Happy Halloween Day

         Happy Halloween everyone!! Today we'll talk about Halloween costumes. Now, when you think of Halloween we think about people in their scariest or cutest costumes and the children having fun and going out o get candy at night. Well, you're right. Halloween is the best day of the year (in my opinion) I feel like it's the most exciting time of the year because not only do you go outside at night to go get candy but you also dress as frictional characters! 
                 For an example, I am dressed as Sasha from SNK or other known as. Attack on Titan! it's my 5th favorite anime! and I just love how other people love it as well. But, I'm also excited about scaring people and getting scared. Being scared the hell out of you is the best feeling. it brings chills to my skin and bring so much excitement. 
               Well, this year the celebrities really out done themselves! So congrats celebrities! But as I was scrolling through the google image and the website. Celebuzz.com.  I found this costume worn by colton Haynes' dressed by Miss Piggy. It's not only scary and disturbing to look at, it's also very funny, weird, and very creative! I wouldn't have thought of that at all. 
               So that's all I have today, so be careful trick or treating, and remember to have fun and be safe out there. Will be blogging next time BYE! 










(picture cred to: http://www.celebuzz.com/2016-10-31/celebrity-halloween-costumes-2016/)

Quality

     When we go out for shopping, what do we want? good fabric or good price?
But if you think about it, when have you ever found a really good fabric with a really low price?! for me.. Rarely. But when I do see good quality fabric with such a reasonable price, I buy it in a heart beat. 
           You spot it from across the store – the perfect dress in “your” color, in the style that flatters your body, at a price that won’t bankrupt you. A quick dash into the fitting room – and you decide it’s perfect!

Or is it? Before you head to the sales desk, take a few minutes to really examine the dress (blouse, pants, jacket, sweater, etc.), preferably in good light. This may require you to leave the more dimly lit dressing room for natural light or even the more brightly lit check-out area. I am fortunate that I learned to sew in my teens and learned a lot about clothing construction from making my own clothes. I also learned to alter patterns and make substantial alterations (lengthening or shortening a skirt’s silhouette, lengthening sleeves, etc.). Because I know what is needed to make a well-constructed garment, I have been able to search out well-made clothing at various price points.

Price alone is no guarantee of quality – I’ve learned this the hard way. You really need to look over everything you buy – there’s a lot of sloppy workmanship out there — and the amount of what I think is substandard clothing is increasing. The prevalence of “fast fashion” promotes quantity over quality. Personally, I prefer quality over quantity.

So how do you identify quality?

I’ve provided here some design and construction basics that I look for when making a purchase. Please note that I try to buy all of my clothes on sale, but I’m a stickler for quality. However, I do not find that a famous brand name always equates quality. I’ve been disappointed with an overall decline in quality in women’s ready-to-wear clothes, and I have all but stopped buying clothes. (I still score a few excellent buys here and there but the search for quality is more time-consuming.) Fortunately, my current wardrobe has some excellent clothes that I think are irreplaceable 

The “Hand” of the Fabric

I also test for the “hand” of the fabric – how it feels when touched. You can really feel the difference between a good quality wool garment and one with lesser quality fiber content. You can use this test on clothing constructed from man-made fibers – some will feel better, drape better, and wear better than others. (The definition of “hand” of fabric is the “feel” of the fabric against your skin.  There are many adjectives that can be used to describe the hand, or feel, of a fabric, such as soft, smooth, rough, stretchy, stiff, heavy, thin, etc.)

The Trend toward Increasingly Thin Fabric

One of the trends I’ve seen is the increasing thinness of fabric. T-shirt fabric is thinner (and more revealing), blouse fabric is thinner, jeans fabric is thinner, etc. I try to find heavy weight denim for jeans, not the lighter weight twill that is most often available in colors and patterns.

Even when you find a garment that is 100% wool or silk or cotton, the fabric may be of lesser quality. A lot of people bemoan the decline in quality in cashmere sweaters, even within the past 10 years. A lot of women’s cashmere I see today is almost see-through. My advice is to look at men’s cashmere sweaters and buy a classic men’s crew neck or v-neck instead of a women’s sweater. (I have several men’s sweaters that don’t scream “men’s department” when I wear them.)

Before making purchases, they compare the quality (which is good!) and price of similar items offered by several retailers. So checking price on good quality fabric is a good thing, if you're like me. But keep up with the shopping! will be blogging again soon! byebye. 

(Picture Cred: All wrapped up and tied with a bow. Robert Best)

So Hype!

