Fashion Institute of Technology Noncredit Certificates

What happens when you study color theory... I'm guessing...

As always, I got very excited when I saw the brochure for the FIT Fall 2014 Continuing and Professional Studies course offerings arrive this year.  A perpetual student, I love to explore the enormous fashion industry and all of its players, and I am just wowed by how the ever-changing nature of the business changes what courses are being offered.

I'm being careful not to bury the lead... you can take some of these classes online.  Yes, I said ONLINE! Follow this link to learn more. Not only that, but there's still time, since orientation hasn't even happened yet!

Wanna ago?

It's Monday, September 15 5:45 - 7PM
John E. Reeves Great Hall (on FIT's campus)

You will need to call to RSVP at 212-217-7715

Fall 2014 

Look into it!

Here are a few highlights below, after which, I will guide you to FIT's own social media sites for more info.

First of all, they are offering a Sustainability Certificate - 6 courses and FutureLab to complete. This is exciting. Read yesterday's post if this if you are interested in exploring this important issue.

Fashion Marketing: China - this workshop helps guide you through developing a marketing strategy for this often misunderstood market.

Color Specialist: Fashion and Home Products/ Image and Style
I am particularly intrigued by "How Color Gets to Market"

The Social Media, Software, E-Commerce and Mobile classes look wonderful.

There is so much more... I can't write it all here.  You'll have to explore for yourself.

Stay Connected to FIT by following them here:

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Enterprise Center (Business focus)
Professional Studies

Eco-friendly fabrics

The ecologically-minded folks among you will be "Happy" to read this article, highlighting the mission of the artist pictured below:

Recording Artist and Creative Director of Bionic Yarn Pharrell Williams greets Chief Marketing Officer, G-Star Thecla Schaeffer at the event to announce "RAW for the Oceans", a long-term collaboration between Bionic Yarn and G-Star turning ocean plastic into Denim, at American Museum of Natural History on February 8, 2014 in New York City.

Today's post is in response to a specific reader (and professional colleague's) question... 

 I've been meaning to ask you about eco-friendly fabrics since last year. I'm curious and concerned about the fashion industry's move towards sustainability. Our industry is the second largest polluter in the world according to research. Between textile waste, polluting natural resources and social abuse, the industry is making a huge impact. Have you heard discussions about sustainability in fashion? Also, what steps are industry leaders taking to improve the enormous waste associated with cheap fashion? I've vowed not to design another piece of clothing unless it is made from recycled fiber or textile. It is difficult to stay away from polyester since it's the cheapest thing on the market and abundant. However, it's made from plastic and highly toxic especially when place in dryers. Most people don't have a clue. My question to you is? Which fabric stores sell recycled textiles or work with factories recycling fibers to weave new textiles. I may not get into the business of custom making textiles but I want to support businesses who do. Is it possible to find a list of stores or distributors contributing to eco-fabric? I would love to have this knowledge or find research. There are a few professors at F.I.T teaching sustainability in fashion but it's a new concept. What are your thoughts? 

Thank you for asking about this, Stacia.  If you care about the environment and our collective future, you may care to know that there are some companies specifically focused on providing Eco-Freindly fabrics, and to my eyes, it doesn't look like the NYC Garment district is leading the charge.

First of all, I want to emphasize that I truly believe that durability is the absolutely best way to make responsible use of the fabrics we purchase.  Make something that will last until you have either worn it to pieces, hand it down, pass it on to friends or family, or donate it to a thrift shop.  That is the best we can ask for, no matter what a garment is made of.

Aside from that, I have noticed bamboo Fabrics at NY Elegant, which are delightfully soft and wonderful to touch.

I also visited a few eco-friendly fabric suppliers at last year's DG Expo.  The businesses are not local, but they do sell in smaller quantities, so you would be able  to obtain and sample their offerings that way.

KenDor Textiles is a Canadian company, offering a variety of Eco-friendly fabrics, including:

Organic Cotton
Bamboo
Hemp
Recycled Polyester (Repreve*)

Zen Tex is a company with a New York Garment District Showroom, selling wholesale (1 roll minimums) to the trade. Among their offerings are:

• Broadcloths
• Voiles/Lawns
• Yarn Dyes
• Oxfords
• Gauze/Double Cloths
• Twills/Herringbones
• Canvas
• Dobbies

Other items include:

• Recycled Polyester
• Hemp
• Linen
• Lyocell/Tencel® (from wood pulp cellulose)

Indigo Handloom, spotted at this year's DG Expo, offers some heart-stoppingly beautiful eco friendly products.  The company's own mission statement is below:

Indigo Handloom has thousands of unique handwoven fabrics in its collection. We work with several different areas in South Asia and work in all natural fibers including all varieties of silk, cotton, wool and linen. Our fabrics require no energy to be made - besides the energy and expertise of our master weavers. By choosing handloom fabrics over machine-milled fabric, reduces the carbon footprint of your products as well as employs nine times as many people.

