Fashion Collection Teaser

Hello darlings!

Many of you may not know this but I have been taking fashion design courses for the past couple of years. I am just about finished and will show my student fashion collection in April. I am super excited about this as I have been working really hard on its development. So I thought I would show you some of the design details that will end up in my collection. Now I do not want to give away too much of what it will look like but here are just a few teasers:

I have been working on creating a feathery fluffy texture and succeeded in doing so with tulle and organza.

I have also done some leather cutouts attempting to turn leather into a type of lace.

Over sized roping details are integral to my collection. I wove it in various ways using different macramé techniques. Since designing is a process more design details and techniques might emerge as I further develop this. 

All of these details will be integrated into my runway looks. I am very excited to bring my ideas to life. I am sure you know the feeling! Stay tuned and I will show you what some pieces of my collection will look like! And for now, can you guess the theme of the collection?

"Fashion Obsession" Discharge Dye Fabric Design

Hello creative souls!

Today I want to show you the fabric pattern that I designed recently. It was my first time using discharge dying technique. Discharge dying is a process of removing dye from fabric with the help of discharge paste. It is basically the opposite of dying. Various methods can be used to create designs on the fabric's surface: shibouri, stenciling, stamping, tie dye, block printing, etc. 

For my fabric, which was black loosely woven silk, I first created a stencil out of plastic. It took me 2 hours to cut that out with an x-acto knife! 

Stencil for my fabric design

I then put the stencil against the fabric and applied the discharge paste to the fabric with a sponge. You should let the paste dry on the fabric and then iron it. Both heat and steam should be applied to the fabric in order for the design to show through. Here is the result!

My funky grungy fabric

Depending on how much discharge paste you apply to the fabric (how thick the solution) you might get more or less bleached out areas on the fabric. If you want consistency, it is best to practice on a scrap piece first. I wasn't going for consistency with my design. I love how uneven the design looks! It gives this fabric a very grungy look! 

Close-up of my design

I think this fabric would be perfect for a sleeveless top or skater skirt. It really reminded me of a dress by A Detacher that I saw on the Spring 2014 RTW runway:

A Detacher Spring 2014 RTW

I simply cannot wait to make something with this piece! What do you guys think it should be? Leave me a comment, I'm interested in your suggestions!

Happy Friday!

Outfit Idea #18. Little Black Leather Skirt

Hello darlings!

I have recently completed my first ever project in leather: an A-line mini skirt. I used cow leather for it. I found leather surprisingly easy to work with. No need for cleaning the raw edges - no hassle. My skirt has a waistband, an invisible zipper on the left side and a snap closure. Since it is a black skirt in a very basic silhouette the possibilities for styling are endless! So I wanted to share with you how I dressed it up and dressed it down. 

I made it look casual by pairing it up with a sweater with irregular stripes, a camo army style hat and camo keds. I topped it off with a white bomber jacket. Can I just tell you how much I love these cute little keds??? I love them!!!

To make the look more preppy, I wore it with a pastel pink sweater over a basic white blouse and the black suede wedge booties.

Throw a jacket over your shoulders and your outfit immediately looks more romantic.

Here is to foundation pieces!

The Bright Side of a Black Shift Dress

Original Sketch

Hi guys!

Poster by Invisible Creature

Some of you have been asking to show you my sketch-to-garment process and I thought I would share this dress with you. 

Here, on the left, is my original sketch. The design was inspired by the digital artwork by Invisible Creature (on the right). I liked the combination of colours and thought it would be interesting to incorporate hot pink into a tailored formal look.

It is a sleeveless, collarless shift dress with two slash pockets in the front and a zipper in the back. I removed the darts into the fluid style lines both in the front and in the back. There is also a vent in the back.

The dress is made out of 100% wool cashmere and lined with some sturdy taffeta lining.

 I like how hot pink adds a flirtatious note to this otherwise formal silhouette.

I have been waiting for an occasion to wear this pretty dress. But since the occasion did not present itself I just wore it to work and was utterly comfortable thanks to the luxurious fabric!

Workout in Style: My New Yoga Pants.

Hi guys!

My friends from CityChicksFitness inspired the topic of this posts. Many girls who are fitness enthusiasts care about not only feeling comfortable but also looking good at the gym. I am not an exception. Good fit and pretty colours are so much more conducive to pushing harder and sweating more, ne c'est pas? Well, that is why I came up with these capris/yoga pants.

