Mixing patterns
Wedding lace
Panne velvet
Fashion's newest accessory
Satin gown
Leather and lace
Lace and fur
Sequins, modern
Sequins, Hollywood style
In one word, “frantic.”
Because I’m in the Professional Designation program, I’m doing the program at FIDM at an accelerated pace, which means insanity. The first day of this quarter’s classes I went to my Creative Design Theory class and got the first homework assignment: Do 7 technical flats and one full illustration using a croquis and full rendering of fabric color, texture and pattern. That may sound like gibberish to you, but you’ll understand the point that I had not yet produced a croquis, nor learned how to do flats or render fabric color, texture and pattern — all of these things were to be introduced in Fashion Sketching II, which I would be taking AT THE SAME TIME! And, coincidentally, immediately FOLLOWING the design theory class.
So you can see how I felt a big panicked at the beginning. Oh, and there’s the small fact that the teachers for those two classes — while both being excellent teachers — also are known as the most demanding homework-wise for their respective courses. I had a little meltdown a week or so ago from the lack of sleep and pressure to get everything done perfectly not just for those two classes but the other three as well. I’m doing better now, after finally setting myself down for a stern talking to, realizing I don’t have to get straight As in all my classes if it means destroying my health and sanity in the process. (I’ve gained a little weight from the fact that I don’t have time to cook and I spend just about every day sitting for 10 hours straight (at least) either doing homework, sitting in class or sitting at an office desk for work.
I’m doing much better now, physically and mentally. It helps to know that in just over a month I’m going to go to Seoul on my break and see Sang and the kids! (Yes, you heard it here first!) I’ve got two weeks off, and I’m going to just go bask in my family.
More on everything later!
The new season of Project Runway is supposed to begin in March, and it was shot right here at FIDM in Los Angeles? My first quarter here they had one floor of one of the buildings sectioned off just for the show, and on one day they had an outdoor set-up in the park outside the main building. Unfortunately, I never saw Heidi, Tim or Michael, but it’s going to be exciting seeing our school suddenly gain in reputation once the season starts!
Oh, and Mood Designer Fabrics also opened a branch in L.A., which I happened to go and visit a couple of weeks ago to source fabrics for a class project. They definately had some nice stuff, but it had absolutely nothing on Tongdaemun Market!
Speaking of Project Runway, who should have been my substitute teacher the first two weeks of my Creative Design Theory class but Season 2 contestant Andre Gonzolo (of ‘What ever happened to Andre?’ fame)! He is a part-time instructor at the school and is a fantastically sweet man who is very knowledgable. He was also generous enough to pose for a picture with me so I could send it to my daughter so she could see her mother hobnobbing with celeb designers (Andre was one of her two favorites on all of the seasons, the other being Nick Verreos, who is also an instructor at FIDM, coincidentally). I would post the pic here, but since his look has completely changed, he might be trying to go incognito, and I wouldn’t want to spoil that for him!
Drumroll please.
I finally got photos of the very first wedding gown of my newfound career! Yes, Elena and Ajay were married in January in Albuquerque, New Mexico and Elena looked fabulous in the gown we created and negotiated for in Korea. I ordered a couple of the professional photos for my portfolio, and I’m posting the miniatures of them from here. I’m so happy the way the dress turned out, not just for myself, but because it had a part in making the day special for my friend. (And let me tell you, I was SOOOOOO nervous about something going wrong in the making, since I was here in the States and she was there in Korea while the fittings were being done!)
So, without further ado, here are the results:
Elena looking gorgeous and happy
Off to the honeymoon
May everyone’s resolutions stick, may we all have a prosperous New Year, and may the Korean won stop holding my money hostage.
It’s nearly time for Elena’s wedding in Albuquerque (Best wishes, sweetie!) and she’ll be wearing the gown I designed for her (and made the sample for, and negotiated in Korean for — see previous posts in the archives for the full story on that!). I haven’t seen it yet, but I heard she’s really happy with it, which of course makes me happy! When I see pictures of it, I’ll be sure to pass them on.
It occurred to me that I never got around to posting the pics of Kristin in the bridesmaid’s dress I designed and made for her. My first official commission. So here it is, in a variety of poses from the casual pics taken at her brother’s wedding.
It’s official! I got a 4.0 for my first quarter at FIDM! I’m on the President’s Honor Roll. Total Shocker (My brother’s response to that: “Only to you.).
Today was Christmas in Korea, so the kids opened up their presents in front of the webcam, so I got to share in the Christmas tradition thing with them. Jason was his usual suave self, opening each present and moving on to the next. Donnie took more time to appreciate and declared that she loved them all. Jason then said, “Good-bye,” and disappeared. So it was a good time. They have plans to go see Journey to the Center of the Earth. Of course, I wish I were there! In late March I have another break for 2-1/2 weeks, so I’m going to go visit then, come hell or high water.
I still have another week or so off, so I’m going to catch up with pics and things I’ve been promising ya’ll for eons. In the meantime, have a wonderful Christmas, New Year, and any other holiday you happen to subscribe to.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!
As you can probably guess from my lack of posting, I’ve been really busy trying to get everything done for my first quarter back at school in 17 years! I must say, I really enjoyed being back at school. Despite being tired and/or exhausted a lot of the time, that is. Well, I can’t completely blame that on school. Getting used to getting up at 5am, taking the train into LA each morning and sitting on the opposite side of the desk was a challenge. The teachers and I had a lot in common (duh), so I developed a rapport with them. I made a couple of good friends among the students, and everything I learned is going to be useful to me in the future.
