we are all magpies

activewear collection

2012-08-24T18:08:00.000-07:00

The reason I haven't posted in ages - but it is finally done!

Spandex work out top with nude mesh
Spandex/polyester blend "silky" basketball shorts

Spandex sports bra with nude mesh & hand dyed straps

Ponte cover-up sweatshirt

Spandex leggings

Nylon waterproof running shorts with ponte waistband

Spandex/polyester blend "silky" cut out top

Nylon gym bag

Spandex sports bra with nude mesh & hand dyed straps

Spandex empire running top

Spandex compression shorts

Inspired by highway interchanges; designed & executed by me; photographed by Julia Carleton.

obsession : basketball shorts

2012-07-12T11:29:00.000-07:00

One of the pieces in my activewear collection is inspired by the classic basketball short - think elastic band with 3 rows of stitching, loose slouchy fit. I made mine in a slinky spandex with great drape, in a tarnished nickel color. The fun part is that with a silk white tank, they can be worn to dinner - and then the next day, on a run with a sports bra.

It's fun to watch the athletic and fashion world collide - activewear inspired garments are becoming more and more regular.

Let's see how it's being done!

Love the take on athletic shorts in this fun, bright color! But the waistband keeps the inspiration nearby.

Once again, clearly inspired by basketball shorts - but the watch and fun tank keep it from looking like she just came from the gym.

What do you find of this trend? Would you buy a pair of shorts inspired by athletic clothing, or would you wear a pair of "basketball shorts" out with regular clothes? I think it's cute!

activewear collection : dyeing the straps

2012-07-07T08:39:00.000-07:00

As a single insignificant person in the fashion industry, finding certain supplies can be difficult. Take, for example, my fruitless search for bra strap elastic (the shiny-on-one-side, plush-matte-on-the-other kind that you have on your bra right now). I could find endless amounts in white and black for retail, but finding colored versions was near impossible (unless, of course, I wanted to order 50,000,000,000 yards - but I am not a manufacturer). Many suppliers of hard-to-find garment supplies don't offer retail sale, so I had to get creative.

Did you know Etsy now has a "supplies" section?

I ordered white and used Rit dyes to get the colors I wanted.

I like to pretend I'm legit by making tech packs for my designs.

The straps dyed very easily - I literally dipped them in the solution (using vinegar as a mordant) for no more than 2 seconds and they were done!

Just waiting on a few more fabric shipments and then it's time to SEW!

activewear collection : swatching

2012-06-25T07:29:00.004-07:00

Currently in the swatching and sketching stage! Working on narrowing down a color palette (gonna be a bit neutral heavy with bright pops, as you can see). I meet with my mentor on Wednesday to discuss the selection of final designs.

project : herringbone scarf

2012-06-20T08:45:00.000-07:00

I totally started this December 5th with the intention of giving it as a gift for Christmas ... and only finished it yesterday. Knitted laterally, this project definitely took a great deal of time. But it was so worth it!

The pattern can be found here.

Yarn: madelinetosh tosh merino light
Colorway: Betty Draper's Blue (I actually blended the light and dark version of this colorway, hence the different subtleties in hue)
Yardage: roughly 700 yards

designer : the knit kid

2012-06-14T08:50:00.001-07:00

Knitwear is in a strange place. If you browse knitwear patterns online, you feel like you've been transported back to the 1970s or 1990s and can never escape. But then if you find yourself on Sandra Backlund's site viewing her portfolio, you think knitwear has a chance - but it's still too experimental for everyday wear.

When my friend Elyse texted me this morning asking if I had heard of this Etsy designer, I was beyond excited to see modern, fashion forward and wearable knits that are as beautiful as they are minimal and clean - not overly fussy, covered in too many techniques - just speaking for themselves.

Just simple enough not to scream "my grandma made this for me" - the clean lines, color blocking, and fresh hues erase any sentiment of that.

Gorgeous!

