I just finished my first fitting today and I'm so excited. I didn't really hit me until after we left the studio to get some food that I'm actually working on my own line, for real. Even though I did work with the patternmaker and the factory last time for the Nouveau Classical Project show, this is actually for me. I have to be honest, I'm not scared at all, just excited.

But the work doesn't stop. I'm going to start designing fall's collection this week, and the most exciting news is that I'm going to be working with my friend Melissa on some knits for the fall line. I met Melissa at Parsons' as well, and she had an amazing collection and is now doing knitwear at Doo.Ri! See, don't be an asshole and great things will come.

Quick fashion snippet: Saw the Comme des Garcon for H&M collection. Horrible.


Sugar and I also just discovered the amazingness that is Pushing Daisies. I can't believe this has been hiding from us. I became a fan of Lee Pace ever since seeing The Fall, and I'm so glad he's in something so amazing. The writing is completely witty and the story is a mixture of fun and heartbreaking at the same time. Anyone that enjoyed Amelie should definitely check the show out, the influences are apparent without being a cheesy rip-off.


Also, Fatty (above) seems to enjoy green mobile makeshift feline housing. It was so cute to hear some paper bag ruffling and then see her little head pop out. She even chewed up little holes on the bottom (see right corner of the bag) as a defensive measure. Her sister began attacking the bag and all you see are fat white little paws popping out of the holes batting her away. 

Anyways, I'd love to post more about me and the process of starting my own line, but I'm finding it a little difficult without sacrificing the secret nature of a collection before the season. I'm gonna try to figure something out, but if you have any question, feel free to ask!

Done. I'm finally done. I spent all day finishing up my first collection, Sunday is going to be the first fitting with my lovely fit model Sasha (the Elf™). My eyes hurt, back is sore and I'm starving, but I'm really relieved (except for the fact that there's still a mountain of work to be done).

More excitingly, I organized my designs and work with a great set of TWO hole binders I picked up from Muji (along with the two-hole hole puncher) and my new label maker, which I have to admit I have been abusing.






I also got to use this badass neon sketchpad Moleskine I picked up in Paris to doodle most of my designs in first. I haven't seen it anywhere in the States, I had to get it. I hate to admit, having cool gear makes you more productive.

There's still some more packet stuff to prepare, but tomorrow I'm taking a much needed break from being inside most of this week. Sugar and I are going to do a little fashion/design tour of the city, checking out the Superhero exhibit at the MET (long overdue), the women exhibit at F.I.T. and swinging by the Cooper Hewitt and a few other places.

Going to pass out on the couch now.

But before I do I leave you with this.

Business 101: (or rather, common sense 101)

Never alienate the people that may be able to help you in the future.

While I don't like to air out personal issues on my blog (anymore), I just thought it would be a good idea to share this story in the event you find yourself treating people like an asshole.

I was once told by a famous fashion journalist that the biggest appeal of a designer is the designer themselves. This is essentially what people are buying into, the idea of the designer. And the most successful designers, it seems, are the nicest, most approachable people out there. The truth is, as with any other business, nobody wants to work or be around someone that is unpleasant. Nothing ever good comes out of being that way.

Case in point, I was once in a partnership with another designer to work on my line. We met when I first came into Parsons and quickly became friends. I left to do my own thing and he went into his senior year.  As his own projects came about, he ignored me. When I did the Nouveau Classical Project show back in April, he did not bother to go, or even ask me how it went until I mentioned it to him. When I would come by the work studio to see how his projects were going, he would briefly say hi and ignore me. Everyone says he was busy. You could easily chalk it up to the senior thesis projects, but I had no problem hanging out and talking to other students in the same class while I was there.

Now lets fast forward to the senior show. He doesn't make it, I figure I'd try to contact him again about the line and he still ignores me.

I check on Facebook and see WEDDING photos. Aparently he got married and didn't tell me and invited everyone from our old class.

Now lets fast forward 3 months later. Guess who calls me asking if I know if anyone's hiring? Yes, him.

I give him the benefit of the doubt and ask him if he wants to do lunch the next day and catch up.

