..::

Have you ever walked into a house, apartment or even a condo that wasn't decorated? How did it make you feel?
Was it inviting?
How did the air feel?
Did you want to stay long?
Did it stand out to you?

Well if you visited a house that didnt really allow you to feel anything, wasnt really inviting, and was kind of cold; you probably felt uninvited. And probably remember it but not in a positive way.

That is not a good feeling. Homes are supposed to leave lasting impressions and make you feel warm and welcomed. When you think of a home you think of a place where you feel comfortable and content and you actually want to be there.


Home fashions even when you cant afford to buy a house... what sense does that make? A lot of people are well aware that the housing market is down, and funds are low. Yet and still, there are some who can actually afford to spice up their life a little bit.

Home fashions believe it or not is actually a huge field. When thinking about it though, why wouldn't someone want their house to be fashionable?

Decorating a house allows the dwelling space to be more inviting, more enticing and most importantly more homey.

I feel that when people truly put their mind to it, by the time one is finished adding shine to their living area, it in turn seems to be a reflection of whoever it was that decorated the house.

..::Speak to my heart!!

There was a wonderful atmosphere in class today. I felt that i had witnessed a presentation that for the first time felt real to me. It actually felt relavant and I was focused on all of the things that she had to say. Her presentation I feel did a great job in involving everyone.


The speaker today was really heart warming.

It truly inspired me to know that hard work indeed plays off.

I loved the way that she was truly enthusiastic about what she was doing.

Truly motivated and excited about doing her work, this recent graduate of UNCG open heartedly expressed the real world after college. She explained the many options that you have within the field that she was in. This was the first time that I had ever heard of the thread that I use being something extra great. When I found out that there was another division to this thread company that I thought was just a “thread company” I was amazed at this option.

Challenges make you appreciate the great outcomes::.

A lot of times people take for granted all that goes into retail. There is a lot of hard work, hours and commitment when dealing with this area of any industry. However in the fashion portion of it i feel more challenges arise.

Anytime


Most things don't ever come that easily, and it seems things are much harder in retail.

There are so many things that could possibly go wrong in retail but there are also things that are positive challenges.

When you have a store that sells the same or similar merchandise that you do it is a competitive challenge to go ahead and out do the next person so that your business can be successful.



What happens if the money gets funny? What happens if shipments go wrong. Want happens if distributors do not come on time?


These are all things that people in charge of retail stores have to deal with and think about. All of these things affect the merchandise and goods that stores are able to deliver to consumers.

I wouldn't::..SWEAT... WOULD U?..::

SWEAT
SHOPS
HEART
STOPS
BODY
PUMPS
BLOOD
WORKS
HARDER
THAN
THE AVERAGE
WORKS
PRIDE
HURTS
STRENGTH
POWER
HOPE
THEY
END...














To me there is no harsher way to be treated than to work in conditions that even animals wouldn't prefer to live in. Dark damp places. Hot and humid. A room where morning and night merge into one and there aren't shifts. Its "you work 'til you are done". What are breaks, and if they even exist how long do they last?

What did anyone do to deserve this? How do you enlist? What such crime is this that no one gets caught... Its a game that everyone tries to hide from the government, but the government knows whats going on. They know so very well. They know that they aren't going to cough up the money to make the situations better.

How would it feel to work in a place where you cant even show your family or children because most of them are illegal and have "secret"passage ways? But then again, your children could be working in them too...

Its sad that an economy can be so bad that one of the largest industries in the world has to be produced in some of the lowest of lowest conditions by people who are soooo skilled or either not skilled at all. Yet its worse when conditions are soooo bad that the workers do not even notice how bad they are anymore...

and these facts:
-"Hunched over a sewing machine for over 50 hours a week, many workers suffer permanent health problems, such as back injuries and poor eyesight."(Epoch Times) Should be enough to make anyone cringe...
-Rare breaks of 30mins...
-Systematic ...
-Assaults...



http://www.fundamentalfinance.com/blogs/sweatshops-child-labor.php

FASHiON: USEfUL ARt

It is awesome when a designer feels that they are free enough to truly express themselves through design and be backed by their supporters.

Milan's Fashion Week definitely hosts many designers that seem to share this freedom of expression. However I feel that Versace does a great job of incorporating the art side of fashion into wonderful and wearable clothing... The structure of her designs help to define shapes but those shapes are not as evident as the ones that she creates by zippers.