Source: http://www.etsy.com/shop/theknitkid#

resort 2013 : more favorites

2012-06-13T18:29:00.000-07:00

J Mendel

Helmut Lang

Badgley Mischka

Matthew Williamson, Moschino

Giles

Alberta Ferretti

Source: photos from Style.com

beginning stages

2012-06-13T08:29:00.000-07:00

Monday I began my research process for my mini activewear collection. I researched the market, looked at competitor garments and prices, and figured out where I want to fit into the market myself. I created a survey for my classmates and friends to give me feedback on what they look for in activewear - and they gave me really good input!

Left, developing a working color palette. Right, note-taking on survey results.

Today I spent a few hours looking at activewear fabrics online - a surprisingly fruitless endeavor. While apparel fabrics are readily available, many sport performance fabrics are not, and are only available to wholesalers, activewear companies, or manufacturers. These hard-to-find fabrics so far are wicking and breathable fabrics, stain or odor resistant fabrics, and waterproof fabrics. Spandex and mesh are easier to find - but not "basketball shorts" mesh! I ordered a few swatches to get myself started.

I also spent a little time snapping photos of my favorite activewear garments I own already, to give myself some construction ideas and to look at how these garments were made so that I can aim for a professional-looking execution.

Can you tell what colors I like?

The next step will be finalizing my color palette, continuing to gather swatch materials, and finishing any concept research. My favorite part of the design process has always been the research component!

inspiration : activewear

2012-06-11T16:52:00.002-07:00

Today I began my entrepreneurial quarter - because my school is transferring to the semester system (from the quarter system), we have a very short summer! I am taking these few months to design a mini activewear collection.

I spent the day doing market research, looking at existing brands, finding new and inspiring brands, and deciding where I want my collection to fit into the market.

Tomorrow will be trend and color research, and nailing down my target market! Here are some images I have collected thus far that will serve as market inspiration for the next few days:

Karma

lululemon

Michi

Muse

prAna

zella

What are your favorite activewear brands? What do you look for in activewear? Let me know in the comments!

obsession : all white

2012-06-10T18:16:00.000-07:00

A maxi skirt is versatile - you can pair it with colored tops for a summery ensemble or go for a monochromatic look for something a bit more daring or evening. Recently I've noticed a lot of these looks going all white. The result is dramatic yet light and ethereal.

Source: various places on tumblr

project : sneak peak

2012-06-10T13:55:00.001-07:00

I've been sewing something secret the past few days, and here are some sneak shots. I'll post the finished garment once I'm done!

shopping : inspiration

2012-06-09T13:04:00.003-07:00

My mom came up with an interesting idea today. I was going through my closet like I always do when moving back home, getting rid of old things, and came to the realization that while I have a closet I do not have a wardrobe. If you were to walk into my room and slide open the closet doors, you would have no idea what kind of style I have. It's not that I don't have a style - I do. It's that my past purchases are often spontaneous, never thinking about an outfit but the individual pieces instead, and so I've ended up with a hodge-podge of looks that don't make a cohesive statement.

I asked my mom if we could do some summer shopping, and gave me a notepad to make a list of some items. I felt scattered again because I wasn't sure where to start. That's when she said, "Make a mood board."

I rejected that instantly.

Then thought about it. Why not? I save pictures on my laptop every day of outfits I love, girls I admire, looks I want to own or people I want to be like. They just sit around in overcrowded folders, waiting for me to open them again and use them as inspiration.

Here are the images I have been saving, and have finally pulled for ideas. It's fun to almost "recreate" yourself sometimes in a daydream, but even more fun to actually get to do it and make it happen.

I admire Rumi so much for her perfectly culminated personal style. I love this dress - it's simple and elegant, and can be used for a variety of situations.

The pencil skirt. My closet is full of gathered printed floral skirts - I'm a little past that now. I'm dying for a bright red or blue pencil skirt to be worn with neutrals, prints, or other bright shades!

A silky short for evening. Great for layering under longer tops, or tucking in blouses for a summery look.

Simple, clean, bold colors.

Simple, draped dresses that speak for themselves in saturated hues.

Here's a shade I'd love to have as a pencil skirt - and I love the simple top.

