Most people know, but in case you don't, I'm a twin. Her name is Kathy & she recently started a blog! She's artsy and does artsy things like make funny silk-screened canvas bags, write children books and draw silly characters.
I recently visited Looklet. It's a website that feels a lot like dressing up your Barbies, except now you're dressing them in designer clothes. It just doesn't stop there either because when you are all done with the outfit, you can add a background, effects and accessories. I had some time to kill and obviously some outfits in mind that needed to be made, so I came up with this little number. Fun!
Jane Aldridge is a 17 year old blogger & I'm obsessed with her blog, Sea of Shoes. The styling is great and the photographs are perfect, both qualities that I feel make it stand out in an ocean of blogs. She's been mentioned in an array of magazines and Urban Outfitters recently asked her to design a line of shoes which hit stores this summer.
Rolled pant hems and braided hairstyles are everywhere...in a good way.
2. Boyfriend blazers: As I mentioned in my last post, I got one at my clothing swap & I love it. Two thumbs up, my friends! You can wear them with jeans, a dress, skirt or whatever else you dream up.
3. Coconut Ice Cream: This one is a love-hate relationship. I love eating it, but hate when it's gone. A pint doesn't last long in my freezer, so I would recommended stocking up & not sharing.
4. Lace-up boots: Oh, I am dying for a pair & these might just be the ticket....
5. Sharpies: A few weeks ago, I accidentally put dish soap in the dishwasher & it only took minutes before soap suds were oozing from the machine. I thought that only happened in the movies (!!!), but apparently not. Thanks to a sharpie & my boyfriend it is unlikely to happen again, he nicely wrote on the top of the liquid detergent, "For dishwasher." Thanks!
Why: Every few months, the frustration of not being able to close my drawers or closet hits. Although both are exploding with an array of items, the constant complaint of having nothing to wear it repeated a few times throughout the month, so I decided to do something about it....I hosted a clothing swap at my place. I got rid of things I didn't want and walked away with items I did, like an awesome boyfriend blazer (Thanks Diane!)
After leaving Top Shop, my roommate & I strolled along Broadway in Soho and saw some re-occurring trends. The first being cropped tees. The length of tees is always going up and down and now they're short, which is great is you have a toned belly, so start working on those sit-ups.
The second being lace...it's everywhere. Lace tops, tights, dresses, vest and shirts. It's definitely bringing me back to my youth when lace was all the rage.
Many of us know a few french phrases, but everyone should know, Jenna say, "quoi," a collection by Jenna Howard. A little play on words, but a whole lot of style. She recently attended the Apparel Design program at Seattle Central and focused her final line on coats for "a busy but chic urban woman." She got her inspiration from "the classic urban work-a-day look" and from women of the 60's & 70's like Audrey Hepburn and Jane Birken. While many of the students were during dress and skirts, Jenna choose coats because she gets overwhelmed by choice and "needed to give [her]self parameters." Also she is a "total coat fiend" and even though she has a closet full of coats, none of them are quite right. There's that saying, "If you want something done right, you've got to do it yourself." 
Belmont Manor is a student collection by Becky Sullivan. Her line included "fully lined jackets, silk blouses, tailored pants and feminine skirts" and was inspired by 18th century riding clothes and wealth, but with a modern twist that can be seen in her exaggerated hoods and collars on the jackets. The jackets were made from 100% wool; the blouses, 100% silk; and the pants from a wool/spandex blend. When she was done with her line and the buttons were tallied up, so had a whooping total of 84 buttons!
Not only did Becky have a great line, she was also the winner of the Seattle Fashion Week student competition this past year. She had to create 8 garments in 2 weeks which included sketching, patterning and sewing, and had to keep up with her normal school load which may seem daunting to many (like me), but she thought the thrill of seeing her "garments go down the runway was worth all the time and effort." Lucky for New York, she will be moving there in August to pursue her fashion career. Yay!
This is Claire. She and I work for the same designer in Brooklyn. We were out running errands when we can across this great painting. She looked so cute, I snapped a quick picture!
