Mode-ular. A Gen Z perspective

It's okay if the title makes you uncomfortable.  One thing I am grateful to my Generation Z kids for is the introduction of new vocabulary.

Today, courtesy of my boy "tween", or that strange middle-school no-man's-land of kid maturity... I introduce you to this tech wizard (video below), who my son adores, and hangs on his every word.  His brilliant explanations are truly food for technological thought, and, now that I've started listening, too, inspiring in the creative world as well.

Whether you choose to watch the video below, choose NOT to watch it, or this kind of thing doesn't speak to you, just know that he is explaining "modular" smartphones, and why the idea of having elements of a device that can be switched out is highly practical and desirable.

And because design and making things is always on my mind, the idea of things being "switch-out-able" has long appealed to me...


My term?

"MODE" (fashion) - ULAR.

I've been thinking more about the practical things I make, and how the fashion element of an entirely practical item can be switched out or modified to make the item so much more versatile.

Examples so far:

The Cradle Bag

The Perpetual Shirt

Convertible wedding gown

My Navel-gazing vest or scarf, depending on mood

Cozy neck loop

Waist case

So it seems I am already into this idea of MODE-ULARITY.  I doubt that will change any time soon...

Design, self expression, and the culture of (Groucho) Marxism

**Originally posted 7/6/12, but reposting today, because... well. I still believe what I said, and it still resonates... within me, at least.

I am often inspired by Seth Godin's blog, where he dispenses loving teaspoonfuls of business motivation, advice, and food for thought on a daily basis. His recent post on the decline of what he described as "(Groucho) Marxism" was a particularly brilliant one, and inspired some design-specific thoughts of my own.

He references the quote, "I don't want to belong to any club that will accept people like me as a member...", famously attributed to Groucho Marx, to fortify his point that often people often feel that they don't belong, are inferior, or somehow lack the stuff to really be the frontperson in their endeavors. I agree. You probably don't need any particular proof to see that there are far more "retweets" than tweets (a 65:35 ratio, according to The Archivist), and more people re-quoting benign motivational statements as their Facebook status updates than are sharing their own thoughts. There are more spectators than performers, more followers than leaders... You get the idea.

The joy of being creative or original in some way, is the ability to create something completely unique to you, to the people who interact with or use your work,  or to your customer.  It is a great way to convey your "youness".

We all get advice.  Solicited or unsolicited, in our best interest or not, we all get it. Some of it is good advice.  The good advice usually resonates. How many times do you need to hear the same thing over and over again, before you really "hear" it? Before you really "use" it?

Whenever someone receives an award, or gets to step up on a podium and speak after achieving something really great, it seems that some version of the same advice is always given. "Believe in yourself", "March to the beat of YOUR drummer", "Follow your heart", yet we spend so much time copying, looking to others to tell us what is cool, or fashionable, or in demand.

Just today, I read an article on Valerie Steele, Fashion's first PhD, and curator of the museum at FIT, where she gives just that bit of advice at the very end of the article. Although her advice is fashion-specific, she emphasizes the importance of sticking with one's passion.

So, what is my bigger point here?

Knock-offs and copycat versions of everything popular abound, and while I understand why, I find that in my own experience, nothing gets more feedback than the things that came straight from my own head, hands and heart. I'll bet the same is true for you, too. Yes, creating/sewing/making is a laborious process, and sadly,  not always a successful one. It is fraught with mistakes, missteps, and wrong turns, but ultimately, a valuable process and opportunity for education.

Make the things you've been dreaming of.  Go to the Garment District, shop in the stores, and realize those things that live in your head and your sketchbooks.  Your contribution improves the visual and cultural mosaic surrounding you, and everyone else. I'm not just saying this.  I'm doing it, too.  Join me.

If you sell your work, the quilt artist Faith Ringgold, an inspiration to me, and one whose work I adore, says that you must do the following three things to be successful:

• build a body of work
• find an audience
• THEN find a market within that audience 

For any of you who are in the early stages of your creative life, if you can really take in this advice, it will prove valuable.  So many people put the cart before the horse, immersed in endless research, while creating nothing.

Know that you will make mistakes. Accept that.

Okay, so let's say you make a mistake.  Or ten. Treat it (them) as a learning opportunity.  So, when you are further along in the process, and someone asks you, "What's the best mistake you've ever made?", you'll have a great answer.

Interested in hearing your comments...

