NYC Study Tour: FIT Museum - Forces of Fashion

Part 1 - Research:  Done prior to visiting the company, designer, speaker, etc. 

The Museum at the Fashion Insitute of Technology is one of the few museums in the world that focuses on fashion alone. The Museum was created in 1969 and has been curated by teachers at FIT. The most current curator is Dr. Valerie Steele who has been in the position since 1997. Since its creation, the museum has obtained over 50,000 items of clothing and accessories. They represent fashion all the way back to the 18th century and some were created by the worlds most renowned fashion designers. 

Part 2 – Observations:  Based on what you heard on the tour as well as information from the FIT website, briefly describe the impact of nature on fashion designers and/or the apparel industry. 

After going on this guided tour I feel like I really learned a lot about the influence that fashion has on nature and the influence nature has on fashion. In the early 18th century fashion really started to explode with botanical prints and textiles because scientists were just starting to discover all these interesting things about plants. A lot of the dresses has flower or fern patterns incorporated into them. And even in recent years, we find fashions inspired by flowers and animals and the natural world. Most notably is probably Alexander McQueen who started out the exhibit and had many pieces throughout. He was really fascinated by evolution and so many aspects of the natural world. Then as the exhibit ends it focuses on how nature is now influencing fashion. There's been a huge push in the last ten years to think about sustainable fashion and innovations in a fashion that helps the environment. So it was really interesting to see those pieces as well. 

Part 3 - Weekly Question:  Select one garment, and identify which of the ten “sections” of the exhibit it was a part of.  Include designer name and description of the garment.  Why did you select this piece to discuss?  Why does it attract or inspire you?  In your opinion, how does the garment connect fashion to that particular facet of nature?

My favorite garment was from the Naturalist section of the exhibit which displayed fashions from the 18th century that were influenced by scientific discoveries. The piece is called the Tree evening dress and it was made by Charles James in 1955. I chose this piece because I found it very inspiring. I love vintage styles so much and it was really cool to see this piece incorporating the natural elements in such a modern way. It was unlike anything I’ve ever seen before which is super unusual for a vintage piece. The most stunning part of this garment is the flower stole. When the wearer wraps it around themselves it looks like they are popping out of a flower. It really spoke to the way that we use flowers as a language of love because in this case, the wearer is the flower. 

Thankful

This time of year is really hard for me and more importantly for us, that being my boyfriend Chaz and I. This time two years ago we were sitting in hospital rooms, driving too fast on highways between home and Kent, and figuring out how to have a Thanksgiving dinner around a recliner in the living room.

When I first met Chaz we were in high school. There are so many times that we should have met but didn't. We've lived behind each other for practically our whole lives but never peaked over the fence to meet each other. We had the same friends but never seemed to line up enough to be introduced. We went to the same concerts, stood in the same crowds, watched the same shows. We were always there somehow. Probably one the craziest instances of how often our lives intersected is this photo I took when I was eight years old.

Every year Chaz's dad organized a car show in our hometown. One year for my eighth birthday I asked for a camera. I got a little disposable one that I carried around everywhere and I happened to bring it to the car show. Well, I snapped this picture and later put into a scrapbook I made. I pulled it out one day and showed this picture to Chaz who then told me that his dad put on the car show every year. But what is more crazy about this photo is that this is a picture of Chaz's grandpa's car. And in the background, you can see his mom's car. And that boy on the right, well that's Chaz. 

I like to think that there's a reason we didn't meet all those years. Maybe we met at the right time for the right reasons. Chaz is literally the sweetest person I've ever met. And I know everyone says that about their boyfriend because they have to. But I mean it more than anything. When we first started dating we went to prom. He told me I looked beautiful in front of my mom when he first saw me in my prom dress and she still talks about it today. He even bought me the tiny polaroid camera I had been wanting so we could take fun pictures at prom. The first thing Chaz taught me was how to love myself. 

Two years into our relationship we both ended up going to Kent. We drove from school to home together. We helped each other with homework. We push each other to be the best that we can be. 