What this shows, in my opinion, is that responsible manufacturing and sustainability are not fads, but the way things are moving. For that, I am glad.

I have spoken at length on this subject in a recent post, detailing a local event on "The Future of Fashion", and challenging people to thing differently about how/what we wear/use/create/consume.

Special Speakeasy requests

Every now and then, I am contacted by individuals who would like to attend a speakeasy tour where they can see some skilled craftspeople at work. Generally speaking, while there have been a few themed Speakeasies, mainly, they have been educational fabric and notion shopping excursions so far.  This one would take you deeper...

Some garment district connections I have gained over time will allow me the opportunity to show you some amazing work being performed on garments, as well as special treatments and manipulations of fabrics and other materials to make exciting textures and shapes happen.  These explorations could truly knock your socks off, and really need to be seen in person to be appreciated.

But this can't happen without your help.

I am establishing a committee of interested folks to design one uniquely conceived garment district excursion for our group.  If you would like to participate in the planning of this special event, you will be asked to complete a questionnaire (below), so we may discuss further. 

As always, if you are interested in fabric and notions shopping, click here for general Speakeasy Tour information.  Otherwise, please complete the questionnaire below to consider a truly unique garment district experience.

Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey , the world's leading questionnaire tool.

Can we tawwwwwk???

I love comedy.  I love humor.  That is why I have watched countless episodes of "Fashion Police" over the years.  Latest internet reports tell us that Joan Rivers' condition is improving remains in a medically induced coma, has passed away, and I sincerely wish her and her family a peaceful recovery conclusion, however this turns out.

"Fashion Police", if you've never seen it, is a show where a fashion-critiquing panel sits and reviews the clothing of celebrities as they watch their red carpet arrivals at events.  It is often mean, sometimes hilarious, and sometimes genuinely educational, since some of the guest panelists often have actual technical, artistic or historical wisdom to share.

What disturbs me about it, is that it feeds into exactly what is so very wrong with our celebrity obsessed culture at the moment.  We beat them up, criticize and insult them relentlessly, and praise them arbitrarily for making choices that agree with what some fashion royalty has deemed appropriate or current. How can you feel flattered when you know what has just been said about the person next to or behind you on that very same carpet?

But let's not forget that this is comedy.  That's what it was all about.  There is no need to take all of this so seriously.  I have no ill feelings toward Gwyneth Paltrow whatsoever, and despite the fact that I don't get what it was that rubbed her the wrong way, Joan's comments about her were always fall-down funny!

One of the truest statements ever was uttered by my son, about age 5 or so at the time.  We were at a hospital, in the waiting room, where my mother was going to have surgery.  To my horror, my son began digging between the cushions of the waiting room sofa, and I quickly reprimanded him.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you!" I snapped.

Politely, he stopped, looked at me, and said, "Mom, if you were me, you'd like what I like, and you'd do what I do."

So true, my boy.  So true.

This Sunday, I watched a segment on CBS Sunday Morning, in which the brilliant Tavi Gevinson was interviewed.  What I love most here, is that she embraces what makes her unique, and follows the beat of her own drummer, and appreciates what is not "trending" for the masses, but touches her as an individual.





"Fashion" only works if a measurable group of people agree and spend money on it.  I, like Tavi, often exempt myself from that pursuit.  

Dismayed to find that shades of orange are on the upcoming horizon for fashion, I thought, "So what? I can create my own stuff!" 

The garment district fabric and supply stores support us all fully in this.  You can explore the garment district and find a rich palette including every color you can imagine, and you need not concern yourself with fashion AT ALL if  you don't want to.

Best stores for the anti-trenders (because of the breadth and variety of their offerings):

Butterfly Fabrics
Fabrics & Fabrics
Mood
Rosen & Chadick
Metro Textiles
B&J Fabrics
Chic fabrics

Oh, and there are so many more, it is just exhausting. Personally, I find it very hard to do more than 6 or 7 max stores in a single day, but the district is just throbbing with possibilities!  Enjoy what you make!

This just melts me... (Brangelina)

Looks like they got hitched!

