Brand/Logo Evolution.

 The image above is one of the earlier drafts during my logo development... I was inspired by the navaho rug in my room and its geometric nature... I wanted to have a modern yet classic eponymous logo to represent my future lifestyle brand... The first edition of the logo I concluded after asking several of my friends needed to be made more legible. Although I do like the idea of having a hybrid symbol/words logo I also understood the necessity of establishing brand recognition so.... below is what I ended up with.

I am still not fully satisfied with this logo however I do believe that it has evolved and come along way from the first one... It is more legible while still retaining its abstractness. I also chose to include one of my sketches... They are more artistically rendered than most fashion sketches... something that my company strives for is to bridge the gap between art and design. I don't want to just create clothes but more so art. The pattern in the sweater was taken from one of my textile samples!

More Logo inspiration.

The first image is of the rug in my room. The second, a dutch delft tile. 

I want to combine elements of each into my logo.

I like the blue and white of the delft tile. I like the geometric shapes in the rug.

Hmmmmm. 

Ethereal Spring Fabrications.

For my current collection I hand dyed these silk samples. The theme for the collection is "Ethereal Spring." I chose to use a double faced silk charmeuse, because of its high luster and light weight. Unfortunately these samples did not turn out exactly as I had hoped, but they are still none the less beautiful. I plan on doing some more samples on a cotton fabric instead. While the silk in itself is ethereal, its luster actually fades/over powers the color!  I am wanting to create more of a contrast.


The "patterns" are supposed to represent rainfall. I achieved the raindrop effect by sprinkling the dye directly on the fabric as opposed to premixing it!

The beauty of Texas.

While most people perceive Texas as being a rough state, it does have a delicate side. On my trip home, I was really lucky to get to visit Gallagher ranch. An old family acquaintance's property, the ranch is a Texas jewel. I took this photos of the old spanish tiled sink inside one of the bathrooms. The hacienda dates back to before the Alamo! The color and patterns are so delicate and simple. Not to mention I love the brass faucet! I'm in the process of developing a logo for one of my classes of which I would like to channel the style of these tiles into!

This set of tiles was found in my friends backyard! I love how they aged! The shape in the center reminds me of an old honorary medal. 

I like the colors used in both sets of tiles a lot! The mint green, light blue, and navy are among some of my favorite colors. 

Home Sweet Home.

On my trip home this thanksgiving, I was able to admire one of the object my mother brought back from her recent adventure to southeast Asia. 

She acquired the bowl in Hoi An-- an ancient Vietnamese port town! 

I want to be amongst the dragons! 

Batik!

I made this batik pattern in my textiles class. It has changed the direction of my collection quite drastically.

I plan to do more batik-like fabrics for my collection but on silk.

The batik method envolves using wax to protect certain parts of the fabric from the dye!

In the example above, I just dripped the wax carelessly all over the fabric however it can be applied more purposefully.

Beautiful Decay.

I came across this decaying ceiling while trekking through the subway...

I find it so beautiful how nature can take as mundane an object as a ceiling and turn it into something so beautiful. While age is something we quite often despise and try to avoid, in many cases age itself is the reason an object holds such beauty. Do you think antiques would hold as much beauty if they held no age?

Even more interesting is our human obsession with timeless pieces! What makes a garment timeless? We as designers often seek to create timeless designs yet at the same time hold an even higher awe for things that are precisely the opposite, dated. 

Time is such an interesting component of design. I wonder how I can apply time to my clothing designs?

Adam & Viktoria.

I was recently given this gift. A pillow by swedish design duo Adam and Viktoria. It has inspired me beyond what one could imagine. Lets break it down into categories:

Color: The color scheme of this pillow is monochromatic. Each green was carefully chose to compliment each other green. This again is a prime example of how restraining color can lead to a more tasteful, beautiful design.

Pattern: The pattern is fantastic. While I could not find any information on where the designers inspiration comes from, my belief is that the motifs are of a northern european influence. The over all composition is extremely well balanced too!

Fabrication: Made from a very fine belgian upholstery linen and a cotton rayon velvet blend, the two fabrics contrast in luster makes the pillow shine quite literally!

Technique: The velvet is appliqued onto the linen. This type of craftsmanship is rarely seen in the world of today!