The law of large numbers and the "Gambler's Fallacy"

Silk organza fabric from Rosen & Chadick

Repost - originally written 6/3/16

A few years ago, a bridal client contacted me, and asked me to make a bolero for her wedding dress.  As is often the case, this bride was second-guessing herself, feeling self-conscious about the exposure her strapless dress would require. Pale-skinned,tall and statuesque, she felt she needed a bit more coverage. Going back home to the deep south, her artsy-New-York-self battled with the traditional, sleek look she had chosen. She showed me a highly stylized photo of a model in a frilly, high-end, artsy bolero, and, using that photo as inspiration, I fashioned a length of silk organza into this bolero.  I draped the body on the dress form, with only two seams (one at each underarm), and then cut strips of raw-edged spiral bias to sculpt this look.  Pleased and confident with my creation, I took it to the bride for her approval.

And she hated it.

Per her wishes, I reworked and exaggerated this bolero to meet her requirements, and a much more over-the-top (with feathers!) version was born. While I didn't personally care for the exaggerated version, it was HER opinion and her wallet governing this transaction.  That's just true, and it is a painful lesson for me, or any creative person. I had made what I thought was better.  And that's not what she asked for.

Since then, I've shared this version on Facebook and elsewhere, gaining "likes" that support my belief that this is the best version of this bolero... but you know what?  I was looking to the law of large(r) numbers to support my claim, in a circumstance where its application is, frankly, irrelevant.

While working for an insurance company in a completely different capacity recently, I had a light bulb moment when the Law of Large Numbers was used to explain to an unhappy client why a decision had not been rendered in his favor.  "I know you are upset," he was told, "but do you think if we had put 1000 different people in your exact circumstances, that they would have all reacted in the same way?  Some would have chosen left/right, up/down, black/white.  Any different decision could/would have produced a different outcome."

Here's the definition:

In probability theory, the law of large numbers (LLN) is a theorem that describes the result of performing the same experiment a large number of times. According to the law, the average of the results obtained from a large number of trials should be close to the expected value, and will tend to become closer as more trials are performed. The LLN is important because it "guarantees" stable long-term results for the averages of random events. For example, while a casino may lose money in a single spin of the roulette wheel, its earnings will tend towards a predictable percentage over a large number of spins. Any winning streak by a player will eventually be overcome by the parameters of the game. It is important to remember that the LLN only applies (as the name indicates) when a large number of observations are considered. There is no principle that a small number of observations will coincide with the expected value or that a streak of one value will immediately be "balanced" by the others. See the Gambler's fallacy.

- Definition, as offered by Wikipedia


I had spun and lost.

When we shop for clothing, what appears in stores is a result of what has already been proven to sell, or expected to sell based on market data.  The fact is, while the bolero I made is fun, and many people have "liked" it, not a SINGLE person has ever sought to purchase a duplicate from me.  Would I wear it to a formal event?  Absolutely. 

My inner "gambler's fallacy" theory wants to scream,  "If other people love what I make, so will you!"  Not true.  That's not what custom clothing is.

Here's the thing.  That thing you love doesn't exist unless you create it. Fabric stores open up endless possibilities for us. Beautiful ideas abound.  Find your creative voice, and answer its call.  And not for anyone else.  Do it for yourself.

One thing I must convey here, is that whenever I make something a bit different, not driven by anything but my own creative urge, it is generally about three years before anyone says A SINGLE WORD about it.  Just two weeks ago, I took a long walk in Manhattan, appreciating the diversity of this city, and the complete lack of conformity among the people I encountered, and I must have gotten at least 8 unsolicited compliments from complete strangers on my shirt (now 4 years old).  

I say all this to lead to the bigger point.  I love to go to fabric stores and pick things, often without knowing what those fabrics will eventually become.  This is why a stash is not only important, but necessary for me.  Only today have I cut a fabric bought about three years ago, and now, it's time has come.  Shall I wait three years before I show you? No.  I will wear it when it is done.  Not for your sake, but for mine.

Trust your gut.  Make (or commission) what you love. That's all.

Confirmation bias - a Teen's Perspective, a Prince tribute,.and a challenge...

In psychology and cognitive science, confirmation bias (or confirmatory bias) is a tendency to search for or interpret information in a way that confirms one's preconceptions, leading to statistical errors.

In the wake of Prince's death... My daughter watched the news and wondered aloud if the fact that he could play 20 different instruments skillfully as a kid meant he would grow up to be "Prince"...

My daughter's most recent self-portrait

Not that I am comparing my sewing/design abilities to his musical talents, but my relatives love to tell me stories about how I made doll clothes or other creations when I was little. Of course, by now, I should be a grand designer for some major enterprise... Sure, I get it.

