simple + comfortable outfits for handing in assignments / sitting an exam:

(i looked like a giant snowball on the top half with all of my layers of white, but i wore a new pair of cullottes which counteracted the poor self esteem:)

i found the stockings hidden away, i didn't know i owned them. they had a ladder in them so had to be thrown out afterward :(. the shoes were brought back from an Austrian Oxfam sort of store by my sister many many years ago, i have just rediscovered them. i've been trying to make an effort to wear more feminine shoes where possible.
the Diaz shorts are super comfortable and made out of a really soft olive fabric. i think they're going to be staples for many years to come. Ana was one of the first graduates from my Business / Fashion dual degree at QUT last year, and has already gone on to do some really great things..she showed a number of pieces at Fashion Week in Melbourne, + Sportsgirl has commissioned a captule collection in the near future (i can't remember the exact time frame). Ana's graduate collection was super wearable which is a bit of an escape from a lot of other graduates (not that i even have the right to be critical) that often seem to try to prove their skills and conceptual intelligence through excessively 'arty' and avant-garde collections.
you can see more of her pieces + the cullottes up close here.

anyone who trades liberty for security deserves neither liberty nor security

some of my favourite moments from the gailsorronda.blogspot.com archives:

‘Seventeen’ 11.12.08
'Bruised Jewellery' is a love bite, black marks that adorn the body and stamp it with affection. it drips black ink down your chest, from the jugular of 'Ha Ha Battles'.

‘Crushes’ 29.11.08
the romanticism of Paris spreads like an invasive exotic: what surprises you most is its subtlety.
Paris is a human city. urine stains the walls. the weather leaves a lasting dampness. women are natural, perpetually un-kept hair and minimal make-up. Paris Fashion Week to them is a fucking circus. the people are stare-bears, eyes averting as soon as you catch them. the symmetry of spatial design is as equally stiffly conservative, the corduroy straight lines and the manicured gardens. everything is glazed over in repetition…but then the crush begins.
the men are territorial, marking every corner like a love cat. the touch of a rain drop is a fingertip on bare shoulders. eyes engage in courtship. you begin to see the streets more like a perforated dotted line. there is beauty in every gap communicating at first something you can’t pronounce. a Morse code. the treasured green pockets, boulangerie smells, father and son hand-in-hand on the walk to school. for such high density living it can be so self-consciously quiet. there is no gaudy advertising signage, no clothes hanging from balconies. an architecture of absence but not absent of feeling.
Paris is a place where you fall in love again. where seventeen crushes are crushed into one.

‘Heptadecagon’ 09.12.09
what are the seventeen sides to you? (eg skills, experience, interests, inspirations, insecurities, ingenuities, philosophies, political theories
etc)

‘Conservatism’ 11.11.09
question authority.

‘Chemtrails’ 18.08.09
this morning we were awoken by what sounded like a drone of mosquito wings. but alas it was the New World Order crisscrossing the Parisian sky with lines of white chemicals...
please research the New World Order's agenda (not through your TV screen).

‘Robot’ 10.07.09
conversation in the Sorronda camp this week has been of the impending collapse of internet neutrality and dehumanisation…
Hermes stings chaffed skin, shaved against the grain.
the blood congeals thicker than the traffic.
i reach the office in time to talk reality tv by the coffee machine.
at my desk i’m a machine for the system, creating waste.
the view is beautiful; i fill the river with concrete.
finger-paintings colour my walls with guilt, and adjacent, a framed piece of paper; the New World Order has trained me well.
welcome to the occupation.

‘Cairo’ 25.06.09
Gail Sorronda is currently thinking about: Sarah Moon, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, shaking paper, white chalk, cocoons, letters to aliens, promptings of nature.

‘Italy’ 10.03.09
inspiration: love, a foreign environment, bruised jewellery, Indian textiles, Indian sexuality, Gang Gang Dance's God's Money, infowars.com, apple tabac shisha, exotics, mating rituals, apartment 17 level 4.

‘Battles’ 06.02.09
Ha Ha Battles is when one feels helpless to the environmental forces that can plague like Poison Ivy. during a time of financial crisis, empty promises, necessary evils and sacrifice, sometimes all you can do is laugh with nervous energy.
under the guise of protection there is humour.
an Asthma Attack is cushioned with volume and ruffle. to feel comfort, one final breath before an induced coma. it takes you somewhere else, somewhere quiet. only Ha Ha Sound.
perforated dotes and pompoms hang idle and in waiting. gathers are repetitive but exaggerated. surprises with a mantra of discipline.
Ha Ha Battles is laughing in the face of adversity.

