Currently at FIT Museum - EXPEDITION: Fashion from the Extreme

Expedition

Let's be honest. I wasn't really jazzed to see this exhibit, because I really couldn't see a direct application of this topic in my life.  But... last weekend, since I was near FIT anyway, I stepped inside, casually walked downstairs (for this one), prepared to be unimpressed.

And yet again, I was WRONG!

Think of it this way: "Travel to extreme environments is a relatively modern phenomenon." This is the opening line of the exhibition pamphlet I held in my hand as I wandered into the space.

Think on that for a second.  Fine. Give it more than a second. Yeah... Safari, camouflage, ski parkas, scuba gear, space travel... actually... I do get it. Didn't think I did, but I do!

To really appreciate the variety and beauty of the pieces presented, you'll have to go in person. No spoilers here.  It really is a thinking person's exhibit, and you won't regret it.

On view until January 6, 2018

Can't go in person? Visit virtually here.

And then I looked up! New Fabric Store... Well, a year old...

Walking along 37th Street in the Garment District, I did something I have always done/always do... but not right there, apparently.  At least not recently.

A window sign beckoned to me from the second floor of 222 West 37th.  Inviting everyone to shop for French Couture Fabrics.

Yes, you heard me right.

Retail.

Wholesale.

Everybody.

Anybody.

So, up I went.

One of my very favorite songs was playing when I entered.  A huge plus!  While singing along, (the song is in French) I was greeted very warmly by a French speaking man (who, by the way, has an English speaking employee who is more than enthusiastic about helping you find what you are looking for!) and was invited to look around.  Lots of gorgeousness in this place.  The most spare and no-frills basic display of fabric you will ever see, but truly magical merchandise.

The prices are not low, but not particularly high, either. Don't look for bargains or haggling here. Just buy what you love.

This beautiful double faced fabric, folded back on itself... is just... heavenly.

French Couture Fabrics (click through for website)
222 West 37th Street
2nd Floor
NYC

Instagram: frenchcouturefabrics

My advice?  Go.

Just go.

Ch-ch-ch-anges!

In B&J last week, I heard a woman in the next aisle lament to her friend, "Man, things are really changing around here.  I mean... I was in a store, asked for a business card, the man handed it to me, shrugged and said... 'We're moving soon.  Don't know where to, but you can use the info on this card in the meantime.' Pivot.  End of conversation!"

Her light humor and gestures illustrating her point made it a funny moment, until... I felt it for myself first-hand a few hours later...

At Steinlauf and Stoler.

So yeah, they don't owe me details or an explanation, but wow, they have a somber email list you can sign to get info when they move.  Call me crazy, but their tone feels more like "if" than "when".

No longer in its heyday, but fantastic for a variety of needed items for the serious professional or hobbyist, this place, in exactly this location will be missed.  Or, maybe it will move, refresh itself, and bet better than ever...?  Let's see!

And... remember Chic Fabric?  After they closed, their inventory went down the street to another store, and we breathed a sigh of relief... but now, there's a sign that the Chic alliance is ending (maybe sold all inventory?) and so, that is also a "wrap".

So, okay, we can deal...  There are still plenty of great places to go, and the bigger ones are still great... and I strolled past what was once... ummmm.... Leather Impact.

It was gone.  Empty.  No forwarding details. But wait!  Look their website!  They simply moved!  Look at their Instagram.  Whew. We're good.

Life goes on...

Rectangles...

I never noticed how I keep returning to rectangles until recently.  I love making things so simple that only 1-3 rectangles are required, and are so simple to sew, that it even becomes hard to explain how it was done.  I think these things are specific to my taste, but I love how duplicable they are, because of their simplicity.  How well it turns out is only a measure of how "right" a fabric choice was made...

Examples of same garments that were nothing buy rectangles are below:

The grommet laced shoulder...

The ever-changing cradle bag

A panel print just the right size to become a shirt

Rectangular scarf that became a vest by folding to the middle (back neck), and tying a knot

Beautiful pleats by International pleating, suspended from two rectangles of lace

A rectangle cotton knit t-shirt dress, with a vertical "scarf"

So, there were quite a few other photos I was about to share, and then stopped short, thinking, "Oh yeah, it STARTED out as a/some rectangle(s), but then I decided to..."

So... yes...  I often start with rectangles, and end up... well... wherever that sends me.

David Kelley, IDEO, Creative Confidence (and a welcome bear hug from someone I'd never met before)

Below, are examples of two projects that could have pushed me away from designing, or deeper into something that agreed with what the client was seeking, depending on how I chose to interpret their reactions...

I created this feathered duster for a client, inspired by burlesque dancers.  I loved it.  The client?  Not so much at first.  This was version #1 of quite a few tries.