So in essence, here is what I'm looking for:

Pencil skirts in bold shades
Simple solid tanks
Silky shorts
Solid dresses (maxi and short)
Minimal, clean
Fully saturated colors
Possible prints (bold color prints, neutral leopard, neutral snakeskin)
A low-heel/wedge sandal

Have you ever thought about making a mood board to further hone in on your personal style? While it sounds a bit odd, it really does work - it is, after all, why I started my tumblr, to keep track of things I liked on a personal level, and not just what I liked to look at or for design purposes (like the runway or more couture items).

Shopping happens in a few days - I'll let you know how it goes!

DAAP fashion show 2012

2012-06-08T13:16:00.001-07:00

Tune into the annual DAAP fashion show at 7:30 tonight to watch it live! I have my tailoring and knitwear pieces in the show. Spread the word!

resort 2013 : favorites

2012-06-08T11:25:00.002-07:00

10 Crosby Derek Lam; 3.1 Phillip Lim

Band of Outsiders

Naeem Khan

Tess Giberson

Kelly Wearstler

Lanvin

Organic by John Patrick; Ports 1961

Thakoon

Monique Lhuillier; Sachin + Babi

Donna Karan; Erin Fetherston

Preen

Zero + Maria Cornejo; Erdem

Balenciaga

Images from style.com

inspiration : softness

2012-06-06T19:49:00.001-07:00

fashiongonerogue.com

knitwear : final project

2012-06-02T15:06:00.001-07:00

At the moment this is just me wearing it, but I plan to do a real photo shoot this summer with my favorite model Elyse! These beautiful photos are courtesy of Mallory and her amazing photography skills!

The tank, using the threadlace technique, is made of nude thread and periwinkle blue baby mohair/silk. The sweater is a merino wool/silk yarn.

knitwear : patterns

2012-06-01T14:07:00.005-07:00

Ever wonder what a machine knitting pattern looks like? Here are the two I designed and used for my knitwear final.

Intarsia pattern for the honeycomb graphic

Tuck pattern for the honeycomb texture

These are knitting machine punch cards. The machine (though not truly a "machine" as it does not run on electricity, it is all manual) reads the holes on the cards to determine where the needles will be placed on the bed. While we have learned how it works, it still seems like magic to me.

Updates soon!

2012-06-01T07:46:00.005-07:00

I have been a horrible blogger lately! And I can't even use the word "lately" .. I haven't blogged in ages. This quarter has been the most challenging yet. This quarter we learned to use knitting machines, I took some very challenging classes (introduction to neuroscience), and I poured my heart and soul out into my knitwear project so much that any ounce of free time I had I felt guilty not knitting!

And by "pouring my heart and soul", we mean sleeping very little to the point of not even having the energy to move, and feeling so high on adrenaline that I was shaking for days. It was not my favorite feeling.

It is still exam week for me, so I've got lots of studying to do, but I thought I'd give some updates. First off, here is my knitwear illustration! I will be getting my knitwear photos up soon, my classmate friend Mallory brought a seamless paper roll and camera to the critique and shot everyone's looks! Check out her amazing knitwear design inspired by stained glass windows!

My knitwear design was inspired by the honeycomb made by bees. I wanted to interpret the honeycomb through both a graphic and a texture, with each playing off of the other. I chose to work with softer shapes and silhouettes to offset the rigid, harder structure of the honeycomb, and selected the color blue due to the bee's tri-color vision, blue being one of the only 3 colors they can see!

More details to come once I've got pictures! We have to scan in our sketchbooks for class so I will be posting that as well - so you will see more sketches, swatches, and general figuring-things-out in coming posts.

One last update, this summer I will be taking an entrepreneurial quarter to design a mini active wear collection. I am beyond excited! I will be posting regularly about that process as well.

Back to studying the hypothalamus.

fashion : T magazine summer issue 2012

2012-04-17T17:04:00.001-07:00

Balenciaga dress

Celine dress

From T Magazine's summer issue 2012

Abercrombie project round 2!

2012-04-17T16:53:00.001-07:00

So Rachel, is this why you haven't posted in like, a month?

Yes.

Abercrombie project number 2 - even though I have already worked there, I was required to do the project again. But now it is done! My interview is on Thursday. This quarter has been a little crazy so far - knitwear is a complicated technique to master on the machines, senior thesis is being thrown at us (as juniors I might add - due to the semester conversion) and lots of portfolio work have me pretty busy.