             As you can tell from the title, I'm very excited for Halloween this month! I'm, always looking forward for Halloween every year. Halloween is my favorite holiday! For this Halloween I will be dressing up as a steam punk Victorian woman. The steam punk Victorian look really catches my eye and I've always loved the Victorian look. I'm also in love with the Victorian dresses, I think I might be getting one for next years Halloween!
              Why do I love the steam punk look? because steam punk has so much personality in the clothes, it has so much stuff to wear, and it just being you to that time year of when it was just regular clothes. The term "steampunk" was not coined until 1987 and any works prior to that time are considered precursors to the genre. is a sub-genre of science fiction, alternate history, and speculative fiction that came into prominence during the late 1980's and early 1990's. Specifically, steampunk involves an era or world where steam power is still widely used, typically the Victorian Era and the Edwardian Era, that incorporates prominent elements of science fiction and fantasy. A modicum of fantasy is necessary because steam alone simply will not do enough to fulfill the visions of most authors and artists. Steampunk is often associated with cyberpunk, from which it is derived. They have considerable influence on each other and share a similar fan base, but steampunk developed into a separable movement. Apart from time period and level of technology, the main difference is that steampunk settings tend to be less dystopian. Steampunk is described as "full of wonder" and as "functional, logical, and very British". Steampunk stories are often romantic and peppered with historical references and brewing rebellions.
               Victorian fashion comprises the various fashions and trends in British culture that emerged and developed in the United Kingdom and the British Empire throughout the Victorian era, roughly 1830s to 1900s (decade). The period saw many changes in fashion, including changes in styles, fashion technology and the methods of distribution. Various movement in architecture, literature, and the decorative and visual arts as well as a changing perception of the traditional gender roles also influenced fashion.
               Everything about it makes me so fascinated and so very happy. This is going to be my costume for Halloween. 


(picture cred: Pinterest )

child labor in turkey

             The first time you see a child hunched over a sewing machine in a hot, airless factory will never leave you. The kids who have to sew to survive; By Darragh MacIntyre.

             The first time that Darragh Maclntyre went to go see child labor with his own eyes just hit him emotionally. He goes to see the children while hiding a small camera to film it all. A boy, no more than 11 or 12, peeked up at Darragh with just the trace of a smile before the boy dipped his head again, back to work. Darragh quoted "It felt like a punch in the gut" 
            Darragh was told that child labor was endemic in Turkey. But Darragh wasn't prepared for the reality of it. Or the scale of it. One basement workshop was almost entirely staffed with children, many of whom couldn't have been more than seven or eight years old, the very picture of Dickensian misery. Darragh was in Istanbul investigating allegations that Syrian refugees and children are being exploited by the garment industry. And specifically that many are working on clothes destined for our High Street. 
             Note that secret filming is illegal in turkey and he was halfway through his investigation when a state of emergency was declared in the country. Yet finding Syrian refugees and children making branded clothes for the UK market was relatively straightforward. Only a tiny percentage of the estimated 3 million Syrians who have sought refuge in Turkey have the necessary work permits. To survive, they have to work illegally, without any rights, and for low wages. A made-to-measure workforce for the garment industry, and a reminder that one person's plight is often another's opportunity.
            Efforts are being made to get them into a nice and healthy education, but it's estimated that as many as 400,000 are working, and many of them in the garment industry. 
            As to my opinion to all of this happening in turkey, I think it's a bit unfair to the children, and I fell like the children that are working on their own will doesn't belong and shouldn't be in that factory to being with. But, in the same time I do feel like I understand why they are doing this. Because it's also an experience. But the way they are going about for these children is bad. I think, this child labor business happening in turkey is just cruel, ridiculous, and outrageous. 


(Picture cred: Darragh Maclntyre.)