That year we found out that Chaz's dad had pancreatic cancer. Which is one of the most aggressive types of cancer, and currently has no cure. The survival rate is less than 1%. I remember sitting in the shitty pick up truck we used to drive around and hearing it for the first time. It was this time of year. We drove home faster. We focused on homework less. We went to the hospital instead of home. We were just hoping it would get better. I genuinely did think it would get better, because hey sometimes positive affirmations make all the difference. I believed it would get better until the day he died. 

Every day I would hope the fence to get to Chaz's house, since the beginning. I slipped the first time I did it and I scrapped the back of my leg pretty bad. But I got better at it. I jumped the fence carrying flowers, or cake for his 19th birthday, or with records for the new turntable. But I also jumped that fence carrying blankets I made for his dad, and hot cooked meals I made for his family, or groceries, or anything. And I jumped that fence the morning he called me to tell me that his dad was gone and I did it without shoes on a frozen December day. 

Watching Chaz take care of his dad and his family makes me so happy that I have someone who will be there for me when something like that happens. Over the next few weeks, we did all the things that you do when someones dies. We went to the wake, we gathered up the photos for those corkboards they have at funeral homes, we dressed up and we stood in line to shake hands. 

At the wake, his dad's car was parked outside. It was his prized possession and even before I knew Chaz I remember hearing his dad start the engine in the summer. So I brought these flowers to lay on the hood. 

I know that I talk about Chaz's dad a lot, but it's important. It was such a heartbreaking time for both of us and I don't think you really realize how much you love someone until you go through something like this together. There were so many times when Chaz could have just walked away from me or told me that I needed to step back so he could be with his family. But instead, he made me a part of his family and let me be there for everything. Chaz taught me how to be compassionate, he taught me how to vulnerable, he taught me how to care so much about other people.

When I decided to move to New York, I don't even think I really wanted to go. To be really honest I thought I wasn't going to do well here. I've never been on my own. I would never make enough money in time. I'm not great at making friends. I came up with every excuse I could think of. The main one being that I couldn't leave home and leave Chaz and leave my family and everything that was familiar to me. But we push each other to be better so he drove me to New York with a car packed full of crap. He even carried it all up to my apartment while I sat in disbelief of how incredibly small it was. I don't even believe in myself as much as Chaz believes in me. Which I know I know I should be more confident, and I'm trying to be, but what so wrong with having someone who raises you up? 

I am so thankful to have Chaz in my life. Just the other day I was talking with my friends about how bizarre it is to be in a four-year relationship when I'm only 20 years old. But sometimes people find themselves by meeting a ton of new people or traveling, or self-reflection, or being alone, or whatever but it's just as beautiful to find yourself by growing with someone else. I'm thankful for you Chaz, thanks for also being the only other person who reads my blog. 

NYC Study Tour: Marie Claire

Part 1 - Research:  Done prior to visit on the company, designer, speaker, etc. 

Marie Claire is an international fashion magazine that is published monthly. The magazine was originally published in France in the late 1930’s they later expanded and published in the United Kingdom and eventually the United States. Marie Claire is now published in 35 countries. The Marie Claire customer is a young professional woman who is interested in fashion, beauty, and health. Marie Claire is part of the Hearst Publishing company that produces magazines like Cosmopolitan, Elle, Harper’s Bazaar, Oprah Magazine, and Good Housekeeping.

Part 2 – Observations:  Thoughtful observations and reflections made during the appointment itself.  What did you learn about the changing media industry?  Specific jobs?  Your own potential career path?             