The final project for drafting was to sew up a dress using the pattern we spent the quarter constructing, and for sewing we had to sew up a shirt using the techniques we learned in class. I got a 97 and 98, respectively, and aced my finals!!!! I got As for four of my classes, and I’m thinking I’m going to get a B or B+ in the color theory class. Not because I’m not good at art, but because my eyes don’t focus and relax like they’re supposed to anymore, so I bombed a project and even getting straight As on all the subsequent projects couldn’t make it up. It’s not official, I’m waiting to see how it comes out. But I’d have to say that 4 As and a B are pretty good after all these years. (Did I mention there are no A+s?)
Before school starts again on January 8th I’m going to design a little quilted carrying case for my metal square and other rulers so as to protect the safety of my fellow train and bus passengers. It’s come close to poking people numerous times!
I’m up in San Francisco now, visiting my brother, whom I haven’t seen in 3 years. We’re hanging out watching movies, catching up. The kids and I have a date to watch them open presents on video phone on Christmas (day for them, eve for me).
I’ll update more later with facts, trivia and pictures!
Merry Christmas to all of you!
**First, some good news: I just took my first midterm exam in 15 years and got a 97% on it. (And I must admit that I got one wrong in just a bone-headed wrote-the-wrong-letter-choice-when-I-knew-the-correct-answer move.
**Newest pet peeve: “It’s like, you know, um, I like, went to, like, New York and like, hung out or something.” I swear to the god of your choice that some of these kids can talk for an hour and say 1 minute’s worth of conversation. I fear for them when they try to get a non-Gap job.
**Getting older stinks. I’m crapping out in my Color Theory class because I can’t see reflected color or subtle tints any longer.
**True story: My friend’s 5th-grader took a math test on money. She breezed through the test and then got to the last one: “How did you figure out the above answers?” Her answer: “I know my money.”
** I’m learning to loathe exchange rates and credit card balances (and yes, they are connected).
**Sleep is good. Too bad I’m seeing so little of it!
**I take the Metrolink into downtown LA four days a week (1 day for work, 3 days for classes). It’s a commuter train, and takes me 1hr 20min to 1 hour 40 minutes, depending on time of day. Generally I catch the train at either 6:30 or 7:00am, meaning I get up around 5. Welcome to the real world!
**I’m really hoping that next term I’ll have some classes that are more collaborative – I’m learning a lot, but everything is so solitary. I’m hoping to get some work that’s more group-oriented.
**We’re never as good at things as we think we will be; conversely, we’re usually much better at some things than we ever knew or will realize.
**You just can’t find Bit-o-Honey candy anywhere anymore!
As a newly-minted fashion design student (2nd week into the program), I felt it my duty to volunteer to work the Mercedes-Benz fashion shows. Here’s the story of what happened.
First off, I volunteered for two days, but the schedule changed, so I was only needed for one. On the day I worked, I drove out to Culver City where Smashbox Studios is. They had us park In a public garage a couple of miles away, and ran a shuttlebus over to the studios so we wouldn’t take up the small parking area. I got there before scheduled, so I located the stop and noticed a Wendy’s just a bit down the street. Not having had lunch, this was fortunate, and I could see the shuttlebus stop from there. I got my food, then sat at one of the outdoor tables (okay, ON the table, more precisely). So there I am, dressed all in black as requested by the organizers, with black sunglasses on, sitting casually on the table with a french fry in one hand and a drink in the other, and the restaurant speaker behind me blaring out the song, “Beverly Hills” when a police car rolls to a stop in front of me. Of course, I had that tiny “What did I do wrong?” thought flit through my head. The cop says to me, “Don’t take this the wrong way, but you look just like a Wendy’s commercial sitting there.” So funny!
I caught the bus, and then sat with the other volunteers for 45 minutes waiting to be told what to do. All of the other volunteers were 18 or 19 years old, some of them also FIDM students. Finally we were herded into the studio offices, signed our confidentiality agreements and were given t-shirts and badges to identify ourselves. Then they started divvying us up. Some were chosen to work as ushers, others to check people in off the lists, and then there were the dressers. Their job is to make sure the models get the appropriate clothing on before the show, and then help them make their change into the second outfit.
Since I had not had previous experience as a dresser, I was left in the “don’t know what to do with them” group. She kept coming back, though, saying they needed more dressers. On the third trip, no one new had shown up, so she had no volunteers for that. So I, smart-aleck that I am, said, “I dress my kids, does that count?” She laughed, blew me off, and disappeared. Less than five minutes later she returned and said, “There are eleven kids in this show. You. Come with me.” And I was in.
The show was for Ed Hardy. This line is designed by Christian Audingier. It’s streetwear using tattoo art as embellishment. It’s actually pretty cool on an individual basis, but when each piece the model is wearing has tattoo art all over it, it’s a pretty Cirque-du-Soleil atmosphere. But cool.
So I was ushered backstage. There was a long wide hallway lined on both sides with racks of clothing, each hanger holding the pieces with the models’ names and photos. I was sent to the end of the hall where a little annex was tented out for the kids’ section.
The kids were between 8 and 14 years old, and they were Disney-style singer/dancer/model kids. Quite amazing, and really nice. They were all accompanied by a mother, and only one of them was the “stage-mother” type. All the other volunteers had one model to coordinate, I had eleven! But it was fine. Surprisingly, the woman supervising me let me make some styling decisions (what should be tucked/untucked, rolled up, zipped/unzipped, etc.). We had to wait until all the models got dressed (to protect them from all the naked models) to herd them into hair and make-up. Then the mothers were dismissed and I was basically the babysitter/mother hen for the rest of the show.