Add caption

Recently, I shared a blog post about this bolero, the process of designing and making it, and what happened next.  This story fits within the context of a talk I attended recently.  Read on, and go back to that blog post, if you're curious.

In many cities around the world, there are events where very interesting/influential/smart speakers talk to an intimate crowd at gathering events hosted by Creative Mornings.  In New York City, these events are EXTREMELY popular, and registering for any of them  (free!) requires amazingly fast fingers.

The last one I attended was a wonderful talk, given by Seth Godin last year, which was fabulous.

With the help of a close friend, who knew to try multiple browsers to increase our chance of attending, we were able to score 2 of the 600 tickets to the talk given by David Kelley last Friday (May 16th).  

Who is David Kelley?  Well, think Steve Jobs.  You know who that is, right?  Follow the highlighted text for an explanation.  I can't force it down into a quick sentence.

Okay, so... Why should I care?  Again, I ask you to click, unless you already get it, and don't need further explanation.

I arrived 30 minutes early, grabbed some lovely pastries and coffee in the waiting area, and lingered with the quiet crowd, talking to a few interesting creatives, mere steps away from David Kelley, who hung out among us, but whose attention seemed to be fully absorbed in one particularly intense conversation. I wanted to compliment his boldly unusual choice of shoelaces (a shock of an orangey-neutral accent that presented the perfect surprise against an otherwise sedate outfit), but it just didn't seem the time. With an ENORMOUS wait list crowd that packed the sidewalk outside of the school amphitheater, we all took our seats, and listened to his talk. You might want to check out his TED talk, which was quite similar to the talk he gave to us in that space last week, but a bit less of a lecture, and more like a conversation.

You know how people say "Been there, done that, bought the T-shirt?"  Well, had there been a T-shirt for sale at the event, I would have bought one. At this point, I have attended the Creative Morning event, watched the TED talk, and bought the book.  Frankly,  if there had been Kool-Aid served at the event, I might have taken a sip. Reading the book now, I can see that the ideas he presents are applicable in just about all professions and circumstances. 

So, what's my point here?

The book, his school, and his mission are all about Creative Confidence, which is basically "design thinking" as a tool for innovation.  I'd have to write a book of my own to explain it all here in a few sentences, so I'll send you to the source:



Seriously, you'd be better off reading the book to get where I'm going with this, but here's how it applies to your own (our our collective) creative journey.

• Involve your (or someone else's!) kids

• Practice empathy in design.  Understand what the challenges are, seek to resolve or minimize them.

• Get other people involved.

• Think outside of the box.

After the talk, did I stay to talk to David Kelley?  No, I did not.  I stopped to talk to the NY organizer of these events to give her a personal "thank you" for achieving the Herculean task of organizing events like these, which she reciprocated with a big, warm, impromptu bear hug. (This was a particularly sweet gesture on a day that happened to also be my birthday!)

How I won the lottery (and asked about buttonholes)

** Originally posted 5/12/13 - updated because I'm thinking about buttonholes now again...



Seth Godin, currently the world's most successful blogger, gave a talk at The New School's Creative Mornings Series on Friday, and, geek that I am, I was BEYOND eager to attend.  Not only that, but I knew that I would be eligible to register for free tickets last Monday at 11AM, so I logged in at 3 seconds before 11, and dove in.  Did I get a ticket?  Yes.  And so did my best friend (who was equally psyched about it).  The event "sold" out in 45 seconds.

45 seconds! As an audience, we were praised for our "skill", but I think we were just the people who cared the most.

Whoa.

So, my friend and I sat in the front row, listened with focused attention to his talk, and only one burning question stayed in my mind from start to finish.  Yes, I listened to the challenges of the new economy, creative thinking strategies, workplace philosophy, and all of the other pithy insights he had to share, but...

Creatives, you know what that question is, don't you?

"Where'd ya get that jacket????"

So, did it come from a store that way, did he find a pretty sedate suit jacket and commission someone to jazz up the lapel, change the lining, and create a bold rainbow of multicolored buttonholes of which any web designer would approve?  Not only were the buttonholes cool, the color combination was particularly good.

There was a brief Q&A, when all questions were about business, and then an informal, seated-on-the-edge-of-the-stage Q&A, when I  scurried up to ask my question.

"There's a little store in the East Village," he said, "where they take these jackets from somewhere that are going to be thrown out, and do things like this to them.  I just saw it, and liked it."

Perfect. Nice upcycle, Seth.


  

Food for creative thought - and making things as a form of "protest"

Frustrated?  Annoyed?  Angry?  Here's a great bit of advice...

Tina Roth Eisenberg: Don't Complain, Create. from 99U on Vimeo.