A week ago today was a our department's inaugural fashion show in New York City, entitled Vision in Action. Speaking for myself, it was a great night barring some minor mishaps. The preparation leading up to that day and evening was crazy, but well worth it. Here's to recap Monday and Tuesday of last week...
First off, a big THANK YOU to everyone involved in making this show a success. Without the help from Cannon, the families who donated money, the fashion department, and the Dean's Office, none of this would have been possible.
and now to recap....
Monday was long because I had woken up early to catch a 7 AM train into Penn Station, and was not feeling well in the least bit. After arriving a hour behind, I finally made it to the Lubin House to witness the mayhem that was a mini sweatshop. Sadly, I had missed one of my model's fitting by half an hour. : ( However, everything looked great in terms of alterations, and it seemed like there wouldn't be any last minute scurrying around in needing to fix anything. The realization of the show actually happening was slowly hitting me.
Tuesday was another long day because it started at 9 AM and didn't end until about 4 AM. The day began at the Lubin House with Tim to help our professors, Cannon, and Cannon's team clean up the mini sweatshop and get everything packed to be driven down the to the JP Morgan Chase Building. By 11 we were organizing rolling racks, clothing, and shoes in the main part of the venue - separating everything by collection. It was a constant go, go, go as everyone was running around, busily preparing the show down the last detail. Even though it was craxy/stressful, it was such a high being a part of it all. Although we did stop to admire the amazing view from the 60th floor. We could see almost all of New York - from the Brooklyn Bridge to the Statue of Liberty to the entire East Side. By 6 PM the reception was in full swing and I don't think anyone could have asked for a better turn out for the first show. Just before 7:30 everyone was let into the seated area to find a seat, and the show began with model/alum Emme receiving a Fashion Icon Award. I think the moment Jess' collection came out, the realization of what was occurring really hit me, and by the time my collection was ready to make its appearance I was full on nervous. Professional models (both from Elite and Fusion) truly did make a difference in how our clothing read on the runway (not to take anything away from the student models we had on campus), but they made the show all that much better. When it was all said and done, I was back to where I was in the days leading up to Tuesday night - in disbelief that any of this was happening, yet now I was in disbelief that it had happened. At the same time I felt relieved because so much went into making this night happen.
I will conclude by saying that the first round of photos are up (links are the photo section), and they will be able to describe to you how the night went better than I can with words because it is still hard to describe that evening. Except the one moment in the evening that I can easily put into words was when I received a business card from Converse by John Varvatos....that was pure shock and excitement!
So I hope you enjoy the photos. There hopefully will be more to come.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Meeting With Cannon
On the Saturday after the show, the 16 of us going to New York got to meet with our stylist Cannon. As a group we discussed possibly getting Billy B. to do the make-up - he has done make-up for Missy Elliott and Naomi Campbell. He pointed out a few models he has gotten to do the show from a DVD he brought in, and mentioned Saleisha, the winner from America’s Next Top Model – Cycle 9 will be in the show. He also mentioned that we would keep the music we had chosen, work on a line up that flowed well, and change up some of our accessories and shoes – possibly bringing in some Manolo Blahnik shoes! In addition, we talked about fittings, and how it would work going backstage to see the event unfolding (since space is limited, he said we’ll be called back in groups to see our collections being prepared).
Individually, he told me he enjoyed my point of view, stating it is a strong one. He thought my collection was very sellable – pointing out my first outfit and my shift dress as the most successful of the bunch. Other suggestions Cannon had for me were to revisit my second outfit, mentioning it was the weakest of the group, to look over my hems on the knit pieces because they looked wrinkled on camera, and to rethink the order of my collection, suggesting the shift dress come out earlier.
All in all, I was pleased with my meeting with Cannon, and am exciting to be working with him on the show – as is the rest of the group. I believe he’ll do an amazing job, and make our show every bit a Fashion Week show – as much as possible that is.