I did do one thing I was very proud of. The kids opened the show with a big dance routine, and the smallest girl told me she had to do handsprings and such in the finale. I realized that it was going to be dangerous for her, because they had put her in knitted arm mitts that went over her palms and hooked over her thumb. Slip-per-y. She wanted to roll them up, but I knew the stylists wouldn’t want that, so we worked out when and where in her routine she would pull the thumbs out and push them up over her wrists. She did it and completed her stunts safely, so there were no kids with broken necks in the show.
Being older than the other volunteers, I also ended up the expert de facto. Anyone who had any questions about what to do and when asked me first, even though I was wearing the same volunteer shirt they did. I got big kudos from the nerve-shredded woman in charge and my supervisor, and now I get to put experienced dresser on my resume.
Rush, Rush, Rush!
I have tried to start this blog SO many times, and then something else I need to write about comes around and I’m even more behind! I’m going to have to sit here for at least an hour to get down everything. Okay, maybe two.
First, classes started! It was really nerve-wracking at first. Would it be weird to be twice as old (and yes, that would be an accurate calculation) of a lot of the students there? Would it be hard being on the other side of the desk from what I’m used to? Will I be able to learn to do homework again? Would I be any good at this?
Orientation was a little odd, since it was a lot of, “Success strategies for college students” and “What is a student loan?” pep-inspiring speeches. Thankfully, the student body was not my worst nightmare – young people with inordinate skills and fashion-plate visages. No, they’re just ordinary folks who love to be creative and different. I met a bunch who are also in the professional designation program, which means they have college degrees and are thus a little older than the average student. And I only got mistaken for an instructor a half-dozen times that day.
The first round of classes was … interesting. Typical college stuff, I guess. The teachers come in and scare the crap out of you to get you in line.
8:30am Thursday (The first class of my new career): Textile Science. Yeah, it’s about as exciting as it sounds. We’re memorizing properties of fibers, how fabrics (natural and man-made) are formed and how to differentiate between them. It tends to stick in your head, though. I got a perm last week and caught myself thinking, “The towels are a hydrophilic fabric, but the cape is a hydrophobic fabric.”
12:00 Thursday: Fashion Sketching I. We have to learn to draw figures with tiny heads, legs as long as a presidential speech and big old clown feet. The first assignment I turned in, the instructor said, “Your model’s got man shoulders, big hips and tiny feet!!!” To which I replied, “Well, look at me!” Gotta get out of my reality for this class. That assignment was the very first one in 20 years, so a B+ is not so bad! At least I know I’ll be able to kick fake-model butt when we get to shading and perspective.
8:30am Friday: Color Design and Theory. Value scales, color wheels, complementary colors. Basically general art. The first assignment due, though, I nearly set the house on fire. Debra’s house is filled with soft, atmospheric light, which is driving me nuts because you can’t sew or do any art projects to it. So I went out and got one of those little table lamps and a clear 60 watt bulb to go in it (which fit the manufacturer’s recommendation for fire prevention). Well, the manufacturer was wrong, because halfway through my project the house was filled with the smell of burning wire. Debra wanted me to unplug it, but I said, “I can’t! It’s 10pm, the project’s due tomorrow, and there isn’t any other light source in the house I can use!” I just stuck really close to it until I was done, but I know I’m going to have to go and buy a decent lamp soon.
8:30am Tuesday: Basic Draping and Pattern Drafting. This is the real design stuff! We use dress forms to create basic patterns. You’ve seen me do this on my little mannequin, but I was just winging it. This is with all the measurements and tricks of the trade they use, so this is the class I’m finding the most helpful thus far. I think we’re going to be creating a basic blouse and skirt set by the end of the 10 weeks through this method.
12:00 Tuesday: Industrial Sewing I. I was really discouraged the first day of this class because the very first lesson was to practice sewing straight and curved lines on an industrial sewing machine to practice control. Well, I’m good at regular sewing machines, so I thought it would be a breeze, but I just couldn’t get anything right!!! Fortunately, I found out when I had to use a different machine for my homework that it wasn’t me at all – the machine I was on was total crap! Once I’d switched, I breezed through the work with minimal problems. I know a lot of the sewing terms and tools and such, so the teacher asked me last class whether there was anything in this course so far that I didn’t know. That made me feel confident, but I did admit there were gaps in my knowledge, as well as some of the terminology, that I needed to fill in since I’m pretty much self-trained.
So those are the courses I’m taking until Christmas. So far nothing I’ve turned in is below a B+(and they don’t give out A+s), so I think I’m doing pretty well. They are CERTAINLY going to keep me busy, as there’s LOTS of homework (which I should be doing right now, but I’ve not updated anyone in so long!).
And to make me even busier…. I got a job!