But at least this part is done!

obsession : racerback

2012-03-23T17:33:00.000-07:00

My new fitness kick has got me loving all things racerback (and spandex, but that's not new). It's a classic athletic silhouette, but injected into dresses and silk tanks creates a sexy, beautiful contrast.

(A lot of these photos came from my old files on my laptop so they could not be sourced; however, those that could be are linked!)

3/15 photos of the week and some updates

2012-03-15T19:01:00.001-07:00

Sorry for the lack of updates everyone!! I have been so busy with work (and am on a fitness kick so lots of running to prepare for a 5k, knitting to finish up some projects, and general studying about how to begin a fashion brand) so I haven't totally been focused on blogging lately. But here are some images that have been inspiring me recently!

In love with this neon orange layer over a simple tank and shorts.

Again, another entrancing detail - an alluring, exotic cuff with casual jeans.

Minimal beauty at its best.

A gorgeous use of color and pattern.

High-rise jeans lend themselves well to a peek of skin in the back - demure and sexy.

Tomorrow, I have my last day as a graphic tees co-op at Abercrombie & Fitch. And oh my goodness, how wonderful an experience it has been. I have learned so much about the ins and outs of a successful company - from organization and production, to execution and review. A few weeks ago I ordered a book off Amazon called How to Set Up and Run a Fashion Label and it has definitely gotten the juices flowing in my head...

This summer my university transitions from a quarter system to a semester system - unfortunately for our class, we end up getting the short straw and have a mini co-op period over the summer (7-ish weeks) and then our first "semester" co-op back to back with the summer one, for 15 weeks I believe. Some of my classmates are rolling this into one long co-op, but I have chosen to break it up and use that short period to my advantage to do an entrepreneurial quarter, in which I develop and execute a mini collection (7 weeks is much nicer to go without pay than 15, and good thing I work fast!). I am very excited about this - I think this opportunity will allow me to better formulate my ideas about my future. During the summer I will be able to have this experience to compare to the others I have had, to understand if I truly want to be my own designer and live out my own aspirations, or work in a collaborative team much like that at A&F, to which I will return in the fall for my semester co-op.

So, there is much to think about! With the book I have been reading, I have been doing a lot of ideations on branding, where I would want to take a line if I had one, etcetera - so during the next quarter at school I will be doing a lot of background thought on what kind of line I would like to do over the summer with the potential of further developing that brand into senior year when I do my senior collection. It isn't that impossible to get contact with a factory for production - you just have to do all the pre-production work and send it to them in a format that is clear. However, I think this is something I could definitely achieve.

In other news... my CFDA portfolio has been selected to move on to the competition! A panel of professors reviewed the class portfolios and selected the few to send in for the scholarship - each school has a limited amount of portfolios that can be sent in for the final judging. I am eager to find out what happens next...!

Stay tuned for more! I am ready for a relaxing spring break and the start of knitwear!

jil sander fall 2012

2012-02-26T17:31:00.000-08:00

Big news for one of my favorite designers - Raf Simons will be leaving Jil Sander. The fascinating part is that Jil Sander herself will be taking his place.

With that, I leave you with my favorite detail from his last Jil Sander show. Interestingly, this favorite detail is not minimalistic at all - but I am still predictable, because it is neon pink and knitted.

Style.com

shopping : vintage necklace

2012-02-18T14:22:00.000-08:00

Went shopping today in the Short North area of Columbus, Ohio at the Mercantile Market. I found this vintage necklace for $20 - I've seen this style floating around a lot on the internet (and runway) recently.

Tumblr, Pinterest

obsession : red & royal blue

2012-02-15T19:14:00.000-08:00

Perhaps it is from being surrounded by preppy, saturated tones at the Abercrombie design office everyday - or this bright red and royal blue plaid scarf I keep seeing - but I'm obsessed with this color combination right now. Let's see how people are wearing it!

Source: Chictopia.com

My favorite way to see these colors together is in a print - or as solid garments worn together. It looks best in fully saturated, rich, royal tones of these two colors - but if you aren't ready for that, try subbing in a navy for the blue, or a burgundy for the red!