Marie Claire was probably my favorite appointment so far. I have always loved magazines and I am currently in the Fashion in the Media class and it's my favorite class. I mean even just walking into the building I was in awe. They actually filmed Confessions of a Shopaholic in this building so if that isn't living in a movie I don't know what is. I’ve always loved that movie and I instantly recognized the lobby. So just being able to see that building was really exciting. Marie Claire is also a magazine that I really admire. I remember checking it out from my local library and secretly tearing pages from it to pin on my walls. I also really like Marie Claire because Nina Garcia used to be the Creative Director and she is a judge on Project Runway, which is one of my favorite shows! Overall I was just really excited to be visiting the offices and hearing about how Jenae, our Kent State alumni, got there! Jenae really broke down her career path and she applied what she learned at Kent to what she does now. I really love hearing from other young people like Jenae who are making their way in the fashion industry and working at jobs that I really admire. 

Part 3 - Weekly Question:  Discuss something Jenae or another speaker said that resonated with you.

I really loved hearing what Jenae said about experimenting with other career paths. She worked in a lot of really different internships before finding her spot at Marie Claire and even there she's grown in a really short amount of time. I also was so interested in what Alice had to say about her career path. She works as a designer for the magazine and works on things like page layout and things with advertisers and for special projects like the pop-up. I am really interested in doing something that's fashion related but has to do with design in some aspect. Graphic design, like what Alice works on, is something I feel like I have a good eye for and want to pursue more. I am defiantly going to look into the classes she mentioned she took at Parsons and maybe looking into other online graphic design courses. 

NYC Study Tour: Kohl's

Part 1 - Research:  Done prior to visit on the company, designer, speaker, etc. 

This week we had the opportunity to visit the Kohl’s office here in New York City. Kohl’s is a company that I am very aware of because as a kid growing up in the midwest that's usually where we shopped. But I surprisingly knew very little about the company itself. The first Kohl’s was opened in Milwaukee in 1927. It was originally a grocery store and later evolved into a department store. While their headquarters is still based in Milwaukee Wisconsin today, they use their New York offices to work on collaboration brands like Candies, Lauren Conrad, and J lo. And they also work on product development, marketing and social media strategies in the New York office. I am studying in New York but I really did like hearing about the Wisconsin office because I’d love to work for a big company but still be able to live in a smaller town and have a house and live that sort of suburban lifestyle. So it was really cool to hear about what the Milwaukee office is life and know that the people who worked there enjoyed working there as well. 

Part 2 – Observations:  Thoughtful observations and reflections made during the appointment itself.  What did you learn about the industry?  Specific jobs?  Your own potential career path?             

I thought our visit to Kohl’s was very informative. We learned a lot about the specific jobs from people on different teams which I thought was really useful. I think its been really difficult for everyone to understand what Product Development means and what that job entails but I think that they did a really good job of laying out for us that product development is kind of different for every company. They kind of went through that some companies include sourcing and manufacturing and cost projects and all that within the product development job. But it also involves a lot of technical specifics about the actual garments as well. I also really liked that they all went through what their typical days are like. Hearing from the design team about how they “go to market” each month and what preparing from that involves helped me understand what design means when you're working in a big company. 

Part 3 - Weekly Question:  Discuss something Alyssa, Paige, Missy, or another speaker said that resonated with you.

I think it was awesome to hear about how Missy used her time at Kent State to work her way into the Kohl’s team. I am amazed by all of her accomplishments and I am so grateful that we got the chance to talk to her. I feel like one of my biggest struggles is trying to figure out where I fit into corporate job positions or what kind of corporation I want to be in all together. So hearing about how she took her merchandising degree and applied it to magazines and to trend forecasting was super inspiring and cool.

Fashion's digital age

It's obvious that with every new iPhone release we find our worlds being consumed just a little more with whats going on in our phones. From tweets to texts, to the age of selfies, everything is becoming more digital. For fashion, it means more Instagram updates, more blogs in the blogosphere, and more to keep up with. So how do you keep up with all the fashion out there when it feels like there's already a thousand things going on at once. It's pretty exciting that there is a whole world of fashion apps out there to explore. Which sounds intimidating but I put together my top three favorites so you aren't floundering around in a sea of app store reviews. So here are my top three must-have fashion apps for you to download now.  

