, Cut-Out, Comic/Graphic, and Military trend. With each trend I displayed the color trend and each story/mood image related to. 

Here are the mood boards I've created for each of the trends.

Jane Dress Project Update

So I finished the princess dresses and finished my 3rd dress. The 3rd and last dress are going to be summer dresses. I know summer is almost over, but its versatile and can be worn as a sunday dress.

Jane Dress Project

I've been longing to make childrens wear. I've even bought patterns from awhile ago. I went to JoAnns the other day to find a few fabric pieces that'll go with the dresses I planned on making. I'll be making 4 dresses so I'll keep posted. I'm done with 2 already, so 2 more to go.

Here is a quick preview but I might make some changes.

Ootd

Today I needed to dress up but not fancy. So I wanted to recreate my own inspired looks of Tommy Hilfiger, I wore stripes. I went to a college workshop about "stress." After all the exercises and disscussions I'm not as stress as I thought I would be. After the workshop was the SAS Collegian Reunion party. Felt good to see many old faces. Every one from my class talked about themselves and their cool internships/jobs.

Wearing:
-Cream/Navy Stripe tee, TJ Maxx
-Red High-waisted Shorts, Vinted.com
-Brown Braided Belt, Forever 21
-Brown Oxfords, Ebay
-Sueded Feather Necklace, Forever 21

DIY Hair Bow Clips (No Sewing)

After watching plenty of DIY videos off of Youtube, I've finally decided to do it myself. I needed to use up some fabric and fabric scraps so I decided to make hair bows w/o sewing. Few months ago I purchased some hair clips at JoAnns and I wanted to try them out.

Materials:
-fabric (at least 1/2 yard)
-hair clips
-hot glue sticks
-hot glue gun
-scissors/shears
-ruler
-iron

1. Using your ruler measure out 8x4, you can make it smaller or bigger, piece of fabric. Should look like a rectangle. Then measure a thinner strip of fabric, 2x5, this will be the center of the bow.

2. Take the 8x4 piece and use an iron to press 1/4 in of the fabric on the longer side. Repeat again on the other side. If the fold doesn't stay down, use the hot glue gun to glue it down.

3. Take both short ends and glue the ends together. Make sure one side overlaps the other only 1/4 in.

4. Now make 3-4 folds horizontally the long way. It should look like pleats or when you make a paper fan. In the center of each fold glue it down to hold it.

5. Now take the fabric being used for the center. Repeat step 2. Then take one end and glue it to the center back of the bow (the side where you want the hair clip). Wrap it around until the fabric reaches the center back again and glue it down. If there is extra fabric just trim it off.

6. Glue the center back then, take your hair clip and center the hair clip.

7. You did it!! Now you can make many more.

Fashion Angels Doodle Book

Fashion Angels is a locally owned company in Wisconsin who creates activity kits for the tween market. These kits includes sketch pads, stencils, stickers, etc to help kids create their own ideas and learn.

Last November, my classmates and I got the chance to help Fashion Angels create their Doodle Book. A book for young girls who love fashion, drawing, and coloring. As a part of the project everyone got the chance to pick out a theme/concept as of what they wanted to work on, since it was really open ended. I decided to choose the theme "Geek Chic" where as my ideas consisted of these "nerdy" accessories. I had to really brainstorm about my page layouts since we were only allowed to do 3 pages. As a class, we all helped one another to brainstorm and give advice/critique each others work. Unfortunately, there were only 3 prizes given but everyone got a chance to have at least one of their pages shown in the finalized book. The book was released a few months ago and I finally gotten a hold of a copy. Even though we, my classmates and I, knew our drawings were going to be tweaked a little we are all proud to be a part of this Project. It was a great experience and wouldn't mind doing it again.

My Originals

 Finalized/Published

DIY Highwaisted Distressed Denim Shorts

Went thrift shopping a few weeks ago and found an old pair of Levi's. Figured I can change the look and make them look "chic."  Took me about 1.5 hrs just to distress (very time consuming if it's your first time). But only 5-10 min to cut how I wanted it to look like.

