2nd Show

After working my second show this last Friday, I'm happy to say that it was a lot less exhuasting than the first and that I was able to hear a lot more of what the clients had to say about clothing. Like most women, these girls were concerned with how the clothing fit their bodies. Many spoke about their concern of their tall height and how it was often difficult for them to find clothing to suit this. This all highlighted the issues of manufactured clothing, and reminded me of times when I myself would wish that I could make the clothing myself to better fit my body and not a standard mannequin.

Aside from their tall heights, the girls also talked about how they felt that they had so many clothes that they hardly ever wore and had a hard time figuring out what to wear. I similarly face a problem where I will stand in front of two full closets and feel that I have absolutely nothing to wear. Interestingly, one girl mentioned how this would not be a problem if one just kept certain basic and statement pieces in his/her closet, as then one would have multiple different outfits made just with different combinations of clothing. This could easily solve the problem, but also had me think back to the purpose of handmade products. While you could make something yourself to give it certain details the you might not find on something manufactured, you could also make it so that it will be stronger and last a lot longer. A problem with manufactured clothing these days is that while it can be easily produced and bought, it may not be made very well.

Another interesting side note to make is that while on my reular weekend commute to the Humane Society, I spoke with a fellow volunteer about my project. I told her that I was looking at fashion and how we look at things differently when they are handmade versus when they are manufactured, and she told me that she has been sewing ever since she was a little girl. She also mentioned how when she was younger, it was a lot cheaper to make your own clothing items, as the manufactured items would be more expensive, but in recent times she has found that it is now cheaper and more convenient to go out and buy clothing. She also told me that it is actually quite expensive now to make your own goods, and even buying thread can be pricey. I found this interesting and completely true; buying fabric and dyes can get very expensive, and this often prevents me from making clothing for myself. I plan on looking into this a little more this upcoming week, and will give further updates when I run more shows.

Larissa :)

The Photograph

Hi again

While this past time has been spent doing some independent reading about the actual making of clothing, I fiured it's time to introduce my inspiration for the pattern that I plan on creating.

This photograph was taken for a project in my photography class where we experimented with colors. Since I plan on creating some clothing for this project, I've decided that I would like to create the actual pattern for the clothing as well, and I'm using this photograph to create a print. I have no experience in pattern making or in textiles, so I'm grateful for my internship with Nikki, who has experience with this type of thing. I'm not sure how the pattern for this fabric will turn out yet, as I need to decide how I am going to work the "repeat," but I will soon be working on this next week.

Aside from this, I have worked one CAbi show with Kristin (which was the preview show) and will be working another one very soon. I found that working one show can be pretty exhausting and time consuming, as this apparel is not sold in a typical clothing store. CAbi uses its consultants to host shows at their homes and other places, and as a result setting up a show can be difficult. However, it also makes it easier to get some personal interaction with the potential buyers and find out exactly what they want in a piece or what they like in a piece. I'm excited for the next show coming up soon and will hopefully have more (and better) pictures to post.

^a CAbi outfit on a mannequin from the preview show

Larissa :)

Introduction

Hello everyone :)

My name is Larissa, and I am a senior at BASIS Tucson North. One of the great things that my school offers is the opportunity to participate in a Senior Research Project during the third trimester, and I've decided to take part in this. While I've spent a large amount of time in high school doing calculus homework, writing up lab reports, translating Latin and writing papers, I figured now would be the perfect time to finally pursue my interest in fashion.

I've always been interested in fashion, clothing construction and design, and when I modeled in Pima's 2014 fashion show, I was curious about how each article of clothing that went down the runway was viewed by the audience. Did the handmade pencil skirt that I wore influence a person's perspective on the piece because it was handmade, or did this not matter, because a pencil skirt can easliy be bought at a store? Similarly, in my photography class, I thought about how you could make your own photograph and hang it on a wall or just go out and buy an art piece to use as decor.

For this project, I plan on looking into how people view clothing differently when it is handmade versus when it can be bought in a store or manufactured. Over time, fashion has been reduced into something "easy" that can be put in a store to be bought, only to be discarded for a different trend. While clothing can still be created at home, the idea of making your own clothing has almost been abandoned due to the fact that it has become something that can be mass produced and traded. People don't have to consider how something is made when they can just buy it, and I want to see if this has caused handmade clothing to lose its value. I believe that this topic is important to look into because it addresses a sort of "artist's crisis." Some artists today beleive that their work and crafts are pointless because everything can just be bought at a store, making it so that handmade goods lose their value. I want to show that this is not the case and that self-designed creations still contain value despite the overgrowing power of the manufacturing industry.

I have two different internships that will help me learn both about the creation process of clothing and about manufactured fashion. I will work with a freelance artist, Nikki Bellio, who will aid me in creating my own pieces and in designing my own print and I will also work with a CAbi consultant, Kris King, so I can learn more about the manufactured clothing industry. I've just worked at one CAbi show and will soon be working at another one, and I will begin the creation of my own clothing articles starting with the pattern design. I'm excited to be working on this project and can't wait to begin the creation/design process and work another show!

Larissa :)