I know I'm not alone on this one, but I get all teary-eyed when I hear how the Jolie-Pitt kids participated in the design of the bride's ensemble. I love this crafty, heartfelt idea of a (still high-end designer) wedding ensemble, and I love them both dearly for doing something so personal so publicly.

Okay, forgetting all we know about their past romances and all the other tabloid noise, the beauty of having their children's drawings adorn her veil is just too much for my emotional creative side to take...

Over the years, I've been asked to make wedding dresses for mature brides, women with children, second (or later) marriages, and I can see from my custom sewing life that an overwhelming number of people are redefining and personalizing their experiences in beautiful ways.

Embroidery and printing are wonderful ways to add truly personal, custom touches to a gown. Do you have to know how?  Nope.  There are businesses in the garment district that will help you do it yourself. And you don't even need to be wealthy to do it.

Some ideas for you:

To create wonderfully personalized things, you can have flowers and buttonnieres made by Schmalberg, the train of a bridal gown printed by First2Print, custom embroidery and/or beading by New York Embroidery Studio.

I once sewed for a bride who adorned the back of her dress with a grandmother's antique button collection, and we added beautiful starched hand-crocheted flowers to dot the landscape of her airy gauze gown.

Fabric from Rosen & Chadick, beads and flower-making supplies from Daytona Trimming. 

The bride was married outdoors, in a beautifully green field...

The airy softness of this gown fit this bride's style and personality

I have also updated, repaired, refit, and redesigned old gowns from a bride's mother, a grandmother, or simply another era.  This always has a deep personal meaning for the bride, and evokes a sentimental feeling as she celebrates her marriage.

This bride bought a late 1800's dress at auction, and we updated it to fit her aesthetic.

I combined a Sri Lankan sari with the bride's  mother's 1960's gown for an American fairytale wedding. 

Petticoat (beneath skirt) from RK Bridal.

This next one is  a poor quality picture with a bigger story, which you can see here (on my old blog).

Lace from a mother's gown, applied to waist of new gown.

I truly enjoy it when brides walk down the aisle, bringing their hearts with them in their clothing.  It is my favorite way to participate in a bride's special day!

A Reading List

I collect old sewing books - I mean, REALLY old sewing books. Like 1894 kinda old.

This may be an odd hobby (hopefully not to you, Readers) , but I collect old sewing books.  The book above this paragraph is one of my very favorites.  Until recently, there was no evidence on the internet that other copies of this book even existed.  I see that it isn't publicly for sale anywhere, but some libraries do have it in their collections. here's why I love books like this one so much; sewing books from the late 1800's have a very special, authoritarian, Martha Stewart-esque tone that just makes me want to devour every single word in them.  I have always loved learning  terribly difficult methods of doing something before finding the best compromise of an easier, effective method. For example, I had to make an entirely hand-stitched quilt to appreciate the strength and regularity of machine stitches. I now have about 20 such books, and I adore and treasure them in a way that sometimes makes me question my own sanity.

Having said that, though, it probably comes as no surprise to you that I love to read.  During the time I've been writing posts on this blog, I have read many things that have inspired, educated, and/or entertained me.  I am always impressed by the commitment and work a person invests in writing a book, and I really love when I can share that love with others.

Here are some links to the most awesome sewing and garment-related books I've discovered recently. I invite you to love them as much as I have:

Girl in Translation (a beautifully told story that really opened my eyes to sweatshop labor here in New York City)

The Man Who Wanted to Buy a Heart (I met the author thinking that he would be interesting as a writer... but I discovered a wildly interesting person, with really important stories to tell)

The Lost Art of Dress Written by a sewing colleague/friend I am truly proud to know, this book gives a beautifully respectful treatment of the social, societal, and cultural implications of dress in recent American history that provides endless fuel for  thought.  A truly worthwhile read. 

Read on, Sewsters...

Custom garment district tour, and an Australian girl's dream achieved!

Showing only the dress, for her privacy's sake...

I am often amazed at how far the tentacles of this little blog can stretch.

Some months ago, a wonderful Australian woman came to visit New York City, booked a quick custom tour with me, and together, we found the perfect fabric, supplies, and notions to create this beautiful dress for her daughter's school ball (like an American prom) gown.

Funny enough, the Australian fell in love with this particular fabric (slightly different from what she chose for her daughter), and bought what became the under-layer for herself, but, upon her return to Australia, her daughter LOVED it, so I went to the garment district to procure a matching chiffon layer for this dreamy silk, and sent it to her in Australia!

*Note: The dressmaker commissioned to make this gown is in Australia, and she did a stellar job!

If you didn't know it already, this effort proves that a mother's love is boundless! What a lucky girl!