Individually, he told me he enjoyed my point of view, stating it is a strong one. He thought my collection was very sellable – pointing out my first outfit and my shift dress as the most successful of the bunch. Other suggestions Cannon had for me were to revisit my second outfit, mentioning it was the weakest of the group, to look over my hems on the knit pieces because they looked wrinkled on camera, and to rethink the order of my collection, suggesting the shift dress come out earlier.
All in all, I was pleased with my meeting with Cannon, and am exciting to be working with him on the show – as is the rest of the group. I believe he’ll do an amazing job, and make our show every bit a Fashion Week show – as much as possible that is.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Fashion Show Mayhem
It’s the Tuesday after the show and boy does it feel great. The past several days are all a blur now, but here’s a bit of a recap…
Thursday, April 24 – Matinee Show
Out of the two days, this was by far the most chaotic for me personally. For starters, I was running behind, and things were still unfinished (although for me this is becoming typical – though on this day it was because my sewing machine had broken all the needles I had left). On top of that I somehow misplaced one of my coats, and couldn’t find it even after searching through my room and living room twice over. So I had a panic attack while trying to remain calm, and put a collection on runway. While I couldn’t control everything that occurred today, the show went well….I guess.
I did find the coat later that day - it was hiding in a garment bag, which was hiding behind a mannequin (both being similar in color). More sewing needles were purchased, and I was able to finish off what I needed to to make Friday a bit more successful.
Friday, April 25 – Evening Show
Today was much calmer, maybe too calm. I thought it couldn’t get much worse than yesterday, so I let whatever happen happen. Everything I wanted to accomplish between the end of yesterdays show and tonight’s show I got done, which in itself was a great feat for me. The show from what I could see was great, and everyone else I spoke with after the show seemed to agree. Cannon our stylist for the New York show was in the front row as well as Kelly Cutrone, founder of People’s Revolution (Whitney and Lauren from “The Hills” works for her).
Speaking of Cannon, our professor brought him backstage to meet each one of us, which was pretty cool. Those of us going to New York also got to meet him again on Saturday morning at our professor’s home for a brief group/one-on-one meeting.
Overall, they were two adrenaline packed days that felt very long. In the end it was well worth it, but again, I’m glad that it’s over…..for now that is……
Thursday, April 24 – Matinee Show
Out of the two days, this was by far the most chaotic for me personally. For starters, I was running behind, and things were still unfinished (although for me this is becoming typical – though on this day it was because my sewing machine had broken all the needles I had left). On top of that I somehow misplaced one of my coats, and couldn’t find it even after searching through my room and living room twice over. So I had a panic attack while trying to remain calm, and put a collection on runway. While I couldn’t control everything that occurred today, the show went well….I guess.
I did find the coat later that day - it was hiding in a garment bag, which was hiding behind a mannequin (both being similar in color). More sewing needles were purchased, and I was able to finish off what I needed to to make Friday a bit more successful.
Friday, April 25 – Evening Show
Today was much calmer, maybe too calm. I thought it couldn’t get much worse than yesterday, so I let whatever happen happen. Everything I wanted to accomplish between the end of yesterdays show and tonight’s show I got done, which in itself was a great feat for me. The show from what I could see was great, and everyone else I spoke with after the show seemed to agree. Cannon our stylist for the New York show was in the front row as well as Kelly Cutrone, founder of People’s Revolution (Whitney and Lauren from “The Hills” works for her).
Speaking of Cannon, our professor brought him backstage to meet each one of us, which was pretty cool. Those of us going to New York also got to meet him again on Saturday morning at our professor’s home for a brief group/one-on-one meeting.
Overall, they were two adrenaline packed days that felt very long. In the end it was well worth it, but again, I’m glad that it’s over…..for now that is……
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
T-minus One Day
So there is exactly one more day left until the fashion show and I am FREAKING out. There has been so much to do in terms of sewing in linings, sewing on buttons/snaps, rehearsals (there's one more tonight!), steaming to no end, etc., etc. This has not been easy considering the gorgous weather we've had in the past week. Although in the end all the long hours and months of hard work will be worth it. Hopefully the show will be well received over the two days.
