Fall is coming. The air has changed. I can smell the cider already, and have started thinking about my Halloween costume. (Sexy MTA Conductor? Zombie Northwest Stewardess?) I have decided since this is my last year at F.I.T, I need to try and blog about my life here in better detail. I have been in New York for a year now, I have a New York drivers license (the DMV here is a hellish experience) and am (as of July) an official New York State resident (yay, lower tuition). I have survived subway flooding, the G train at 3 a.m. (scary), numerous random sicknesses (trying to find a hospital in Queens on foot with no emergency contact is no fun!), and have had just as many amazing moments (Sunrise over the city, the view of Manhattan at dusk from a rooftop in Brooklyn, real sunday brunch the way you can't have it anywhere else; the 3rd floor of Bergdorf Goodman, Magnolia Bakery, Union Square Market, the flower district, the many amazing museaums...the list of "amazing" New York experiences can go on forever. Needless to say, it takes a long time (in my case, a year) to get used to it here. To find your flow, and decide there is room for you here. Some people never find it, and they leave. Some find it right away. I think I'm somewhere in the middle. Sometimes New York is just a beast. A dirty snarling cruel over powering yet pretty fantastic beast. You have to let it do it's thing - whether it involves calm or chaos, you have to let it be and you can't try to control it, because it's always, ALWAYS going to be bigger and stronger than you are. So let your shoes get soaked, don't get too mad when all the bottoms of your bags break, or the subway doors close 20 seconds before you get there. There will be a moment when every single bit of that is without question, SO worth it.
I thought quite a bit about whether or not I wanted to blog in detail as far as my design development, my school projects, where I get my inspiration, projects I'm involved in, etc. There is this kind of pre concieved notion behind designers being 'mysterious'. You don't see the face with the name very often, instead you see a line of beautiful bambi-esk creatures stomping down a long white runway wearing these gorgeous clothes that just kind of appeared somehow from the mind of this faceless person. (Unless we're talking celebrity designer here, because most of us know what Marc Jacobs and Donetella Versace look like, but that's a whole other topic...) In short, the clothes make the statement you want, about who you are as a designer. For me there are many statements I want to make, and a point of view I want to get across. But in really simple terms, I design clothes because I found that for years whenever I went shopping, I would have this *perfect* thing in my head for a special occasion (which could be a wedding, a BBQ, or even a trip to the supermarket..well, ok maybe not that last one.) but I could never seem to find it. I'd remember these amazing suede shoes I had in 5th grade and think how they would be so perfect now. Or this full skirt I saw my grandma wearing in an old photograph, and I'd think about how confident and lovely I'd feel wearing something like that. About how that one item could make such a difference in my confidence at said event. There is so much behind the clothes we wear. So many people don't even realize it.
That being said, I think it would be really interesting for people who care about and support me, to see at this state in my career, where my ideas come from. When I was researching FIT and Parsons, and trying to decide between the schools, it took a lot of hunting to find information on people who attended or were currently attending these schools. Maybe I can help other prospective students get a feel for what it's like here. Also, I'd like to write about what I do in New York when I have a day off (once a month? ha!) or where I go for inspiration. My favorite clubs, restaurants, secret spots and interests in New York. Fashion (shopping) and Fashion (people watching). I want to try and post pictures of things I'm working on, things I see. What about Central Park makes it so magical. What is a bodega? Why do people here say "Get on line" instead of "Stand IN line." And why New York really is the greatest city in the world. So just in case, if this happens to be my last year in New York, aside from my last year at F.I.T. (where I'm going after I graduate is still a mystery at the moment...) I will have a good place to look back on what I did and what I learned. Hopefully soon I will also have a 2008-2009 collection up for viewing, since I know the looks on my main page are very, very outdated. I will also post sketches, thumbnails, design development, mood boards, inspiration, and more.
Thanks for reading and check back again! I will try and update at least once a week.
- Kelly
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