Yes, on Mondays and Wednesdays I will be at work 9 to 5. How I got it is amusing. I went into the California Market Center to interview with a showroom and walked out with a job in a different showroom! Here’s how it went: The California Market Center is the heart of the fashion district in downtown LA, and about 8 blocks from my school. It’s filled with showrooms, which are basically wholesalers for designer apparel, fabric, shoes, etc. People who wish to purchase clothing to sell in their boutiques, department stores, etc come and look at the clothing in the storeroom and then order it from the manufacturer through the showroom. During Market Week (which was going on when I went in for my interview), there are representatives from all over to look at the goods. So, anyway, I went for my interview, which was for “mature” women’s wear. It was really nice clothing, the guy who interviewed me was okay, but I wasn’t feeling ecstatic about it, and you never know if you’re going to get a position right away. So I thought, “As long as I’m here…” and walked into several of the showrooms that were displaying clothing I admired. I made a little pitch, said, “I know you’re busy this week, but here’s my resume, and let me know if you need someone part-time.” The first few places kinda blew me off, but I struck gold at the next one. It was a big showroom (they represent about 10 different design lines), and it had a lot of people in it – to the point where they were looking a little overwhelmed. I went in and got introduced to the owner, who asked me a few questions, then he introduced me to his business partner, who asked me more, and then they said, “Well, can you start tomorrow? We really need someone for market week weekend.” So I went in and worked all day Saturday and Sunday, getting trained and watching how everything worked. By the end of Sunday I overheard Cary and Allen (the owners) saying they thought I worked out really well and they were very glad they took me on!
Oh, and part of my job was to wear some of the clothing as a walking advertisement, which was cool. Most of the stuff is sample-sized, so wouldn’t fit me, but some really cool jackets did. They say if I ever want to purchase any of the clothes, I can order it from the manufacturer at that wholesale price, as long as it’s just for myself. Cool! (But I’m resisting, so I don’t spend all the money I earn!). My job is mostly the paperwork, and it does not pay much, but I’m learning the business end of supply, so it’s going to be worth it. Oh, and if you want to see the kimono-inspired jackets I was modeling, you can check out this website: http://www.spenceralexis.com/
Well, there’s TONS more to tell you, but that’s my allotment for today. Catch you next time!
Actually, I mean that literally. I’m having no trouble with the pace or the highways or anything so far, but I am having trouble with vertigo!
I went for a massage last week because I was working up a REALLY good tension migraine. All the stress and the physical work of packing/unpacking/hauling around 100lb suitcases finally took their toll, and my back and neck muscles were a solid block of knots. The massage therapist was wonderful and worked on me for 1-1/2 hours. My neck could actually turn, I could bend my lower back … the only problem was everytime I stood up, sat down or lowered my head in any direction the room spun. Having never gotten drunk and witnessed bed spins in my life, it was an interesting (not in a good way) experience.
I got varying theories of my chakras/electrical fields/minerals/ionic energy being screwed up. Took a week to get rid of the dizziness. And you know how it was solved?
Aunt Flo came to town. That’s right. The one time I was grateful for cramps. Got my “chakras” to shut the hell up about my head and concentrate somewhere else.
Just goes to show something good comes out of everything, no matter how uncomfortable and ooky. <g>
So back to the sewing machine. I’m working on an outfit for interviews the first week of October. When they ask, “So, what do you know about garment construction?” I can say, “You’re looking at it.” I’ll post pics when I’m done.
Ciao for now!
I know it’s been forever since I posted anything new, but I feel like my life has been going too fast to breathe ever since I started packing to leave Korea!
Those of you on my email list have already heard all the stories about the actual move and the family vacation and how I cried in the airport parking lot when I sent my family back to Korea – so I’m going to skip all that and focus on the design stuff!
Well, on the family vacation we stopped to get a tour of my new school, FIDM in the heart of downtown Los Angeles. It’s a FANTASTIC building, with its own attached park, open to the public. It’s like a little oasis amongst the office buildings and parking lots.
We met the admissions advisor who’d so graciously walked me through all the steps of getting admitted, financial aid, etc. since December of last year, Tara. She gave Donna and I a tour of the building (Jason, after being in a car all day wanted to play in the park, so Sang just saw a couple of things and then headed out with him).
On one wall were hundreds of ORIGINAL Dior sketches from the 60s on up donated to the school by one of the Bloomindales. That was a big highlight for Donna. Starting the next day all her sketches completely changed to a new style. It was awe-inspiring. Wait — let me scan a couple in and let you see for yourself:
The backseat of my car was littered with these when she left. But that’s cool because it means I get to keep them!
The most impressive part of the school for me was the library. Not only do they have fashion forcasts (showing what colors, silhouettes, materials, etc. will be used 6 months, 1 yr, 2 yrs from now — Yes, they do plan that far ahead!!!), biographies, magazines, etc. etc. about fashion, they have a huge collection of actual clothing dating as far back as the 1700s for students to examine. I’m drooling!
There’s also a museum/gallery on the ground flour where they were holding an exhibit of Emmy-award-winning costumes, past and present.
They also have a thrift/consignment store where all the proceeds go to the scholarship fund for the school. I picked up a brand-new (donated by the company) Tadashi blouse for $25 THAT ACTUALLY FITS ME!!!!
Oh, and some trivia for you Project Runway fans: Two of the current season’s designers are FIDM grads. Kelli was auf’d a couple of weeks back on the Lipstick Jungle challenge (blonde, tatooed), but the coffee filter dress she won the first challenge with is on proud display in the upstairs lobby. The other graduate is Leanne, who (as far as WE know) is still in the running.
I returned once since the tour to meet with a career counselor, Cynthia. We re-worked my resume to fit this industry, and I got some job leads. One of them was with — wait for it — Monique Lhuillier! (Remember my post about my M.L. dream? Go back and look at it, in case you haven’t. I’ll wait. <cue elevator music>) Of course, I’m not the only person who applied, but it’s nice to see that someone up there is at least listening!
