Scholastic Portfolios and Announcements

Well Scholastics is now officially over which means that I have a life again! I still have one more school to apply to so I'll still be running around a lot this week trying to finish the application by the deadline, but after that I'll be free to actually post more things and finally....sew again!

I entered two portfolios in Scholastics this year and I found out Sunday that they both received regional Gold Portfolio Titles and I received several individual awards as well. I have been worried about this all year and it feels so good to know that both portfolios have been accepted. Now I'll be worried until March when I hear back about the National results, but it feels good knowing that it at least received a regional title. Here's my Scholastic fashion portfolio and artist statement that went along with it. I'll be posting my other portfolio later along with my individual entries that received awards.

Fashion Portfolio:

1. Frayed Layer Gown (which is now for sale over in my Etsy shop).

2. Hand Beaded Leaf Gown.

3. Masking Tape Dress.

4. Foil Dress.

5. Grey Polka Dot Party Dress.

6. Button Down Print Dress

7. Vinyl Zipper Jacket.

8. Red Feather Dress.

Collectively, my body of work tells a story through fashion design. I work primarily with fashion design and photography, but my main love will always be the design of clothing. I love the feel of the different textiles and the process that goes into making each garment. I enjoy starting with an idea, sketching it out, constructing a pattern, sewing, and then watching a blank piece of fabric transform into a 3 dimensional piece of clothing that can be worn. What I love about fashion is that it’s an art form that can be openly expressed every single day through the clothing that people choose to wear.

I’m a very visual person so when I’m creating I’m constantly thinking about the person who will wear the garment and where it will be worn. For instance, one source of inspiration for me are characters from movies and books. I love to watch movies and think of continuing outfits for a character even when the movie is over; what they would wear next if placed in a different era of time or a changed environment. For example, what would Luna Lovegood (a character from Harry Potter) be wearing if she was living in the West during the 1900s and then went on vacation to the East Coast to visit friends. I think of how her wardrobe would change depending on whom she was with and where she was going.

I also work a lot with photography as well, and clothing plays a big role in my art. Clothing has the ability to completely transform an image into a different place in time. It helps enhance a certain mood that I try to portray and capture through an image. In a way, my work is a lot like costume design because of this. My photography work is mostly comprised of self-portraits. I use clothing to transform myself into a different character. When I have a garment that is inspired by a certain era in time my photo shoot also takes on an inspired look from that era.

My work is so interconnected that I don’t distinguish a line between fashion design and photography. When I have a photo shoot idea I also have a garment idea to enhance the mood of the photograph. After I make a garment, I’m thinking of the person who will wear it and that inspires a photo shoot idea. These areas are not separate, but combined they work together to tell a story.

I chose the pieces in this collection because they show the craftsmanship and technique at pattern drafting, sewing and tailoring skills that I have worked hard to develop over the years. Hours of time have gone into creating each garment, and many of those hours of hand stitching aren’t even seen, because they are a part of the inside structure. For example, the hand sewing done to the inside seams of a garment are not shown, but it makes a huge difference in the quality and longevity of a garment. The inside craftsmanship and quality of each garment is just as much as an art form to me as the overall outside design.

Fashion design is more than just a hobby or even a career path for me – it’s my love and passion. It’s more than just something that I want to do, but it’s something that I have to do every day. I’m happiest when I’m sewing and creating stories through fashion design. Life can be mundane at times, and I want to create clothing for women that bring a sense of joy and new beginnings to her when she puts on my clothes.