I traveled to so many places this summer…it has been exciting and inspiring, getting ideas for my Senior Collection. My favorite place of them all would have to be New York City. The last week of my summer break I took a nine day trip to visit the big city. I had a few goals in mind for the trip. Here is my list”

1.) Shop for senior collection fabric in the garment district.

2.) Have a great meeting with McCalls.

3.) Use what I have learned in my Pre-20th Century Costume class to identify garments on display at the MET museum.

4.) Learn the subway system enough so I will ride it on my own.

5.) Add to my collection of 500 inspiration pictures that was assigned for my senior year (that has not been a huge challenge especially being in so many different places).

Boy was I in for a wild ride. First of all, I stayed with some amazing girlfriends (love ya Julie & Danielle!) who love the fashion industry and were so great about teaching me about the city. My adventure began at the MET museum. It had been recommended by Kathy (at McCall’s) to be sure to see the Super Heros exhibit. It was a very interesting presentation of garments that were inspired by the super hero movies. These were the actual costumes used in the movies. The experience didn’t stop there. I ended up walking around the MET for six hours pointing out to my friend the name of every garment from the Egyptian period through the 19^th century that they had on display. I had just finished taking a summer class in the history of costume, and it was really incredible to see in person what we had been studying in books. A few of my favorites: seeing a sheath dress from the Egyptian period completely constructed out of beads, a Greek Ionic Chiton (modern day tunic) and himations (a large cloth used as a wrap) carved out of stone into amazing statues. You may think I’m crazy but I had fun hunting down 3000 B.C. fibulas (the world’s first ever safety pin–before people even sewed clothing together). I also got to view a few of my favorite painter’s works. I love Andy Warhol and Roy Linchenstein, and seeing their work in person was really cool. One down, four more goals to go.

Next I spent two whole days shopping for fabric in the garment district. The first day was discouraging at first because I didn’t have good direction except that I was looking for knit prints. We went to a ton of stores on 37^th and 38^th street between 7^th and 8^th avenue. They were small “hole in the wall” type stores. It was great to get a lot of good swatches so that I could go back for what I wanted if I needed it for my collection. Towards the end of the day I fell in love with this one piece. Picture this: dusty rose pink tulle with embroidery that totally covered it in sage green, lavender, and dusty rose. Then the piece is covered in black and brown feathers with a natural color bead at the top of each feather. It was an exquisite piece! Feathers are so hot this season and I plan to design a cocktail dress…….this would be perfect. I thought I wasn’t going to get anywhere in these small independent stores but I did, and I bargained with the guy to get a great price. One main collection piece, more to go! After that I went to Mood Fabrics. There I found some notions that could be used on my garments as well as my mood boards for school. I bought a piece of leather that was a pink embossed alligator with a pearlized finish. I plan on using it for the cocktail dress bodice piece or small accent pieces. The next day that I spent in the garment district was with great success. I went to B&J Fabrics and found a great but pricey silk charmeuse print that made my day. It was the perfect color palette and the look I was going for. On this shopping trip I also was able to find my chocolate brown wool coating fabric for my tailored coat.

My next goal was not too hard to achieve. For my senior collection we were assigned to take pictures that would inspire us for our garments. It could be anything from architecture to nature to garments. Walking the streets of New York gave me lots of photo opps. The window displays were incredible. My favorite was Dior’s window! It had a carriage in the window with suits and dresses on display. Being a visual merchandiser would be fun but hard work! I also always get inspiration from Betsey Johnson, so I had to go to her store off of Madison Ave.  I almost camped out on their doorstep for the rest of the trip once I found out that she just lives right around the corner from her store! That would have been too cool to meet her.

I was super excited for our McCalls meeting. I felt like I had been preparing for the meeting for weeks. I prepared boards, sketched, and bought some supportive sample garments. I was so excited how my boards turned out and the great samples I found, I even found some great swatches of the fabric that I thought would be perfect for the garments we were proposing. Everyone seemed pleased with McCall’s decisions, so look forward to more great DIYStyle designs for 2009! Thanks to McCall’s hard work to making our dreams come to life! Only one more goal to achieve!