Enjoy the show if you happen to go!
P.S. Look out for photos sometime next week.
Enjoy the show if you happen to go!
P.S. Look out for photos sometime next week.
Thursday, April 10, 2008
¡It’s Amore!
While this is unrelated to fashion, it’s still worth mentioning…..
As part of campus life, the Office of Off-Campus Housing in conjunction with the Department of Hospitality and Management, have been hosting Healthy Monday Cooking Lessons. So this past Monday, two of my roommates and I participated in their Italian themed cooking lesson held in the industrial kitchens recently built for the hospitality program.
From the menu of about 15 dishes, my roommates and I made two of them – ricotta gnocchi and ricotta fritters. Both were rather simple to make, and really good. Some of the others dishes we had that night were vegetable lasagna, chicken parmesan, potato gnocchi, Utica greens, fried eggplant, a Capri salad, a micro green salad with blue cheese and walnuts, and more. Besides all the yummy food we got to consume, and take home with us at the end our three hours, it was all FREE! And as an added bonus, I won a New York Times Cookbook from the raffle they had. Yay!!
As part of campus life, the Office of Off-Campus Housing in conjunction with the Department of Hospitality and Management, have been hosting Healthy Monday Cooking Lessons. So this past Monday, two of my roommates and I participated in their Italian themed cooking lesson held in the industrial kitchens recently built for the hospitality program.
From the menu of about 15 dishes, my roommates and I made two of them – ricotta gnocchi and ricotta fritters. Both were rather simple to make, and really good. Some of the others dishes we had that night were vegetable lasagna, chicken parmesan, potato gnocchi, Utica greens, fried eggplant, a Capri salad, a micro green salad with blue cheese and walnuts, and more. Besides all the yummy food we got to consume, and take home with us at the end our three hours, it was all FREE! And as an added bonus, I won a New York Times Cookbook from the raffle they had. Yay!!
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
MARCH MADNESS
So spring break has come and gone, marking the halfway point of senior collection (and spring semester for that matter). The first week back has been pretty crazy, with long hours being spent in studio, and at home sewing. Things are moving along though, but there are plenty of little things to go back and fix. However, I feel better about my progress if I just continue to construct each outfit for its respective deadline so that I don’t put myself behind. I’m currently working on my 4th and 5th outfits simultaneously since they are due four days apart. Fittings are happening on a more regular basis now as April approaches and the thought of more alterations the week before the show scares me.
To add to the madness, I’ve picked up a collaborative project with Candice, a grad student in the Newhouse Milestone program. To give some background on Milestone – it’s a joint program between Newhouse and Fashion where students from Newhouse combine their mass media/communications skills with ideas and work from the fashion department to put together student run magazines, websites, videos, etc. For the remainder of the semester, I will be working with her on photo shoots and interviews as she puts together a website to display the process of putting a collection together. Our first official meeting was today, and I showed her what I have completed thus far – explaining my concepts, etc. We also discussed what exactly she would like to do schedule-wise since she has her own deadline to meet. (When I get more info pertaining to the site’s URL I will let you guys know so you can check it out.)
Tomorrow is the second meeting of the NYC Fashion Show. Hopefully it’s not as terribly nerve-wracking as I think it’ll it be because we have to show what we have completed so far to faculty members. It will be exciting to see what the other 14 girls have done to this point though since most of us haven’t seen each others’ work. It’ll also be nice to find out whether or not we are getting models from Elite, and makeup done by M.A.C., but we’ll have to see...
