I was quite the spectacle in dowtown LA about twenty mins ago. I got an amazing deal on some fabric that I felt inspired by, so I made the purchase and had to carry a bolt of denim as well as a huge bag filled with other cut fabric and notions. Literally I was carrying approx 40lbs! Little me walking with that load (in high heels of course) was quite the experience. But I love what I do and I'm excited to start making some of my design ideas over my break after I finish finals this week!!
I have done such a fabulous job of keeping my thoughts positive in getting everything done this quarter. I work 5-6 days a week, last week I actually worked seven days!! Yesterday I worked two different jobs... but here I am feeling calm and collected and excited to start my next project for finals. However, the next two days are going to be the most productive days of my life. I also have to go to work and due to Day Light Savings time, I lose an hour tonight! Oh dear (;
Here we go!!! I'm going to do my best work and love the process. Positive thoughts will carry me even farther!
Life of a Fashion Rockstar! I'm elle (aka Elena), a recent Fashion Design graduate from the renowned FIDM in Los Angeles. I crave fashion and culture. Here are the stories of my heart and adventures that I'm not afraid to take to make my dreams unravel for y'all to see!
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Leader of beauty and life of a tortured artist!
Breathe in and out.... ahhhh... this is finals time.
I never expected to feel so happy yet so challenged in fashion design school. From the outside it just looks like a world full of "plastics", girls with lots of hot style but no brains. FiDM definitely has a way of weeding out the weak, the weak fall aside, only the strong remain. I wonder what the numbers are for those who start the program to those who put the blood, sweat, and tears in to finish - because it really takes that. You will never really get it, unless you yourself are sitting in the driver's seat. The outside world looking in, definitely doesn't get it. But that's ok, cuz when the survivors survive, we will be the ones who rise to the top, be able to make the so called "big bucks" but not have to fully sell our souls like the cubicle-land people. This is my dream. Now just putting one foot in front of the other to get there!
I never expected to feel so happy yet so challenged in fashion design school. From the outside it just looks like a world full of "plastics", girls with lots of hot style but no brains. FiDM definitely has a way of weeding out the weak, the weak fall aside, only the strong remain. I wonder what the numbers are for those who start the program to those who put the blood, sweat, and tears in to finish - because it really takes that. You will never really get it, unless you yourself are sitting in the driver's seat. The outside world looking in, definitely doesn't get it. But that's ok, cuz when the survivors survive, we will be the ones who rise to the top, be able to make the so called "big bucks" but not have to fully sell our souls like the cubicle-land people. This is my dream. Now just putting one foot in front of the other to get there!
Thursday, March 4, 2010
They call me Elle!
It's funny, in every city I live in I have a different nickname. In DC, it was Marilyn because I wore my hair curly and resembled Marilyn Monroe. Now in LA, it's Elle, somewhat short for Elena. I know where someone knows me from by what nickname they call me. I have various nicknames from soccer, cheerleading/college, high school...
I pulled an all nighter last night - working on tech flats, specs, fashion figure sketches, fabric swatches, sewing an organza skirt... then I woke up and went to an early morning class then onto work. The awesome thing about this whole event is I actually had a smile on my face after going through all of this and it honestly hasn't felt like a big deal. I am tired, but still so jazzed to be doing what I'm doing.
It will be interesting to see where I decide to live once I finish my Fashion Design program at FiDM - either stay in LA or go to NYC or perhaps London... who knows... but I will find the path that I need to be on or stay on!
Oh and if you want to consider me a close friend, feel free to call me Elle as well (;
My thought for today - What should you wear??? I recommend a SMILE (:
xoxo,
Elle
I pulled an all nighter last night - working on tech flats, specs, fashion figure sketches, fabric swatches, sewing an organza skirt... then I woke up and went to an early morning class then onto work. The awesome thing about this whole event is I actually had a smile on my face after going through all of this and it honestly hasn't felt like a big deal. I am tired, but still so jazzed to be doing what I'm doing.
It will be interesting to see where I decide to live once I finish my Fashion Design program at FiDM - either stay in LA or go to NYC or perhaps London... who knows... but I will find the path that I need to be on or stay on!
Oh and if you want to consider me a close friend, feel free to call me Elle as well (;
My thought for today - What should you wear??? I recommend a SMILE (:
xoxo,
Elle
Monday, January 18, 2010
These are the Days of our Lives
Back in Los Angeles...
The 2nd Quarter has now begun. Wow! This is definitely going to push me further and further and feels like it is going to be an intense one. To the outside world, those who are not involved in the fashion world, probably don't get it. One may view the fashion world as pretentious or frivolous yatay yatay yatay. However those who have the inside track know exactly what I am talking about. This is such a FAST paced world! I have been adept to the fast paced environment from my finance background, however the crazy thing is the fashion world may actually be faster. Bottom line - I love it!
So in LA the land of 70 degree weather and sunshine, it has now decided to have a raining event for probably a week. With the rain I thought - hey what a fine time to update "The Days of My Life"!
I've officially adapted to the California life and am amazed how my perspective has changed from when I first moved here. My network of amazing friends is expanding exponentially and there are so many fabulous folks here!