Here are some other images taken from their website:

I love my new pillow.

I cannot wait to apply this fabrication and technique to my designs. 

DeGournay!

For my next collection, DeGournay will be my main source of inspiration... I took these photos from the walls at Bergdorf and then at my Aunt's house in her dining room!

DeGournay is a company/ type of wallcovering that originates in England. Though for the most part the themes and images depicted in the wallcoverings are of an asian background, the english popularized this lost art!

Each panel is hand painted on dyed silk. These two examples are of a chinoiserie scene.

Bergdorfs.

 My Aunt's dining room.

My plans for the collection are use similar imagery to create beautiful one of a kind pieces. That is part of the beauty of DeGournay, each installation is unique. No to rooms will ever share the same wallcovering! I find the scenes depicted to be so beautiful and peaceful. The collection will be a spring/summer collection titled, "Etherial Spring."

Material Connexion!

  During my textiles elective my class went on a field trip, only this time to Material Connexion. Material Connexion(here on out: MC) is a really cool resource that Parsons provides for its students. Basically a library/archive for materials, MC is the place to go to find out what new and innovative materials are being invented and produced. Many designers pay the multi-thousand dollar membership fee to have access to such information. I cannot even begin to express how lucky we are as students to have access to such an amazing collection of materials! Which are of course the vanguard of materials. While the materials not only apply to fashion there are so many different types of materials for every type of creative medium. For example, translucent concrete!!! Yes. You read correctly, TRANSLUCENT CONCRETE(and wood too)!!!!!!!! These are a few photos I snapped while visiting the archive that I thought were innovative, unique, and could be applied to fashion! The photo above is of salmon leather! 

  While the little jewels appear to be, well, jewels they are actually small balls of sticky rice! Yes, sticky rice!!! They are applied to one weft yarn and then hardened on to create this beautiful ornamentation! They look like fresh water crystals in my opinion!

  Last but not least! This silver looking material is made entirely out of stainless steal. It can be used for curtains to just about anything! It reminds me of a modern day chain-mail!

Colors & Patterns of the City!

 While roaming around Manhattan I often find many amazing colors and patterns. I've gotten into the habit of taking snapshots on my phone of these beautiful treasures. They inspire me in a multitude of ways... This brick pattern above for instance encompasses the most beautiful color scheme. The mustard-green tiles are chipped away to expose the purple beneath. To take it even further, age and nature have fostered the gorgeous blue on top. It's amazing what colors age and nature can present!

While this pattern lacks in color, the repetition of the arches caught my attention. Located downtown by ground zero, the passageway, through the use of light and shadow beautifully emphasizes the arches.

An art installation along the highline, each pane of glass shines an amazing and unique color. The color scheme is monochromatic but none the less still beautiful. I try to instill the same kind of restraint into my own designs.

I love stripes.  

Creating a Design Identity.

  Recently while digging through an old history book, I came a cross some images of old european interiors. The rooms seemed to display the very essence of who I want to be as a designer. I loved the sparseness of the furniture, as well as the delicate overabundance of details within the structure itself.

  In an effort to further explore this finding of personal consummate beauty, I rode my bike to the MET to view the French Period rooms. Each room is so simple yet vastly complex and detailed. In terms of fashion I want to express the same attention to detail yet remain just as simple.

There is no creation without destruction...

  My camera lens has been malfunctioning in the automatic mode for months. However rather than just going and having it repaired, I have instead been shooting in the manual mode. This has taught me so much about how a camera actually works. Adjusting the shutter speed and aperture--- taking photos now has much more meaning. 

Sunday Morning.

Here and there.

Antonio Ratti Textile Center.

  This past week I was able to go on a private tour of the Antonio Ratti Textile Center at the Met with a few of my classmates. The private showing was scheduled by my textiles professor, Sariah Park, who I am very thankful for organizing. It was one of the most amazing experiences I have had in a while. The Ratti Textile center is located in the basement level of the Met and holds a world class collection of textiles-- old and new. The textile above was created by Paul Poiret in the early 1920s. Textiles and textile design are to me extremely important. In a world where things are said to only be reinvented and never new, designing my own textiles will allow for my future collections to further stand out.