Julie & Danielle had explained the subway the first day that I arrived, so I was able to take the subway the whole trip. The girls live in the East Village so it was good practice taking the subway all over the city instead of taking cabs. I feel like being in New York for that amount of time helped me to prepare to be a better designer. Through inspiration, great fabrics, seeing in person a history of garments, and working in the offices of McCalls for a day really has helped my creativity and motivation as a design major. I will definitely be back in NYC soon!

Allyce

Wow. I have been just engulfed by design projects from the moment I stepped back in the door at Stephens. This is my senior year, and boy do they have us off and running! I just completed this Rejectamenta project, and thought you would like to take a peek. The challenge is to make a garment from all recycled materials, in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness. Our garments will be judged by a jury and some will go on display at the Komen Foundation annual conference.

My theme is “Don’t gamble with your life….get regular mammograms”. Unfortunately the pic does not do it justice, it looks way cooler on a model with the headpiece, necklace and train that makes it all come together. When we get some professional model pics done I’ll be sure to post one.

For now I’m onto finishing a tailored and lined wool coat, and matching dress that is due shortly, sketching hundreds of illustrations for my upcoming Senior Collection, and sewing my heart out at every turn. I’ll try to come up for air once in a while to give everyone a quick up date, but for now just send me lots of positive energy………it’s going to be one challenging and exciting year in fashion design school!

Allyce

Oh my gosh!!! I can’t believe my summer is over and I am back to school. Can life get any crazier??!! This year I am a resident assistant which is a 24/7 job. I am taking 17 hours of classes and doing some work for DIYStyle. Now I know I can handle all of this….the thing I’m worried about is my APPAREL CONSTRUCTION class. Even my mom is gearing up for the stress. I know the basics of sewing and how to make small things, but this is a different story! For example I made my highly fashionable eco-tote bag at the DIYStyle party in Chicago, but making outfits for a whole semester is going to be an experience. I really enjoyed my summer job with DIYStyle and doing office work tasks; I think I really enjoy the business end of things. For my major of Fashion Merchandising though I have to know the basics of sewing. Seems crazy, right??? Maybe not. I just hope my mom can be on call 24/7! Wish me luck!!

Sarah

I have been lucky enough to be able to travel to some popular fashion spots this summer. It was exciting to be able to go to different parts of the US to get a good view of trends for my senior collection. I have been to Portland, Las Vegas, Chicago, and will be going to New York here soon.

Just a few weeks ago I was in Las Vegas for 10 whole days! This meant I could go shopping, sketch, get color ideas, and note the interesting way the designers manipulate the fabric. I went window shopping pretty much everyday. My favorite spot for this kind of “research” shopping is The Fashion Show Mall. With a fashion show that rises out of the floor (everything is a show in Las Vegas!), this place is a mecca of shops. I feel it has the most variety featuring high end to low end stores. When doing research you can’t just relay on the high end stores like Neiman Marcus or designer boutiques to get a complete picture. You have to understand where the trends are going. Whether they are widespread enough to have hit the discount stores like Target, or if they are still in designer stores. A mall like this one has it all, making my research a bit easier.

The Wynn is another fashion sleuthing haven. I found some great inspiration visiting the Chanel store there. They had done some amazing fabric detailing. Some of the sweaters on display had small chain that was woven into the knit fabric so it made the sweater completely two toned. I also tend to get a lot of inspiration from shoes! I don’t know if it’s when I look at shoes I design as if I am making an outfit to match, or if they just set a look. There were SO many garments that used large overwhelming prints combining odd florals and geometric shapes. I was really intrigued by the combination of prints in a really cool dress that had a leopard and floral combination. And animal prints have stuck around and seem to be getting larger! There was this amazing Dior belt that was really inspiring… it was made in a zebra fur print with a huge grommet with a bar and chain to hold the belt closed. Another trend that is sticking around and I feel keeps getting more and more exaggerated are garments constructed in a origami pattern. It seems to be in all the high end clothing, from pockets that look like middle school fortune tellers to interesting design lines with lots of pleats and gathering.

