Textile Friday: The Color Of Your Heart

        Wow, sometimes in fashion you get to see something beautiful and unique that takes your breath away a little. This week, I ran across one of those moments, which I am now sharing my joy with you. Watch this beautiful video of this leather and e-paper dress that responds to the beat of it's wearer's heart by changing color. Produced by Studio Roosegaarde, this is truly a modern work of art. I love how there's always something new in this business. An unexpected thrill of something yet to be discovered or surprised by. May your job excite and fill you with wonder too.

Textile Friday: Draping, Japanese Origami in Fabric

               For those who have known me for years, you know I've loved folding origami since childhood. I've sent out Christmas postcards of stars and am fascinated with how it's possible to take something very simple starting out and create something complex. Considering I'm at Animazement this week, I thought I would celebrate my first love of draping, Japanese folding. Some of you may be familar with the TED talk a few years ago by Robert Lang on how he uses computers to model complex shapes to create in paper.
                 As a kid, I thought paper was awesome. As an adult, I've come to see that everything that one can do in paper, on can do with infinite variety in fabric. It creates a marriage of sorts for me between the two, my childhood love and my adult one. You see origami based construction more in societies that drape which means it is more common in Asian culture and French. It is also more common in couture design as many of the fabric manipulation techniques have not been forgotten or are considered worth the expense to do right.
                   Most designers learn some variation of this in school which is actually called "adjusting for fit without darts", "hidden ease", or a myriad of different ways of saying folding the fabric. My favorite "draper" to stalk right now is Shingo Sato who runs the TR Cutting School in Milan. You can see them make lots of different projects on youtube and I love watching the weekly project they post. Draping takes a lot longer than flat-pattern so it's not used as much any more, but for this week with Animazement, I thought it would be worth it to share a little of my joy with you. Draping is what I do in my spare time to work on my game and increase my handskills for complex projects.
                 Have a great week and good luck seeing you at the show.

Textile Friday: The Fashion 40%

       Ahhh, fashion...the wardrobe spark that makes you, you. This is your voice to express your taste. The hardest, most fickle part of building a wardrobe. Most fashionistas, stylists, and who's who scramble each year to pull out the trends for the season. If you watch the runways, people will talk about this or that being in. How, every 6 months you throw everything away and start over. While this is not true for your core wardrobe, it is often true for a handful of "in" items that are in every season. 99% of the waste and fun of the fashion industry comes from "fashion." Fashion is the little things that make you, you. Think of style as the canvas and fashion as the paint. Fashion is the flirty shoes you have for your date night, your favorite bracelet cuff you wear with your jeans, the hot little top you just can't live without.
         Style.com makes a great "shopping guide" you can see here. These cute earrings are from their spring guide. It will tell you what prints are in and accessories. In general, fashion has a 2 1/2 year turn cycle so you will need to buy 1 piece every season to stay current. This will be 40% of you overall shopping budget. However, the point of fashion is to express your taste not slavishly follow what the "experts" say. In general taste changes with time. The you of today will not necessarily like the things you do 5 years later. And that's fine.
         If you are in love with butterflies, or a particular movie, or something in particular speaks to you, buy it. Don't second guess yourself. This season I'm into the concept of lunch escapes, this fall it will be something different. Fashion accessories are traditionally:

1. Jewelry- Your watch, earrings, necklace, bracelet, etc. Many people will buy an entire set (matching necklace, bracelet, and earrings) instead of just 1 or 2 pieces at time. There's some really great jewelry talent in the area. This is something I particularly love to shop for at arts and crafts shows as a small unique piece of wearable art.

2. Hats- Come and go. Some people never wear them, some people are never without them. Hats in general are the fastest changing items of fashion. They provide a perception of elongating the face so people with short necks or particularly round faces often do well with hats. Choose a hat that goes with your face.

3. Summer Bag- While your everyday leather bag should be the highest quality you can buy, many people have a second summer cloth bag or purse to drag to the park or on vacation that they will switch out every few years. It is often wise to have your bag complimentary to your spring scarf in case the weather leads you to a cross over.

4. Fashion Shoes- I like to think of these as flirty date shoes. But then I have like 12 pairs so no comment. The women's shoe department is called the "shark tank" in retail for a reason. Many guys have summer sandals or tennis shoes.

5. Athletic workout gear- Have a favorite sport, budget it in your fashion wardrobe part. Athletic gear rarely works as long as core wardrobe. Much of it today has spandex which tends to fall apart.

6. Sexy Lingerie/Swimwear- Summer swim trucks or that hot little number? Apply here.

7. Scarves/Prints- Many of the season's prints are lovely on a silk scarf and much cheaper than in a dress. These go really great if lighter colored to flatter your face in the spring when you're washed out from the pale winter season.

8. Winter Scarves, Gloves, Mittens, and Specialty Wear- Alright, I've mentioned the basics, now remember that accessories vary according to your taste. If you live in the tropics, you may want to pick up some beach sarongs, or in New York...a beautiful pair of leather gloves.

             Whatever you buy, enjoy. This is my grandfather's gift to me. I hope that it will keep you in good company as well. I miss him very much and this is my regift to you, my readers of a small portion of the wisdom he lent me. Have a great week and check in next week when we go motorcycle racing.


       

Opening A New Door

         "There is a time for everything." -King Solomon Ecclesiastes

          Thanks everyone who came out to the photoshoot this weekend. It was fun to have you all. I've been spending the weekend relaxing and enjoying the weather. I love sharing the beauty of this area with others.
            Moving out to our new location has been amazing in terms of feeling as if it's also a positive parallel shift for both the company and myself personally. It's forced me to take a hard look at our personal and professional habits. Some of which need to change. Like personally drinking more water and taking lunch breaks to work-out, the company seems due to a similar tune-up. One of the great things about getting a new space is it shakes out the cobwebs of habit.
              Some of these have been obvious to me, I just hestitated to make the change. One is a desire to stop teaching beginning classes on a regular basis and cut back on my responsibilities that do not directly involve our company mission statement. I love the occasional moonlighting for a girl friend or guest invitation, but I've always felt happier working with my hands than giving lectures. There's something very real about making something people wear everyday with my hands that makes the smiles seem more real to me. Anyways, I hope to do more fun clothing this year. I've got a few surprises up my sleeve for spring and some new textiles I hope you enjoy. To a new exciting season and fun looks. Have a great day.