‘Assange’ 09.12.10
we could write one hundred and one chapters on the events that have lead to the arrest of Julian Assange but we’re about to go see Interpol (and unfortunately so is Assange). kooks like Sarah Palin have compared him to an Al Qaeda leader (like who Sarah, CIA agent Osama bin Laden aka Tim Osman?!). but despite all of the media attention, not much in the mainstream brings awareness to the ramifications. two bills have already conveniently been drafted in the United States to implement severe internet censorship, more control over information, and freedom of speech. the technology is already in place and such Orwellian surveillance would ensure a blog post like this one would never see the cyber world light.
maybe this saga will mean a change in consciousness. but then again is all this a narrative used as a vast hologram of propaganda to keep us distracted, entertained, mislead and confused?!

‘Lanvin’ (x H&M) 24.11.10
high street disposable consumerism does freak us out a bit. but collaborations like these produce something to treasure and the considered dust-bags, boxes, hangers and carry-bags reflect this. and like the past Gail Sorronda collection for Designers for Target, we will treasure these pieces forever (and not scalp them on eBay).

‘Antenna’ 13.10.10
something about being happy not to own a television. leftovers of Gail amongst the TV antennas on the rooftop of our new apartment building...

‘Symbiotic’ 24.08.10
the Gail Sorronda symbiotic skull cap is a great companion for your pineal gland. the crystal glass beads will remove blockages in your electromagnetic field ensuring healing energy (and customised fashion) for humans and aliens alike.

‘Beast’ 20.08.10
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley depicts a global government controlled dystopia where superficial entertainment is the opiate of the masses. Sydney artist Beastman obviously takes inspiration from such a controlled society. his joint exhibition Brave New Worlds with Luke Taaffe features occult symbolism such as the all-knowing owl, the all-seeing eye and Illuminati triangles. the exhibition opened at Nine Lives in Brisbane last night and runs til the end of the month.

‘Godspeed’ 28.07.10
it can be challenging to tell a story without words. but for one of our favourite bands Godspeed You! Black Emperor and their bleak and emotive soundscapes (and very minimal voice over narrative), they have more to say than all the major record label Illuminati puppets combined. delicate strings with minimal, expansive guitars lead to military powered crescendos that tell important stories of government corruption, tyranny and human emptiness (a theme of Murmur).
so it gives us hope that despite having body adornment (and a random blog post) as a medium, we have the opportunity to say something. for there is no shortage of artists, writers and musicians with political and social undertones, but for fashion not so much.

‘Pineal’ 20.07.10
the Murmur Skull Cap was inspired by Egyptian headresses and the fruit of the evergreen tree (the pine cone) symbolising eternal life. like the Great Pyramid built in the centre of our physical planet, the pineal gland is located in the geometric centre of the brain and is considered the most powerful source of ethereal energy available to humans. it’s often called our third eye as it contains retinal tissue and is our window to inner vision and spirituality. Ancient Egyptian, Babylonian, Buddhist and Hindu cultures (amongst many more) make reference to the symbolic pine cone.

‘Murmur’ 03.07.10
Murmur is inspired by the noise that distracts us from important social issues and how we as humans have strayed from our natural instincts.
the collection explores the opposite and equal reaction through matt versus shine, transparency versus opaque and structure versus fluidity. this further reinforces the almost black comical duality between the organic versus mechanical relationship.

‘Current’ 03.06.10
Gail’s mother nicknamed her the wrecker when she was young. anything electrical that Gail touches ends in an untimely death. laptops, mobile phones, light bulbs etc spasm only in her presence, and when my camera suddenly died in Gail’s hands at the beginning of our holiday i’ve since obsessed over this electric human phenomena. apparently it’s not conventional static electricity but some kind of psychic power.

‘Unveil’ 09.04.10
the last couple of years we’ve been influenced by our growing concerns of the New World Order’s agenda. freedom of expression, information censorship, a financial collapse by design etc etc all affect us in one way or another.
we’ve subtly communicated our views in the media and again Gail’s next spring summer collection will have some political undertones. fashion shouldn’t just be another opiate for the masses. research beyond the mass media eg infowars.com and prisonplanet.tv and question why is Iraq occupied to begin with?!