To add to the madness, I’ve picked up a collaborative project with Candice, a grad student in the Newhouse Milestone program. To give some background on Milestone – it’s a joint program between Newhouse and Fashion where students from Newhouse combine their mass media/communications skills with ideas and work from the fashion department to put together student run magazines, websites, videos, etc. For the remainder of the semester, I will be working with her on photo shoots and interviews as she puts together a website to display the process of putting a collection together. Our first official meeting was today, and I showed her what I have completed thus far – explaining my concepts, etc. We also discussed what exactly she would like to do schedule-wise since she has her own deadline to meet. (When I get more info pertaining to the site’s URL I will let you guys know so you can check it out.)
Tomorrow is the second meeting of the NYC Fashion Show. Hopefully it’s not as terribly nerve-wracking as I think it’ll it be because we have to show what we have completed so far to faculty members. It will be exciting to see what the other 14 girls have done to this point though since most of us haven’t seen each others’ work. It’ll also be nice to find out whether or not we are getting models from Elite, and makeup done by M.A.C., but we’ll have to see...
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
I Made It!!!
I get to show in New York City!!!
As a booster for our program, we were graciously gifted a 4 year grant to produce a show in New York City for each year's senior class, starting with the class of 2008 (that's me!!). Announced in the fall semester, we were told that the 30 students in our class would be competing for 1 of 15 spots (the department's goal is to take about half of each year's seniors) to display our senior collection in the city to alumni, press, and designers. That means for a lucky group of us, we'll be able to show our work twice, meaning more exposure to possible employers.
Three weeks into this semester, we presented our first outfit to a panel of 8 judges comprised of SU faculty, a local boutique buyer, and professors from another art institute. After our initial presentation, we put our outfits on display again at the annual Crouse Auxillary Fashion Show. The decision came 2 days later, and there my name was amongst 14 other students!
Our first meeting discussed the logistics of the show, and what possibly will be happening. We discovered the show will be held on the 60th floor of the JP Morgan Chase Building, at 8PM on Tuesday, May 13th. As of right now, the show will be styled by professional fashion stylist Brandon Cannon. With his help, we are hoping to get models from Elite Management Models, and make-up done by M.A.C. Cosmetics. The guest list is said to be very long, including VPA alumni (we are hoping to get Betsy Johnson and Vanessa Williams to attend), and all major fashion designers. If the department can pull this off, then our next hope is that the major fashion publications (Vogue, Elle, W, Harper's, etc,) will come out to cover our event.
Our next meeting is coming up soon, so here's to hoping that everything works out!
Cross your fingers for me!
As a booster for our program, we were graciously gifted a 4 year grant to produce a show in New York City for each year's senior class, starting with the class of 2008 (that's me!!). Announced in the fall semester, we were told that the 30 students in our class would be competing for 1 of 15 spots (the department's goal is to take about half of each year's seniors) to display our senior collection in the city to alumni, press, and designers. That means for a lucky group of us, we'll be able to show our work twice, meaning more exposure to possible employers.
Three weeks into this semester, we presented our first outfit to a panel of 8 judges comprised of SU faculty, a local boutique buyer, and professors from another art institute. After our initial presentation, we put our outfits on display again at the annual Crouse Auxillary Fashion Show. The decision came 2 days later, and there my name was amongst 14 other students!
Our first meeting discussed the logistics of the show, and what possibly will be happening. We discovered the show will be held on the 60th floor of the JP Morgan Chase Building, at 8PM on Tuesday, May 13th. As of right now, the show will be styled by professional fashion stylist Brandon Cannon. With his help, we are hoping to get models from Elite Management Models, and make-up done by M.A.C. Cosmetics. The guest list is said to be very long, including VPA alumni (we are hoping to get Betsy Johnson and Vanessa Williams to attend), and all major fashion designers. If the department can pull this off, then our next hope is that the major fashion publications (Vogue, Elle, W, Harper's, etc,) will come out to cover our event.
Our next meeting is coming up soon, so here's to hoping that everything works out!
Cross your fingers for me!
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