But I also loved to count stacks of change and roll them up in paper wrappers.  It felt wonderful, since family members were always dropping coins, leaving them lying around like garbage... until... I would take them to the bank. (I have a large family)  Yet, I am not a banker.

I fanatically experimented with my EZ Bake Oven, yet I am not a pastry chef.

I can look at my daughter's drawings and conclude that she will pursue an artistic career.  And maybe not. My daughter elaborated on her point by adding this...

If I become a nutritionist, you'll say... "Even as a small child, she REALLY loved her vegetables!"

But here's where it all comes together.



The thing I have always loved about designing/creating/sewing, is that it is not required to follow any rules.  While I consider the practical aspects (can I wash it, can I move and do things in it) I do not feel restricted by the "rules" of a garment.  Nor does my daughter.

I would like to continue to celebrate that.  We'll consider it our Prince tribute challenge.  (I have always been an insane Prince fan)

My daughter and I are designing garments for her own wardrobe that do not conform to anyone's rules about what they should be.  this will be fun...

History Will Teach Us Nothing vs. Starting again

Our written history is a catalogue of crime
The sordid and the powerful, the architects of time
The mother of invention, the oppression of the mild
The constant fear of scarcity, aggression as its child

- Gordon Sumner (better known as "Sting")

On the second CD I EVER bought, "Nothing Like the Sun", I attached myself to one, haunting, specific song the entirety of the following summer.  I was 16-17 at the time. That song, titled "History Will Teach us Nothing", never beckoned me to research exactly what it was talking about, but the sadness of that idea resonated with me.

Walking through the garment district recently, that song started humming in my head again, unsolicited, rekindling that strange urban industrial ennui. Where are the new designers/colors/ideas? Is there room for new?  Can people still make things, pay employees fairly, use new technology, usher in a new era of exciting garments and sewn products?

How would a person research such things in real time?  In the garment district, feeling the drumbeat of the current commercial landscape? I'm seeing buildings being taken down, new hotels and other businesses gradually crowding out my beloved district. So, if you're looking for the lessons in this atmosphere, what teaches you what people will do?  

What people have done. For sure. 

But, then again, maybe not... On May 21st, I walked past a vey busy Zara, and the closed Diesel and Urban Outfitters stores near 59th street. Internet searches will yield a variety of tales about how each of these businesses meet their sales goals.  Are they true? Who knows? I can't personally verify or deny any of it.  many of us find ourselves in the same boat. I started to think that we (in the fashion industry, collectively) may just be repeating the same mistakes over and over and over agin.  The modern day equivalents of the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire, the meandering path one would have to follow to emulate the success of any of the designers profiled on Fashion's Walk of Fame, the emphasis on the more viable careers in fashion given by some noted fashion schools, while steering people away from the hands-on, artistic aspects of the business, the tightening and shrinking of industrial real estate within the very area designated for such pursuits - the writing is on the wall, without a doubt.

Wait... Not so fast...

This post threatens to piggyback a previous one...

Unfairly.

On May 17, I led a private Speakeasy for two young designer/partners with beautiful ideas for garments they wish to create.  For this particular Speakeasy, I led them to the places who would be able to provide the services and supplies they need to make their sample pieces, and negotiate for larger volume as their business grows.

What impressed me most about these two, was their willingness to educate themselves and evaluate the feasibility of their design plans and goals before starting.  Much of what I shared with them was optimistic, and some, was a bit sobering. I know that they learned a lot, and were happy to establish new contacts.

Best question of the day (coming from them):

"In your experience, what are the most common mistakes you see new designers make?"

Above all, I think, it is not having a plan/budget.  I gave some specific examples of what happens in such circumstances, and they listened attentively, thinking seriously about what the want to do.  I really look forward to hearing great things about them in the future!

The light in my brain came back on, and I started humming again.

Manus x Machina - a trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC.

My heart grew about TEN sizes yesterday.  I spent hours at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and have spent all of my time since, deciding how I can possibly present this to you, for all of you who don't plan to see it in person.  To all who can, you MUST, and I simply say "Go!"  Run, don't walk.

I saw the exhibit when the museum opened for the day and the crowds were lighter, then returned after lunch at about 2:30 PM, when it became a true MADHOUSE, and the guards were marveling at the sheer number of visitors.  This is a good sign, I think.  So many wildly interested people flocking to a museum exhibit on a Saturday, and staying so long to enjoy it?

"With more than 170 ensembles dating from the early 20th century to the present, the exhibition will address the founding of the haute couture in the 19th century, when the sewing machine was invented, and the emergence of a distinction between the hand (manus) and the machine (machina) at the onset of mass production. It will explore this ongoing dichotomy, in which hand and machine are presented as discordant tools in the creative process, and question the relationship and distinction between haute couture and ready-to-wear."