‘Eleven’ 07.01.11
despite being sick since the New Year and slowly turning the pale colour of our mannequin, in numerology the year 2011 starts off brightly carrying with it illumination. number 11 is a master number and is referred to as the number of the psychic. it also exhibits the properties of number 2 which includes duality and opposites.
number 11 carries a vibrational frequency of balance. it represents male and female equality. it contains both sun energy and moon energy simultaneously yet holding them both in perspective separateness. perfect balance.

interesting sections of a journal article, found during university research

'sometimes it's easy to see why outsiders believe fashion insiders are pretentious. for, while all jargon seems malapropos to those not part of the clique, club or profession, fashion jargon can appear particularly inappropriate. take the chatter among fashion folk about the prevailing mood of "intellectualism" in the collections for this Spring.
it is not the first time this label has been bandied about, and it will not be the last, so if we insiders are to be spared some of the ridicule coming our way, it needs to be explained.
intellectualism in fashion is regarded, even within parts of the industry, with grave suspicion. fashion designers whose approach is cerebral rather than instinctive, analytical rather than intuitive, subversive rather than conventional, tend to make people nervous. intellect in a fashion designer is generally perceived as unnecessary. intellect is an attribute of philosophers, writers, artists, not of fashion designers.

historically, fashion designers - or dressmakers, tailors and couturiers as we called them until very recently - are craftsmen. their business, beyond the basic demands of warmth and decency, has always been flattery.
at the heart of their particular skill, more important than colour, texture or decoration, is construction. which is all complicated enough. but then you have to factor in fashion. the human imagination is tortuous, tangled and restless. its ideals are constantly changing, nudged by new ideas, new aesthetics, new philosophies, new politics, new discoveries and new sciences.
this perpetual shifting is expressed in everything mankind does, believes and makes. and everything it wears. that urge towards change may be called progress, historical imperative, evolution, revolution or even decline and decay.
the serious semioticians claim to be able to read it all in the clothing of an age.

relatively new, however, are a historical perspective and a system of analysis. only in this century have disciplined intellects been applied to the history and meaning of dress. unlike their predecessors who worked in a craft tradition, learning by apprenticeship and by copying current masters, fashion designers today have not only seen the work of their distant forerunners, they have also read the works of James Laver, Quentin Bell, Lawrence Langner, Pearl Binder, C. Willet Cunnington, Roland Barthes..and all the rest of the semioticians of dress.

with the history of the craft as a resource and a new understanding of its significance, it is arguably a dull fashion designer who does not take an intellectual approach.
the designers who choose an intellectual approach work in a fundamentally different way from the so-called creative ones. they have read and absorbed the theories of the semioticians, who have studied the rules of dress, and they self-consciously use them as intellectual tools.
the designers who choose to exercise their intellects do know they are on dangerous ground. it is at their peril that they rattle the chains of conventional beliefs about what clothes should look like. for although mankind is addicted to change, there is another level on which it terrifies us.

creative designers, of whom John Galliano is perhaps the supreme modern exponent, work more instinctively. they, too, have studied the history of dress, but they use this knowledge in a less analytical, more intuitive way. these two very divergent approaches can be seen in most art forms, whether painting, sculpture, architecture, music or dance.'
- Brenda Polan, Intellect Meets Inspiration: Clothes for a Modern Age.

Creative Places – alternative thesis statement

a recent assignment (in which there were 5 thesis statements to choose from + i found myself drawn to every single thesis' alternative counterpart. way too cynical.):

'the internet is increasingly becoming a place where information and creative ideas are shared. this essay will argue that because access to the internet is not universal, this sharing reinforces dominant opinions, resulting in uniform and bland products and services.

in the last decade, the Fashion Industry has been revolutionised by online services such as advanced marketing, e-commerce and blogging. however, Western superiority has arisen as a result of the reliance on technology, and First World products are showcased exponentially more so than that of any other representation. this projection of cultural elitism through comparatively greater internet availability has caused a cyclic regurgitation of globally homogenised fashion-related products; significantly worsening the issue of counterfeiting.

21st century technology has accelerated methods of data transferral, lessening the gap between retailers and consumers. emailing and other forms of communication such as e-commerce web pages (Gill 2008, 70), branding via social networking and style blogs have grown to be extremely popular within the Fashion Industry, with some designers having streamed their runway shows online for years (Threadbared Blog, December 15, 2010). 'the future for successful retailers isn't about choosing between bricks or clicks, it's about [both]. they can either go for the full-on e-commerce portal, or they can use the Web as a branding tool. some do a bit of both, but there's always the danger of cannibalising your sales with an on-line shop' (Billings 2008, 9). 'e-commerce' involves sales and purchases of goods online, and is becoming a close to standard provision for contemporary fashion retailers (Maynard 2010, Globalization and Dress), as is 'm-commerce'; online retailing accessed via mobile phone (Kim, Jin and Park 2009, 215-230). in 2006 alone, online fashion-related sales within the United States reached a total of US$18.3 billion, while technological e-commerce sales (such as computers, printers and associated software) reached a comparatively less significant figure of US$17.2 billion (Eicher 2010, Introduction to Global Perspectives). speed to market has similarly been fast-tracked (Niessen 2010, Interpreting 'Civilization' through Dress), through processes such as Electronic Data Interchange ('EDI'), Computer-Aided Design and Manufacturing, and automated cutting (Hayes 2006, 282).