This is truly innovative as well as clever. It is something that seemed until this point to be overlooked (the use of a zipper as something as other than a zipper.) She uses them almost as one would use ribbons. They are used to enhance the garment.

They were "used as trim, shoulder straps, braid and decoration on taut cotton cocktails, curvy hipped party frocks,...One totally cool dress even had the zipper twisted into a heart shape, the better to highlight the love of closure."

Seeing this line in my opinion is comparable to going to an art show or gallery. Its like you can tell the same designer designed each piece, however each presentation has its own unique flair.
So i guess in that case you can ask yourself the question of this type of fashion... "is it an art or can it be used". Versace in my mind specifically does a great job in merging the two. Especially if Milan is known for the ART of fashion. Reason being is because I am not that familiar with the Milan fashion weeks, however opon seeing this years, it seemed to be compatible with the weeks in Paris and New York.

Either way, I love it... fashion is definitely useful art =)

http://www.fashionwiredaily.com/first_word/fashion/article.weml?id=2189

http://www.fashionwiredaily.com/first_word/fashion/article.weml?id=2189

http://www.style.com/

A dESiGNER'S MiND 8-)

What goes on in a designer’s mind
as time goes by
as they watch a clean slate
they wait to create
they think
they reason
and then start to scribble
until their scribble becomes what they take pride in
confide in
grow to love…

Well the mind is creating, creating something new, something special, something fresh. To be honest I don’t really know what goes on in my mind… I really think that it’s just an outlet. For me it’s a way to find out how creative I can be during a certain situation or time in my life, when I am going through a lot.

I am not thinking about when someone can wear this, or why, I guess I’m thinking more of how they would look in it and would others want it because they see it on you. I like to think of my designs being worn on someone one day and that person is called a trendsetter. In that manner I guess I like to try new things with random colors (that aren’t so random anymore because EVERYBODY is doing it now.) Creativity is the biggest thing for me I guess. It’s like what can I do that someone else hopefully hasn’t done or will do by the time I show my design off.

Some of what I sketch may not be realistic and could look as if I designed it for a couture line or something but I don’t do that on purpose. I want to make money doing what I love and I don’t think couture fashion right now is in my goal reach because the chances of me being highly successful in that is kind of slim. Never the less when I sketch I think of myself sometimes as more of just a fashion illustrator… at times that feels better anyway. Then I know that my work really can’t be critique.


When I sketch I don’t think I think about the outcome. I just sketch until my heart is content. I pile things on and add on and add on until I feel free of my emotions that I am feeling inside. It’s hard for me to pick up a pencil and say, “I’m going to sketch a wedding dress” because then if I actually do sketch one more than likely I will not be satisfied with it. Now that definitely goes on in my head. I always think of what someone else is going to say when I sketch something and sometimes because of that I am harsh on myself. I know they say don’t worry about what people say or think, but in this business someone HAS to like it.

I feel like the colors that I use are a pure reflection of how I feel at a particular time and fill in the blanks where I feel a part of me is missing. As color draws more attention and attraction to the work, it adds more joy and hope to my day. If I feel said I will use more cool colors and grays, I guess it really doesn’t matter. I’ve never thought about the same the design in a different color than what I color it so I guess that’s something I need to grow out of.

Until then I just try my best and hope my best is enough…

WORLD WiLD fAShiON:..

Everybody knows that American designers aren’t truly known for expressing a truly innovative “out of the box” creation, however it doesn’t mean that you cant appreciate them. When looking at designers across the world they (though they are different) all share one thing. A lot of them choose to incorporate a piece of a culture that either they identify with, sympathize with or are just plain infatuated with. Incorporating these different ethnic flairs isn’t something new, but it is presented in awesome ways each time new lines are created. Vera Wang in this year’s NY Fashion week according to style.com defiantly incorporated a nice Indian theme, using colors, shapes, and scarves…

Fashion is on the rise as the sun is daily to the world. It is emerging as the light for many paths that people choice to take today. Fashion captivates, motivates and inspires… and fashion is a huge wave. With the technological field of textiles and manufacturing of choice fabrics, many styles are able to be transferred across cultures. First fashion changes take place within the culture and then waves through other cultures. So yes I do feel that fashion is dependent from knowledge of and about cultures besides your own.