He says yes. The next day, he calls me and I ask if he was around so we could have lunch. His reply?

"Sorry I can't, did you ask around yet? please do."

I gave him a faux-I-will-for-sure response and proceed to ignore every call he's made since then.

The moral of the story is don't be an asshole. Nobody will help you.

A friend of ours recently opened Le Poisson Rouge in the West Village, located at 158 Bleecker St. near Thompson. He has given us a limited number of free tickets to tonight's concert, so if you want tickets contact us ASAP with your name and # of guests (limit 4 total). If you can't make the concert, definitely stop in for a drink at their chic, unpretentious lounge!

Tickets are usually $20 so don't pass this up!!!

Wordless Music Presents: Max Richter (w/Bing & Ruth) Jul 31, 2008 7:00 PM

Max Richter and string quintet perform "Songs from Before" (2006) and new album "24 Postcards in Full Colour" (2008). Bing and Ruth will open with original compositions by David Moore.

http://lepoissonrouge.com/html/index.html

please email: sbv203@nyu.edu for tickets

Image from Scoute.org

Robert Geller Fall 2008 has started shipping to stores. If you haven't seen it yet, I suggest you go because it's probably the most important menswear collection coming out of New York at this moment. Call me bias, but there isn't anyone in Robert's genre that is remotely comparable in terms of vision for American menswear. If you want to know how badass this new collection is, ask my mom...SHE picked up some items from the collection!

Particularly this piece


Oversized leather mountainer backpack

Check out a great interview scoute.org did with Robert. He discusses his time at Marc Jacobs, starting (and ending) Cloak and his vision.

And to further wet your appetite..some epic lookbook images





Thanks to George @ Designcanteen for the following hi-res images













Tell your boyfriends
Save your dollars

325sq feet apartment for sublet (2 weeks) on the Upper West Side.



The apartment is located on 71st and Broadway, right next to the 1/2 Red Line subway stop on 72nd street.



The building is a secure elevator building with a 24-hour doorman.







Fold out sofa bed, full working shower/bath, fridge, air conditioner.


Free WiFi internet access as well.

Asking price is $800 for 14 days.


Aug 15-29th

please email sbv203@nyu.edu

I've been hesitant about getting an Iphone since it came out. Not because it didn't attract me, but mainly because I've been under a family plan for the longest time. It's nice not having to really worry about a cellphone bill (mainly because I use the least amount of minutes/data out of my whole family!)

The other week my Blackberry slipped out of my pocket, falling into my cat's bowl of water. It basically shorted out, leaving half the keyboard and the wheel unusable. I jumped at this opportunity to try to get an Iphone, unfortunately I didn't know my phone was insured and I was sent a replacement.

So I went for the next best option, I picked up an Itouch.

I'm kind of banging my head on the table for not getting this thing sooner. It's nice to look at and play with, but since I got it yesterday, I haven't been able to stop with all the ideas running through my head about how I can use it to better my business AND designing.

Photos



This seems like something completely obvious, but being able to have access to photos on the go gives me the ability to share my designs with anyone, anywhere. This is such a priceless tool, ESPECIALLY when you're trying to network and reel in some potential investors.



I'm currently working on my first collection, but I've already uploaded some examples of my work I've done in the past (neatly categorized), as well as much current sketches (in the event I need to pull something up while I'm fabric shopping, at the factory or asking another designers opinion)



The most exciting thing to me though is putting my inspiration collages and images in it's own little album, which is extremely valuable when I'm swatching for fabric and trims.

VIDEO



Any Itouch/Iphone/Video Ipod user needs to head over to http://www.vixy.net and download it's Vixy program immediately. This program allows you to save youtube videos as videos for your computer, ipod and even mp3s (if you want to plop in an mp3 live recording of your favorite band performing)

Again, more inspiration to stimulate your mind! Runway videos, music videos, interviews. I've been going crazy all day. I've got my favorite collections of the past 10 years. Old episodes of Fashion TV. Aesthetically appealing videos. Inspirational lectures. All you have to do is load the program, copy the Youtube link and hit save.

Here are some recommended videos for you to rip onto your pods.