Top 5 Favorite Things of the Week:
- The vast array of personalities that my teachers have at FIDM
- All the fun new art supplies I got for this new quarter
- Cheeseburgers (ya I'm slightly addicted)
- Facebook updates (ya slightly addicted to that too - but is it really a waste of time? naaah!)
- Pink colored things (I also may have dyed the inside of my dishwasher fuscia on accident...haha whoops!)
Short term goal - slowly yet surely get the business ball rollin to start up my own personal business involved with fashion...
Oh and a funny yet awesome Diesel advertisment I saw in West Hollywood:
Smart thinks with the brain.
Stupid thinks with the heart.
BE STUPID!
The 2nd Quarter has now begun. Wow! This is definitely going to push me further and further and feels like it is going to be an intense one. To the outside world, those who are not involved in the fashion world, probably don't get it. One may view the fashion world as pretentious or frivolous yatay yatay yatay. However those who have the inside track know exactly what I am talking about. This is such a FAST paced world! I have been adept to the fast paced environment from my finance background, however the crazy thing is the fashion world may actually be faster. Bottom line - I love it!
So in LA the land of 70 degree weather and sunshine, it has now decided to have a raining event for probably a week. With the rain I thought - hey what a fine time to update "The Days of My Life"!
I've officially adapted to the California life and am amazed how my perspective has changed from when I first moved here. My network of amazing friends is expanding exponentially and there are so many fabulous folks here!
Top 5 Favorite Things of the Week:
- The vast array of personalities that my teachers have at FIDM
- All the fun new art supplies I got for this new quarter
- Cheeseburgers (ya I'm slightly addicted)
- Facebook updates (ya slightly addicted to that too - but is it really a waste of time? naaah!)
- Pink colored things (I also may have dyed the inside of my dishwasher fuscia on accident...haha whoops!)
Short term goal - slowly yet surely get the business ball rollin to start up my own personal business involved with fashion...
Oh and a funny yet awesome Diesel advertisment I saw in West Hollywood:
Smart thinks with the brain.
Stupid thinks with the heart.
BE STUPID!
Monday, December 21, 2009
One Quarter Down Two Stillettos Up!
Finals are done and now I can kick up my stilletto boots! Things went well and I think I slept about a few hours each night, but hey at least I got sleep! I LOVE Fashion School! I love love designing, enhancing my art knowledge, and realizing how much I have already learned when I pick up a piece of fashion or design literature. Life is great. I am at a positive peak on the rollercoaster ride right now. What am I prepping for now is getting ready for when the rollercoaster takes another dip. I'm not expecting it to be that way, just getting prepared, oh and realizing life is a rollercoaster ride! It's the lows that make you appreciate the highs and the highs that make you appreciate not being in the lows. Life is a REFINING experience and that is my overall goal - to be refined and happy. I love keeping life simple, I know what I enjoy and the type of people I enjoy being around so I do my best to put those "notions" on my fabric of my life.
What have I learned during my first quarter at the Fashion Institute in LALA Land?
- Yes, I am good at sewing.
- I need to practice my fashion sketching and really get used to the idea of how skinny those models need to appear on paper in order to be accepted by the industry.
- I know when the three pieces of men's attire originated and when people thought Louis XIV had good style.
- Some people from Pennsylvania really need to let up on the sarcasm and actually believe that a blonde haired girl who likes to wear stilletto boots might be very intelligent ;)
- I am lucky to have amazing friends :)
- Fashion Design school was a very good idea and I'm really glad that I made the leap to do this!
Over the holiday break I will be pulling out the sketch book and working on the fashion figure. I am also in the process of designing an interesting pair of gloves. Oh and I just received an awesome book detailing the artwork of Andy Warhol (my favorite artist) which I am going to use as an inspiration for POP designs that I have in mind. Stay tuned for when I finally finish my so called "POP" fashion designs.
What have I learned during my first quarter at the Fashion Institute in LALA Land?
- Yes, I am good at sewing.
- I need to practice my fashion sketching and really get used to the idea of how skinny those models need to appear on paper in order to be accepted by the industry.
- I know when the three pieces of men's attire originated and when people thought Louis XIV had good style.
- Some people from Pennsylvania really need to let up on the sarcasm and actually believe that a blonde haired girl who likes to wear stilletto boots might be very intelligent ;)
- I am lucky to have amazing friends :)
- Fashion Design school was a very good idea and I'm really glad that I made the leap to do this!
Over the holiday break I will be pulling out the sketch book and working on the fashion figure. I am also in the process of designing an interesting pair of gloves. Oh and I just received an awesome book detailing the artwork of Andy Warhol (my favorite artist) which I am going to use as an inspiration for POP designs that I have in mind. Stay tuned for when I finally finish my so called "POP" fashion designs.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
"I hear your name in certain circles, and it always makes me smile."
