Summer Fashion Alert: Rompers!

So in case you haven't already figured it out, rompers are in this season! These one-piece outfits are perfect for hot summer days, because it is effortless to throw one on and automatically look cute and stylish! Say goodbye to matching different pieces and finding tons of accessories for a complicated outfit.

Check out how students are wearing their rompers:

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1 - Cara pairs her floral romper with Birkenstocks and a cardigan to stay warm in school.
2 - Becca flaunts her floral romper at a grad party. This one is styled like a dress with shorts underneath for a cool layered effect!
3 - Dani (hello!) wears her grey cinched romper on a very hot day at school.
4 - Jhanae rocks the strapless denim romper look.

A Whole New Look on Patterns

A lot of people are into floral prints during the summer, but as much as I love flowers...sometimes it's a little too much!  I recently bought a tank from Nordstrom that plays with prints in a whole new way.  I think the artistic side of me fell in love with this shirt because of the retro splatter-paint feel it has.  I also love the shape...it's loose fitting, which is great for summer!  But my favorite part of this shirt is the interesting cut.  The hem is curved so that it's shorter in the front than in the back.  The hem line along with the button detail down the front gives the shirt extra character.  You can bet this will be a go-to tank top for me all summer long.

-- Erin

Danielle's Designing Debut

So for my first day without classes, I decided to do a super room clean-up! Along the way, I found one of my brother's old t-shirts that I never threw away because I loved the design. I decided to take Diana's advice, and take the t-shirt and turn it into something I can actually wear! So this is how it came out! Pretty good for a first try at sewing, eh?

My color is turquoise!

Here is the watch Erin was referring to:

Yeah that's right, be jealous! :] jk

The watch is from La Mer Collections, in case you want to check it out!

Soon to come....

Hey guys!  Our Lit teacher at school has a niece who recently started costume design for a theater in the Poconos.  Stay tuned for an interview with Kaci Thomassie!  We'll go back stage and see how fashion is incorporated into the theater!  Keep your eye out for this one :)

Fun Watches

I have to admit if there is one thing I am jealous of Dani for...it's her watch.  A few months back she went to see Rachael Ray and got this really awesome turquoise watch.  Anyway, I love it.  I'm actually shocked because little did I know, bright watches are really in this summer.  I recently received the Nordstrom catalog in the mail (flaunting all the awesome Half-Yearly Sale deals) and it was loaded with fun watches.  

Check out these out!  Amazing colors add a touch of uniqueness to any outfit.  I love the second one up from the bottom.  It's loaded with bright colors, but they're not overwhelming at all!  Even though these watches are cute they're about $60 on sale at Nordstrom...but no worries!  Less expensive finds are always an option.  Urban Outfitters is on the bandwagon as well.  They have similar watches in lime, aqua, yellow, violet, and so many more colors for nearly half the price.  I'm on the look out for a bright purple Timex for this summer.  What's your color?

--Erin

Vintage Finds!

Hey heeyy! Check out these awesome heels I got at Montclair's annual sidewalk sale! It was so much fun - almost every store in the Bloomfield downtown area had great stuff out on the street! This one antique store that I've actually never been in had tons of vintage shoes out for really great prices! I picked up these suede blue heels. They are so comfy! I love the cut of them, and they'll be great to wear on either conservative or fun occasions!

DIY Prom Dress!

Hey guys! Check out this interview with Diana, who made her own dress for senior prom!

Q: Did you have any particular inspiration for your prom dress?
A: Unfortunately, I cannot be really cool and say that I designed the dress myself. I actually used a pattern made by Simplicity; however, I did modify a few aspects of the pattern that I found kinda ugly. Since I'm taking "Advanced Clothing A/B" at school, it's just easier for me and Ms. Marshall (the sewing teacher) to use a pattern. Yet, by the end of the dress, we weren't following it. So...my inspiration? The pattern was on sale :)


Q: How long did the design process take? What materials did you use?
A: Finding the materials took a long time. There's this great fabric store in Belleville called Fabric Warehouse, where they have tons of inexpensive fabrics and families of twenty milling about. That's where I went first to get the main materials of the dress (the gold, the lace overlay). I ended up getting the lining and boning in a Joann's Fabric store in Delaware. The tulle (the blue stuff at the bottom of the dress), ribbons, and zipper were found in a fantastic little fabric store in Patterson (I don't know what it's called, but it was on the fringe of the Spanish and Arabic neighborhoods on the main drag). All of the little things, like thread and the hook and eye, were provided by Ms. Marshall. It took so long because I would go out and buy something, and Ms. Marshall would look at it and tell me I bought the wrong thing. Then I would have to go searching for something else. Fun.


Q: How did you learn how to make clothes?
A: Even though my Great-Grandmother was a seamstress and one of my grandmas sews on the side, they were never able to teach me. Mainly, I learned by taking classes offered in middle and high school. I did buy a few books, like T-Shirt Generation (big inspiration) and another sewing guide book, as well as checking stuff out of the library (did you know that they have books there?! ;) ). Can't forget mom though, she was my first teacher in how to sew tags to clothing and other small sewing basics.


Q: Do you make any of your other clothing?
A: In 5th grade, I doodled models and dresses. My notebooks are filled with disproportionate female, and sometimes male figures wearing what I thought at the time, really high-end, runway fashions. (Flipping through them now, they are rather terrible). In middle school, I took the next step by trying to modify clothing through various means, in order to create something different out of a basic t-shirt. It helps that my family likes to buy those big, beefy, Hanes t-shirts as souvenirs, because they may have a really cool design, but not fit. At all. Thus, we have a bunch of cut-up t-shirts that were supposed to come out as tank tops, dresses, or skirts. I never made anything quite so ambitious like a fully lined, zippered dress, but I did make a cute Pink Power Ranger tunic for Halloween! :D I was very proud. I've made my share of pj pants, a bag, but usually, I'll take something already existing, and modify it so I'll actually wear it.


Q: Any advice for beginners who want to make their own clothing?
A: Don't get discouraged because your first attempt at a shirt came out like a Lindsey Lohan stunt. Fabric is fun to play with, but also very frustrating. It really is an art that has to be practiced and manipulated over time in order for you to fully be able to control it. 


Q: Do you plan to do this professionally or is it just a hobby?
A: I would like to be in the fashion design field, maybe not so much as a designer, but as a manufacturer of fabric. Nothing is certain, but as of right now, I want to further look into the green side of fashion of organic clothing, production, and manufacturing. This is an emerging field that I find more important and of value than just another pretty black dress walking down the runway. If I work in fashion seriously, then I want my designs and clothing to go further than Bryant Park, and into places of the world that could be really beneficial.