Runway shows
Balenciaga Fall 2007 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_icYvu2uiY
Helmut Lang Fall 2004 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmFFMNaRIOw
Alexander McQueen Fall 2006 Part 1 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Do99BE5Q6lo
Alexander McQueen Fall 2006 Part 2 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8xXns_ZweA
Dior Homme Spring 2003 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-s7Ke8sWGo
Ann Demeulemeester Fall 2004 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5LOLqm5euE
Lanvin Men's Fall 2007 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0sQljFxBj0
Lanvin Spring 2008 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=efu8fgGNlcU
Yves Saint Laurent Men's Fall 2008 Video Presentation (GET THIS NOW) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocn23eRlf8Q

Interviews
Karl Lagerfeld on Charlie Rose (1 hour long!) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tl5xx3RZ-jE
Hedi Slimane - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKUni6wSqvs
Pharrell - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n89_Mg21p5Y
Nigo - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=waKYV9YJpBI
L'Eclaireur - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGkLWtcJr9w

Visual Stimulation
Louis Vuitton "Superflat" by Takashi Murakami - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4C84FLwm3DA
Louis Vuitton Blason by Pharrell - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmTMmjOPLw0

Inspiration
The Last Lecture - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ji5_MqicxSo

Apps

I wanted to share some of the more useful apps I've been using on my touch so far.

Aside from the standard mail, maps, weather..etc....

Paypal - My line's online store is going to be powered with Paypals new higher end business service, so being able to track my sales, shipments and accounts on the go is extremely useful.

Where - Essentially a GPS tracker. You can add your friends and see where they are on Google maps in real time. Not only that, they have icons on the bottom for things like Starbucks, Zipcar and Yelp, finding you the nearest place to get your coffee. You can also add events to maps for people to find their way to that obscure venue you chose to have your fashion show at.

Bank of America Mobile Banking - I think this is pretty self-explainatory

Myspace & Facebook - I have to admit I'm not a huge fan of these social networking sites, but so many people use it (and it seems it's the only surefire way my brothers will respond to me) that you can't help but be on them. I've been keeping in-touch with my old classmates at Parson's and have some collaborations coming up!

Remote - Allows you to connect to your home computers Itunes library and control it over a wifi network, basically turning your Itouch or Phone into a really cool looking remote.

NYtimes Mobile - Sunday & Thursday Style section...Dining & Wine...and the occasional world event.

Pianist - When I get tired of designing, I take a break and mess with this thing. I'm a little disappointed that the official Moo Cow apps now on Itunes doesn't include the guitar, but the piano is still fun. I've been using the recording function to play the handful of (mostly pop songs) that I know. (still waiting for K-ci & JoJo - All my life to annoy me to the point where I stop playing it.)

WISHLIST

Camera
I still don't get why the Itouch is $100.00 more than an iphone, yet the iphone has a camera. I guess since you're locked into a contract they need extras to entice you. I'm probably going to eat my words at the next Apple expo (itouch now with camera! I see it now). Even still, I will be wishing this thing doesn't come out, mainly because I already bought this 'older' model. I can also see Apple already scheming and only putting the camera on the larger models. But I want one on mine. Taking pics of things that inspire me on the fly and saving them directly onto my photo section where...

Collage App
I can use this...My mood boards were created in Photoshop, saved as jpegs, transfered into iphoto then synched onto my itouch. I would LOVE to have some type of collage program that lets you pull images from your photo albums and arrange, resize them into on big collage. This would completely streamline the process of making mood and inspiration boards. Coupled with a built-in camera, the itouch would be such a powerful on-the-go design tool.

Skype
This has so much potential to be amazing and also a huge source of conflict. Obviously, iphone providers would hate this idea, but I have a feeling this is already in the works (and I'm surprised it hasn't happened already!) There are already some budget versions out there, but they only work with older firmware. I'd love to have an official version.

Elephant and Castle - West Village - Sept 2007


Paris - July 2008

Our last night we stayed at Hotel des Academies in Montparnasse. It was such an amazing place I don't know where to start. If we could have afforded it, we would definitely have pulled to stay the whole trip there. I guess it was a good thing we only booked it for our last night in Paris, we seemed to appreciate it a lot more.