The look of Vulgar fashion~

       Vulgar fashion, most people find it an insult when they are told "Your fashion taste is vulgar" but after what I'm about to tell you about vulgar fashion, you might change your mind in taking it as an insult. 
                The Vulgar, fashion Redefined is doing exactly that: challenging us to reconsider our ideas around taste. It features designers from across the world, including Manolo Blahnik, Christian Dior and Prada, and asks its visitor what the world vulgar even means and why it’s so controversial. For those who have no clue in what vulgar fashion means, it is okay. I didn't understand too. But, it means lacking sophistication or good taste; unrefined. Here are some words that is also used to express vulgar fashion. tasteless, crass, tawdry, ostentations, flamboyant, overdone, showy, gaudy, brassy, loud. 
               Why in the world would anyone call it "vulgar fashion'? People have called fashion vulgar for a number of reasons – because it can be excessive and extravagant, because it costs a lot of money sometimes, it’s related to commerce, it’s popular and it can be sexualised. You have to wear it though – it would be a bit vulgar to walk around naked after all.   How are the Barbican Centre looking at everything vulgar?
Vulgar means lacking in sophistication, or it can also mean coarse and rude – but take a deep breath because there’s plenty of it to explore here. The Barbican’s latest exhibition covers 500 years, from the Renaissance to now, showing visitors couture and ready-to-wear fashion as well as manuscripts, photography and film. What becomes clear from the exhibition is that fashion often breaks with taste to redefine it – so why not celebrate vulgarity?
               Lastly, is it vulgar to put it in an art gallery? The curators are aware that some see exhibiting fashion in an art gallery as vulgar – should the hallowed halls of the gallery come so close to the ring of the cash desk in a shopping mall? A number of voices from Coco Chanel to Jonathan Swift are drawn on throughout the exhibition to show that ultimately, questions of taste are all in the eye of the beholder. 
              So it's pretty interesting, huh? The way I look at it vulgar fashion isn't that bad, it's exciting, surprising, and I bet just wearing it would make you feel so cool!~ 
Okay, that's all for today! byebye. 



(picture cred: Barbican's Latest Exhibition
The Vulgar: Fashion Redefined. )

TeamWork

       Today I want to talk about how teamwork is very important, easy to get into, and how it's very helpful to not only you but the ones you're working with. 
               Teamwork starts with a group of people that is more than one person. A team can be placed together if it is two or more. After the team is grouped you obviously had to work on something that involves more than two hands. When it comes to being in a team, the one important key is communication. Communication is very serious and much needed this teamwork activity and can help in a very rapid way, how? Well, look at it this way. If I was in a group of three and we had to cut out imagines from a magazine and place them into a book of your own. There will be a lot of communication involved because if everyone just sat around without saying anything, then it'll be hard to get the job done within the working hour. 
              When working with others, you have to check up on them to see what could be done, and to let them know you're willing to help the other. When you do that you not only have their kindness, but you also have their trust. 
             Teamwork is used everyday of a person's life and it is very easy to learn n' by that I mean if you're a bit shy and/or don't feel comfortable talking to others, then I may have a solution. If you don't talk to others that much and is shy then the first thing you'll wanna do is make yourself be noticed; so you're gonna pull a "notice me senpai" moment but just bare with me. To make yourself known just pick up an equipment that involves the work you and buddies are working on and go to one that you're a bit comfortable with and simply ask what you should do with the equipment in your hand. When they reply and tell you what you should use it for, then the others will get the hint of you wanting to join, and help the others.
            The power of communication, effort, and hardship are the most important things in teamwork. 








(picture cred: arakan on Favim.com)

Jobs in the fashion industry.

