My New Favorite Artist: Kimbra

If you haven't heard her music yet, you are missing out. This song is amazing. Someone once described her music as a mixture between" Nina Simone, Florence and the Machine, and Bjork". Sit back, watch and enjoy this great video. You won't be disappointed, I promise.

Spring Inspiration

"a dreamer is one who can only find his way by moonlight, and his punishment is that he sees the dawn before the rest of the world" ~ Oscar Wilde

"she's beautiful, and therefore to be woo'd; she is a woman, therefore to be won" ~ William Shakespeare

"her angel face, as the great eye of heaven, shined bright, and made a sunshine in a shady place"~ Edmund Spenser

Happy Friday. I hope you enjoyed these images from Sensual Fairy Tale.

Head Over Heels

Drooling over MSGM 's Pre-Fall 2012 collection. In my dreams I dress like this everyday, no matter what day it is or where I am heading to. Ideally I would probably be going to Bottega Louie with my girls for some brunch and mimosas. Afterwards, I would head over to Alcove Cafe & Bakery for a cappuccino and a slice of red velvet cake, but not without a Jane Austen book. I'd probably be reading a classic like Sense and Sensibility. Wouldn't it be lovely if we can live like this everyday? Drinking fancy mimosas, cappuccinos, eating red velvet cakes (without having to worry about the calories) and having the luxury to read for hours everyday, all while wearing beautiful designer clothes? One of these days I am going to go on a reading spree. A girl can dream right?

This week on instagram

I hope everyone had a great weekend. My weekend was very busy, but I definitely enjoyed it. Here are some of my favorite pictures I captured thru instagram this week.

1. The 2012 FIDM Debut Runway show in Santa Monica.

2. One of my new favorite restaurants Short Order on 3rd and Fairfax.

3. My very first Yoga mat, I decided it was time to join a Yoga class. So much fun.

4. Alejandro Ortega's collection at The 2012 FIDM Debut Runway show.

5. One of my favorite waffle joints Bru's Wiffle in Santa Monica.

6. Some cute crochet Japanese dolls at the Japanese American National Museum.

FIDM Debut 2012

Last week I attended the FIDM Debut 2012 Runway Show at the Barker Hanger in Santa Monica. As a tradition all Debut shows open up with costumes designed by Theater Costume Design students. The theme this year was musical The Phantom Of the Opera.

So many amazing fashion designers, but Alejandro Ortega was one of my favorite designers. His collection reminded me of the Rudi Gernreich sixties look with a Andy Warhol twist. I loved his use of bright colors, patterns, shapes and textures. I have a feeling that we are going to see a lot of him in the near future. Speaking of amazing designs, MOCA (The Museum Of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles ) is currently exhibiting some of Rudi Gernreich's work in collaboration with model Peggy Moffitt and photographer William Claxton. The exhibition will run until May 27.

Inspiration: Fab Ciraolo

How amazing are these illustrations? Fab Ciraolo is one of my new favorite artists. I love how this Chilean illustrator adds a modern twist to some of the most iconic film characters. His whimsical style is created by combining fashion trends, feminine prints and an explosive galactic background. Truly inspirational. 

Victorian Dress

I stumbled across these pictures from one of my last costume construction projects at UCLA. The assignment was to create a period dress. At the time I was inspired by fashion from the Victorian Era. After conducting some research from this time period, I began creating my pattern from scratch. I  designed a dress similar to the one in this illustration (on the left). The waist is very narrow and the bodice is very pointy at the center front. To create this illusion my darts have a curved shape to them. I used a black marking tape to create these lines as a point of reference.

With my guide lines in place, I began draping my muslin fabric on the body form. After all of the darts were pinned and smoothed out, I began shaping my design and cutting off all the excess fabric.

Once I finished marking my darts and seam lines on the bodice, I then laid it out on a drafting table and began connecting of all my pencil marks and notches together. From this point on my pattern was begining to take form. After completing this step, I added the seam allowance to to my sample and proceeded by transferring all this information to a paper pattern. Although I didn't take a picture, I cut and sewed my first sample out of muslin fabric. After fitting the sample on myself and making some adjustments, I drafted my final pattern.

One of the most exciting parts of this process was the final fitting. Here is where I finalized all last adjustments before sewing, hand stitching and hemming the final dress. At last all my hard work came together, now I can say that I designed and constructed my very first Victorian dress from start to finish.