the media movement has also led to fashion blogs and a subsequent uprising in consumer empowerment (Jenkins 2006, 248). after development of the first fashion blog in 2002, popularity for the phenomenon has grown rapidly since. hundreds of bloggers now receive invitations to attend and cover international fashion weeks and have been featured in magazines such as Harper’s Bazaar, Elle UK and Vogue (Threadbared Blog, December 15, 2010). key members of the blogging community have had designs named after them (as well as received free samples), inspired designers’ collections and in some cases; designed their own capsule collections. some have gone on to model, edit and contribute to major publications, as well as start their own online stores. the influence of these creatives has been so significant that an American law, as introduced by the Federal Communications Commission, now insists that a blogger must clearly state when they have received a gift or been paid to write about something (Corcoran 2010). the founder of online store ModCloth, Susan Koger, noted, 'i’m so excited to be part of changing an industry that traditionally has been so top down' (Corcoran 2010).

‘street style’ fashion blogs contain photographs of people spotted on the street, and are seen to be democratic in nature, though many people are unaware of the subconscious stylisation. successful blogs have a distinct aesthetic to both their website design and the sort of fashion depicted, as the blogger’s creative output is evidently an extension of their own lifestyle - as would be the case with any creative professional. however, a Western exclusivity is hidden within the filtered aesthetics, '[w]hatever view is the most extreme or the newest at one time among the abundance – that will be what seems to matter. that’s a logic of capitalism, not democracy' (Threadbared Blog, November 6, 2009). this idea is further detailed by Leadbater (2008, Chapter 1), 'the web, in theory, should be good for equality. Yet the web most rewards those who are already well connected by allowing them to network together, reinforcing their privilege.'
Historically, Western clothing has always received the most literary coverage, and so with such a comparatively greater access to online resources than global counterparts, disparate styles or traditions of clothing are still 'presented either as earlier moments in the linear trajectory toward modernity from which fashion has selectively plucked, or are lumped together as more or less undifferentiated folk dress or tribal examples of nonfashion' (Niessen 2010, Interpreting 'Civilization' through Dress). one instance of such global homogenisation exists within Islamic dress. despite forging a sartorial style of its own, popular Muslim fashion websites offer garments named or styled with distinct Western influence (Akou 2007, 403). s French law in 2010 reinforced this notion, banning all face-covering forms of dress (including the Burqa, as worn by Muslim women), while a law from 2004 similarly disallows any religious symbols to be worn within schools - including girls’ headscarves (CNN Wire Staff 2010).

despite the occurrence of fashion weeks and fashion magazines in somewhat less developed countries - such as Vogue Turkey, the globalisation of world dress continues. in an illusion of democracy, dedicated issues to race such as Vogue Italia’s 'Tribute to Black Beauties' and 'The Black Allure', and American Vogue’s 'Gangs of New York' have exclusively cast all-black models, though a post on the Threadbared Blog on May 5, 2011 pointed out significant flaws in the concept. 'it’s great that we’re seeing more non-white models in the representational landscape of fashion but the separation of non-white models in 'special' editorials ultimately secures whiteness as racially normative. the bodies of the most popular Black and Asian models are also physically normative. despite all the hype surrounding all-Black editorials or 'the rise of Asian models,' most of the modelling jobs continue to go to white models.' for example, over 60 percent of shows during New York Fashion Week in February 2010 cast white models for at least 85 percent of collections. 'many of the least-diverse labels, like Calvin Klein, Diesel, and Donna Karan, are international brands. wouldn't they want their potential customers to recognize their own forms of beauty in their runway shows? the aesthetic standards set by the fashion industry affect all of our lives' (Jezebel Blog, February 22, 2010).
it must be recognised, nevertheless, that Asian models and traditional dress have been impacting a great proportion of designers’ conceptual inspiration and design aesthetics for seasons (Maynard 2010, Globalization and Dress), while garments such as the Salwar and Kameeze have entered the mainstream global market (Eicher 2010, Introduction to Global Perspectives).

increasingly popular websites such as Etsy allow hand-made goods to be sold online, to an international audience. these new technologies are particularly appealing as there is a 'promise that anyone can be 'someone,' that a fashion outsider can be a fashion insider, and that prestige and privilege are available to and accessible by everyone' (Threadbared Blog, November 6, 2009). this emphasises the bland products and services currently dominating the Fashion Industry and contradicting the entire concept of the Creative Industries, as described by the official task force in 1998 as 'those industries which have their origin in individual creativity, skill and talent' (Jaaniste, 2008). with tools for supposed creativity so readily available, there is evidently liberation from the restraints of professional artistic elitism, yet there is also a very real risk of high quality design becoming close to non-existent, and all lasting credibility becoming questionable (Leadbeater 2008, Chapter 1). 'the internet has allowed virtually anyone to offer their opinions and advice within a clicking earshot. But that doesn’t mean people will want to listen' (The Business of Fashion Blog, October 14, 2008).