    Above is an overall view of the textiles selected for our viewing. The textiles have to be very carefully preserved; a process that involves protecting them from light as well as carefully controlling the humidity. 

  While on the tour we were assisted by Isabelle, one of the extremely passionate and intelligent collection conservationists. She patiently flipped through the many swatch books Sariah selected for us. Most of the textiles seen were from the earl 20th century.  The following photos are of just a few of the swatches-- ones that I fancied in particular.

  I love the contrast provided by blue on top of white. Always classy, this color scheme is timeless.

  It is incredible to see textiles this old because despite being perfect, they are handcrafted. Their creators/designer were so meticulous, a rare trait in people today. These textiles are a reminder of a time when people were more focused on quality as opposed to today's quantity.

  All of these textiles were block printed-- an extremely tedious process. Each color has to be printed separately in addition to being perfectly lined up with the previous layer. The results are unparalleled to today's rapid laser printing. Even the discrepancies make each pattern more lovely. I particularly love floral patterns.

Chelsea Happenings.

  The above shot is of a beautiful antique textile I found while perusing the Chelsea flea market at 26th & 6th with my friend Matthew. Textiles and patterns heavily influence my designs. This pattern in particular is beautiful but what caught my eyes most is the dying technique. I love how harmoniously the blues and greens run together in an almost watercolor-like fashion.

  To me, the gentleman crouching looking at old records epitomizes the idea of "Urban Archeology." Not to mention the shot as a whole really captures the atmosphere of the flea market.

  Old books have such beautiful covers... I can only hope that my generation leaves behind as beautiful artifacts as those from the past.

  Artwork at the flea--- It's amazing the things people accumulate!

  After the flea market Matthew and I headed west to check out some of the amazing Chelsea galleries. Living near these galleries is such a privilege--- Whenever I am in need of inspiration I always go and check out what is being exhibited! The piece above with the taxidermies is pretty creepy. I find this new taxidermy obsession to be so strange coming from Texas and having grown up with taxidermy everywhere. 

  As do I, Matthew enjoys Roy Lichtenstein at the Paula Cooper Gallery on 21st. Before I begin my adoration of gallery architecture spiel, I must note the uniqueness of these Liechtenstein's--- not your typical cartoon pieces, I loved the alternative perspective one receives of Roy after seeing this exhibit. Back to gallery spaces--- I love how such austere interiors evoke a feeling of peace and purity. I would love to live in a space like this. I would change the walls as often as I pleased... Like a blank canvas the gallery spaces in chelsea offer endless interior opportunities.

The Hamptons.

  This past weekend I visited my Godmother in the Hamptons-- Sag Harbor to be specific. Her current residence houses a collection of early american folk art. Above is one of the paintings that I liked in particular. The subject of this portrait is unknown-- which is common of most "outsider art". However what struck a chord with me the most was not the sitter, but instead the color choices in contrast to this particular environment. I loved the vibrant colors because they provided a slice of modernity to a house that was built over 200 years ago. One would expect a to see a proper oil portrait of some distinguished aristocrat but instead is this quirky portrait making the house much more interesting than your typical period revival.

  The pond in the back garden is a portal to another time. The algae is this most delicate shade of green. I wish I had taken a detail shot of all of the little particles coming together to create this layer of life but unfortunately I didn't. I imagine at night that creatures of the past come out of the pond and frolic in the garden-- Sometimes I join them.

  This is just a section of the books in the library. Its madly disorganized and in the process of being re-cataloged... this is a photo of a section that has already been organized. I love reading and have borrowed many books from these shelves. Books have always been a source of inspiration for me. I worry that because of e-readers and other such technology books will stop being printed.

  This was the pool shed at my godmother's friends house, Old Lady Nimitz. I love simple structures. The roof in particular is amazing. I find it ironic that such classic architecture be applied to house such modern equipment as a pool heater/filter. I wonder what this structure housed before the pool was put in??

BrooklyInspiration.

  The image on the left is of a mural I crossed while adventuring in brooklyn. It spoke to me in many ways. Technology and the evolution of "type" have caused handwriting to become "endangered." The words on the right were handwritten and scanned by none other than myself. I will break my chains.