         When most people think about a fashion career, they picture a designer sketching an idea for a new dress, or a model walking down a runway to show off the latest design. While the fashion industry wouldn't exist without the designers or models, of course, there are also a number of other fashion careers that people might forget about.
          The fashion industry is typically split into four main fields: design, manufacturing, marketing/promotion, and retail sales. The design field includes jobs such as designers, pattern makers, and sketching assistants who create designs, revise designs, and/or break designs down into their component parts. The manufacturing field includes positions such as apparel workers, dressmakers, seamstresses, tailors, and textile workers who produce the accessories and garments that others have designed. The marketing/promotion field includes marketers, photographers, models, and stylists who help a designer present and sell accessories and garments to a retailer. The retail sales field includes jobs such as buyers, merchandise planners, salespeople, and retail managers who buy the accessories and garments from the designer and then sell them to the general public. 
         One, a model. A model typically earns between $25,000 and $40,000 a year, but some may make as little as $16,000 a year if just starting out in the fashion field or over $55,000 a year if he or she has a lot of experience. The amount earned is also based on the model's reputation and the amount of his or her body that is displayed.
The specific requirements necessary to become a model vary from agency to agency and client to client. However, most modeling clients and agencies require that you have a portfolio showing that you are photogenic and that you have the physical attributes that the agency or client is looking for (such as height, overall appearance, weight, and so on).
        Next up, photographer. A fashion photographer, also sometimes known as a commercial photographer, takes pictures of the garments and/or accessories that an individual or company designs, as well as pictures of the models wearing those garments and accessories.Fashion photographers adjust the lighting of the room and camera settings; create portfolios that contain the best pictures of each accessory, garment, or model; explain how models should pose for pictures; store electronic or physical copies of each picture; test cameras to make sure that they are in working order prior to each photo shoot; use backdrops, digital cameras, film cameras, tripods, and other similar equipment to take pictures; and use computers to review and edit each picture so that each accessory, garment, and model looks as good as possible. The amount earned is also based on the photographer’s reputation and his or her skill with a camera. A fashion photographer may be able to make significantly more than a typical photographer if he or she is well-known and has a portfolio that shows a significant amount of skill.
       Lastly, we have designer. Fashion designers create design samples with or without the aid of a sewer; discuss their ideas with clients, fashion marketers, managers, and/or other designers to determine if the idea actually makes sense or not; discuss their ideas with textile companies to determine which materials should be used; draw new designs for accessories and garments; provide advice to sketching assistants and pattern makers regarding the appropriate way to create, break down, or assemble a design; use design samples and models to look for problems in the design and make the appropriate alterations; and use models to present their designs in fashion shows and other similar locations.The amount that a fashion designer earns is also based on his or her employer and skills. A designer may be able to make significantly more than usual if he or she works for a major fashion design company and/or has a strong design portfolio. Most fashion designers will make more in a fashion design firm than they will if they are self-employed.
      Now, I would go on and on talking about every job in the fashion industry, but it will take forever, and I'll end up covering my whole entire home page. So, I will list the rest off. 
Marketer, Pattern Marker, Salesperson, stylist, Retail , Manager, Buyer, Seamstress/Tailor, and last Visual Merchandiser. Visual Merchandiser sounds a bit too difficult, so I'll tell you about it!
       Visual merchandisers examine the accessories and garments available on the market to determine if a store might be interested in them; develop, use, and modify product placement plans known as planograms to make sure that it is easy to see each item and that each item will fit in the space allowed; discuss the products that the store typically buys and potential new products with the store's buyers, salespeople, and managers; hang signs for new products and sales; and set up mannequins, store windows, and other similar displays to show off new designs. The amount that a fashion merchandiser makes is also heavily based on the area in which he or she works. A visual merchandiser may be able to make significantly more than usual if he or she works for a large store or a major retail chain on the East or West Coast of the United States rather than for a company located in another part of the country. Some visual merchandisers may receive bonuses if their store's or district's sales meet or exceed the established target number of sales. Specific requirements for becoming a visual merchandiser vary from company to company. Most companies require that you have a high school diploma or a General Educational Development (GED) credential and some experience in a related field (typically three to five years of experience in customer service, general retail, sales, marketing, or another similar field). Some companies may also require or prefer that you have an associate's degree or a bachelor's degree in business, fashion design, fashion merchandising, marketing, or another similar field.
       I hope today's blog was helpful! Talk to you peeps latter!!



(picture cred to:www.vam.ac.uk)

Chanel's Sprint 2017 RTW show

        Chanel's sprint 2017 RTW show by Karl Lagerfeld gets digital looks extremely fabulous. I only got a glimpse of the models and seen the clothing that was on the runway and I can tell already every outfit matched the theme. The clothing was very on point with the digital theme, I thought some of them were a bit too much, and a little bit was just right to the theme.
                 In this show there was two outfits I thought that looked great with the theme and one I thought that was a bit too much. The first I liked was the 55th model that worn the trench coat, with many colors on it, she worn a cap just like the coat, white shoes that looked almost like ballet shoes, and finished with jewelry that very much complemented the outfit all together. Second one I liked was the 46th model on the runway. She worn a flow dress with many bright colors on it and with a bit of black, and shoes that looked slip on, silver, and black tips. Plus, with cap matching the dress color, and earrings. I liked it because of how flow, in futuristic  look and in it looks. 
                  The one I disliked and found a bit too much was the first and second models. They both have the same outfit but it's just the outfit that bothers me so. First, it has a tacky design, and seconded it has this robot head and robot mittens, if that makes sense! I found it odd and wondered if it was just a thing to let everyone know the show was starting if it was really the design?!
                 But through it all I thought they looked exactly like the theme, futuristic, and texture, and a lot of fabulous bizarre look that completed the theme. 









( picture cred to: delawareway.blogspot.com)

Paris Fashion Week with designer Agnes b.