1. Texture

Because no one in New York has the strength or the money to cart around fifty September issues and because we all have more interests than can be contained in a subway newsstand. Texture takes all of our favorite print magazines and turns them into digital copies for you to view and enjoy while riding the subway, waiting in the Starbucks line, or waiting for your laundry. Not to mention that you can choose from hundreds of magazines which means you can read about anything and everything you enjoy. I selected a few of my favorites and I have to say I have been enjoying reading them on my phone. It's a nice break from Instagram stalking influencers and watching mindless Facebook videos. Heres a look at my top magazines at the moment.

I've been dying to read a copy of Airbnb mag since I heard it was a thing. One of my favorite pass times is looking at Airbnb in exotic lands and reading through their new experiences page. So this magazine is a dream come true. I love to travel and this magazine makes it so interesting and accessible. So happy about it. Allure, Glamour, and Bazaar are three magazines I never get around to reading because my first stop is always a dictionary-sized VOGUE so being able to sit down and flip through these is also pretty awesome. 

2. Bloglovin'

This app is super similar to Texture but it keeps all your blogs in place instead of your magazines. It gives you a feed of all your favorite blogs and their posts in real time. Its also a great way to help you find and follow new blogs surrounding similar topics and ideas. I love Instagram because I feel like its a super easy way to stay up to date on whats happening with my favorite bloggers. I see their posts I can read their little caption to see what they have to say, and I'm not checking thier profile every ten minutes to see if they added a new photo bracuse it shows up on my feed. Thats what I wanted but with realy content blogs. I wanted a way to be able to scroll through all the posts I wanted to read but without having to check someones blogs everyday for updates. That's why I love Bloglovin'. It gives me a feed and I can scroll to my hearts desire. 

3. LIKEtoKNOWit

I've never felt an app I relate to more. So here's how it works. Have you ever been scrolling through your feed and think to yourself wow I wonder where she bought that amazing coat? But then you reply to the influencer you love but realize with 400 comments before yours there is no way she's getting back to you about where she purchased said coat? Well, that's what LIKEtoKNOWit does for you. Basically, influencers, bloggers, fashion companies, use LIKEtoKNOWit on pictures they post on Instagram. They tag the prices of the items and where they bought them through the app. That way when you go to screenshot it you can pull it up in the app and you'll be able to see exactly where they found that amazing coat. Sounds so basic and simple but its a life saver. And it works out well for bloggers who are doing paid partnerships and promotions because it gives their followers shoppable links. 

There are so many ways to use apps like these to enhance your business and make shopping, liking, reading, so much easier. After interning for a large company like Kleinfeld bridal its obvious to me how important communications through apps like these are. We just reccently launched a brand new Kleinfeld website which gives brides so many ways to interact with what happens here at Kleinfeld. There are hair tutorials, make look ideas, real bride stories, and a dress search engine unlike any other bridal website. We are doing alot to keep ourselves at the top of the bridal industry. While I think we are doing alot of things right I think it would be amazing if we started using the LIKEtoKNOWit app for our Instagram photos. It would be great if we can direct brides to the exact dress so they know the price point its within and see if we have it in the salon for them to try on. I think it would really round out the experience that we give to the bride. 

Picture Me: The Faces of Fashion

Picture Me is a documentary about Sara Ziff a model from the early 2000's who made this documentary with her then-boyfriend to reveal the inside of the fashion industry. When this documentary was released it was kind of the worlds first look into the lives of fashion models. Prior to this, no one knew what it was like to be a model in the fashion industry. Nowadays people are pretty aware of the hardships of being the face of fashion. And we are going beyond that to reverse the standards of beauty that we've set. We now see models of all races, body types, and ages on the runway. There are untouched ad campaigns, more documentaries uncovering the realities of photoshop, and "real-life" models are being used more and more. Having a diverse group of models representing brands is the new standard in fashion and its because of revealing documentaries like Picture Me. Following her documentary, Sara Ziff started college and went on to create the Model Alliance which helps models have a voice when it comes to issues like harassment, labor laws, and health care. It's because of people like Sara that the modeling world is becoming a safer place but there is still a ways to go.