so what is to become of the future of true creativity, professionalism, and specialist expertise? counterfeiting is not a new concept, yet it is too beginning to widely influence the Fashion Industry. yet illegal reproduction of goods does not occur exclusively within the Western world. Simply Islam, a United Kingdom-based brand, sells counterfeited Hijabs with well-known designers’ logos; demonstrating the global market for knock-off products (Akou 2007, 403). international 'fast fashion' retailers such as Zara, Topshop and H&M allow customers to purchase near-identical garments to designer pieces just weeks after their appearance on the runway, while previously recognisable signs of authenticity such as the 'made in Italy' tag no longer legitimises a product - instead often disguising Chinese production (Maynard 2010, Globalization and Dress). the reproduction and reinvention of recognisable products are not always a blatant act of counterfeiting, however – the process often comes from within the brand itself. as highlighted by Maynard (2010, Globalization and Dress), 'the pervasive trend toward the similarity of products is matched by marketing attempts to differentiate commodities in such a way that customers will be led to believe they are constantly being offered something new. familiar brands like Burberry need to be constantly reconceptualised to maintain exclusivity, as their logos become subject to faking or overuse. while basic clothing is remarkably similar in cut and overall style, this is disguised by ever-changing modifications to brands, however small, and changing techniques of concept selling.'

therefore, increased accessibility to the internet and related technological advances have certainly accelerated and, in some areas, improved the Fashion Industry and the Creative Industries at large through services including e-commerce, CAD/CAM and blogging. however, the negative aspects to this social movement are currently outweighing the positives, as increased internet access has led to the homogenisation of global dress, as the Western world continues to consume the majority of consumer’s minds and wardrobes; leading to many emerging ‘designers’ lacking creative innovation and producing goods that are more or less counterfeited.'

The Future of Fashion, part 8: Ashley + Mary-Kate Olsen

The Future Of Fashion, Part Eight: Ashley And Mary-Kate Olsen

Dualstar, the world headquarters of Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen’s numerous enterprises, isn’t some high-tech fortress. set on a nondescript Chelsea block, it’s a low-key loft building that seems to have evaded condo-ization. step inside and you could be entering the studio of any up-and-coming downtown designer. there are the bare wood floors, the nice flowers, the cartons of takeout food. it’s all very normal, and you sense that’s important to these refugees from massive childhood fame.
at a stage in life where many of their peers are vying for a slot on Celebrity Rehab With Dr. Drew, the Olsens are appearing in 130 stores worldwide with their luxury fashion label The Row, and they have been nominated for the Swarovski Award for Womenswear, the top honor for emerging talent, at next month’s Council of Fashion Designers of America gala. they sell their line Olsenboye to JCPenney at the same time that they sell The Row to Bergdorf Goodman, they deliberately aim The Row at women much older than themselves, and though they were born into the digital generation, their embrace of social media is a wary one. still just 24, they are literally part of the future of fashion.

specifically on The Row, where does the design process start for you?
A: it all starts with the fabrics…then we go into kind of silhouette development, so we start figuring out our silhouettes, what we’re liking, what we’re leaning towards, an evolution of the previous season, certain pieces, so it really starts with this stylized proportion. then, through that process, we start our pattern making off the silhouettes that we’re liking and the consistent themes that we start finding, the shapes. so we start twisting the fabrics and then we start trying different fabrics and patterns. and once we have all the fabrics, we have about three weeks to produce the collection.

that’s a different process from a lot of designers, who are inspired by this trip they just took or a photo they came across.
MK: you’d have to take a lot of trips, no?

The Row has become known for a sort of minimalist luxury. do you feel your last collection [Fall 2011] was a departure?
A: more elaborate.
MK: we haven’t really done a lot of color, and slowly over the seasons we’ve explored that a bit. and different techniques as well when it comes to the fur, beading, lace. but if you go through our entire collection, you’ve seen it all before. meaning, pieces repeat. that fur T-shirt, for example, that’s this T-shirt [points to plain one she’s wearing] from a couple of seasons ago, so it’s always consistent. it’s just about how we can evolve and also give the option to either buy this version or that version, creating a story.

do you have an ideal customer in mind for The Row?
A: i think a lot of different women pop into my mind, just because we were raised by a lot of very chic women and just constantly working..so i think we do think of a lot of different women. what’s great is that it really is an ageless collection. i think 30 to 60 is the core of our customers, and it’s someone who’s really educated on the fabrics and the fit. that’s the information that’s trickled back to us and it’s kind of what it is.

