NYFA Graduation: Or, Three Little Birds Leave the Nest

Three and a half years ago, I walked into New York Fashion Academy with ambition and a pair of Fluevogs; Sunday afternoon, I walked out with a different pair of Fluevogs and a certification as a Master of Fashion Design & Construction.

And I did it with two of my favorite fashion people in the world: Melody (left) and Marisa (center). We met when we were working on our collections for the 2013 NYFA fashion show. Over those three and a half months, we worked countless 12-hour days, and had spontaneous dance parties, and ate a monumental amount of pizza. We stabbed ourselves with pins, and went on trips out for thread and falafel, and cried on the floor of the workroom when things got rough. It was one of the hardest experiences of my life, and it was made so much better because of the friendship, compassion, and support of these two amazing women.

Since then, our friendship has only grown. Both of them were in my wedding; all three of us have done photoshoots together; Blake and I have lived with Melody for the last two years. I love Marisa for her badass attitude, tenacity, and kindness; I love Melody for her fearlessness, integrity, and curiosity. I'm so thankful to have them in my life.

 

And on Sunday - after two fashion shows, three ballgowns, three tailored jackets, and thousands of hours of hard work - we all dressed up and Went To Tea. More specifically, we went to high tea at the Queen Mary tea room with Terry, the director of NYFA, where we received framed certificates of completion and enjoyed our official graduation ceremony together.

There were dozens of types of tea to choose from, and tiny sandwiches with no crusts, and multicolored sugar crystals to put in our tea. We dressed up in the most cupcake-y clothes we owned, and chatted with the owner about our work, and drank from rose-painted cups with our pinkies raised. It was just about the fanciest thing I've ever done, and it was the perfect way to celebrate - especially with Terry, who has been an incredible resource and mentor throughout my tenure at NYFA.

I'm so proud of the three of us. I'm proud of how different and strong we all are as people, and how we have grown and thrived throughout this experience, and how we were able to commit to and complete this challenge on our own terms. Together.

And I can't wait to see what we all do next.

Happy Wednesday, friends.
<3
Cory

FO: Ondrea Prototype

  

The moment that I cast off the sleeve for this sweater last week, I had the harebrained notion that I could finish it in time for my fashion school graduation ceremony (around NYFA it is simply called "going to tea") this last weekend. This sweater was one of the first pieces that I started for my senior collection in 2013, and around week 6 of preparing for the runway show, I dropped it after completing everything but the second sleeve and button band, thinking I could finish it really quickly afterwards.

That, my friends, did not happen. Although I haven't talked about it much here before, the months after the fashion show were pretty rough for me: there's this post-creative depression thing that seems to happen to a lot of people who work on big, overwhelming long-term projects, and I got hit with a pretty nasty case of it. And because of it, I could barely look at my sewing machine, much less this sweater, for almost a year.

But time heals many things - or at least, makes them seem less catastrophically exhausting - and after a long time, I began to entertain the idea of making things again at all. Which turned into a ballgown, and a tailored jacket, and finally, this sweater.

So it feels very fitting that I should finish the last loose end of my official fashion eduction, just hours before going to my final send-off. I'm very proud of this piece, and I'm very proud how far I've come as a designer and as a person in the years since I cast on for it. 

And with that - tally-ho, fashion degree! Let us advance into the world with winged eyeliner, fabulous shoes, and the best damn buttons a girl could ask for!

All the details are on Ravelry here, and I'll be posting a little about our ceremony on Wednesday.

Happy Monday, friends!

<3

Cory

Year In Review: 2014

On January 2nd of this year, I had this to say about my intentions for the coming days:

Although I'm tempted to exactly outline the sparkly, new-wardrobed Cory who will be writing this same post in a year's time, I'm more inclined to leave it fuzzy:

2014 will be a year of building both humility and confidence;

a year of being a student of many things;

a year of quiet and constant growth.

And as I look back at this year, I think that I really did succeed in that.

Monsieurs Squishy & Pooper have continued to be the cutest - and crankiest - of companions.

  

I had a rough beginning of the year, health-wise, and spent much of January through May dealing with pain, allergic reactions to medication, and a slow but steady recovery. In the middle of all of that, I got some dental surgery that I've been putting off since I was seventeen - which was painful, but a relief to have over and done with. I'm thankful for my current good health, and hopeful that better self-care will help me stay that way.

Our brother & sister-in-law welcomed our little niblet Hayden into the world in March, and he's growing so fast, he's already practically graduated from college! It's been a delight to see him turn into his own tiny person, with teeth and a sense of humor and two truly awesome parents. Ever since we got married, it's been really wonderful to get to know and love Blake's family as my own, and this little guy has definitely been at the center of a lot of that!

  

In July, I created my ballgown. It was huge, and overwhelming, and one of the best things I've ever done.

Ready for the list of posts? It's... epic.

Days 1-10

Day 1: First Steps

Day 3: The Short View

Days 4-5: Slow Magic

Day 6: Above & Beyond

Day 9: Puzzle Pieces

Day 10: Ballgowns & Hipster Headphones

Days 11-20

Day 11: Appliqué All The Things!

Day 13: Sleeves!

Day 14: Mental Health is Important, and So Are Friends

Day 16-18: Skirts & Rest

Days 21-30

Day 21: It Might Be a Dress Someday

Day 22: Playing with Lace

Day 23: Everything Is Coming Up Appliqué

Day 24: Seven Not-So-Easy Pieces

Day 25: Dresshood

Day 26: Finding My Unicorn

Day 27: Loose Ends

Day 29-30: Adding It All Up

In September, I went to Oregon Flock & Fiber with my Issaquah knitting group, and had an amazing weekend hanging out with llamas, nerding out with other yarn folks, and (of course) petting and knitting gorgeous yarn! It was a nice change of pace after such an intense summer, and gave me a chance to reconnect with my wonderful knitting friends.

 

Melody & I both finished our jackets in the late fall, and took them on two different photoshoots out to Discovery Park - a stark & somber shoot for Melody's Melancholia Jacket, and a nostalgic walk in the rain for my Magnolia Jacket. It was really rewarding to style and shoot the jackets in such different ways, and end up with images that each told a distinct story. I wore the Magnolia Jacket for the first time a few weeks ago, and I still can't believe that I made such a beautiful garment.



Last but not least - this year, I returned to my unfinished projects at school, among them portfolio, pattern grading, line & proportion, tailored jacket, and ballgown.

And today, as a result of all of that work - and as of this afternoon around 12:45 pm - I have officially earned a Certificate of Mastery of Fashion Design & Construction from New York Fashion Academy, Class of 2014.

So I have a little bit to celebrate today.

Happy New Year, friends, and see you in 2015!
Love,
Cory