          The September 27- October 5, 2026 Paris fashion week. A show was just on with the fashion designer Agnes b. I honestly really loved the she had on the runway, the clothes looked smooth, clean, so much perspective, and a right amount of nature in some of the clothing. 
                    I think in the middle of the show there was pajamas coming out on the runway? these pj's looked so loose and comfortable. They could feel my need of comfort and fashion. Then there was a dress I found quite attractive, vibrant, smooth, and flow. It also gave me a reminder of the dresses they had for women in the 1950s. The 50s dresses for the women were my favorite and I think that's why I kind of enjoyed watching the dress come out and walk on the runway. 
                    Agnes b. opened her first shop on rue du Jour in Paris in 1975. Since then, she has designed clothing for men, women and children that reflects the spirit of the age by creating a wardrobe that can easily adapt to every personality and can be worn for a very long time. Today, Agnes b. continues to design each collection that bears her name, including accessories, watches, jewelry, and sunglasses. The company has more than one hundred shops throughout the world. A family enterprise, a civic enterprise, Agnes b. tries as much as possible to keep her production in France. 
                 I found her show to be very capturing, smoothing, and very interesting with the designs she picked for a few. One design that caught my eye to be interesting was the 2nd model that came up on the runway. Her outfit surprised me because didn't expect to see such and outfit, it wasn't bad, nor was it really good. My thoughts were in the middle, I liked it but also didn't like it. Why didn't I like it? because I thought there a bit too much breast showing, I don't have anything against breast. I just thought of it as "too much breast" cause what if there was wind or if it was hot outside. If it was hot she had the option to either 1. take off the suit jacket ( Which I loved because I have a thing for women' suits) and/or 2. She can just leave it on and sweet up. 
I would go for one but I don't like showing cleavage and I would't know what to cover myself up with and stay cool at the same time. If was cold then she had option to 1. button up or 2. Don't wear it. Now, I for sure go with buttoning up but at the same time I would want to show everyone what I'm wearing and how much I love it. 
              Now, I can go on and on about how great I found this fashion show to be. But I also don't want to type down 5 pages. *laugh*
            Long story short, Agnes b's runway really caught my eye as beautiful, creative, and capturing.



(Picture credit: www.indexmagazine.com )

Hems

            What is ahem slip stitch? The slip-stitch is a finishing stitch. Use it to hem garments with regular fold-up hems and for attaching the bias to the inside of necklines, waist edges, and sleeve/skirt/pant hems. ... The hem is pressed up and small stitches tack the fold to the fabric.
              the correct way to use such a stitch is quite easy to do, that's if you're good, and have much experience doing this. The slip stitch hem has six steps to it. I will say the step, tell you how to do it, and why it's done that way. 
             When making a hem, you should have on proper foundation garment and shoes with the same heel height as you will wear with the garment. 
 Now step 1.) MARKING: The first step is to measure from the floor to the desired finished length all around the garment. The best tool for this is a specially-made hem marker on a heavy base which marks the hem with pins or chalk. A yardstick with a rubber band indicating the distance from the floor will suffice-but be sure the yardstick is held perpendicular to the floor during the entire operation.
Step 2.) PINNING: Use fine dressmaking pins that will not mark fabric. A wrist pincushion is helpful.

Step 3.)PRESSING: Use either a steam iron or dry iron with a damp press cloth 

Step 4.)MARKING HEM DEPTH: You need a hem gauge-a 6” metal or plastic ruler with movable marker; or you can make a marker with the cardboard from stretch lace or seam binding. Notch the cardboard on the long side at proper hem depth. Use tailor’s chalk of clay for all fabrics-use wax tailor’s chalk on wool only. Do not use blackboard chalk to mark the hem depth.

Step 5.) NEEDLES AND THREAD: Sharps (or Embroidery Needles, which have longer eyes) are general sewing needles suitable for hemming. For sheer fabrics, use fine needles, sizes 9-10; for medium-weight fabrics, use sizes 7-8; for heavy-weight fabrics, use coarse needles, sizes 1-6. An all-purpose sewing thread such as Dual Duty XP; is suitable for most fabrics. However, if you are working with a very lightweight or sheer fabric, you may want to use finer thread, such as Dual Duty XP Fine for Lightweight Fabrics.

Step 6.) FUSIBLE WEB: takes the place of needle and thread in hemming. lt is a nylon web which is highly sensitive to heat and steam and is used for fusing two layers of fabric together. When applied correctly, Fusible Web holds securely through washing and dry cleaning.
 

(picture credit: Pinterest.com)