Night

I had shared with you a glimpse of my senior thesis collection a while back here and here.   The collection took inspiration from the turbulent sea storms off the coast of Ireland set against a dark stormy night along with Irish fishermen culture.  However, I had tinkered with quite a few other ideas for inspiration in the beginning of the process before it got narrowed down to the essence of what I really wanted to explore with my work. 


One of these ideas that I did work with for quite a while in the beginning, was the concept of nighttime, and how the darkness changed behaviors in people and how certain events or emotions were perceived.  I had come across the works of a Hungarian photographer named Brassai who is perhaps most well known for his shots of the Paris night scenes in the 1920s and 30s.  Mix these extraordinarily inspiring images with a nighttime photography exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and my love of the 2011 Midnight in Paris film, and I thought I had my heart set on a strong concept for Senior Thesis. 


In the beginning stages of play and exploration, I thought it would be interesting to venture out on my ownand attempt some nighttime photography of the vibrant street scenes of midtown Manhattan with my crappy point and shoot digital camera. 

I know I am not the best photographer, in fact, I barely know how to operate one.  However, I think the essence of these photos still captures the bare minimum spirit of the city and my lovely editing skills on Photoshop and Picnik added a modern take to the images. 


Next time, you guys get to see what I ended up doing with these photographs in my development of the original thesis collection.  Stay tuned!

Novice

It's really fun to look back on your old work sometimes.  Though I am sure you will hopefully enjoy it as much as I do...

This look was created during my first winter break of my freshman year in college.  I had gotten more involved with Fine Arts at that point, which provided a different, but equally enriching, perspective on creativity and design. 

I still had not had any formal training in fashion design at the time, although it is just as fun to drape and experiment with different silhouettes and pattern layouts.  I had wanted to drape with the idea of a circular pattern shape at first, that changed in width, almost like a very subtle spiral. 

I'm not quite sure how this exact skirt design came about, but I loved working in a very unpredictable manner and letting a kind of innate design sense take over. 

 I wanted to create a skirt where the front and back are different designs, but can be worn both ways. 

I have thought a lot about whether or not I should sell this look on Etsy.  It is a product of much labor and love, and since it came about in a very un-calculated process, I am not sure I can fully re-create it.  Just like a fine work of art, it is indeed unique.  However, I have no place for it and I am always looking to the future of my creativity - on to bigger and better things.  I would also love for it to find another home where someone can appreciate it perhaps more than I do. 

So...any thoughts, my dear readers?   Part with it on Etsy or keep it for my personal archives?  Would you buy a dress like this?

Store Update

New Items in the Shop!

There's a little bit of everything, so please browse around and shop to your heart's content!

Etsy Store

Glamorous Evening Gown Illustration $4.00

Genuine Eel Skin Wallet $7.00

Crystal Stretch Bracelet $4.00

Draped Blouse $14.00

Chic Black Top $10.00

Vintage Genuine Suede Miniskirt $14.00

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner

Competition Update:


3rd Place!!!

 

Thanks for your support; I have absolutely enjoyed reading all of your lovely comments.  They really add inspiration and a sense of optimism to all the hard work :) 

And...I just recently added ads to this site, as one more way to make some meager income (hopefully!) being the starving artist that I am now.  Apologies if they are a bit annoying.  I, however, started to notice them just today and actually think a few of them are quite randomly hilarious!  Feel free to click away on the ads in support of not only myself but Google, and said companies as well!

Love Hurts When You Do It Right

So the title really has nothing to do with this post - I'm a bit obsessed with the music of Robyn lately...


I've been listening to her quite a bit as I've been working these past few months.  And now, I thought I would show you all a bit of my sketchbook from this past year!  Most of the work I have posted so far has been more of a finished result, and I thought sharing the process would be just as interesting for the readers.   Kind of an exclusive behind the scenes look, if you will :)

Enjoy!

!!!

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I had participated in a design competition via Inspirare.  I've just been notified that I have one of the top 100 designs selected that will go through to the panel of judges to determine the final 30, which will win the top prizes. 


Very exciting news to a rather lackluster week so far, indeed.  Thank you all for your support!  And while entries for the competition are now closed, I still encourage all of you to discover the talent that is on that website, or to sign up for it as well if you are designers too!

Fingers crossed :)

Knit Lace Tank Top

Got so inspired by Craig Lawrence, featured in the previous post, that I decided to whip out a little knit lace number myself.


Available now on Etsy!

Coincidentally quite similar in style to a little knit dress seen in M. Patmos' recent Resort 2012 collection, so you know you will be on trend with this piece!

Craig Lawrence

Stumbled across this video clip on Youtube, and thought it was an absolute must share, especially for those creators out there!

As a knitwear designer myself, I really admire Craig Lawrence's attention to detail and his very hands-on approach to his work.  Especially with knitwear, I personally think it is important to maintain a personal connection to the clothing. 

When most people think of knits, their first thought is probably of their favorite comfy knit sweater.   But knitwear can be so much more - it can transcend winter-wear into being slinky lacy floor length gowns for a elegant event.  And with the addition of the Swarovski crystals intertwined with the yarn - something I didn't even know was possible -the fabric created by this designer has a unique eveningwear feel to it. 

I'm definitely very excited to see what the future holds for this talented, exciting new designer.

Wanderlust

I'm currently hard at work at a few side projects, in which you shall see the beginning stages here soon enough.  It seems that the harder I work, the more I think about vacation and traveling.  Unlike many of my peers, I have not had much opportunity to visit places both exotic and afar.  However, the memories that I cherish the most from travels, such as making new friends and great photo-ops, have been just as easily experienced in little day trips taken to nearby locales. 

I also realized that in the past year alone, I may not have visited a faraway land, but I have been to more new places than ever before in my life.  Here's a look back at a few of my travels of '11-12.

Long Beach, Long Island, NY

Jones Beach, Long Island, NY

Baltimore, Maryland, USA

Baltimore

Boscobel Gardens, Cold Spring, NY

Cold Spring

Boston, Massachusetts

Langham Hotel and Gardens, Pasadena, CA

 

Apparently, I like to go to places that are by a body of water, or have lots of gardens!

Which places are you planning on visiting this summer?

Sketching Away

Random illustrations I found as I was cleaning out my closet the other day.  Some are up for sale on Etsy now, so please take a moment to check it out!