Guest Speeker

This week in class we were lucky enough to have a guest speeker who just so happened to be UNCG alumni. She was a English major and she minored in the CARS program. I liked her the best out of all the speakers we have had so far.

She works for a company who makes fabrics and quilts. When I though of quilts I though of things that my grandmother makes. I was very wrong. the quilts her company sells are very modern and they are made with beautiful and bright colors. I actually would really like to have one. I also thought it was interesting that some fabric they made actually appeared on Grey's Anatomy.

I was so glad she came to speek to our class. She gave helpful advice and she was funny and entertaining. I hope she will be able to come back and speek another time. I don't like to compare people but she was lots better than the other speeker.

Sweatshops: A Necessary Evil

Sweatshops have made quite a stir as people have become more and more aware of the way people are treated who work in them. Many people want to move jobs to America, but little do they know we would more than likely have the same working conditions here.

Having our clothes made over-seas had been a great way to save money. The savings have been passed down to the consumer and if they were made in America, we would be paying alot more for a piece of clothing than if it was made in a country like China or India.

Even though sweatshops sometimes employee children, they are only working to feed their families. Life is so hard in poorer countries, that if they didn't go to work in a place like a sweatshop they might starve. Although, I do realize that these conditions can be very dirty and unsafe, these children may not have any other choice. I am not sticking up for these bad circumstances or poor conditions. I am only saying there is no other way for the apparel industry to do business.

My Design Process

First of all, I would like to say the design you see on your left is not my design. It is just an image I uploaded. I have never actually put my designs on paper because I am such a terrible artist. Even though i do do put them on paper, I still go through a design process.

When I am designing I am usually inspired by all things southern. I love preppy designs. I usually pick pastle colors. For example, I was inspired after watching Gone With the Wind. I took the big antibellum skirt and made it modern by cutting it of at the knees. Instead of puffy sleeves, I made the top of the dress a low cut halter that ties in the back.

To me this design would be popular for a sorority girl who is going to a formal mixer. This dress is very girly, southern, and sexy all at the same time. By wearing this she is not only dressing for the occasion, she is also representing her roots.

Ethnic Influences on Apparel Design

Since the twenties we have been seeing forgien influnces on western dress. Many ethnic groups have influnced our designs by the colors that are use down to the patterns. Sometimes these influnces are so small you might not even realize them.

My Culture, Human Behavior, and Clothing class has been recently studing Kente Cloth which is native to Ghana, located in central Africa. Kente Cloth has been around for over five hundred years and each color and pattern in the design means something different. Our teacher Mrs. Brown taught us today that Kente Cloth became popular in the U.S. when the first president of Ghana visited America wearing a Kente Cloth garment. I have actually seen many dresses and other types of appearel with the Kente Cloth patterns on them. So even though Kente Cloth is a very traditional type of dress in Ghana, designers sometimes are influences by things such as Kente Cloth and they create something very new and fashionable.

Indian clothing has also been influencing fashion since the 1960's. Youth in the sixties started to wear indian influenced designs to imbrace their new free love, nonconforming attitudes (CNST Indian Influences on Fashion). During my reasearch I also learned that tie die, which is actually called bandhani in the Hindi language, originated in India (CNST Indian Influences on Fashion). I thought the example of tie dieing was a great one because everyone I know has at least one tie died shirt. These are just a few of the many ways that Ethnic Designs have influenced fashion as we know it.

New York Fashion Week review

Two designers really stuck out to me in the New York fashion week. First of all my taste is really classy and elegant, so even though there were some really amazing desiges, I tend to be bias towards the romantic pieces.

Calvin Klien's "soft geomentry" dresses really amazed me. They were so elegant, yet futuristic. Even though they were really out of this world they were still wearable. I agree with Astrid Munoz when she descibed his work as "Jackie O in the future". I loved his use of metalics and I am just blown away by how he was able to shape the fabric.

Oscar de la Renta was another designer who I fell in love with. His style has alot of class. I thought everything looked like something you could wear and still look elegant and classy. He never fails to create timeless designs. Rachel Zoe commented, "women should go back to the Jackie O look". I totally agree. I think women should focus on looking elegant rather than edgy. But that is just my opinion.

Organic Clothing

With the rage of "going green" and using organic products everyone is buying everything including organic clothes. What could be better than fabrics created without pesticides or other harmful chemicals? Organics are better for the earth as well as the body, not to mention the harvester.

Non-organic clothing is made with many pesticides and non-natural dyes which can cause headaches, skin allergies, and stomach problems. By buying organic clothing for you and your family you will be helping them live healthier lifestyles. In the long run, you and your family will get sick less often so you have more time to spend with each other.

Organic clothing has many environmental advantages. Since organic fibers are grown without the use of pesticides, the soil is better for the growth of trees and other plants. By getting in the habit of buying organic clothes and using organic products, we are doing our part of taking care of the earth.

My Favorite Designer- Coco Chanel

Coco Chanel was and is such an inspiration in the fashion world. Chanel's clothes were designed to free the woman from stiff clothing and make her feel independent, successful, and confident. Coco revolutionized the fashion of her day and in my opinion is the defintion of "Girl Power".

Chanel invented the little black dress which was versatile; it can be worn in either day or night time. This famous dress was shown in Playboy and caused controversy. I love how Coco Chanel was never afraid to take risks. She was always designing to impower women.

Even after Coco Chanel died in 1971, her empire lives on. Now her empire also produces perfume and make-up as well as clothing and accessories. Her chic style also lives on with her empire and I hope it stays around forever.