More on Charleston Fashion Week

Fashionista's take note! Three designers that were selected bore further scrutiny, just to see what they were all about. Not that all the designers aren't worth a look, but I thought I'd start with the ones that interested me most. These designers are really talented, so if you want them in your local boutique, you should ask the designer or the boutique (or both)!

At the young age of twenty Jazsalyn McNeil was able to incorporate her interest in nature as it relates to a spiritual freedom. Look for vibrant colored fabrics, free flowing designs and the interesting hemlines that are sure to slither down the runway. Very talented, and designed for women who don't necessarily want to feel constricted in what they wear.

Clarissa Arocena and Bryan Datinguinoo are both part of the Anni Albers Scholars Program at NC State.  As a duo, their artistic talents lean toward traditional tailoring with classic lines. They like the true craftmenship of olden day artisans such as shoe cobblers, leather smiths and metal smiths to direct their designs. Personally I love the mixture of leathers and tradtional beading that add to their clean lines and soft flowing dresses. I will look forward to watching them grow as designers as well as at the CFW!

Lastly, worth mentioning is what I call a mature designer of 34, Hope Wallace. She will be showing swim and resort 2014 at CFW. She works with geometric shapes and graphic designs. I love the clear vision that the graphics offer with generally a big push on black and white and strong colors. It is very mod and reminds me of my younger days of pop art in the early 70's. Her designs are something I would really enjoy coordinating back with a few of my more traditional wardrobe pieces. 

All the designers will obviously bring their most inspiring looks, as once again checking it out is half the fun! If you want to go check it out for yourself, grab a friend and plan a weekend - tickets to CFW are on sale now.

Designs and Designers - How to Work With What You Have

When we're little, most parents tell us we can do anything, and be anything. For some, that path is clear, and others not so much. Most of the clothing and jewelry designers I know are very creative people, and they love what they do, although I have found a great many of them who have done a variety of work before finally realizing they have to have a creative outlet and discovering that design is what they love. They have to love what they do - it's not like everyone wakes up one day, designs a shredded or bedazzled t-shirt and sells it to Saks or Nordstrom so they can sell it for $200. That's a rare occurrence, and is the reason shows like Project Runway are so successful.

I read an article today about a designer whose entire line disappeared on the way to Paris Fashion Week, and it made me think of all the hard work and creativeness he put into his line only to have it disappear. And it's not like he can just run out and get another one, he has to create and sew another one. I hope he still has his patterns...

You might be asking why I think this is sad - if he's showing at Paris Fashion Week, he must be somebody already, right? I've seen so many different designers, on lots of different runways, and I know that to get where he is now is not easy or inexpensive. And then there's that creativity aspect. Most designers start in the big houses, working in design or manufacturing and putting in long hours learning the business and the operational aspects of what it takes to start a design house of their own, all the while drawing and sketching, and working on their aesthetic. Not everyone can do it, and I've seen a lot of garments and jewelry that look great, like they would stand up to repeated cleaning and wear, and some that have loose or hanging threads, clasps that don't work or loose stones.

When you come across items you like, take into consideration that construction issues are easily fixed by a good tailor or jeweler. Most jewelry stores can fix clasps, loose stones, and any other issue a piece of jewelry might have, including adding or removing length so it hangs properly on you and complements your neckline. Tailors can strengthen a seam, or make construction adjustments so your garment looks like the designer envisioned on their sketch pad. Some jewelers and tailors will make a copy from an image or a picture, but like the designer whose line disappeared, re-creating the designs never quite meets the expectations or tweaks of the originals, and sometimes it's more fun to work with what you have in front of you to get what you want.

Are We Truly Overdressed?

Someone I know recommended a book to me recently, and I thought, why not? The book is titled Overdressed, and it's written by Elizabeth Cline. What an eye opener! Living in North Carolina, where the demise of the textile industry is big news, I had no idea what an impact it was to the garment industry when everything moved overseas. Brace yourself, this blog might cause you to think....

The book itself is heavy on statistics, and makes cost of living comparisons to various pivotal points in US history, but it's a surprisingly easy read. It focuses on the way our shopping habits have changed through the years, the easy ready-to-wear impact on our closets, our belief that we are overpaying for fashion but purchasing more, and the sheer volume of clothes imported into the US for purchase. Now, I've always been a shopper who values shopping local, but I had no idea how much shopping and manufacturing locally means to the economy and the environment.

One of the things the book focuses on is a lost art - sewing. I love my tailor, and utilize his services frequently for myself and my clients. It makes good or medium quality clothing stretch far longer, even with repeated washing and wearing. We all have our favorites, right? Hand in hand with the lost art of sewing is our tendency to toss and buy new shoes when the heels wear down or they become scuffed. I remember polishing shoes - not because we were poor, but because we liked the shoes and wanted to keep them for as long as possible. And quite frankly, breaking in new shoes is sometimes painful and we wanted to put that off for as long as possible.

Another thing the book points out is that our shopping habits have not only increased the number of clothing coming into the country, but also where it's made, the lowest minimum quantity a manufacturing facility will take, and what happened to the LA and NYC garment districts. It's not pretty, and the numbers are staggering. Some designers bring in new styles every other week, which doesn't lend itself to quality clothes or unique design. Crazy, huh?

That fact inspired me to take a walk through a local department store to see if I could find any clothes made in the US. Surprisingly, I found some, but the cost of the clothing was higher, and I had to look closely at different pieces of clothing to determine if they were all made in the US. The book states the higher price is due to hand-sewing the finer points of the goods and the quality of the fabric used. Which is nice - no one wants a flimsy, unlined article of clothing that only lasts through one or two washes before starting to unravel. Some of the countries designers are using are China, Indonesia, the Phillippines, Jordan, India, Vietnam, and Bangladesh, which I thought was part of India, but maybe I'm wrong.

All in all, it's an interesting read. As a wardrobe consultant, it's obviously nice that consumers are used to shopping all the time, want to have the next big trend, and will wait until things go on sale because it tends to happen more quickly and their dollars go further. I also wait for things to go on sale before buying, just from a smart shopping standpoint, and I understand when new shipments are coming and what to look for. The unfortunate side affect, besides the economic and environmental ones the book points out, is that we require bigger closets and tend to have so much to wear that we can't wear it all. That's my first task when working with new clients - going through their closet to see what they wear, what they haven't worn, and what doesn't fit anymore. It's an incredibly great feeling to consign clothing or donate it, and to find 'lost' space in your closet. According to Cline, the not so funny result of finding lost space, is our desire to fill it with new clothing.

It was a great read, and I recommend it if you are looking for something new and different. The one take-away I had that I always encourage is shopping locally for quality basics. What do you think? Does it matter if all our clothes are made in other countries? Does the quality of your clothing matter to you?