The school is having orientation week the first week of October, and that includes a job fair for part-time/internship positions. So if I don’t find anything by then, at least I’ll get a chance to impress some people face-to-face (thinking positive here!)
I also went out and bought myself a sewing machine. The one I had in Korea was actually a friend’s, so I didn’t bring one over with me. I had to go to three different places, but the third had all the brands in it, so JACKPOT! (I kinda guessed it from the name of the store — ALL BRANDS — but since it was in a town I was not yet familiar with, I did the aforementioned roaming.) I now own a cool Janome machine, which has both regular stitching and stretch stitches, and a drop-in bobbin casing!!! (For those of you unitiated in sewing machine mechanics, trust me: It’s a cool machine!)
I have also ordered an adjustable dress form so I can make clothes that will approximately fit me when I’m done. Good thing it’s adjustable, too, as I’ve already dropped an inch all over my bod since I got here (yeah!). I’ve started a project already: I’m taking basic patterns, starting with a pants pattern, and making it out of muslin to tailor it to fit me WELL. Once I’ve got all the adjustments made, I can start sewing up those aforementioned clothes for myself, and play with some variations on the patterns.
Today, however, my body and brain needed to crash and do nothing. Writing this blog has probably been the most productive thing I’ve done since noon (it’s 9:30 now!), but I needed a day where I wasn’t crossing 3-5 things off my to-do list, or even think about the to-do list. Come to think about it, I did three of the things on my list by noon. So I say I deserved it <insert smug grin>.
So that’s it for me for now. I won’t promise to leave you hanging again that long between updates, but I certainly will try not to!
Oh, and Happy Chusok to everyone there in Korea!
With the summer humidity finally here, the last of my perm gave up the ghost. I thought I’d get a new one here, at the salon where I’ve had my hair done many times. TOTAL disaster. They set the curlers too small, the solution didn’t take, and I ended up with just some kink and frizz. It was straw. It made me look old. Worse, it made me look TRAILER-TRASH old. So much for this fancy $90 place.
But it’s true, it’s the bitchy wheel that gets the grease. I complained and the general manager gave me a free treatment to reduce the straw-like consistency, and in a week I go back to get the perm re-done — the fancy type that would normally cost $160.
All I can say is, I better look damn fabulous when I get outta there. First rule of beauty — ya don’t mess with a woman’s hair!
As I’ve mentioned before, I’ve been saying good-bye to people (19 days to go!). At the faculty luncheon a couple of weeks ago I got a card filled with lovely thoughts and a gift (a brand-name wallet with a super-cool wooden clasp!) from the Korean teachers and a big ‘crystal’ “award” for 10 years of teaching at Ewha. Then, I was planning on having a going-away dinner with some of the ‘girls’ (Elena, Kristen, Haechin) the night before Kristen left for the U.S. and the wedding she’s in (see next post for the dress I made her!). It was the last time we were going to be together, so we planned on going out to a Mexican place.
That day we’re all running around finalizing our semester’s grades, then I thought we were leaving, but they insisted they needed coffee before dinner (?!?), so we sat in a coffee shop for an hour. It was fun, but I was hungry! FINALLY, we left.
We walked into the restaurant… and there were (almost all of) the full-time teachers and the TAs from the office! It was a surprise going-away party for me! And what a surprise it was — I had not a clue, and I had seen most of these people at least a couple of times that week already! No one spilled the beans.
I was so touched, to say the least. Not only was it totally unexpected, I believe it is THE VERY FIRST time anyone has ever thrown me a surprise party! They gave me a hysterical card — it had my head on Christian Siriano’s body, and the banner over it said, “Project Run-a-way!” (I would show it to you, but I’ve packed it already, apparently!) They also chipped in and got me a gift. Technically, a cash gift, but they printed out exactly what I had to buy with it (and it saved me packing it, yeah!). They “got” me an Italian leather portfolio presentation case for when I’m making my rounds with my designs to show clients/employers! So now I’m all set for that interview with Monique Lhullier <g>.
I tell you, them all being there, the wonderful things they said on the card, the extremely thoughtful gift — I almost started crying, and you KNOW how hard it is to get me to do that in public! So of course I made jokes, but it was a wonderful night finding out that I may not have been designing, but the 13-1/2 years I spent in Korea were well spent!
The bridesmaid’s dress for Kristin’s brother’s wedding is now complete! Here’s how it went:
First, we picked out the general style of dress she wanted:
Note that we wanted knee-length instead of floor-length. She didn’t want the shiny fabric, either. She was looking for a “more vintage” look, and a little more “fullness” to add to her bust.
I have been so swamped physically and emotionally with finishing up the semester’s grading combined with teaching the summer session that I haven’t had much time for anything else. The inevitable slew of “Why did I get this grade?” and “Can I have a different grade please?” emails seem to have slowed to a trickle, and I’m back to packing and sewing in my free time.
This weekend I (nearly) finished the bridesmaid dress for Kristen. She’s coming over today for the final fitting/touches, so I will have photos very soon of the whole process to post.
In the meantime, however, I’ve been having dreams related to my new career. The other day I dreamed I was in LA and scored an interview with Monique Lhullier. For those of you who don’t know who that is, she is a FIDM graduate (the school I will attend), and one of the BIG names in the bridal market who has also expanded into evening wear, resort wear and table settings recently.
