I’m smitten with this colorful spectrum of stationery by artist Jordi Ferreiro! Makes me wish I’d hung on to all of mine, especially the Lisa Frank designs of my childhood. (via Present&Correct)
Crushing on graphic designer Julian Bialowas’s year-long photography project – 365Q. Each day he pairs an inspirational quote with one of his own photographs. And while the idea has been done before, it’s motivational to me all the same. (via Dismount Creative)
The latest Project Runway episode was the HP/Intel pattern challenge. And let me start off by saying it was the most difficult for a few reasons.
1. We had to turn it in two weeks early, without seeing the episode and the full parameters.
2. We didn’t have the same Intel program the designers used because it’s not for sale.
But we also got off easy because we neither had to work in a team of five, create several looks, or a shoot a video for the models to walk to during the runway show. So I guess things evened out in the end.
I had to cheat a little and design my pattern in Illustrator, simple because I wanted it to look clean and that’s not something I was able to do on the Touch Screen in Art Rage. Here’s the result:
I went with a mod minidress that ended up being sort of an updated Breakfast at Tiffany’s look once I used the Piperlimewall to accessorize. In the end I was surprisingly happy with the result.
If you’ve been following along from the start, you know that last Friday I had the opportunity to attend the Project Runway finale runway show at New York Fashion Week. And wow, what an amazing experience. But I’ll be saving all that to share until the finale airs, along with the Project Runway Reunion party that took place Saturday night. This will also be the last challenge I’ll be participating in – I’m saying auf wiedersehen for now!
If you’d like to see all of my creations, check them out here. And if you haven’t seen this past week’s episode you can catch it right now.
Full Disclosure: HP provided me with a TouchSmart 610 for use. All content and opinions are mine. I have not been financially compensated by HP or Project Runway.
This past week’s challenge on Project Runway was mega creative and I loved it. Each contestant was paired with a student from the Harlem School of the Arts who created a special painting that was to be the inspiration for each designer’s avant-garde look. I wasn’t lucky enough to be able to pair with a student, but I was lucky enough to have the honor of using a painting by my lovely friend Lisa Congdon.
The idea was to create a look inspired by, but not mimicking, the painting. I chose a heavy white canvas as the base fabric for my large, flowing skirt. Then I attached rectangular cut pieces of fabric in all the colors represented in the barn and attached them with a hot glue gun (not enough time to sew them all on!) in a brick-like pattern. For the top I went with a raw silk the color of an overcast sky (poetic, no?) and created a voluminous half-sleeved, cropped blouse with a curvy abstract neckline. I then painted some abstract “trees” reaching up into the “sky” of it all. “Avant-garde” design is described as something you wouldn’t really see people on the streets wearing, but would definitely see on the runway or Lady Gaga. I think this is right along those lines, for sure.
Later this week I’ll be jetting off to New York Fashion Week and the taping of this season’s Project Runway finale! And don’t worry, I’ll be bringing back a full report. If you haven’t seen my designs from the season up to this point, you can check them out here. And if you need to catch up on the season you can watch full episodes for free right online.
Full Disclosure: HP provided me with a TouchSmart 610 for use. All content and opinions are mine. I have not been financially compensated by HP or Project Runway.
Join the two halves of the Roll & Mix together and they form a rolling pin, separate them and you have a mortar to grind things and a bottle to hold oil. Multi-functional design, I so get you.
Andrea Cheng and Meg Wachter are the brilliant ladies behind the blog Got A Girl Crush where they catalogue inspirational women – everyone from Stevie Nicks to Maira Kalman is fair game. And now they’ve launched a bi-annual GAGC magazine spin-off! The first issue was just released and it’s full of ten talented ladies doing cool things in the worlds of art, music, and design. You can pick up a copy here or check it out online for free.
As I sat down to watch this past week’s episode of Project Runway, I was already feeling creatively stumped. But the second they announced the challenge (but only after making the designers run around an indoor track) I had no ideas whatsoever. The task assigned was to create an outfit – actually three, but I’m only one person here not a team – using denim and/or suede to be worn with Heidi’s upcoming line of New Balance sneakers.
It quickly became apparent that Heidi wasn’t looking for something athletic, but rather an outfit that felt right with the shoes. A serious challenge. Out the window went my past strategy of sketching along during the show and in came the oh-my-god-I-need-to-make-SOMETHING mentality. After about three attempts while sitting down at the HP Touch Screen 610, I came up with this:
I created a sleeveless knee-length ombre suede dress in a tan to olive gradient. It features a deep scoop neck, off-center front slit, and oversize armholes. I then topped it with a cropped black denim jacket with three quarter length sleeves, a banded collar, and copper stud work along the front. To complete the challenge I paired it all with the 410 sneaker in black.
If you haven’t watched Episode 5 yet, catch up right here. You can also see all of my past designs here.
Full Disclosure: HP provided me with a TouchSmart 610 for use. All content and opinions are mine. I have not been financially compensated by HP or Project Runway.
There is no greater design terror than being charged with creating something specifically for your boss’s personal use.
Enter the Nina Garcia Day-to-Night Challenge and my least favorite judge. The garment we were creating needed to be something that would easily transition from day to night wear.
Turns out Nina was a nightmare client (shocking) and started by immediately rambling off a long list of what she does not like – pattern, color, basically anything of interest. Luckily, each contestant was treated to a one-on-one consultation with Ms. Garcia after the sketch phase. To which she showed up wearing a bright orange blouse with patterned sweater vest. Oh, the hypocrisy! Nina then proceeded to lead each and every designer down a path of wrong direction.
After making notes and sketches while watching the episode, I got to work on the HP Touch Smart 610. This is the first week where my final garment ended up diverting from my sketch fairly drastically. I blame some of this on the overly opinionated eye of my naked assistant who was heavy with the over the shoulder critiques.
I started off with a sort of A-line shift, fitted on top and created out of heavy black canvas. A risqué and edgy choice of material perhaps, but I’ve played it fairly safe so far. I then lined the piece in gold silk and added a one inch wide zipper about four inches off-center to the entire length of the piece. When zipped the dress remains corporate, yet sassy. And when unzipped slightly the neckline folds over to reveal the gold lining and play up a little sex appeal.
If you haven’t caught episode 4 you can watch it right here.
Full Disclosure: HP provided me with a TouchSmart 610 for use. All content and opinions are mine. I have not been financially compensated by HP or Project Runway.