..you’ve deliberately set out to appeal to a broader cross section.
A: when we first started the T-shirts and the dresses, we tried it on bodies that were our bodies and we tried it on our parent’s bodies and our friends’ parents’ bodies. so that was kind of an important process that we took in the beginning, as to why something works on someone older, why it doesn’t, why it works on someone young, and why it doesn’t, and to not get rid of a customer base.

that’s pretty unusual, to be in charge of both the business and creative sides.
A: you do want to keep your creative team just creative. you don’t want to bog them down with numbers. i’ve always been a business and creative person. that’s the way my brain works. i like numbers..but i also love the creative process and i love working with my hands. so between the two of us, we’re so lucky that we have someone to balance and to talk through ideas constantly, so it’s not just one person banging their head against a wall. we do have a dialogue, a constant dialogue, whether it’s regarding our financial infrastructure or a T-shirt. whatever it is, there’s a constant communication.
A: and i think that it keeps you focused and grounded and lighthearted, and it kind of always puts things in perspective in regards to other things, in regards to the rest of the world.

how has being women affected your designs?
A: i think the way being women has helped us in our designs is that we do a lot of research on what women like, what women don’t like.
MK: also, for ourselves, we’re really petite, so ever since we were six, eight, we’ve been cutting down clothes to fit our bodies, and that never went away..just the little things, how the waistband fits, what you want against your skin, and what’s flattering to your body and different body types.
A: what you’ll show and what you won’t show.
MK: women that will show their arms and won’t show their arms; there’s so many things that women think about.

have any particular designers inspired you?
A: Fortuny’s always been my favorite, just the ease and the beauty and the colours.
MK: Yohji.
A: Yohji’s always just magical.
MK: there’s a lot of designers.
A: Christian Lacroix.
MK: i mean, old Donna and Calvin Klein, and there are so many.

one of the criticisms of contemporary design is that there isn’t enough focus on technique, but technique seems to be important to you.
A: i think how we gained a lot of our techniques and our knowledge is by doing our research and looking at older pieces of clothing and taking it to a pattern maker, so our factory could digest what it is and how it was accomplished and why you could do it back then and you can’t do it now, and how can you accomplish the same thing now. so each season, more and more, we dive deeper into techniques, especially older techniques that aren’t necessarily utilised today.

there’s a lot of pressure on brands to have a digital strategy now, but you’re from the digital generation and avoid that. you have Twitter feeds for each line but you don’t have personal accounts to promote your stuff, the way, say, Lady Gaga does. and you know, if you started on Twitter tomorrow, you’d have millions of followers overnight.
A: that gives me so much anxiety.
MK: we’ve spent our whole lives trying to not let people have that accessibility, so it would go against everything we’ve done in our lives to not be in the public.

but you can see yourselves branching out into different fields beyond fashion one day?
A: who knows?
MK: you never know.
A: branching out to retirement.

how important is eco fashion going forward?
A: i think there’s a lot of information out there, and i think there’s a lot of information that we also don’t have, as far as what it means to be conscious. is it shipping? is it the dyeing process? there’s so many parts that actually do affect our air and our water that just having 100 percent organic doesn’t mean 100 percent organic anymore.
- Dirk Standen for Style.com

pre-interview notes

i just found a document titled 'pre-interview notes' that i had put together + tirelessly pored over prior to my interview for my university course, last year. i doubt anyone else in the world would ever conduct as much research on what is expected/desired in a cover letter + interview than i did during the months leading up to them..haha
..real cool.

'DETAILS- punctual, preparation, strong stage presence (good night’s rest).
PRACTICE.
Qut = interview = test of commitment, knowledge, potential
conceptual = Margiela, rei, yamamoto..
Givenchy (ricardo tisci), Lanvin (elber albez),

talk about passion – colours, textures, patterns. show enthusiasm & real interest (incorp.d fashion into other subjects at school – mod. history, art..)
indicate knowledge/interests / knowledge & awareness of contemp. fashion
what do you love about fashion

expect unexpected = eg. Q. if you could have lunch with someone famous - who ? not right wrong answer, just trying to gauge interests..
avoid unnecessary repetition. develop concise, yet informative responses.
perhaps describe a personal moment in your life / person that influenced your decision to pursue career / degree

many = drawn to fashion = ‘passion for fashion’ = see design less as a form of income generation, and more as fulfilling pastime.= initially focused less on realising sustainable career & more on fulfilling need to create. = though admirable, doesn’t prepare them for nature of industry where creative practice just once part of whole experience.
unlike eg. Dance, acting..come with little substantial level of skill = primarily potential.