-Metropolitan Museum of Art description of the show

The exhibit is huge.  Allow at least 45 minutes to see it all, if the crowd is light, and you care to look at every garment. There is no quick way to see it.  It is free with admission, so you don't have to pay an extra fee to enjoy it.  Thank God for that!

The train of the Lagerfeld dress that graces the entrance of the exhibit

Same dress, front view. Made of scuba knit, this dress is hand molded, machine sen, and hand finished

Do you love scuba knit?  Visit Elliott Berman to get a feel for this fabric.

 I am not the first person to say that this exhibit is not to be missed. 

"You have to run and see this exhibition. It was one of my favorite ever. And you know why? Because it was so much about whispering again ... It was about workmanship, about know-how, about time. And the one thing that impressed me the most was the fact that it was almost silent. I think maybe Anna [Wintour] and Andrew [Bolton] are hearing something that is, maybe, less loud and more silent, and I loved it. We designers are living a very hard calendar: We are changing the show time, we are going through the show-now-wear-now, designers are leaving, designers are coming, a lot of changes. And I'm thinking, What is happening? Someone said, when there is a wind of change, we have two possibilities: whether we build a wall to protect us from the wind, or we build a windmill so we can take advantage of this wind. I think technology embraced those changes, and they used the wind to go forward. Fashion somehow built a wall, a bunker, to protect ourselves and to protect the tradition."

-Alber Ebaz, as quoted in this New York Magazine article

I have so much to say about this exhibit, it will take me some time to write it all down, and I may take some breaks, too, so you can experience it while this post grows, and check in every time you notice a new updated and saved link. It seems I will also need to put my glasses on, and I'm not quite sure where they are at the moment, so yeah... it may take some time.  You may ask questions as I go, I will do my best to answer them if I spot them while I'm working, too.

One thing I noticed immediately, when looking at the presentation of this wedding ensemble and its description (above), is that it truly embodies the purpose of the exhibit.  In the long description accompanying the piece, I could see that the garment's hand work and technology-dependent features were celebrated as equally vital to the construction,  with appropriate respect for each. Credit was given to the historical credentials of the hands, hearts and heads fundamental to its creation. 

Many quotes were posted next to pieces presented in this exhibit.  Many were food for thought, amid those who were clearly PR driven and a bit emptier.  Some resonated strongly with me, and some, I didn't personally accept as gospel, but remain open to others' perspectives.

Quick aside: This exhibit drew fashion experts, lovers, and curious folks alike.  I was absolutely AMAZED at how many people felt they could simply touch and/or fondle pieces in the exhibit.  I saw a service DOG actually nibble and drag the train of a dress before the handler noticed.  I suppose the guards were doing all they could to keep people under control, but I must say, it was definitely a problem.

Mesmerizing in its depth, this dress was 3-D printed. threeASFOUR - interlocking fractal weave that allows for multidirectional movement...

Marinate on the dress above for a moment, if you will. I can't even say I completely understand the "why" behind this dress, but one thing I truly appreciated about this exhibit, is that they completely dispensed with "why", who wore it when, who wore it best, or any event we might be able to associate with such a garment...

This exhibit allows us to divorce ourselves from all of the practical considerations, and focus instead on the pure artistry of it all.

Lagerfeld for Chanel again (2010) - a lovely pink silk rose "dress" that I call a cape.

Pleating - the best subject of the entire exhibit. (Mary McFadden example, above) - by machine

A Fortuny evening dress 1920's - by hand

Love pleating?  Look at what International Pleating can do for your projects!

Balenciaga - machine embroidered lace - 1963

Love lace? Try Sposabella or Fabrics and Fabrics for beautiful laces!

We talk about the hand in the haute couture as if it's an abstract concept, but those hands belong to particular women who have very specific skills, very specific tastes, and very specific personalities, which all come through in their handiwork... It's like writing a song, but the singer changes it through his or her won voice, through his or her interpretation. For us, our Premieres (head seamstresses) are our interpreters.

-Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli

Now, now that's what I call a fantastic thanks for the endless, practically thankless work of the busy hands who make these beautiful works of art! I walked through most of the exhibit, noticing the glamour and praise heaped on the designers, with barely a mention of the individual hands, separate from the historical legacies and corporate identities of any respected design or embellishment "houses".  I was so happy to see it acknowledged in a quote.

Things I noticed during the exhibit:

HEAVY emphasis on Japanese designers. Iris Van Herpen is a designer so heavily featured here, that I wonder if the subtitle of this exhibit should include her NAME!  It is clear that she has quite a body of work of exceptional quality and artistry, but I really felt the number of pieces in this exhibit bearing her name were excessive. 

