Sweatshops.

(toothpastefordinner.com^)










It is easy to say that I don't support sweatshops, for the obvious moral reasons, but then again the clothes that I am wearing today probably can be attributed to sweatshops. So even though I may not want to support them, I am by purchasing apparel that has been involved in making sweatshops successful. Luckily there are now emerging companies that refuse to use sweatshops to cut costs. Unfortunatley, there must be a downside- price. Most of these companies also support organic clothing, which is also expensive. Hopefully these companies will spark a bit of a revolution, and we will be able to keep children in other countries out of sweatshops at some point in the future.



It is sad that America has become so greedy. Retailers are only concerned with profit, and if Americans will pay ridiculous amounts of money for clothes that only takes companies cents to make overseas, then they're all for it. They don't even take into consideration that they are making 16 year old girls and younger work all day under harsh conditons such as heat, abuse, and no maternirty leaves.




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milan fashion week: art vs. usability.

This year Milan fashion week featured a lot of pieces that were more wearable rather than artistic, as Milan is known is for. Even in the lines that stayed true to their artistic messages and inspirational motives, there still existed wearable pieces, even if it was just a pair of leggings or shoes. The styles were tamer than normal, which is probably a reflection of the struggle and desparation for peace now. I never really realized how much of an effect events in the world have on fashion. It's wonderful that designers take into account what's going on while they are creating clothing, because it expresses further that there is more to fashion than what we see. It conveys that what we wear is a parallel of what we've been through, what we believe in, and what we are currently facing.

Some of the transparent fashions were obviously not practical, but what I really like what they suggested, and I am eager to see more transparency used in wearable ways in stores soon. I am also very interested to see how the outrageously tall shoes will transfer into the market. Personally, I am slowly getting over flats, and I would love to see more girls putting effort back into looking good by sporting the pain-stakingly high heels. I feel that I will be entering the business world at fashion's business peak, based on the transformations of the once simple and unflattering, now proffessionally sexed-up suit. Another trend I was really glad to see were the exaggerated sillouhettes that somehow remained true to the shape of a woman. Dolce and Gabbana mastered this: I was also impressed with the balance Dolce&Gabbana sustained between over the top artistic and completley wearable. While there are many beautiful ideas and feelings that are provoked from this dress:
, you can also see how the flowers in a lesser amount would transfer beautifully to a wearable outfit.


All in all it was fascinating to see the contrast between the designers who stayed true to the artistic spirit of Milan week, and the designers who toned down in lue of our current crises. What was even more fascinating were the designers who did both in the same line, and somehow avoided an abrupt interruption in the flow of their lines. From victorian inspired to 60s inspired, to 20's inspired.... Milan was full of surprises, exaggerated and simplistic.









((ALL PICTURES COURTESY OF STYLE.COM))

What inspires me to design

I, like many of the other students in class expressed, am in this for the marketing and merchandising aspect of apparel-but I do doodle way more than I should, so I figured I would give it a shot. I'm a huge fan of patterns, and i desperately miss my photoshop because i used to design prints for t-shirts and layouts for my old myspace page and things of the sort with it. I haven't really had time or money to get it on my new computers, and even if I did I doubt I would have time to dabble in it anymore, but I enjoyed it a lot.

If I did design, I feel like people would be my main inspiration. Not how they look, but their personalities. That along with music and outdoors. Clothes can definitley tell stories, just like songs. Sometimes when I can't fall asleep I think of a song and then design the outfit for the artist's video in my head. It usually works too, because I get so into detail that I eventually just start drifting into dreams. Patterns inspire me as well. I go to graphic websites a lot to look at pictures that people have taken or edited, and I am constantly changing the background on my computer, and sometimes this blog as well. In fact I probably will again when I finish this post.

So anyways there's something I just designed downstairs. The back of it would be black nylon/spandex material so as to keep the dress up, until the waist line, where it would return to the same fabric and design as the front to the bottom. My inspiration for this was the gay boy sitting beside me downstairs while I drew it who I just recently saw in a drag dress. I think an actual woman would look better in it, but he's very inspiring. I would pair this dress with strap up black heels and a metallic clutch. Or, I would dress it down with tights and ballet flats.