Las Vegas shopping has definitely inspired me to sketch a lot of garments for my senior collection and give me a good view on what trends are hot! If you get to Las Vegas, be sure to fit in some shopping..it’s some of the very best around!

Allyce 

Last week was the Face Off 3: School Daze fashion show that I was a part of, and I am very relieved to take a short break from sewing! The show was so entertaining and full of energy from start to finish! Since the theme was “School Daze” each designer got to choose a category that went along with the theme, and my category was ‘class flirt’. It was fun to design with a particular theme and concept in mind! I’m looking for more shows to be a part of in the next year, so keep your eyes open for Christy Ryan! You can contact me or check out more of my stuff on MySpace.

I have some great news! I have been accepted as the VP of communications on the board of directors for the AMA (American Marketing Association) chapter at the PSU School of Business. It will be fun next year to be more involved in school and with my fellow marketing peers. I will be in charge of getting the word out for all the events we will put on at Portland State, and I will use my creative touch to make the posters, and talk to business classes helping to get them excited about and coming to our events and speakers.

I did take a break from studying and attended a little party at my mother’s house. She offered the space for a 100 year celebration of the Oregon State University’s (where she went to college) fashion design department. At the party I met this great guy there who will be graduating soon from that department. We sat and talked for awhile about fashion and what we both are doing…he will be going to work for Target very soon. I also got to see some of his designs that he posted on Myspace, including his collection that won the OSU design competition. So cool to meet and be around talented people!

PS. The picture attached is of Ben Moua and his sustainable garment!

Melissa

Hey everyone! My name is Christy Ryan, I’m working with DIYStyle for the summer! I just graduated from Lindenwood University in St.Charles, MO, where I studied Fashion Design. It feels so great to be out! So far this summer I have been working for DIYStyle, in addition to my part time job, and busily preparing for another fashion show. Somehow I find time to relax and hang out with friends, but it’s not always easy!

 The fashion show is called School Daze- The Definition of Fresh: Fashion 101.  It is on July 19th at St.Louis University, and is a charity event for the Ronald McDonald House. I love being a part of fashion shows, especially this one where my garments are being showcased! But first up is the DIYStyle Party in Chicago on July 10th, so I have that to look forward to. I cannot wait to see the designs from Project Design, and I am really looking forward to the Fashion Forecast. Well I’ve got to get sewing, I’m sure you’ll hear from me again this summer! See you at the DIYStyle Party!

Christy

The other day I met a friend of my mom’s, Tricia Crockett. She is a cool, hip, very stylish woman and a teacher at the Portland Art Institute in the fashion design department. We met because we are going to be teaching a class together at Fabric Depot in Portland this summer (look for more info here later) and we needed to figure out what direction we want to take. She was nice enough to offer to give my mom and I a personal tour of the Art Institute. I was very exited. The setting of the school is very urban, the building is extremely new and industrial looking….and high! We met Tricia at the front door and she took us up to the 5^th floor where the fashion design program is housed. The walls were covered with amazing pieces of art.  I had never seen such artistic looking designs and design boards. They weren’t just design ideas, they had an artistic representation, a specific look and an entire style. The idea boards displayed in the hallways were from the top students. I also was allowed to peek in the design studios and sewing room, and some of the girls let me take pictures of them in action. I also got to see some great Computer Aided Design projects that really got me interested in this fairly new aspect of design.  I have not been very fond of CAD before, but now I can see how you can incorporate your creative nature into technology. I would really love to learn how to use Photoshop. Maybe when I’m out of school! 

Best,

Melissa

Hi Everyone!

I’m finally done with finals and out for the summer! YEAH!! I actually got that tailored jacket done…I never realized how many hand stitches you can fit in a jacket. I also got all my fittings done for wool tailoring next year! I feel like I have accomplished a lot this semester. And, I’m now officially a SENIOR!