However, to be fair, I can NEVER get enough Issey Miyake, and he had a very healthy representation of his pieces in the exhibit as well.

For better and more photos, visit the New York Social Diary, where you will find much more detail on pieces shown.  

Below, I offer more of my own photographs and observations from the exhibit.  The big takeaway?  It was inspiring, to say the least, and to quote Giorgio Armani long ago (when I worked for Armani in NYC). 

"In the end, fashion is not such a silly thing..."

Is this actually a dress?  Well. I guess... How would you put it on?  Closures?

Leather flowers... I couldn't convey the beauty of it all here... The photograph doesn't quite capture...

Inspired by this flower waterfall?  Check out M&S Schmalberg 

I will say, without hesitation, that this show ranks as one of the best I've seen in my life so far.  It is well worth your time, attention, and a Pinterest page!

Also note, the gift shop has lots of merch associated with this exhibit, and you will DIE laughing at the prices.  Absolutely die! Seriously, it is hilarious.

Note: 

Now there is a new map: New York Fashion and Design Exhibits You Must See (listing current and future exhibits and shows on my radar, and worthy of your time/money.  This map will be available for view on Monday, May 23, 2016.

I feel very strongly that this exhibit successfully removed the aspirational emphasis of finely made garments from the conversation, took a step back, and fully, honestly appreciated the ART of these beautiful pieces.  Bravo to the curators and staff of the MET for making this happen!

Led a Speakeasy yesterday! (Spoiler alert... the teacher became the student)

I often lead private Speakeasies for groups when requested, and I must say, this particular private Speakeasy was an unusual one.  

A few weeks ago, a university professor contacted me to schedule a tour of the garment district for her group of business students, as part of a larger New York City exploration during a week's stay in our bustling metropolis. That day was yesterday. Very excited for this experience, I planned an excursion for the students to give them a taste of the layers of the district, rather than the shopping trips I usually lead.  And I'm so glad I did it. On this particular jaunt, I probably learned much, much, much more, and (quite accidentally) got more education out of this effort than the kids did...

Why?  

560 7th Ave - Parsons School of Design - now gone...

This trip made me clean my garment district glasses, so to speak.

560 7th Ave now - future site of a luxury hotel

I began my talk with them, thinking I needed to squash the idea I suspected the students are likely carrying - that the garment industry is a glamorous one, where dreams and diamonds await all who can dream up a perfect little garment...

At the intro of our tour, I referenced the documentary, The True Cost, explaining that the places I was about to show them would give a lovely idea of all of the business endeavors they could participate in, while letting them know that there is also a hidden layer that they would not see on our excursion, full of underpaid immigrants, unpaid interns, and very hardworking people laboring to keep this fashion illusion going in New York City.  I told them that the image of fashion industry success is often portrayed as local, when it in fact, global. I also explained that, truth be told, they they would probably not be willing to pay what truly ethically made clothing would cost.

This information didn't seem to really surprise them.  And THAT... surprised me. I had clearly underestimated them.

West 40th Street now has only ONE fabric store...

I pointed at offices with "for rent" signs, I indicated places which have vanished or downsized, and I was surprised to see that some of my more recent haunts had vanished, too, and showed them how some local merchants were responding to consumers' global awareness by offering eco-friendly and sustainable fabrics.

I was surprised to see troublingly light business in the places I expected to see more activity, businesses not open during posted business hours, signs of stress and decline a bit more intense than I'm used to.

I explained some of the economic challenges of running a fashion business, explaining the predatory loansharking that the practice of "factoring" brings, the intense retail schedule and delivery challenges, the exploitation of workers and businesses in the process, and the drama of it all...

At the end of our short trip, I felt prepared to eulogize my beloved district, feeling that I might be overly nostalgic for the district of my youth, which is very different than the district of today.

I encouraged the students, wished them well, told them some other fun NY activities they should seek out and explore, and bid them goodbye.

And then... I thought about it...

I wandered around a bit to shake off my malaise, went into some of my favorite spots, found some fabulous things, got my creative "buzz" going, and shook it off!

The "secret" district I am always telling you about? The district of mazes, hallways, hidden stores and undiscovered gems is still there!!!  You may simply have to take an elevator, climb a staircase, know the lingo, get a map, make a plan, but you can participate!  

So, really, do we need the "OLD" district?  Would that even make sense now? The new one has plenty to offer.  Yes, we can all embrace it. Put away your tissues. Come and enjoy!