Sweat Shops

I am not completely opposed to sweat shops. I feel indifferent about them. I can't really understand why we have to send jobs and labor to other countries when we have people in need of jobs in America. On the other hand, from a merchandiser's perspective, I understand exporting labor to foreign countries; it's much, much cheaper.
Another thing we have to think about is the majority of the people that work in sweat shops would not have a job at all and no way to support their family. So in that case, sweat shops can be seen as a blessing to these people who not otherwise be able to afford to put food on the table.
I do not believe that this situation will get better in the future. I actually feel it will only get worse. More and more jobs will be exported as more Americans lose their jobs.

What inspires me...

First of all, I just want to say that I am by NOO means artistic whatsoever when it comes to sketching a dress or anything for that matter.

When I think of a dress I would like to wear, I immediately think of clean, class, silhouette. Next, I think of the color. I am immediately drawn to the color black when I'm shopping. So, instinctively my dream dress would be black. I would want something edgy or bold on the dress to accent it. Such as in my sketch, the royal blue belt on top of a jet black dress would add something extra to the dress.

I'm really into the old, vintage or vintage like clothes. Every chance I get, I try to look through my grandmothers' or my aunts' jewelry boxes to find old, vintage like pieces to accessorize with. I have trouble finding older clothes to fit me. This has made me want to learn how to alter garments so that if I find something I cannot live without, I can make it mine.

Ethnic Influences on Apparel & Design

It's very obvious that in the world of apparel and design there are definite ethnic influences. Some of the ethnic infulence you see in the fashion today are african, indian, as well as asian. I believe the one culture you see the most in the Western culture is the Indian influence of dress. Over the years, we see a lot of tunics, silk dresses, bright colors, etc. that all come from other countries.

After looking at several of the collections shown during New York fashion week, I came across Nicole Miller's collection. I read that her Spring 2009 collection was inspried by a recent trip to Haiti. The Haiti influence comes through in the bright, magical-like colors seen in the collection.

As well as seeing other cultures influence our way of dress, you also see the westernization of dress in other countries. Not even just with dress alone, but with phyical features as well.

In order to stay fashion forward, we have to be aware of what's going on in the world of fashion around us.

New York Fashion Week

After looking at several of the RTW collections that showed during NY fashion week, there were many trends that stood out. One of the trends seen was the high waisted everything. From pants, skirts, leggings, they were high waisted. I think the high waisted trend is wonderful. It is flattering on most every women's body type. Another trend seen was a lot of plaids. The plaids give almost a prairie feel to some of the collections. For instance, In Marc Jacobs collection, you saw something plaid on almost every model. Something else that was done in a lot of the collections, specifically the Calvin Klein collection was a lot of structured, geometric gaments. Some of the garments almost had a boxy, constructionism feel to them.

Overall, two of my favorite collections were Oscar de la Renta and Diane Von Furstenberg. Both of their collections shown were classic and very feminine. Their collections were filled with timeless pieces that could be worn today and also several years down road.

Enviromental/Organic Fabrics

Our generation now is growing up in a green world. All we here about in the news is how to "go green" and save water, electricity, etc. In the fashion world, there are fabrics that are considered green or organic. Most conventional fabrics are pesticides or are either synthesized. A few of the naturally grown or organic fabrics are hemp and green cotton. Green cotton means that there were no pesticides used in growing the cotton at all. There is also natural colored cotton which grows a color other than a creamy white naturally.
The down fall to organically grown or natural fibers is that they are fairly more expensive than synthesized fabrics and yarns. Hopefully in the future this will change.

Fav. Designer

I would have to say my favorite designer would be Diane Von Furstenberg. I love the fact the Diane entered the world of fashion in 1972 and she is still innovative in today's world of fashion. She is most well known for her signature wrap dress. Her company has grown and expanded over the many years and now produces a full line of luggage, sportswear, dresses, accessories and even swimwear. There are now 22 Diane Von Furstenberg boutiques worldwide. She also has partnerships with companies such as H. Stern and The Rug company. She is the President of the Council of Fashion Designers of America, sits on the board of directors for IAC and the HVA. Diane is not only a brilliant designer but she also stands for female power in the world of fashion.