Another thing that comes every year around finals time is a meeting with our instructors for next year. As seniors, our main focus will be on our senior collection, so we had a meeting to cover what will be involved in that and expected of us. As an “unofficial” assignment we are to make and keep a senior collection design journal over the summer. This includes collecting items that inspire us whether it be a candy wrapper or a picture of a cool building. In addition we are to start collecting fabric swatches that we like and think may work too. For our collections we are to pick a theme, customer, and market. I am not sure exactly what my theme or customer will be but I will let you know (I hope to get inspired, now that I have a bit more time to slow down). I will keep you updated on how my journal goes this summer…maybe I will even let you have a peek!

Allyce xxxooo

Our wool tailoring critique took place a few weeks ago and here are the results. For the guest critic we were required to put a portfolio together of five full ensembles. The coat designs had to have a collar and at least be mid thigh length. I do have to say my designs are quite bright … I wanted to have a coat that was really attention getting.

One of the fun aspects of my design is the use of wool roving, applying it in the princess seams using a needle-punched technique. This is the design the critic chose. And as the critic, he also “changed” the colors of the outfits. The coat is now going to be chocolate brown with bright blue wool roving trim, and he decided that I should find a silk charmeuse print for the dress. In the past three weeks I have patterned the entire coat and dress patterns. I also managed to get many fittings with my model before the school year was over. Next semester we get to come back and hand tailor our coats in the first seven weeks of school out of the real fabric. It will be really cool to see the final coat totally together and see all the hard work pay off. I didn’t really don’t understand how big of a project a coat can be until you actually design it yourself!

Allyce

The annual Stephens College fashion show was this past weekend. Our theme was Reflection, in honor of our school’s 175^th Anniversary (Stephens College has quite a history!). The intro garments depicted the different decades in fashion, with a bit of a twist. Personally, I was really excited to see my garment on the runway.

As a student in the fashion show production class, and with all of us being responsible for the show, I was extremely busy. We had a total of five shows in two nights! It was a wonderful show, but I am happy the time crunch for that is over. Now I only have a week left of school…so I need to get back to my coat fittings and my tailored jacket. I’m almost there…YEAH!!!

Allyce

Finally I feel like the year is down to the home stretch! This past Saturday was “Jury of Selection” at the design school. As fashion design majors, we are required to present our designs from the entire year to industry professionals from all over the country. Juniors have five final garments, one in each category: Swimwear, Dancewear, Denim/Knit Top, Tailored Suit, and Tailored Dress. The junior class worked so hard this year turning out garment after garment along with all of our other classes. The garments that score the highest in judging get to be shown in the end of the year fashion show. I had one of my five garments (Dancewear) chosen for the show (cool!), and I’m so proud of all I put into each of my entries. This student model is wearing my Dancewear design, which features a rhinestone-encrusted fleur-de-lis zipper pull.

I still have a few major projects to complete before the school year is over. I’m working on a tailored jacket with pad stitching and twill tape, and on the patternmaking and fitting for my tailored coat and dress (this one was chosen by one of the industry critics). I’ll be sure to post the design that the critic chooses!

And tomorrow: Melissa’s and my DIYStyle patterns go on sale across the country! Yay! We’ll be posting a new vodcast tomorrow, too … lots of excitement!

Allyce

We recently produced our first project for my fashion show production class: a preview fashion show for students looking to attend Stephens College. First we got into groups and created mood boards to display ideas for our theme. Our group’s theme was futuristic with a very metallic looking stage. After all the groups presented their ideas, the class voted, and we all decided to go with another group’s idea, a fashion-forward Alice in Wonderland. I have to say, it was really enchanting! Since we were gearing this show to high school students, we wanted it to be very bubbly and use bright colors.

Our class split into three groups to help with the show; model garments, public relations, and set and sound. I was in the model garment group. Five of us were designers and we got the job of creating and sewing the intro garments. The garments could be made from scratch or we could take existing garments and redesign them.