Anyway, so I’m being interviewed by Monique, and she LOVES me. We really hit it off and she gives me a job as an assistant to one of her head people. I leave the interview and run into two long-time friends of mine who are all excited to see me and why didn’t I call to say I was in town? (In real life, neither lives in LA, but it’s a dream, right?)
So I’m hoping this dream is prophetic. Dream job and friends.
Last night I had a different dream. I was in a high-end, snooty dress boutique with the bridesmaid’s dress I just finished. I put it on a hanger and hung it among the other dresses on the rack and then walked away. I came back later to see if anyone had looked at it. A very rich Korean woman was shopping there, and had looked at just about everything, dissatisfied. I found my dress in a new place and took it up to the head salesperson (VERY snooty-snob type) and asked, “Did she see this one?”
He gave me a look of utter disdain and said, “She HATED it. I hated it. I wouldn’t wear that to the immigration office to get a visa!”
The store silenced, everyone waiting for me to start crying or something, but I was smiling. “Why are you smiling? They hated it!” I told them, “I just got my very first bitchy fashion review! That’s so cool!”
I’m thinking a sense of humor is going to be very important in this business!!!!! (Or maybe just a good case of self-delusion!)
I will be stepping on a plane to start my new life in exactly six weeks, and I’m now beginning to freak. I think it’s more the fact that I’m having to say good-bye to my students this week, since they’ll be taking exams next week — I’m admitting to them that I’m leaving Ewha and Korea, both.
Preparation-wise, I’m doing well, I think. I spent last weekend packing up my office (which is the biggest depository of my stuff in the house. Then on Tuesday we went to the U.S. embassy to replace my daughter’s passport and Sang arranged for his visa interview. Those were pretty big things, so I’m feeling semi-organized. On track, at least.
I also went and bought new glasses. I’ve been getting some pretty frequent headaches, and figured out that it was my vision causing it (lots of squinting involved), so went to the opthamologist and then the optometrist, and bought two new pairs and one pair of prescription sunglasses. The set of three cost $260, which is pretty amazing, price-wise, which is why I stocked up.
So here’s my list of other things that must be done before I leave (in case you’re curious):
Full dental check
Renew my Korean visa (which expires four days before I leave)
Get international driver’s license
Fill out forms for having pension fund payout transferred overseas
Buy lace and buttons for Elena’s wedding dress
Finish Kristen’s bridesmaid dress
Make mother-in-law’s dress
Oh, and do all the grades/exams for the semester and teach 1/2 time for the summer school. I finish teaching 5 days before we leave!
I’m not even going to get into all the bureaucratic crap I’m going to have to do once I arrive in the States. Though I’m sure I’ll tell you all about it when I get there!
Ciao for now!
To catch you up on the story:
Elena bought a dress for her wedding. Drycleaner shrunk dress. We shopped for new dress. Decided dresses too expensive. Elena got frustrated. Drew picture of her dream dress. I got bored with grading papers one day. Made up dress in miniature. Elena saw it and jumped up and down, hugging me. We took sample to several wedding dress shops, plopped it on the table and said, “How much?” We talked them down and ordered the dress.
Whew! Of course it was more drawn out and there were hilarious translation mishaps along the way, but we have paid the deposit (by ‘we’ I mean ’she’, of course) and the dress will be made. Here’s what it will look like!
Front, side, back
This is muslin, of course. The finished product will be of ivory satin. Elena and I will personally shop for the lace for the decolletage and the buttons for the back, as Korean tastes and ours are not usually the same. Then it’s all in the hands of the dress shop, the owner of which we really like. She was willing to listen and ask pertinent questions, and understood our need to micromanage it. Plus, all the dresses in her shop were sew with top quality, so we’re feeling confident in her.
So, YEAH! I will not be here when it’s completed (I’ll have already moved to LA), but by coincidence Elena is getting married during my school’s winter break, which means ROADTRIP to Albuquerque, NM to see the final version! So exciting!
After a month of trying to figure out DVD v Video formats and how and where to upload it, I finally got my short video tour of the small Tongdaemun market on YouTube! Now that I know how to get it done, I will try to get to the big market to show you that one, too, cuz you WILL NOT believe it!
Here’s the link. CHECK IT OUT!
Friday we spent trying to mitigate the disaster regarding Elena’s wedding dress (the one that shrunk in the dry cleaning).
There is one street in Seoul — that just happens to run right in front of my university — that is known as “Wedding Dress Row”. Imagine a half-mile of road lined on both sides with wedding dress, wedding hanbok and wedding photography shops. It’s not a trip for the faint-hearted!
Elena and I girded our loins and began the journey with our little sob story. In the very first shop we stepped into we met a customer who spoke English — and I was all prepared with my semi-Korean spiel. But it was great meeting her. Apparently she was in the shop having just stepped off the plane to get a concert performance dress made up (she’s a violinist). So that was fun getting a little help getting acclimated.
We found a great dress there, and we also drew up designs for an alternative, which they could make up for us. I think that was our favorite shop overall (why is it always the first one?).
We trooped through many of them, though understandably we just peeked in a lot of windows near the end and skipped them if we didn’t see something perfect.
In the end, we found three ready-made that she liked, then the one we had drawn up. They were all much more than she spent on the pre-shrunk version, but that’s what they cost here. The very first dress she picked out is the one she liked the best. It’s very sleek and simple, with just a bit of crystal beading. I think that’s the one she’s going to choose, even though it’s the most expensive, because the accents looked vaguely Indian, and her husband’s family is from India — on top of being a gorgeous dress. We’re going back to look at it next week with a body shaper (modern-day corset, if you’ve never heard that term) to see if we can solve the “tummy issue” it had.
