manhattanfashionblog

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Crafted: Fashion Design AAS Exhibition

Crafted: Fashion Design AAS Exhibition at FIT; Crafted by Nature, Contaminated by Negligence

From  April  12th  to  the  19th,  at  the  Pomerantz  Center  at  FIT,  the  Fashion  Design  AAS  students  will  be  showcasing  their  talents  and  skills,  innovations,  and  techniques  with  their  muslin  designs.  For  Spring  2023,  they  were  tasked  to  create  designs  solely  utilizing  muslin  fabrication  as  a  blank  canvas  to  display  their  artistry.  During  the  designing  and  sewing  process,  industry  mentors  worked  with  the  Fashion  Design  AAS  students  throughout  the  semester.  Before  sewing  and  construction,  students  and  Critic  Award  winners  put  together  mood  boards  with  inspiration  pictures,  a  color  palette,  fabric  swatches,  and  their  sketches  for  the  project.  Mood boards  varied  from  student  to  student  as  they  drew  from  different  inspirations  and  themes  to  create  a  story.

For  example,  for  one  AAS  student,  they  drew  from  horses  and  their  movements  and  hair  while  using  horse  hair  as  swatches  and  as  a  trim  in  their  sketches  for  their  mood board.  Another  student  in  particular  was  inspired  by  matrimony  with  their  mood board  being  titled  "Till  Death  Do  Us  Apart."  Their  story  was  a  dark  romantic  one  with  a  moss  green,  black,  brown,  and  ivory  color  palette  and  many  different  fabrics  including  lace,  silk,  and  fishnet.  Their  mood board  clearly  had  a  theme,  with  cross  signs  and  detailing,  floral  detailing,  grunge  inspiration,  bridal  dresses,  and  long  mysterious  capes  with  hoods  or  veils.  Lastly,  in  particular,  another  student  created  a  visual  drawn  from  inspiration  from  Little  Red  Riding  Hood  for  Fall/  Winter  and  another  student  drew  inspo  from  the  use  of  shrouding  as  a  death  ritual  and  used  pearls  and  crystals  in  their  final  muslin  design  to  represent  the  naturality  of  earth  and  "reposing"  which  is  returning  to  Earth  in  a  natural  and  pure  way.  

Zuleica Prado

FIT

[manhattanfashionblog]

The Vivid Revival of the Samba: Trend on the Streets

March 10, 2023

The Three Stripes of Adidas on the Samba were first seen in the 1940s on soccer pitches with the Samba being the German brand's first soccer cleat designed for players to play on frozen grounds. However, the soccer field has now turned into the streets with influencers and everyone along the streets of SoHo and Flatiron commonly wearing the Samba — a minimal style featuring a rubber sole, and the Adidas signature three stripes constructed with a mix of leather and suede. Differently from last year, and to what soccer players wore and are wearing, the Samba's revival and comeback in 2023 is now immersed in color, hue, and vibrancy.

As seen on the streets, the Samba has returned and more vividly than ever before. The popularity of the sneaker was first ignited by trendsetters like Hailey Bieber, Bella Hadid, and Kendall Jenner, and it has now evolved to the streets with the sneaker being paired with baggy jeans, jean skirts, and cargo pants. The Samba though, has now shifted from the old black and white style to bright color styles with blues, pinks, and greens as the vintage aesthetic and classic heritage of the Samba with this new vibrancy combination serve to make it fresh, popular, and still a classic amongst all.

Soccer inspired fashion has made a strong comeback, and the Sambas are emphasizing this trend with them being seen all across social media and the streets around us. Colorful statement sneakers are the new style, and for now they are here to stay with the Samba.

Zuleica Prado

Fashion Creative Presentations

[manhattanfashionblog]

Diane Von Furstenberg and Her Story Full of Prints

February 27, 2023

Diane von Fürstenberg, a unique creator known for her bold and inspiring prints that speak for themselves, and represent herself, her brand, and her collections in her store in the hat of the fashion capital, New York.

Diane von Füstenberg the brand, like many brands, had its up and downs to find success and as a result, had many rebirths over the decades. Today, the brand is known as a "50-year-old startup," and the company still resides in the meatpacking district inside the same building that Diane bought in the 90s when the district wasn't such a nice area but when Diane felt the need to stand out. At the time, it was blockbuster news in the real estate world, and elsewhere because she was a woman who also happened to be married to a prince causing headlines.

Back in the day, the Diane von Fürstenberg location in New York compromised of a showroom and public relations floor, an e-commerce team floor, a marketing and design floor, and at the top, Diane's own apartment. Today, the company continues to make innovative prints, but it is not what it once was since the physical store was re-shaped a few years ago when the company entered into its new era. Around 2017, Diane decided to go modern, simplistic, and minimalist with even black and white newspaper stairs, but ultimately, she soon realized that the style wasn't her and so she changed back to be true to her brand thus remodeling her store and once again turning to the vibrancy of her iconic prints.

In her store down W 14th Street, her love for life is showcased throughout the visual displays in the "Instagram room," which used to be an art gallery of famous and powerful women portraits by Ashley Longshore but is now an emulation of her and her iconic prints like the famous and bestseller chainmail original print. One would say that she is ahead of her time, with her ability to connect sensual silhouettes and prints that carry a story or memories together. And although the store might be too bright and outgoing for me, since I prefer the modest and minimalist look, it is alluring to see a designer follow their heart and create what they want without suppressions. Furthermore, learning about Diane's history, it was interesting to hear that she still continued to design and produce collections with these playful prints even in the 90's when the stock market crash sobered society making color vanish from life and fashion and thus making the chainmail print the best-seller which actually, is not displayed in the store surprisingly.

Diane von Füstenberg's store can be visited at 440 W 14th St, New York, NY 10014, and it is definitely worth the visit to see the construction of her clothing, the visual displays and interior decoration, and most importantly her prints and her pink lip coach.

Zuleica Prado

[manhattanfashionblog]

The Connection between the Creator and Their Interiors

February 4, 2023

An innovative exhibit of more than 70 garments from female fashion designers including Jeanne Paquin, Robe à la Française, and Madame Hardy, showcasing how and why the aesthetics of interior decoration influenced their brands.

In the late 19th century when interior decoration became a possible profession, female designers constantly used French interiors to influence their own styles and designs to enrich their brand leading to an influx number of women starting haute couture houses in the fashion capitals of the world. Ultimately, these fashion creators devoted themselves to their luxe or modest interiors at home as they also carefully crafted their couture salons with their garments serving as testaments for the art of decoration.

The Museum at FIT showcases this connection, between the female creator and their interiors, as it dives into the different eras in fashion and how specific trends in interior entered into design. In the 1890s during the Belle Époque, luxurious silks dominated inside the home which translated to garments where a dramatic and overly feminine design was then produced and vice versa. Jeanne Paquin, who opened her couture house in 1891, rose to fame during the luxurious Belle Époque where she created innovative designs that epitomized the era by using silk taffeta and silk chiffon. Her success led her to become a powerful figure in fashion as the location of her couture house, on rue de Paix, reflected the exclusivity of her brand which later took abroad in London. Her couture shop in Paris was decorated in a modern and elegant way with a rococo revival style as she loved interiors and modern furnishings and was influenced by them like many female designers in her time and there on after.

During the 1890s to 1970s, many female designers felt that "the interior of a home is a natural project of the soul," as Coco Chanel herself stated.

DESIGNING WOMEN: FASHION CREATORS AND THEIR INTERIORS is on free display on W 27th Street, at FIT, until February 08, 2023.

Zuleica Prado