Materials:
1.Shears
2.Marking pen/fabric marker/chalk
3.Tweezer

Steps:
1. Measure the length you want, mark it, and cut. Make sure to use shears not regular paper scissors.

2. Using a trimming scissor or a sharp narrow scissor, make small cuts to mark where you want it to be distressed (on right side of shorts).

3. Now flip it inside out (notice the white threads). Take your tweezer and start pulling onto the BLUE threads (running vertically) in the areas you made small cuts. Once you pull them out you should just have the white threads showing (running horizontally).

4. Finally when you're done, toss them in the washer to launder. Now just wait to see what you've created!

Spring Summer 2014 Trend Forecast

For Spring/Summer there are four trends currently being promoted: Spice Trail, Provincial Picnic, Mod World, and Glam Grunge. 

Spice Trail: a mix of embellishment, embroidery, and metallics with an ethnic twist. From influences of Morocco and India, the palette consists of brights and nudes. Important materials for this trend include: silk, jacquard, lamé, metallics, and sequins. Important pieces are: metallic pants, embellished halter dresses, embellished pencil skirts, patterned jackets, Asian-influenced origami wrap dresses, sheer pants, and embroidered bomber jackets. 

Provincial Picnic: An update on nautical with florals, stripes, fruit prints, soft plaids, eyelet, and ginghams prints. Red is the main color, while minty blue, banana yellow, nude, and soft pink are also eye-catching colors to this trend. Key materials used: raw denim, cotton poplin, checked chiffon, suede, raffia, cotton voile, eyelet, ticking stripes, white linen, and chambray. Main  patterns are: gingham checks, stripes, patchwork quilting, cherries/fruit prints, Western-inspired patterns (appliqué, wallpaper prints, toile, and stripes). Key items are: the A-line mini skirt, overalls, shortalls, the shirtdress, the white shirt, boxy camp shirts, cutout halter dresses, relaxed jumpsuits,off-the-shoulder peasant blouses, and full skirts w/eyelet trim.

Mod World: An influence from the 60's with two color stories. The first color story consist of bright colors and shapes and the second one consists of black and white w/ mixed prints (stripes, polka dots). Key Fabrics: 3-D, eyelet, metallics, floral lace,  sequins, openwork, leather, sateen, organza, and shine as an all-over conversation. Key patterns: garden blossoms, geometrics, colorblocking, cabana stripes, harlequin diamonds, and optical illusions. Key items: the mod coat, cropped pants, matched sets, boxy tops, the A-line shift dress, and contrast trim playsuits.

Glam Grunge: An update of 1990's grunge mixed with moody florals and sheer plaids within a muted color palette. Girly soft look mixed with contrasting elements and lots of denim and layering. Colors palette: steel blue, grays with a blue and green cast, minty blue, and wine shades. Key fabrics: organza, cotton voile, leather, crochet, twill, fleece, sheer printed chiffon, and stonewashed denim. Key patterns: camouflage, moody florals, leopard, patterned text, ditsy florals, and plaid. Key items: the peplum top, midi skirt, plaid pants, modified biker jackets, crop tops, peg leg pants in satin, pajama silhouettes, parkas, jean jackets, and the chiffon maxi dress. 

 

Procrasinator

Since the summer starting I have been lagging and procrastinating on my "Summer Projects." The feeling of freedom and no homework worries I felt relaxed since the summer started, a little too relaxed. I need to start sewing, cutting, and fabric shopping soon. Hopefully by August I can finally buy me a dress form, may be that's why I haven't done any work lately. I hope to make my nieces dresses soon before the summer is over.

Mt. Mary Juxtapose Fashion Show

I created this piece from my Pattern Construction III class aka Draping. It was my first piece I showed to the public and I felt really good about it. My inspirations came from my culture and I modernized it with the new high-low fashion trend. I included jacquard, chiffon, Hmong embroidery to set off the cultural tone. I am happy about this piece and can't wait until Fall semester.