What was fun was seeing all the different trims, beads, gee-gaws and sequins on some of these gowns. We kept saying ’sleek, modern’ and they would pull out the perfect dress and then start pinning masses of flowers and crap to it. They learned quickly not to!
It was an exhausting day, but Elena was happy with the results as she really didn’t expect to find anything that she’d like/would flatter her/would fit. She knows now that she has choices and plenty of time to make them.
I had a laugh because at one point when Elena said, “You’ve really got your Korean noises down!” My Korean is definately NOT good, so there were a lot of cultural noises, hand gestures and sketching going on. But it worked, so if the ‘client’ is happy, I’m happy!
A successful day then!
As y’all know, I have been working on a wedding jacket for my colleague Elena. As it happens, her officemate, Kristen, is going to attend her brother’s wedding this June, and needs a nice dress in navy blue (color dictated by her future sister-in-law and difficult to find in Korea). She asked me to help her get a dress made, since ordering from overseas is risky both size-wise and price-wise.
As a result, I took them out shopping at Tongdaemun market yesterday when we had a day off (it’s exam week). Our goal was to buy the fabric for Kristen’s dress and to get swatches to match up with Elena’s dress, which arrived from Albuquerque.
So we set off, full of high hopes for a full day ahead. We wandered the maze of stalls trying to find exactly what we’re looking for amongst the gajillion types, shades, textures and patterns available. Due to the number of things we were looking for, I had to tune out the conversation the two of them were having about glittery corn fabrics (don’t make me explain it!) and make sure we didn’t lose each other (it’s 100 times worse than a mall, airport, or anywhere else confusing and huge you can think of).
After a couple of hours we found EXACTLY the fabric Kristen was looking for and I found the swatches I wanted for Elena’s jacket. She also made a decision on the long jacket I designed! (The commitment is the hardest part of the whole process).
So far, so good. We took a break for lunch, then hit Doota Tower, where the entire fourth floor is devoted to shoes and bags. We found some “almost” shoes, but no “gotta have” shoes.
The next stop would be to the seamstress at the smaller Tongdaemun market that I was hoping would make their outfits. Snag was, I didn’t have her exact location/number, so I called my friend who had promised to get it for me. She, however, seemed a little confused, thinking I wanted to have a wedding dress made, not a dress to wear to a wedding, so she insisted the seamstresses at Wedding Dress Row (a street near Ewha university lined with wedding dress shops) would be better. Since I didn’t have the info, I had to follow her directive.
We went to her shop, where she informed us that, actually, we couldn’t do it that day because the wedding shops are all closed on Tuesdays. BUT, she called her friend who owned one of the shops and lived nearby. So her friend showed up, took a look at the fabric and photo, shook her head and proceeded to tell us it would be difficult, the fabric was wrong and since it’s an “unusual pattern” compared to wedding dresses, it would be $150 to make it up. Confident, she did not sound. And it was just a cowl neck halter with an a-line skirt and low waist, so there are no zippers, boning, or anything complex except that it has to be cut on a bias.
Then she proceeded to tell us we should go to Tongdaemun instead.
So my friend called the Tongdaemun woman, who sight unseen told us it would be $300, but that she’d do it for the same ($150) because they’re friends.
Well, none of that set well with Kristen or I since neither one of them sounded like they were confident about making it. $150 is fine if you know you’re getting a great quality product, but not if you could get ill-made stuff.
But I need to point out we have not hit the disaster yet.
We went back to my house to match up the swatches with the dress, which is hung in my closet for safe-keeping. We found the exact shades we wanted, so we were really happy. Then Elena tried on the dress to give us the full effect.
IT DIDN’T FIT.
Not in a “I had to much pasta last week” way, but in a “it won’t zip the last three inches and there’s a three inch gap where it should meet” kind of way. We have photos of her wearing the dress just two months before this and it fit with room to spare. She’s been exercising trying to lose some additional weight, so she hasn’t added any on. It was also at least two inches shorter than in the other picture.
The dry cleaner shrunk the dress.
We manipulated her breasts in every possible configuration, but that zipper was not going to meet. And if you’re not overweight to begin with, you can’t lose 3 inches of weight in your ribcage.
Elena is FAR from a bridezilla, but this dress is really the only part of the wedding she cares about, so she was understandably upset. Now instead of a great size 8 dress that needed a few alterations and a jacket, she has a size 6 dress that will need to be sold to pay for the one she has to replace, and she has to find it in Korea, land of the size 0s.
So the jacket is now cancelled, and we’re going to be making the rounds of the wedding dress shops here in the foreseeable future to see if we can get one made for her at an affordable price. She only has about a week between getting back to the States next winter and the wedding, so we need to get it done here. The one blessing out of all this is that we found out now instead of in December when it would be too late to do anything about it.
In between the numerous trips and negotiations this will take, I’ll be attempting to make up a pattern for Kristen’s dress (it is NOT the wrong fabric, by the way, it’s just not shiny bridesmaid fabric, which is throwing people off). If I think I’m confident about making it myself I will, but if we have it made there will be a pattern to follow. Worst case scenario, I got some extra practice and another outfit for my well-dressed asymmetrical mannequin.
Till next time, happy sewing!
Otherwise known as: “How to Procrastinate” since I should have been grading papers or something else to do with my current job.
