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.