Daring to design

I’m all about trying new things, right? Well here’s something I’ve never tried: designing clothing.

Shabby Apple makes really wonderful dresses (and fitness clothing, and accessories, and kids clothing), and they’re holding a Dare to Design contest. So, I decided to take a shot.

Dress designs for Shabby Apple Dresses:

RSVP Dress

I’ve always loved a sweetheart neckline, but not the strapless dress that so often accompanies it. I wanted to do a dress with a sweetheart neckline with sleeves. Christian Lacroix did a dress with a sweetheart neck and long sleeves for Fall 2009, in gold and lace, so I thought why not try? The neck and sleeves would be laser cut as a nod to lace. For the body, I see a watercolor print fabric, with the top in a solid. The ruching at the bottom would reveal another peak at the solid color, tying the dress together. For color, I thought some color bright colors would be great for a party dress, but it could work in black, grey, and white as well. This could be done in cotton, or even a brocade for a little glitz.

Friendly Skies Dress

My inspiration for this was actually vintage uniforms, from the Girls Scouts to flight attendants. I think the collar is what makes this classic shirt dress interesting. I’d love to see this in an open plaid fabric, yellows, oranges, and tans to keep things light. Done in something breezy like a cotton poplin I think this would be a great every day dress. It makes the menswear and plaid trends easy to wear.

Petal Dress

I spent four years in DC for college, and even though the Cherry Blossom is the flower most people associate with that area, there are also tulips planted all over the city. This dress was inspired by those tulips. The body of the dress would be a deep lavender, with a lighter lavender at the tie and collar. Pale yellow would back the dress, peeking out when the dress moves. The sleeves repeat the petal overlap at the bottom, as well as the collar. For this dress, I think a cotton jersey with some stretch would work well.

Obviously I’m not a designer, but I really enjoyed taking on this challenge. All the dresses are simple, but they have a little something that makes them special and unique. I always love when a classic design has fun details, and that’s what I tried to do here.  Below, I’ve included some photos that acted as inspiration while I was drawing. None of the photos are mine, their original sources are listed.

From: http://belladia.typepad.com/bella_dia/2008/04/watercolors.html

From Style.com: Christian Lacroix F09 Ready to Wear

Peter Castleton's tulip photo on Flickr

this is so….

That’s the subject line of the email I received from my dad this morning. Here’s the body, it comes from Dear Prudence on Slate (an addiction of mine):

“Nose tw, Ind.: Hi Prudy, I know this is a bit out of left field, but I don’t know who else to ask. Is there a term for when somebody has the exact same nose as you do?

If you have the same parents, you’re siblings. And if you have the same job, you’re coworkers. If you play basketball together: you’re teammates. Same nationality: compatriots. Same house: roommates. But what’s the term when you have the same nose?

I ask because I have the exact same nose as Roger Federer.”

If you’ve never met me or my dad, you wouldn’t get the joke here, but if you have, I hope you appreciate it.

See that nose there? Well I have the same one now, and I’m still waiting to grow into it. I’m not sure if there’s a term for having the same nose as a celebrity, but the term for my situation is family.

PS – Aren’t I adorable?

one step closer to Cat Lady

Since I never properly introduce Coco, here she is:

Clearly, I’m going to be one of those people who takes copius pictures of their cat…I’m that cool.

wasting time

aerial

Through an airplane window, New Mexico is an afghan. Blocks of coordinating oranges, browns and tans, interupted by tufts of green like tassles defining the property. It is landscapes like this that remind me that there is a ‘rest of the world’ outside New York. That even though I exist in a thirty block area, there are blocks beyond that, and plains and rivers and mountains. And cacti.

And when you stop talking, all you can hear is quiet. No cars, no sirens, nothing but the occasional owl.

From the air, Manhattan is a graveyard. Buildings huddled like crowded tombstones on a too small plot of land. And we New Yorkers, we are the walking dead, I suppose. That’s what it felt like last night, trudging through six inches of snow, hidden beneath a hood and umbrella, avoiding eye contact with my fellow living deceased.

But when I go to sleep, cocooned in the coffin of my bed, I dream of a past life in oranges, and reds, and mountains and sky.

then Seattle

Since moving to New York, I’ve been torn between wanting to be a tourist and wanting to fit in with the natives. The result? I go to the Tree Lighting but not the Times Square ball drop (and I wouldn’t even if you paid me). But if being a tourist means I get to really see the big stuff in New York, then sign me up.

Visiting new cities is a relief because I don’t care about being that idiot with the map, walking down the street looking up to see the city. Seattle was beautiful. It looks just like it does on Grey’s Anatomy, too. Pine trees everywhere you look, and a cool wind that reminds you you’re near water. Oh, and it smells like fish.

I ate a lot of good food, a lot of hotel breakfasts, and spent way too much time smiling. The space needle was a bit of a disappointment, but still pretty, and the Science Fiction museum was great, if you’re into that. I wish I had pictures of the storm troopers from the Random House party, but I forgot my camera that night.

Apologies for the boringness of this entry.

Chicago first

I thought I had been cold before. I’ve lived in Pennsylvania and New England. Walked home through woods and snow and ice. I was once even encased in snow while waiting for a ride during a snow storm in Boston. And I was born in a blizzard. So you see, I have plenty of reasons to think I’ve been cold. But I was so wrong. So, so wrong. I have never been cold like I was cold in Chicago. I wasn’t just shivering, my whole body was shaking. Chicago does not joke around. It was 12 degrees out.

And it was snowing. Big white flakes to catch on your tongue (believe me, I tried) and brush off your nose.

All in all, Chicago was wonderful. I spent my time playing with a dog, sleeping, watching tv with Patrickmybrother and of course, catching snowflakes.