way that it can become such an important / influential / thought-provoking platform upon which opinions of politics, pop culture, person … etc can be globally voiced.
fashion = powerful tool.

tell me about yourself ? not life history. = RELEVANT.
begin= list traits / accomplishments = RELEVANT to position/course. no personal info unless relevant.
why that course / qut? research
rationale behind decision of double degree / outline expectations of course
(eg. strengths of program / what I will bring to the table/contribute?
(internships / exchange programs)

why you? distinguish from others/ unique features – extra curric… / what you have that is unique/impressive/most prominent char.s..
briefly = strengths, qualities, what bringing to table., careful not too generic
personal strengths – accentuate pos./make sure they know:eg. awards / top in class/ had job & school/pic. of overall personality/elaboration on abilities not reflected in folio
what are your weaknesses ? =positive spin. eg. problem situation to have overcome = eg. even if just in school – not having enough time to study = more prioritised schedule. / i have attention to detail = in some industries this may not be a good fit..however fashion = excel.
ideally = highlight steps taken to overcome flaw.

3 career (eg.) achievements – demonstrated hard-to-measure qualities – eg. judgment, initiative, teamwork, leadership = that are not apparent in resume.
greatest accomplishment ? make relevant = to course (eg.)
goals? future Ambitions? career based / specific career goals - near & distant future. degree > step toward future ambitions
experience: edu./how prepared for course/anything else that helped - fully describe resp.s. taken on & lesson learnt at jobs / work & personal exp. (makes me diff. to other applicants)

mostly self-taught : look forward to improving skills; as a consumer – extremely fussy with quality and in the future would like to reflect this within own designs.
have conducted extensive research = what is expected in fashn portfolios / potential careers & unis & courses / have been able to simply sleep on ideas for weeks & months at a time.
constantly frustrated by fashion being considered a less than serious career choice. want to be involved in promoting industry for its intelligence & hard work etc. = designers etc who are fuelled/supported by equally intelligent, knowledgeable & passionate consumers.
fascinated by concept-driven / conceptual design. & how fashn can be platform = political / social / personal etc msgs projected to global audience.
often push myself to design from influences not regularly associated with (commercial?) fashion design. often evoking emotional responses from viewers / wearers.

my designs = collective / cohesive aesthetic and mood – i see this as pre-cursor to what will form my future target customer-base & design vision. am continually aiming to discover & nuture aesthetic.
this individuality is crucial for/to? me.

QUT open day =- showed the attainability of success within a fashion career. i had organised Qs before the day, & instead of walking away from day with only prelim. Qs, (as with others), feel as if that slightly extended knowledge base brought me a step ahead of others who only began prep. for & looking into the QUT fashion course / application midway through 2010..
taking on a professional role outside my previous knowledge & skill base has brought new, youthful perspective to the business employed with(Cell). successful 20-somethings have similarly burst onto the fashion scene recently, have thrived as result of fresh, optimistic perspectives & innovation.

fashion = unknown future = exciting. / how do you see future of fashion ?
ASK QUESTIONS
delve deep = Qs about firm / role
what skills do you value for someone in this position ?
can you describe a typical day / week ?
most immediate challenges ?
performance expectations over first 12 months (eg. Time frame)
enquire about opportunities for growth as well as their long-term plans

often the case = ‘judged’ by worst piece of work = make sure all said what you want it to say. / same goes for what said in interview.
end = high note = express appreciate for time and consideration

Lanvin / Alber Elbaz:
idea of power dressing / dressing power women– though still completely & unapologetically feminine (not what you would generally see for ‘strong’ dressing – eg. studs, power shoulders..)
= intelligent, directional, strong-minded women
fuses both minimalism (phoebe philo) v excess femininity (Givenchy) – what i try to do myself
colours = muted but not completely / boring = eg. Camel, grey, beige..'

i haven't done something so silly (an internet quiz) as this for years / evolution

your view on yourself:
you are down-to-earth and people like you because you are so straightforward. you are an efficient problem solver because you will listen to both sides of an argument before making a decision that usually appeals to both parties.

the type of girlfriend/boyfriend you are looking for:
you like serious, smart and determined people. you don't judge a book by its cover, so good-looking people aren't necessarily your style.

your readiness to commit to a relationship:
you prefer to get to know a person very well before deciding whether you will commit to the relationship.

the seriousness of your love:
you have very sensible tactics when approaching the opposite sex.

your views on education:
education is very important in life. you want to study hard and learn as much as you can.

the right job for you:
you're a practical person and will choose a secure job with a steady income. knowing what you like to do is important. find a regular job doing just that and you'll be set for life.

how you view success:
success in your career is not the most important thing in life. you are content with what you have and think that being with someone you love is more than spending all of your precious time just working.

what you are most afraid of:
you are concerned about your image and the way others see you. this means that you try very hard to be accepted by other people. it's time for you to believe in who you are, not what you wear.

your true self:
you are mature, reasonable, honest and give good advice. people ask for your comments on all sorts of different issues. sometimes you might find yourself in a dilemma when trapped with a problem, which your heart rather than your head needs to solve.