Today is such a nice morning. I have been working at Armani Exchange learning the details of running a retail shop. This experience is more beneficial than I initially expected. My game plan, pending my current and future "retail employers" aren't reading this... is to learn from one chain and then switch to another retail chain and learn from them and then switch again... this way I can learn from several companies on how they do things differently or the same and what works out the best. I am also working for a vendor at the California Market Center. With this opportunity I am able to see the process of how retail shops obtain the products that they sell within their own shops. I'm learning more about different demographics and what types of clothing, fabrics, styles, etc. are popular for each specific group.
Within school itself, I'm loving FIDM. Whenever I put my white FIDM totebag on my shoulder it makes me smile, well depending on how heavy it is for the day ;) My favorite part of this experience are my classes.
LA itself is still crazy, seriously there are some weirdos in this city!!! I thought Washington DC had some characters, well LA's crazies are different but may even be crazier! I was going to tell some stories about the "crazies", but I'd rather not have that info listed on my blog... I will say that generally speaking, the general population in LA is tremendously more fashion forward than the DC'ers (sorry guys, but it's true - straight up). I joke and say that even the homeless people rock better style then the average individual walking the streets of DC (some homeless guys even have designer jeans, they are dirty, but they are designer haha). That is not to say there aren't your fashionistas in DC, because they absolutely exist - so a shout out to you!
Now I just need to get all of my projects finished and get my work schedule(s) in order to enable me to get back to watching Project Runway. I love that show and cannot believe I am missing this season since it was filmed in the very same school I am currently attending. I have classes in the same rooms that the designers occupied.
Alas, that is the current update. My advice to those who are thinking about taking a leap for their dreams, do it! Things are never going to line up completely; those ducks are never going to be in a row. You just have to go for it. That is part of what life is about - if you aren't pursuing your dreams, you are already dead!
Within school itself, I'm loving FIDM. Whenever I put my white FIDM totebag on my shoulder it makes me smile, well depending on how heavy it is for the day ;) My favorite part of this experience are my classes.
LA itself is still crazy, seriously there are some weirdos in this city!!! I thought Washington DC had some characters, well LA's crazies are different but may even be crazier! I was going to tell some stories about the "crazies", but I'd rather not have that info listed on my blog... I will say that generally speaking, the general population in LA is tremendously more fashion forward than the DC'ers (sorry guys, but it's true - straight up). I joke and say that even the homeless people rock better style then the average individual walking the streets of DC (some homeless guys even have designer jeans, they are dirty, but they are designer haha). That is not to say there aren't your fashionistas in DC, because they absolutely exist - so a shout out to you!
Now I just need to get all of my projects finished and get my work schedule(s) in order to enable me to get back to watching Project Runway. I love that show and cannot believe I am missing this season since it was filmed in the very same school I am currently attending. I have classes in the same rooms that the designers occupied.
Alas, that is the current update. My advice to those who are thinking about taking a leap for their dreams, do it! Things are never going to line up completely; those ducks are never going to be in a row. You just have to go for it. That is part of what life is about - if you aren't pursuing your dreams, you are already dead!
Monday, October 19, 2009
Life Changes and Peanut Butter
Hmmm... peanut butter is one of the best things in life. It is my ultimate comfort food. No matter how much I eat it, I never get tired of it. You can put peanut butter on almost anything to make it taste better. As for me, a new starving/broke graduate student, this glorious peanut butter has made a huge improvement of the slightly stale bread I must consume in order to have lunch on a budget. Peanut butter is a substance that I do not want missing in my life.
Now as for the life changes part... now that I'm entirely on my own in a brand new city I've had some time to think about my life and what I want. I'm pursuing my dream, which honestly has been a lot of ups and downs already and the process just started. I do believe with a lot more patience and time, the ride will become smoother and I will be more equipped to enjoy it! However, there is still something missing. I am now going to let go of my brain constantly controlling my life and listen to my heart. My heart is telling me that I am missing something in my life. I want to achieve balance and my life appears to be on the "a-symmetrical" side currently. I think I know what I am missing, let's just see if I can now let go of my pride and seek it out. In the end, my most important goal is to be happy. Oh and be happy with a plentiful amount of peanut butter!
Right now I am off to the California Market Center to meet with a manufacturer and learn more about their business. Cross your fingers that a good opportunity or at least a learning experience will come out of this for me. After my meeting that I individually arranged by chance meeting this group of people in a restaurant, I will head on to my second class of the day - History of Costume.
Now as for the life changes part... now that I'm entirely on my own in a brand new city I've had some time to think about my life and what I want. I'm pursuing my dream, which honestly has been a lot of ups and downs already and the process just started. I do believe with a lot more patience and time, the ride will become smoother and I will be more equipped to enjoy it! However, there is still something missing. I am now going to let go of my brain constantly controlling my life and listen to my heart. My heart is telling me that I am missing something in my life. I want to achieve balance and my life appears to be on the "a-symmetrical" side currently. I think I know what I am missing, let's just see if I can now let go of my pride and seek it out. In the end, my most important goal is to be happy. Oh and be happy with a plentiful amount of peanut butter!
Right now I am off to the California Market Center to meet with a manufacturer and learn more about their business. Cross your fingers that a good opportunity or at least a learning experience will come out of this for me. After my meeting that I individually arranged by chance meeting this group of people in a restaurant, I will head on to my second class of the day - History of Costume.
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