Me in 2015 modeling for a local designer's runway show. After doing this show for three years I realized it wasn't worth it anymore. This show was unpaid and involved being there for a full 12 hours. We weren't provided food or even chairs to sit in while we waited around for hair and makeup. You can't see it in this photo but I was also asked to wear four-inch heels that were two and a half sizes too small. But to my agency, it was a good chance for me to be seen. 

I've always been really interested in fashion, and because of that, I wanted to do anything I could to become a part of it. Lucky for me I somehow grew to be 5'11" and have this unusual biracial face that makes me kind of racially ambiguous. In high school, I was a part of an organization that had a yearly gala and one year I received an award which lead me to be backstage before the show, which lead me to get my makeup done, which lead to the makeup artist referring me to a modeling agency. And before I knew it my high school head grew ten times bigger than it already was and I was sitting in a modeling agency in Cleveland waiting to see what they had to say. They ended up signing me on and giving me a modeling contract. Before then I thought modeling was basically an episode of Americans Next Top Model, and it would be private cars to photo shoots, free clothes, running around cities I've never been, and impressing designers I admired. But modeling in Cleveland is a lot less glamorous and modeling anywhere is strict and annoying. Basically that day I signed a contract with my mom's help that basically said I was not allowed to gain or lose any weight, I had to consult my agent before making any changes in my physical appearance including cutting or dying my hair, any tattoos or piercings, etc. and that I had to send in my measurements every few months to make sure I wasn't changing shape. My agency sent me to a hairdresser and had her do whatever she thought would look best. And they took 20% of whatever I earned from any jobs. Which is all pretty standard for modeling but sounds like a lot of rules when you're 15 and want to dye your hair purple. But I wanted the status of telling my friends I was leaving school early for a modeling gig and hanging out with the photographers of Cleveland. So I did it.

me in 2013.This was my headshot on my agency's website and the first picture in my book. Fake laughing with a full face of makeup. Both very forced.

I got my headshots done just after my 16th birthday. My mom and I talked a lot about how if I wanted to model I would have to use the money I earned to pay off the headshots and then the rest I could have for myself. I remember my mom being really concerned that my view of money would be skewed if my first job involved me making $100 an hour and doing very little work. But, I ended up only making enough money to pay her back and had less than $100 for myself when I decided to quit. There's a lot of reasons why I stopped modeling in particular with my agency. They were strict and unhappy that I didn't measure myself as often as they'd like and that I didn't have the beach body they were looking for. My headshots made me look old but I also had a really young face so companies didn't choose me because they couldn't identify my age. I went to do runways around Cleveland and I often didn't fit into the sample sized garments. I've been called out because I have too big of a butt or that my feet are too big to fit into shoes or that my boobs don't fit the cup size. I even got comments on the fact that I don't wear makeup on a regular basis. Well, all in all, the experience wasn't that great and it left me feeling terrible about myself every time. I would beat myself up over all these little comments. And as I started getting less and less jobs I was questioning myself and why I was doing this at all.

me in 2013 modeling for a friend's photography thesis. This was one of the first times I felt like I was modeling for fun and felt really good about myself while doing it. 

So I stopped when I got into fashion school at Kent State. I learned a lot about myself through modeling. I learned that I honestly love my body the way it is and that other person see your beauty when you see it yourself. I still model but in a very different less serious capacity. I try to do it for fun with photographers I know and like. It's hard to remember that modeling is supposed to be a fun thing instead of work and stress and anxiety all the time. I don't want modeling to make me feel good about myself I want to feel good and let modeling be something I do for fun which I think a lot of girls confuse. And it has opened me up to so many new careers that I really am interested in. I found a new love for photography and styling, and now I'm in fashion school. Modeling pushed me in a direction I'm excited about but its hard and tiring and way more than being a pretty face.