Apex hides the hurt / super sad true love story

the introduction to an assignment that i am in the midst of (i am far too wordy, got to work on the art of being succinct.):

'The internet is increasingly becoming a place where information and creative ideas are shared. This essay will argue that because access to the internet is not universal, this sharing reinforces dominant opinions, resulting in uniform and bland products and services.
Within the last decade, online services such as advanced marketing, e-commerce and personal blogging have revolutionised the Creative Industries and specifically, the Fashion Industry, in allowing up-to-date information to be accessible to anyone. However, Western superiority has arisen as a result of the growing reliance on technology, and First World products are being showcased exponentially more so than any other cultural representation. From this, the issue of counterfeiting has become significant, as the accessibility to this aesthetic is developing the industry into one of cyclic regurgitation of past and commonplace products and services.'

or something.

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today i stumbled across, and fell in love with, the Tumblr of Eva Chen - the beauty editor at Teen Vogue. perhaps the fact that Eva looks a little like Camille from Childhood Flames, my forever girl crush, doesn't hurt. there are so many insightful comments on the industry, beauty and fashion information/answering of questions, and in terms of chunky but elegant shoes - she is a girl after my own heart.:

lately i've been influenced by some people that i have been getting to know + others such as Julia Frakes, who dress with a lot of thought. everything put together, though simply, and with some really interesting graphics and prints. it is time to just grow up - less distressed denim. Eva dresses a little similarly to what i am trying to explain - and wears midi length skirts so well; something i would like to achieve ! i particularly have my eye on a pleated Karen Walker equivalent, which i have spotted on a friend a couple of times, or any similar piece that is slightly cheaper..but i'm still in procrastion nation.

some images from a *few* (ha ha) of my favourite Eva posts:


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'the West has fiscalised its basic power relationships through a web of contracts, loans, shareholdings, bank holdings and so on. in such an environment it is easy for speech to be 'free' because a change in political will rarely leads to any change in these basic instruments. Western speech, as something that rarely has any effect on power, is, like badgers and birds, free. in states like China, there is pervasive censorship, because speech still has power and power is scared of it. we should always look at censorship as an economic signal that reveals the potential power of speech in that jurisdiction. the attacks against us by the US point to a great hope, speech powerful enough to break the fiscal blockade.'
- Julian Assange, via



'but surely, you may say, Philip Roth is an experimental writer! he writes novels in which a character called Philip Roth appears; he writes novels with titles like The Counterlife, which play with the notion of possible other worlds. is that not what Modernism is about? if you say that you have not really been taking in what I have been saying in the course of this book. Cervantes may suddenly suspend his narrative and go on to tell us that the manuscript broke off at this point; Proust may later reveal that what had been said earlier was wrong, and then later still that this new revelation was itself wrong. but it is not these things that make their novels modern. it is their understanding that, in Wittgenstein’s words, a certain language-game can no longer be played, and that this does not mean that we can simply shift the ground and find another language-game to play. for all Philip Roth’s playfulness..he never doubts the validity of what he is doing or his ability to find a language adequate to his needs. as a result his works may be funny, they may be thought-provoking, but only as good journalism can be funny and thought-provoking. those of us who can not find the words to make sense of our lives may look on in admiration but not feel, as we feel with Sophocles or Kafka or Duras, that this speaks to us.'
- Gabriel Josipovici - What Ever Happened to Modernism

'we should think of education as a kind of intellectual cross-training that leads to many more things than at any one moment you could possibly know would be useful. the most powerful education generates further curiosity, new needs, experiences to meet those needs, more curiosity and so on.
education isn’t just an object that you use to get started in a career; education is a catalytic resource that continues to energize and shape your life. education enhances your ability to develop new skills and capacities for connectivity that allow you to solve problems and seize opportunities.'
— Michael S. Roth - Why Liberal Arts Matter, CNN

lib•er•al arts:
1. academic subjects such as literature, philosophy, mathematics, and the sciences as distinct from professional and technical subjects.
2. the medieval trivium and quadrivium.

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need to work on uploading images that are horizontally grouped, so posts are less long. oops.