Sydney Seltzer's thesis fashion collection was inspired by her journal and how obsessively she writes in it. She has been writing in these books for years now and has a total of six of them. After looking at them she realized that they have become progressively more obsessive and controlled. She would write down what she had to do for the day and scribble it out perfectly on each page. For this collection she started thinking about the idea of control, and how she uses these books as a way to have some sort of "control" in her own life because a lot of things are so chaotic. To bring the concept into my thesis she focused on the idea of control vs. chaos. Control through color, line, and mimicked shapes. She created shapes with minimal seams or shapes that the wearer can change or control herself.
The clothes are all monochromatic, building up in color and many pieces have a way of unwrapping or can be altered. I have shoes that can unsnap and convert into boots and everything has a fold or loop that is mimicking the shape of the pattern.

Sydney was winner in the SAGA fur competition and had the opportunity to visit their Design Centre in Finland, where she learned creative techniques to work with fur. Below is one of the garments she created through that epxerience.

Sydney Seltzer is a graduate from the Fashion Design BFA program at Parsons The New School for Design and can be reached at: selts821 {at} newschool.edu

Nicole Ghosn is a fashion design graduate from the fashion design BFA program at Parsons. Her thesis is a crochet-based collection, titled:  “From mother to daughter.” Her collection reminded me of my grandmother's craftsmanship and it transported me right back to my own childhood. Nicole's inspiration came to her during a summer she spent in Northern Lebanon, where her family has its roots. Having grown up all over the world, in cities, with modern values she felt disconnected from her family’s roots and tradition. Nicole discovered the crochet table covers that had moved houses and countries with her family, and realized she had never really paid attention to them. Her mom told her how her grandmother and great grandmothers had made them by hand for their family and homes. This was a craft that had traditionally been taught from mother to daughter, and continued through generations, but it had skipped her.
So with this thesis collection NIcole decided to bridge the gap between generations and breathe new life to the crochet tradition that had been in her family for generations. She taught herself to crochet, inspired by the patterns of her ancestors, and used modern silhouettes that connected her forgotten heritage with her present.

Nicole was sponsored by the shoe polytechnic in Italy, and had the opportunity to visit the school and the factories outside of Venice this past January. They created 6 prototypes for her:  two designs, in three colorways each. The inspiration for these shoes is again her summer house in Northern Lebanon, specifically back in the early stages of its construction, and the scaffolding used. This first shoe has a stepped cantilever heel; and the second a shifted heel. The braided leather component adds texture to the upper of the shoe. The shoes are meant to anchor the looks, through their structure as well as the use of darker colors.

You can find out more about Nicole Ghosn at her website KnittyLittleThings.com

Here is part two of the Parsons fashion design thesis show - graduating class of 2012.

This is already old news as it happened last week and we all know how fast fashion trends come and go. But I think it is never too late to recognize the talent of the Parsons fashion graduates who have worked on their collections for a full year... blood, sweat and tears. And I swear I have seen it all and more. The Parsons Annual Gala Benefit show happened last night and I am enclosing some of my favorites in this post. In the next couple of weeks I'll feature some of my favorite collections as they happened through the thesis judging panels, but first here are some of my favorite shots from last night's benefit gala fashion show:

Laura Siegel,  fashion design graduate from Parsons was one of the truly exciting fashion presentations I saw this season. I am so impressed by the ability of a 25 year old designer to create such a thoughtful well rounded collection complete with collaborations for accessories like shoes and necklaces and stationary. She consistently works with artisans in India to create block printing and natural dye process techniques for continued sustainable practices.

Laura Siegel F/W'12 - Behind the Scenes from OAKJO on Vimeo.

Wishing you lots of love and happiness... and a closet full of shoes!

photo by Frederik Lieberath.

Interactive designer Carrie Mae Rose's Wearable Weapons are built to provoke, inspire, and protect the wearer. She is currently an Artist in Resident at Eyebeam in Chelsea, New York City.

Congratulations to Hyeyoung Kim, a graduate of Parsons The New School for Design, who is the winner of the Christian Louboutin / Bergdorf Goodman contest!

The famous red-soled stilettos were used as inspiration for a clothing collection and the winners were unveiled at Bergdorf Goodman. Their dresses will remain on display there through February 8.

Hiding inside each one of us there is an untold story of joy and sorrow. No matter how much we reveal to the outside world, there's always another layer...

Styling, photos Marieta Tzenova

Some clothing stores spend thousands of dollars arranging window displays, others just display the merchandise.

Photo by Sajad Jamali for National Geographic Feb 2012