Like for so many other of my creations I found this fabric at Fabricland! (duh!). It is a four-way stretch jersey with no "memory" whatsoever and a nice luster. These properties make it perfect for workout gear. I gave these capris two pleats on both pant sides front and back for fullness. I created a yoke which is doubled up and reinforced by an elastic at the top. The pant legs are gathered into doubled up cuffs at the bottom.

Here are my yoga pants in action:

They turned out to be such a good fit, so hip-hugging and comfortable that I do not want to take them off. Which means I tend to work out longer, yay! This is how fashion can "fool" you into living a healthier lifestyle! 

In case you are wondering whether I matched the colour of my top to my weights on purpose, I have to say that it was a happy accident. Accident because the weights were a gift; happy because I just love this colour and tend to own many an item in its various tints and shades. And yes, working out in my favourite colour also turns the chore into a happy event.

What about you? Do you tend to pick a certain colour for your exercising routines? Does it matter to you what you wear to the gym? 

Outfit Idea # 9. Purple Sweater.

I am the luckiest girl in the world because I have the most amazing sister in the world! Last weekend she invited me over to see her in sunny California. She also was the perfect model for my recently made sweater. 

I found this lovely stretch fabric at Fabricland and got immediately inspired by it. I thought it was ideal for a loosely fitting sweater/top. It's light enough to drape nicely, yet has a lot of texture and some bulk to it. I gave the sweater elbow length kimono sleeves, deep V-neckline finished with self binding. There are gathers on the shoulders and the bottom half of the sweater is fitted around the rib cage.

I love this cut because of how flattering and versatile it is. It can be combined with pretty much anything in your wardrobe: wear it with a pencil skirt or trouser pants for an office look; throw on your white shorts or darker skinnies for a more casual outfit. 

My sister adores this colour and the cut of the sweater is so complementing to her perfect figure that I decided to leave the sweater in her stylish hands. She definitely makes it look stunning! Thank you gorgeous!!!

Project Catwalk at Creativ Festival

I have something very special to share! I have been reveling in a creative oblivion for the past few days. My past weekend was wholly and solely occupied by a very exciting event - Project Catwalk at Creativ Festival. This is a weekend-long event which takes place every October at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. It is the biggest marketplace for the lovers of crafts of all kinds. The festival offers a multitude of workshops, classes, presentations and seminars bound to satisfy any creative craving out there. The best part of the festival for me is the Project Catwalk competition. And this year I became the lucky participant!!!

We - me and my wonderful team mates, Stefanie and Cindy - were given a challenge to create a runway look in three days: beginning Friday 11 a.m. and ending Sunday at 3 p.m. The theme of this year's challenge was the 25th years anniversary of the festival. Thus, the overarching topic was "Celebration with a touch of Silver". Each of the five competing teams was given $200 to spend on the materials for the garment. One of the conditions of the competition was that all of the materials for our garment had to come from the floor of the marketplace. So, ready to design, draft, stitch and sew, off we went!

I could write on and on about the experience I had at the competition. But one picture is worth a thousand of words. Therefore, I will not strain your eyes with more text but rather share some of the pictures from this fantastic event.

Sewing away at our assigned Seneca booth, where we spent 3 days with no food, water or breaks (not that we wanted any of those anyway!).

Inspired by the Silver Screen starlets of the late 50's/early 60's, we designed a convertible look: a body-hugging LBD a la Audrey Hepburn, with a shawl collar which can be worn as a hood, as a shalw, or off the shoulders. The dress has princess seams, is fully lined and has a marvelous sparkly zipper in the back.

Our little black dress with a touch of sliver.

To add glamour to the look we created a detachable over-skirt made of various panels, asymmetrical in the front and symmetrical and, may I say, quite spectacular in the back. Some of the panels were machine embroidered by our kind sponsor Bernina Sewing Equipment. We decorated the waistband of the skirt with crystals and Cindy made earrings and a bracelet to go with the outfit. You can tell that we had no shortage of silver in our look!

Putting together the panels of the over-skirt.

Here is the whole runway look! We wanted it to exude celebration, glamour and originality.

And here are my lovely team mates! Thank you ladies for such a tight and organized team! You rock!

                                          
                                               To many more adventure in creative land!!!