Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Color Inspiration

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So last Saturday was my school's annual fashion show. I helped out as a volunteer last week and a dresser on the day of the show, and I got to sit in one of the two shows. The whole thing was a great experience from start to finish: I got to see how much work goes into preparing for an event, from setup of the space to hair and makeup the day of the show, and my models, designers, and fellow students made a great team that was both professional and pleasant to work with.  Watching the show was even better, because I knew what went into making such a great night.

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It also got me thinking about my line, which will hopefully be in the show next year.  And, of course, when I start thinking about my line, I start thinking about color.  It's my jumping-off point for almost everything that I do, and I have the handy tool of a spectacular yarn stash to get me excited about it.

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So I pulled all of my tonal sock yarn out of its cubby and lined it up in a big rainbow.  It's funny to see trends in my color selections, like apple greens, gingery orange/browns, various shades of turquoise, dusty roses, and plummy red/purple colors.  I'm already having thoughts about my line, colors inspired by the '60s and '70s, Almost Famous, jet-set shift dresses and red corduroy, which is very different than I thought initially.

It's been a little hard to find magazine tears that embody that perfect balance of playfulness, femininity and edge that I'm going for.  Too often, femininity in fashion magazines translates as feather-light, floral and sweet with a weird combination of purity and Lolita-esque sexiness.  There are common aesthetic genres in editorials and advertisements: glam, femme fatale, waif, pinup... but none of them are quite complex enough.  It's frustrating sometimes, that I love fashion and yet hate some of the gender and cultural stereotypes that it keeps alive and well-fed.  Most likely I'll pull from multiple genres and hope that it comes out cohesive enough.  In the meantime, though, I'll distract myself with pretty yarn and thoughts of California in the summer - the weather in Seattle has returned to its usual cloudy grimace.

1 comment:

sparkle said...

great googley moogley woman-you win the sock yarn stash contest hands down. Are you planning on opening a store with that stash? I have major yarn lust.....Co and working on that Hakem pattern using the Tosh vintage I got a RC with you.....ahhhh, that stuff is soft and squishy.......
sparkle