I was assigned the “Rose Dress” so I took a prom dress that I wore in high school and transformed it into the finale dress. I clipped up the front of the dress so it created a poof. Then I sewed ribbons in between the layers, affixed roses to the ribbons, created a belt, and glued roses to a headband. The pic shows the final intro garments on the stage of the fashion show. My garment is the pink puffy tulle dress. The whole fashion show went really well and I was so proud of the intro and how it turned out!

Our BIG production showcasing the Senior Collections and designers is coming up very soon, April 26th. It will be a challenge to get through that show and finish up the semester. If all goes well and I pass critique, some of my Junior collection may be in the show as well. Five more weeks to go…and I’m excited to get to the end of my junior year!

Allyce

I’ve been working on a ton of projects for school lately, and just finished up a presentation about trends in fashion for my Product Development class. My research (and my need for daily inspiration) had me spending a lot of time at WWD.com and Style.com. These are such great places to find ideas and get updated on what’s hot (and not) in fashion. I can definitely report that bright, big, and bold flowers will be everywhere this spring. Abstract, hand-painted prints on dresses and tops are huge, and here’s a great example of the flowery painted effect at Dolce&Gabanna. Bright colors in general will be hot this spring and carry through to the fall. Sheer garments are also a popular theme.

I played up these candy colors, abstract painted designs, and bright, bold daisy shapes for my trend board presentation. It was created with the little girls’ market as the target customer. I called the line “Pop Art Princess.”

More soon, gotta get back to the research.

XOXO, Allyce

This week I’ve been working on more designs for my junior collection, as we are required to make two full ensembles this semester. The first one is a pant or skirt suit with a shirt underneath, and second is a tailored dress that could be worn to work. The garments had to be geared to a defined customer and market. My mood board represents all the inspiration for my designs as well as who my customer is. We always have to keep that in mind before we start designing.

We started with a hundred sketches and our professor narrowed our sketches to fifteen ensembles. We sketch those garments on fashion figures and then we narrow down to four in each category, and do those in full color. Along with our fashion figures we do a front and back flat of each of the garments where you show the seam lines, darts, and details. The theme of my designs is solid suits with hints of color, and I wanted to really emphasis trim details on my suits.

I love the idea of creating your own custom trims. My swatch board has example of just that. I wanted to needle punch wool roving into the side seams of a jacket and skirt suit. That would give the suit a subtle touch of a really unique detail. I also planned to use leather trim and to sew it around the seam of my jacket and skirt to make it look like the trim is holding the seam together. My favorite (and the critic’s favorite) was the hand cut leather circular trim. I cut leather in the shape of number 8’s and interlocked them to form a trim for my suit.

So, some great news! My presentation with the critic went well. She really liked the ideas of creating unique trim details. Theses are the outfits that she picked… It will take me months to cut out all the number eights to get enough for my garment. Better start now!

Allyce

Well, we’re back into the swing of things at school, and this semester has already started out to be crazy (busy). I spent most of this past weekend working on my project for my Career Sportswear class. I present to a critic on Saturday all of my original designs for a pant/skirt suit and a dress and jacket outfit. I finished my collection mood board, worked on the fabric swatch board, and several fashion illustrations. I got lot of ideas together this weekend, but I still have a long way to go. It’s really hard creative work, and this will be a challenging semester to get through. I think I’m already going to start a count down to spring break!

I am also in a class called Fashion Show Production. This class plans and produces the Stephens College annual fashion show held at the end of the semester. The program is a showcase for all the Senior and Junior designers, so we pull out all the stops. We had a group meeting to come up with themes for the fashion show. Our group decided on a theme that incorporates silver and black with futuristic look garments for the show’s intro. We also thought that techno music was a natural fit for our theme. Melissa and I listened to some techno over the summer in Portland so she helped me find the perfect music to present our ideas to our class. We decide on the final theme of our fashion show tomorrow. I will let you know what the class comes up with…….it should be interesting!

Now off to more drawing. I have flats that are calling my name. Wish me luck with the critic!

Allyce