*Accessories*

Accessories are a girls best friend. One simple accessorie such as a handbag or shoes can change a whole outfit. i think its interesting that women will spend hundreds of dollars on a handbag or shoes. Women spend money on accessories because having the right accessorie to go with an outfit just makes the outfit so much better. Women want to look good so they do whatever it takes to feel beautiful.
On a more personal level, I have never spent a hundred dollars on shoes or a handbag. I love shoes and accessories but i just dont see myself paying $300 for a handbag. Howeber having the right pair of shoes or handbag to go with a outfit changes everything for me. Im only 5'1 so when i put on a pair of stilletoes it really does make me feel better. i dont kno how to explain it but us women in general walk different when we have on stilletoes.
Other accessories such as jewelery also change a whole outfit. The right necklace or pair of earrings can make a simple outfit look chic or classy. In general accessories are just great because of how they make women feel when they are wearing them. All women just want to feel beautiful .The way we dress has an impact on how we feel.

*Sweatshops...Good or Bad?*

"Made in the USA".Everyone sees these labels and automatically think, "oh great its made in America. "People fail to realize or even consider the fact that the very clothes they are purchasing were made in sweatshops. I personally feel that sweatshops are horrible.The fact that someone is being overworked, underpayed and working in unacceptable conditions is jus wrong. I understand that alot of times sweatshops are the only jobs offered in foreign countries, but that doesnt make it acceptable. So many youngchildren drop out of school jus so they can barely get enough money to feed their families.
According to a investigation done by 20/20, the conditions and rulesin sweatshops are inhumane. Women who become preganant are forced to have abortions just so they can work full time in the factories. The conditions are inhumane to the extent that they are rat infested, the women arent allowed to take breaks and have to face sexual harrasement and mental and physical abuse.
At the end of the day the reality is that cheap labor is found in sweatshops and people will continue to use them no matter what . I really want to have my own clothingl ine and have the clothes produced in safe and secure workshops. I really just dont want to be a part of the group of designers who pay people less than $1.oo to produce a shirt that will be sold for $20 and up. I FEEL AS THOUGH HAVING CLOTHES PRODUCED A A CHEAP PRICE SHOULDNT BE AT THE EXPENSE OF ANOTHER PERSON HEALTH AND HAPPINESS!

The Milan Fashion Week

The Milan Fashion Week is so full of unique and colorful designs. Alot of design presented in the Milan fashion week were transparent. Most trasnparent clothing is viewed as inappropiate but these particular designs were very pretty and wearable. The designs are seen as visual art versus just another article of clothing. alot of the designs that were colorful were matched woth colors that most people wouldnt think to put together. There were so many different patterns that were thrown together to make several diffferent awesome designs.
The designs seen in the milan fashion week can be seen as works of art just because when people think of art they think of different colors and dimensions. Several of the dresses had pockets in some of the weirdest locations but somehow at the end the whole design came together. There were also alot of sequences sewn on to colorful dresses to add a splash of style.
When i think of fashion i think of creativity,color,different dimension, accessories and the fact that just about anything goes. In the milan fashion show alot of the patterns they put together were patterns that i would probably never combine. At the same time it alll worked togethr so i now view fashion as art. Art is very abstract at times and alot of designers make there designs based on this fact.

*Inspiration*

There are so many things that inspire me when i sit down to sketch a design. I love drawing clothes that are simple but different and unique in there own way. Calvin Kleins Fall 2008 collection has inspire me to step out of the box and attempt to design clothes that can be 3D. His collection was labled as soft geometry because of all the angles and shapes he incorporated into that particular line. The fact that he did that made me realize that inspiration for a design can be found anywhere. All the designers that participated in New York Fashion Week inspire me because of how they take risk and just put their hearts into their designs.
I have aslo been inspired by the way people in different cultures dress. So many cultures have different designs ,sequences and colors incorporate into their clothes. I have so many ideas for designs that can be centered around a simple aspects of someones culture. I am also inspired by the people around me sometimes i can just sit and think of a design i could make for a certain person.
Overall i really just want to have my own clothing line because of how clothes affect people. A outfit or specific design can change how someone is feeling because of how they look when they are wearing it. At the New York Fashion Week so many critics and actors talked about how they feel when they are wearing a specific designers clothes. One day i want to be that designer to be me. I also want to have my own clothing line because its a great opportunity for me to express myself by allowing people to see what im passionate about.

~Ethnic Influences on Apparel Design~

A persons ethnicity has a direct influence on the way they choose to dress or create different garments. For example a designer who is hispanic would probably choose to incorporate specific colors in their designs because of what they represent in their culture. It is very important that people incorporate different aspects of their culture into their designs because of how unique the designs will be. By incorporating cultural influences into design, designers are able to express to consumers just how important their culture is to them.
Apparel design is also affected by cultural influence because trends change all the time due to the fact that designers want to market to certain people. For example one season the inspiration for a person collection might come form the trends seen on the streets of china. The trends seen on the streets of china would probably be incorporated for designs made to target the urban communiteis in the USA.
Apparel design will always be affected by cultural influences because of how diverse the world is. People always want to express themselves through the way they dress.I feel as though it is awesome when you can go into a store and find something that reminds you where you have come from an where you are going. In Ghana the colors and patterns seen on kente cloth tells a person social status as well as other important facts. When people in the USA by garments from foreign countries they probably dont realize the deper meanin behind the design.

*~New York Fashion Week~*

The New York Fashion week is the event of the year for anyone who is intrigued by unique designs. All of the design are awesome and show the passion and creativity of the designers. I personally liked Calvin Kleins Spring 2009 design. Fancisco Costa took being creative to a whole other level. He took simple everyday articles of clothing such as coats, jackets and dresses and made them appear in 3D. Critics at the fashion show refer to this particular collection as soft geometrty.
Hilary Alexander is a fashion director that had many great things to say about Franciscos designs. In an article written for telegraph.co.uk she critiques his work and states that " At first glance the oragami folds of the architectural dresses coats and jackets worn with slim trousers, suggested that the woman in charge of ironing had left the building. But it soon became clear that these creases and just-unpacked folds were intended to create a stiff, sculptural volume away from the body." I believe that Hilary sums up the whole theme of his collection in just those few words
Francisco Spring 2009 collection wasnt full of color, however the few colors he choose to use went well with the 3D designs. His collection consist of silver,cream,white and blue with a hint of black thrown in with acesssories such as belts and shoes. i just thinks its so awesome that he used mathematics as an inspiration for these designs. The designers that participate in New york Fashion week show just how unlimited the fashion world really is.

Organic and Environmental Friendly Clothing

I personally think that organic and environmentally friendly clothing are awesome. They are stylish as well as better for the environment and consumers that wear them. I reasonally visited a website that had designs by Jonano. Jonano clothes and products are made from oragnic material such as bamboo, ecokashmere, ecottongrown, organic cotton and crisp hemp linen. Orgainc clothing are expensive to a certain extend but at the same time its better for the environment. Jonano has a collection called "Daffodil" which benefits cancer research. Jonano mission is to create a world without caner.
According to an article called "How Organic Clothing Works", which was written by Maria Colenso, there are several reason why people should wear organic clothing. The first reason is the fact that 12.8 million acres of conventiaonal cotton is grown in the US. However 55 million pounds of pesticides are sprayed on that 12.8 million acres produced. The second reason is that the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) estimates that 7 of the 15 pesticides used on cotton in the US are probable or know to cause cancer in humans. The third reason is that organic farming uses 50% less energy to grow products then conventional farming.
I think that it would be great if everyone atleast brought one peiece of organic clothing just t0 see what they think about it. There are alot of people in the world who could care less about the environment but for the percentage of those who do we can make a difference.

*~Favorite Designer~*

My favorite designers are Dolce and Gabbana. I recently watched the Summer 2008 and Winter 2009 Fashion Shows online. These designers especially appeal to me because of the passion and heart they put into their work. These passions are seen in many of their designs which have been created for some of the most successful music tours.I believe that Domencio Dolce and Stefano Gabbana are also great designers just because of how unique thier designs are.
I really liked their Summer 2008 collection because of how they take one accessorie and change the whole look of an outfit. There summer collection consist of alot of dresses, skirts and blouses that area white, tan and light brown. They added alot of color to the designs with a simple but colorful handbag or scarf. I like their Winter 2009 collection because of how they pair and layer different colors and garments. The fact that they can take colors and garments that i would probably never combine and make it look so appealing is what makes them such great designers.
One of the final reasons why i like Dolce and Gabbana is because of how versitle their design are. They have really feminine stlyes as well as elegant and casual. In the Summer 2008 collection they had some really feminine bubble skirts with lace and ribbons. Overall I just really like their designs because the models can walk right off the runway to go do normal everyday task.