The hotel employees were all impeccably dressed and kind. We were early for our check in and they put our room on the priority list and had it ready 2 hours before schedule. There are only 20 rooms, but all were designed by Jérôme Mesnager and sculptor Sophie de Watrigant. Elements of the rooms run throughout the entire hotel. There's also a private gallery in the hotel, as well as a library filled with art and design books (unfortunately we didn't have a chance to check these out). If you plan on visiting Paris anytime soon, I would suggest staying here, even if it is just for one night like we did.





Our last few days in Paris were basically filled with more eating, museums, walks, touristy sites, boat rides, amazing outfits (on Sugar's end) and Amelie landmarks.

( pics pics pics )

We're leaving Paris in a couple of hours. I don't have time to really describe how much I love it here...but when I get back to New York there is so much to share, so many pictures to post. Before we hit up the airport, we're going back Laduree for more tasty goodness.

au revoir

A day in Paris

July 4th 2008

( birthday )

Paris...



- Met up with Grace yesterday for lunch
- Hung out at Place de Vosges
- Went to the famous Jim Haynes Sunday dinner, an american living in Paris that has held dinners every Sunday for the past 30 years. Met another hilarious New York Jewelery designer there, proceeded to break off into a little New York group making fun of the old people. (not really..but really)
- More amazing food
- More amazing sights

come see

( Paris Paris Paris )

I've wanted to make a large post but haven't had the time. The internet here (which we are "borrowing" from McDonalds) doesn't let me do large uploads, so all my sessions end up crashing.



But I have to say, my birthday was unforgettable. Best birthday I've had in years. We had dinner at L'Ourcine. I had the foie gras stuffed chicken (above) which was delicious. As a present to myself, I picked up at Commes Des Garcon passport wallet and a Hedi Slimane photobook collection from Colette.

Today we're meeting up with my friend Grace who I know from Parsons. She's here in Paris doing an internship at Anne Valeria Hash.

I promise a bigger post soon.






Sugar's mom asked us to find her a big floppy hat like Samantha wore in the Sex and the City movie a while ago, and we found her one here in Paris. It's a little amazing.

currently blogging via itouch at Colette's cafe.

Paris so far has been amazing. The weather is in the cool 70s, sunny and breezy.

Food has been great and I haven't blown all my money (especially with the dollar being so weak)

Tonight we're having dinner at L'Ourcine for my birthday.

pictures tonight.

Be back on the 11th.

This is probably going to be my last posts for a while, as I'm leaving for Paris in a couple of days!

So I figured I'd share some (somewhat) entertaining and (most likely) disgustingly coupley photos.

A while back Sugar and I flew back to California to visit the families. The days were filled with endless vietnamese food, country club dining, America's Best Dance Crew II, babies running away from me, rock band and confusing japanese photobooths.

Holgaroid - Holga Camera with a polaroid film attachment. Allows you to use Type 80 or 600 series polaroid film. The attachment is removable and you can convert it back to a normal Holga camera easily.

Asking: $140 shipped in the U.S.





Robert Geller Spring 2008 Belted Washed leather jacket

Black, Size 48.
Chest: 18"
Sleeve: 25"
Length: 29"

I sold the jacket a while ago, unfortunately it was returned because the buyer claims it received damage during shipment. I'm not sure how the type of damage on the jacket was possible, but I gave him the benefit of the doubt. The jacket was 100% new from Robert himself and was unworn as it was a little too small for me.


Fortunately I was able to stitch up the rips that were on the jacket. There were two, both on the corners of the pockets. The right side (pic 1) had a large straight rip about 1 1/2 inches long while the left side (pic 2) had a smaller circular rip, about a half an inch.


I stitched it up using heavy top stitching thread and it's pretty much unnoticeable. It looks like top stitching detail unless you really examine it.

Due to the damage though I'm cutting the price of the jacket.

Retail on the jacket is $1200.00. I'm going to ask for $550 shipped in the US. A little more if you're international.

Please respond here with your contact if you're interested, or email me at therapysessions@gmail.com