I’ve been going nuts for a week since I’ve had a really crappy cold. I still am talking like I’ve chain-smoked for twenty years, but I was feeling good, had the day off, the kids were in school and the sun was shining. In other words, a perfect day for sewing.
I decided in the morning I really wanted to figure out how to make a twisted bodice dress, so I grabbed my off-kilter mannequin and some fabric. I took the idea, made a pattern, cut the fabric and sewed it up out of a dove gray silk. Here’s the result:
Considering it’s sewed for sh*t and this mannequin is about as crooked as you can get (A symmetrical one is going to be my first purchase off the plane), I think it turned out pretty well. Also, don’t look too closely at the back shoulder because my 13-year-old iron threw a little fit.
Imagine it out of a more stretchy silk (so it falls more softly) with either a big rhinestone brooch in the center front or some crystal beading falling from the shoulders.
Done in one day. I’m getting that much closer to being able to compete in Project Runway! (Kidding– really, just kidding.)
The pics aren’t great, but here you can see the final versions of the prom dress scholarship competition entries I’m mailing in. With each drawing are details of the dress construction and samples of the fabric (required). We were also asked to design these for a particular store, so I included the store’s logo at the top (for them to better visualize it as one of theirs), and I gave each of them a name because that is something the store does for most (not all) of their dresses. (You might notice that ‘Gemma’ is a new name, since the other two were named after gemstones. ‘Lily’ just didn’t seem to fit then.) I also included the brooch and strap for the two dresses, as I thought it ‘blinged’ up the presentation just like they would ‘bling’ up the dress.
Off they go into the mail. Vibes that the judges love them for me, will ya? I’m not expecting to win since it usually goes to someone “without life experience”, but it’s always been my strategy to be the most famous nobody out there.
Watch out, L.A. I’m a-coming!
Update time! I thought I’d let you see the skirt my mother-in-law ordered from me! I’m really happy with the results (she hasn’t seen it yet, so no telling if she is — but I think she will be!)
The skirt turned out much more cool than I thought it would. When she ordered it, she gave me some criteria to follow: It had to go to mid-shin to cover up her legs when she sat on the floor (which is most of the sitting that gets done, for Koreans), it had to have lots of fabric because with her arthritis she can’t fold her legs under her, it had to be cool because she wants it for summer (don’t ask me why, but even the summer stuff for people her age is made of rayon and polyester — it does NOT breathe), and she wanted a side zipper because back zippers were getting difficult for her.
So this is what I came up with. It’s very simple and straightforward gathered skirt into a waistband. The underlayer is cotton (almost like sheeting fabric), covered with mesh. Here’s a close-up:
At first I thought it would be horribly polka-dot, but that was the fabric she picked. In the end, though, it was a nice surprise, because when you stand back you can’t really see the dots and the whole skirt looks like a shiny gun-metal gray. Tres cool.
This style would look horrible on me, but it’s her style perfectly — just a little more stylish — so I’m happy!
My mother-in-law is a very nice woman, but we’ve always had trouble finding things to bond over. As far as I can tell, she doesn’t have any hobbies. She cooks, cleans and watches TV. I’ve never seen her do anything else. A couple weeks ago she had to stay with us for two weeks for varicose vein surgery. Even recovering, she couldn’t stop herself from cooking, cleaning, and critiquing me doing the same. Because the things she’s good at I’m not, there’s not a lot of meeting ground there.
But a miracle occurred. While I was waiting with her for a follow-up appointment, I was sketching ideas for Elena’s wedding jacket, so I explained what I was doing and why. After I finished the first model she was astonished that I had made the model up from a picture I had created. Since she seemed interested, and was generally opposed to my plan to give up my pension-safe job to become a designer, I had her leaf through my sketchbook.
Suddenly I was receiving orders. I am now committed to making a skirt and a dress for her. I took her to the fabric market and let her pick out the fabrics. and measured her up. Now she’s all excited to have me making clothes up for her.
After taking the order, I was in my closet looking for what to wear to work and saw the blouse I had made for my pattern-making class last semester. I wasn’t really happy with it when I was done because we had to do a princess-cut, which is NOT flattering for me. It was also six weeks between taking the measurements and making the blouse, so it was also a bit large for me since I’d lost weight in the process.
But it’s a nice, heavy, soft silk and I love the cattail pattern, so I didn’t want to give it up. I pulled it out, though, and wouldn’t you know, it fits my mother-in-law perfectly. That’s the blouse she’s wearing in the pic above.
It looks slightly odd in the pic because she’s sitting and she’s got a red winter undershirt underneath, but she was so in love with it! After she took it off she petted it for a while and showed it off to her son.
So we’ve finally found something I could do that she respected (other than giving birth to her grandchildren). I’ll be sure to post pics as I make up her items.
Sorry I left you hanging there for so long. I was moved to a new office at work, and have had a series of health problems due to the fact that the building is still under construction and all the teachers have been breathing in concrete dust, paint fumes and other noxious things. Today I spent maybe five minutes there so I’m feeling much better now. Avoidance is the best policy.
Now let’s see, where was I…. Ah, yes. Elena had liked the Antoinette-inspired long jacket to go with her dress, but she also wanted to look at some bolero tops. She didn’t like the ones she had tried on before, but she liked the idea of them, so what could I come up with?
So back to the drawing board, which I was happy to go back to. The type I figured was best with her figure were the ones that cut away from the bust, so I sketched up some ideas:
I liked the first two here, and lo and behold those are the ones she picked (honest, there was no prompting from me)! Next was making up the models:
