Saturday, December 28, 2013

Once Upon a Time in NYC

New York. The city that never sleeps. I got to visit this city over the Christmas holidays with the Manis family, as a graduation present to me and Ben! I tried really hard to only pick my favorite photos of my favorite places that we went, but there were a LOT to choose from. Like...thousands. My favorite places included Chelsea, Central Park, Bethesda Fountain IN Central Park, the Plaza Hotel, Laduree, and the window displays at Bergdorf Goodman. 
The awesome Manis family! 

Monday, December 9, 2013

Final Senior Project for Computer Aided Design Course

This is the final part of my capstone project for my Computer Aided Design course. We had to research and develop a trend concept for a season in the future, hand draw our concepts, vectorize them in Adobe Illustrator, and then create the individual fashion flats, patterns and models to bring our mini collection to life. Of all the projects I have created over my college experience, this one was my favorite. I was SO inspired by the rich textures of Scandinavian and Swedish folk culture (my heritage!), and was bursting to try and make something that would represent me as a designer and challenge me in the programs I was using.  

All of the embroidery and patterns were created by me for this collection in Illustrator by mixing, manipulating, and hand-piecing together traditional patterns and motifs that I found most aesthetic. 
Painters like Karl Larson, traditional folk costumes, like the bunad of Norway,  and designers like Marchesa served as my major inspiration for this project. You can check out my intensive Pinterest board devoted to this project here. 
I created this gold design on this bodysuit from an old embroidery pattern, vectorized it, and gave it a metallic gradient to give a pop of color. I paired it with a sheer champagne colored skirt to give it a modern, but feminine, twist.  
This coat dress was the first design I came up with. I knew I wanted something dramatic and regal, so the high collar, high-low hem and deep red color sought to create that. I loved the idea of a crown as an accessory, with a lush bow, because I loved the way the texture of the metal mixed with the velvet and embroidery of the fabrics. 
For this gown I hand created a floral design by piecing together parts of my favorite Swedish rosemaling motifs, and then created the desired look and color once in Illustrator. 
I really loved the idea of a head-to-toe patterned suit, which has been very popular on the runways this season. This was another nod to floral swedish folk pattern, with a modern edge. The tulip shaped bottom of the jacket gives it a fresh silhouette. 
I was very inspired by Alexander McQueen and John Paul Gaultier, so I decided to create an obnoxiously large cable knit sweater and pair it with a sheer skirt to add some drama. This was actually one of the more complicated flats that I had to create in Illustrator, because I had to build the cable pattern myself and try to get it to line up in the right way. 
I think all together the collection looks very cohesive and the colors work well together. I would love to know what you think, please feel free to leave a comment!