Who makes you feel as if you want to “rock” that style? Who is that is the trendsetter in your life? Well if you answer that question it probably comes from the well known trickledown theory. It is a process that suggests that fashion trends emerge from the top of a particular social status and economic class in most cases and is translated into the everyday styles of “common” people up to months later. Well the same thing happens with Ethnic influences. There are soooo many different ethnic groups who have their own styles. Therefore it seems only natural that merchandisers, (when doing their research) “cop” their styles. In my opinion, this way of influencing fashion gives everyone a broader range of fashion ideas unless a particular style is exploited in a negative manner.

It is soooo easy to incorporate your own style into a style that you see that someone else portrays. With that same mindset that is the same exact way multiple ethnics definitely find their ways into American style of dress especially. With the introduction of the most recent scarves, way back to when the tie dyes became the hottest trends. Both are things that yes we as Americans use, but were adapted from Indian and or African cultures. In the sixties what we know as “tie- dye” was the absolute way to go! Yet and still it was definitely a branch off of a technique called bandhani which was an ancient process used by ancient nations. (University of Hawaii, 1989) This proves that these processes really do affect dress.

http://udel.edu/~orzada/india1960.htm
http://www.style.com/

http://www.sillysak.com/images/HPIM0432%20tie%20dye%203.jpg

..::Real Fashion Lasts Longer than a WEEk!

When thinking about fashion a lot of things come to mind. It’s all about creativity, imagination, uniqueness, and style that drives individuality and provides a passion for a love called fashion.

It’s a mind thing. And patterns and paper is a designer’s breeding ground for success…

Each designer begins with the same slate, the same bodice front... but how do they manipulate it so that their own ideas are able to be birthed. Emerging from the greatness of everlasting freedom, the designers' in this year's New York Fashion Week gave the audience a new sense of looking at clothing and a new respect for the tangible.

Colors and flowy patterns to edgy plaids with stripes all strategically placed. Even though at times it appeared that the designers (in the most respectful tone) threw them together. Yet nothing mattered because somehow they all were the Picasso's of fashion.

But which designer is the best? What is my opinion? What do I think about the New York Fashion Week?

This year’s fashion week in New York to me brought forth a lot of new things while keeping in touch with older clothing trends and themes.It seemed like the designers for Marc Jacobs and especially Rodarte explored with futuristic elements by intertwining older eras and connecting future themes… yet and still it supportive of the present.

Both Marc Jacobs and Rodarte had a great sense of cohesiveness in their show and lines, (which can be found at http://video.style.com/). Marc Jacobs and his notable hats made him unique and the innovative use of wires for the shoes each girl wore for the Rodarte line completed each look in an astonishing way.

Honestly I like the designs and pieces (though there were only a few that I might realistically wear) gave me a need to appreciate them.
I think shiny fabrics were definitely in this year as well. Almost every designer seemed to allow some type of material whether silk, rayon or acetate, to escape on to the runway and attach itself to a garment of choice.

Then there was another element that seemed to be lurking in the shadows: bare skin! I noticed that a lot of collections presented gave the limbs freedom to do as they pleased and seemed to relax the outfits a lot. I am guessing it is to suggest that spring 2009 will be one of freedom of motion... and freedom of motion allows the body to feel free...

It was said by reporters of http://www.style.com/ that designers such as Francisco Costa (Calvin Klein) came up with the term and style entitled "soft geometry" and it is absolutely amazing how he was able to work the fabric to bend, fold and give the illusions of geometric shapes and figures. This could suggest that something about the upcoming spring: something "new" is going to "shape" our "future".

The future is clearly fashion: and fashion definitely lasts LONGER than a week...

http://video.style.com/?fr_story=1322964abcefdb7eab6fb03dd3d737a991155bb3&rf=bm

http://www.style.com/fashionshows/collections/S2009RTW/

http://video.style.com/?fr_story=a0b98246855227e8e2b13ed5867c67d901801f80&rf=bm

http://video.style.com/?fr_story=b88238bfc0fe91f4b0f7b3e78d21ea0b20a9c7bc&rf=bm

ORGANiC... WhAT??

Soooooooooo!
What’s the deal with organic stuff?