I just got into NY today and arrived at my sublet apartment in Greenpoint. The room is so cute & is decorated with amazing furniture. It also looks like it came with the kitty! It's been staring at a bug outside the window for like the last 15 minutes. It is so adorable, I almost couldn't take it. 
It’s about that time of the year that people start taking vacations. Many experience the beautiful scenery, exotic foods, and unfortunately the wrinkled clothes and the lack of a laundry mat, but Monica Jackins, a frequent traveler, developed a line around this with Wanderlust. Her versatile dresses are made from Organic Bamboo, “a readily available renewable resource.” It’s a super soft fabric and has naturally occurring anti-microbial properties which are “great for keeping your clothes fresh when you can’t wash them on the road.” Did I also mention they were wrinkle-free?! 
To go one step further she made each dress versatile. The dresses can be worn both in the day and night & be worn in many different ways. Monica remarked about all three dresses, “the Barcelona dress has an adjustable hemline, so you can show a little or a lot of leg, and the Roma dress has a shawl attached at the waist. You can use it to cover your shoulders, tie it around your waist as a sash, or make it one-shouldered for a cool asymmetrical look. The third dress, Praha, is totally reversible, two dresses in one!” The Roma dress was inspired by her personal travel experience. She explained, “When I was in Rome a couple years ago, it was so hot outside, but the minute you went inside a museum the air-con was freezing! Or when I visited a church I had to make sure my shoulders were covered.”
Monica is still developing her line and hopes to add “a couple skirts and tops.” When asked how she stays focused, she recommends listening to a good playlist to “keep the energy up.” Her personal favorites: "Poppin My Collar" by Three 6 Mafia, "Whatever You Like" by T.I., "We Be Clubbin'" by Ice Cube, the new Keri Hilson, and of course anything Sir Mix-a-Lot. Thanks, Monica!
A few months ago, I was selected to show two designs at Seattle Fashion Week. It was sponsored by Comcast, so one outfit needed to be comcast inspired and the other was your own design. 
This has nothing to do with fashion and everything to do with squirrels. This photo was taken outside my old kitchen window and yes, it does have a bagel in it's mouth! This is when I knew they were strange little critters. I, then, moved into a new apartment and the building was home to a gang of squirrels, I called the sniper squirrels. They would perch themselves on the fence and hiss at me when I would leave for work. So, I told my co-workers about them and then one of them came across this article and left it on my desk. I think one of the snipers got on a plane to Germany. RIP little buddy!
This design was made by Amanda. I photographed it at the Alexis hotel in downtown Seattle. The dress, named Layered Cake, was shown at the Comcast Student Competition at Seattle Fashion Week. 
Who doesn’t love taking a bath and putting on some silky lingerie afterwards, which is why you should take note of this new & upcoming line in fine lingerie, Zephyr. It was created by Kristine Carlton and Jenny Mae Miller Rulff and what started as a final line project in school became a business.
Currently, they are “working with a local boutique on a small private label line of knit tops and hope [to] expand that small line into other small boutiques nationwide”. As well, they have “a small spin-off line from [their] final line” that will be available for sale to boutiques for Spring 2010. Their fabrications are made from Pima cotton, Silk crepe, and a printed silk/cotton batiste. Jenny Mae remarked about this spin-off, “The colors are black, white, and silver, and the designs are a little bit more wearable than the final line, more undergarment-y, nightgown-y, morning coffee-y.” Samples are set to be available by August 1, and all inquiries are welcome! 
If you haven't been to this website, you should check this out. http://www.polyvore.com/
I was lucky enough to be asked to photography two other student collections. This was a shot from Leah's line. It incorporated military-inspired jackets with loose-fitting silk dresses. 
My last project in school was to develop a final line. My concept: A 70s inspired line with faux fur and suede for the animal lovers and shiny black dresses with gold piping for the dancing enthusiast. I named all my dresses after 70s songs which made for some interesting names, Shake you Booty & Knock on Wood.