I mean I don’t own it personally and I guess if I did then I could decide how I felt about the product itself. So I guess I will discuss my opinion on having organic clothing and other organic things available, instead of my personal experience with it.

It seems pretty innovative to me. I wonder would anyone notice if I wore like an “eco friendly” outfit. I wonder would someone call me out and say “HEY! She’s going green! She has on the latest organic frock!” Um, seriously, I don’t think so… it would be nice, but probably unrealistic. I don’t even think anyone would be able to tell… I mean, would you? I know if I saw you right now at this moment and time I probably would not even notice the fact that you have on an organic outfit. So what is the big idea about investing in it?

I feel that organic production is a great way to go about developing clothing in particular, or the fibers and fabrics for them because it really is by a large margin better for the land. It uses no chemicals or as few as possible and every single thing is dealt with care. With that it has to better for your skin too. Yet not only does it benefit us, but it is beneficial to the bugs, insects, animals and even the water we drink by being cautious, and revamping our overly “chemicalfied” methods of doing things.

I really do think that owning organic items would make one more prideful of themselves. I think that things would possibly last a little longer since it is more expensive and it is natural. People like to be seen as environment friendly and pro green so I am sure a trend with these things (as it sort of is now) will completely emerge into a big boom. Yet until then I’m sure that prices for organic materials will still be sky rocket until the supply and demand chain readjusts itself based upon the upcoming trends and consumer wants and needs.

When “going GREEN with everything” becomes the new “IN” thing to do- I am so sure that EVERYONE is going to start going eco crazy! Since dress is a lot of our communication method in the us, I am sure everyone would want to seem as if they believed in caring about the world and land and trees… its like a sign of support. “I support the environment.”

Yet and still I feel that the production of none organic items will still thrive because it has for many years. People are so used to just picking up what they see and not really worried about what they are picking up, so at that; that mindset will probably still be the same. Who honestly looks at care tags and labels prior to purchasing a consumer good? However NOTHiNG is wrong with doing that. And in fact nothing is wrong with organic items. I think the thought is pretty warming, and I guess if I save up the money, I will by a t-shirt that’s organic… even if it does

look the same as the non organic shirt and costs like twice as much… atleast i will feel good about it.

..::Tracy Reese::..

Wow what a very bubbly and "personable" person Tracy is!!

She was a very average person who started off with goals and dreams and made them happen. She is very passionate and it truly comes out in her work. Tracy Reese is an African American designer that came from humble beginnings. Sewing for her and the women in her family was almost like a tradition, it bounded them together. She started designing at a young age and is very successful in the current day. I love her clothing, I love her fabric, I love her taste.
No matter what size you are or shape or even race, Tracy has a style that can complement your body type. She has a wide variety of designs that look good on, and even off the runway. I love her because to me she is unique and no matter what she adds spunk to every outfit and collection she puts out.
From cute every day outfit, to work church and even formal events, it seems Tracy has all the looks covered. She also completes the looks with her accessory lines of handbags and shoes. Her pieces are equally represented in runway events and competitive with other designers. By the way her work is displayed in magazines such as Bazaar, Vogue and ELLE etc.
I like that she uses such a vast array of colors. It’s like she allows the colors to inspire her art, her fashion. Once she is set on a print that she likes, she will produce lines with that same color and or fabric. To me that is really good because it allows buyers to have a lot of choices. From pinks to blues, to oranges and browns she seems to really absorb different hues. She likes the frilly girl look, as she enjoys flowered prints and looser and lighter fabrics, however she does venture out. While she likes her designs to flow off the body, she also has pieces that emphasis the small waist etc. I love her versatility.
However what I believe I like most about her is the fact that she is an example that hard work does pay off. Not only is she a great designer, but she has all the tools to run almost every aspect of her business. She started low on the “fashion” scale and emerged into greatness. Working with designers such as Perry Ellis, she gained a lot of experience and it opened her eyes to the other side of fashion such as opening her own boutiques.
Her main store is located in New York, but of course there are others. Even the atmospheres in her stores reflect the attitudes of the products being sold there.
Her website is absolutely amazing. It is put together very nicely and even permits online shopping. I enjoy looking at all the past collections and even the new ones. It is a really nice feature to be able to see all of her collections (or the ones showcased at that time) online. You should check it out! http://www.tracyreese.com/