CHANELling....

My first semester at FIT... Fall 2006, I took a class called AR112. It was like Fashion Art 101. At the end of the term we had to create a "collection" (a.k.a-3 outfits) inspired by Chanel.

Let me see how I put this...

I've never been a huge fan of Chanel-especially in those times, when I was ignorant of her amazing influence to fashion history- so I was not too excited about doing this project. However, I think it came out a LOT better than I expected it too, and my teacher was somewhat surprised by my "photoshop skills"-which at that time were close to NADA-

Honestly, I didn't realize that it was true, looking back, this project came out better that some I did on my sophomore year...


It's nice to admire your own work and remember how tedious and fun it was to do it... I swear... I still remember sitting on the floor rendering those black pants--> Marker, charcoal pencil, and even prismacolor pencil... argh, black and whites are so hard!!!
....
Although not my complete favorite-I wish I had adapted chanel more to my style- I think I like it enough to share it with you...

draping away

fusioning! pictures OF the show!

On March 8th and 9th 2008, 30 aspiring designers showed off their collections at the Fusion Fashion Show 2008. 15 students from FIT and 15 students from Parsons were selected from the hundreds that applied...being one of them was an honor...
I honestly didn't realize how big of an experience Fusion was going to be... It consumed my life for around 5 months, but it really helped me learn about who I am as an artist/designer.

It all starts with a "vision" which ends up getting more and more complicated as you start developing it. In the end- although essentially what you imagined- It turns out to be VERY different... beginning of every show because it kept on breaking...

No one knows the mayhem/madness of the backstage... AND... that I had to fix a zipper at the . However, I cannot believe how "professional"our work looked when it went down the runway.
So...
ENJOY the pictures >.< !




model: Leah Barton + dress: .leah.




















model: Mallorie Carrington
dress: .mallorie.














model: Dana B.
dress:.dana.

















model: Stephanie Rodriguez
dress:. stephanie.
dress:.monica.
model: Monica Cordoba

fusioning. pre-show interwiew with Jimmy

(backstage at "the TRESSEMME" hair salon room")



Well, I am Zaida Adriana Goveo Balmaseda (yeah, all that!) and I participated in the Fusion Fashion Show Design Competition between FIT and Parsons on 2008.
I just thought I'd share my experience with you because it was AMAZING! It was a LOT of hard work and hours of dedication, but being passionate about it made it all so much fun.

This is my pre-show interview with JIMMY(the show organizer):

School and Year:

Fashion Institute of Technology! Second Semester, freshman

Hometown:
San Juan, Puerto Rico

Age: 18

What is fashion to you?
Fashion is art, wearable art. Fashion to me has a special significance-Its what allows me to create pieces that can make other people feel like I felt when my mom dressed me up as a princess. Sometimes the way you dress expresses a mood. It’s the expressive creation of the designer, a shout of intellect! A dress is a decoration, and a ploy to gracious seduction, a tease towards creative talent. It is ART, a madness that illuminates the significance of being a lady. It is a study and a trace of history; it’s a celebration of family heirlooms and traditions. Fashion is part of Culture; it is part of you and me!

Describe your collection:
My collection is called zephyr! It is a light, gentle wind... its origin comes from a personification of Greek God of the west wind zephuros...I was inspired by the WIND.
The wind that dances around us has a little bit of everything, and everyone, and the Elements of nature inspirit me every day. There is a lovely song called “colors of the wind” by Stephen Shwarts that talks about how we should treasure, love and respect the world around us and embrace that we are one with it.

“… I know every rock and tree and creature
Has a life, has a spirit, has a name

-And we are all connected to each other
In a circle, in a hoop that never ends

-For whether we are white or copper skinned
We need to sing with all the voices of the mountains
We need to paint with all the colors of the wind

-Come roll in all the riches all around you
And for once, never wonder what they're worth…

-You can own the Earth and still
All you'll own is Earth until
You can paint with all the colors of the wind”

Every dress has incredible luminosity; giving us a sense of enchantment with multicolored hand dyed silk satin bodices, while Nude, flowing, weightless skirts celebrate different skin tones. I tried to experiment with shapes and volume to create ethereal, organic and delicate (almost couture, one of a kind-pieces) that have a personality of their own, just like we all do.

What about Fusion are you most excited about?
Everything, everything absolutely everything! I am excited because I’ve been making new friends that share this fascination (and that are passionate enough to spend their whole winter break SEWING), seeing how your vision comes together and you create amazing works of art, THE CHALLENGE…and of course… the moment of truth; when you FINALLY see all your models walking on the runway. WHOA! I am so happy that we get to expose what we have without boundaries, without labels… being genuine, ourselves, wholly! ....


Watch out for more fusion posts... cause' they will be here!

9 Giorni al solito!... aiuto!

Hey there... I need help/advice/comments...

I will be moving to Firenze in August 14th 2008, for a whole year. I will be studying Fashion Design at Polimoda with a study abroad program from the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City.

I'm traveling alone and am quite unsure about how to do this so I was wondering if you- the locals or usual travelers- had any comments on the following...
*Any suggestions or advice you might have will be SUPER helpful!

grazie mile!!

I will be arriving in Florence on August 14th and don't have anywhere to stay yet. You see, our ORIENTATION WEEK begins on August 23rd and ends on September 1st -when our classes begin-. We are supposed to look for housing during that week, but I am a bit worried about finding an apartment in less than a week at the same time as everyone else, so I decided to to travel early to see if I could go "apartment hunting" before everyone else gets there.

However, I am planning on living with 2 or 3 more girls so that our monthly rent is is lower. Our school arranges meetings with agencies every year to help us find apartments but I want to avoid broker fees because as students we don't have a lot of money and I was hoping we could rent an apartment directly from the owner. Do you think this will be a tough task?-Considering I don't know how the italian "apartment renting process" is. One of my friends was there last semester and she said it was really stressful because the real estate agents with whom they met, were short of apartments.

My other issue is the following:
I will arrive almost two weeks before the orientation period... And although I am a member of Couch Surfing, I have never experienced it.I was hoping to stay at a Hostel for the first 2 nights just to "get a feel for the area" and then with one of the people that responded to my Couch Surfing request. but -- this is my first time traveling to Europe and although I am completely fluent in English and Spanish and know a little of Italian, I am not sure if the Hostel or the Couch Surfing idea is a good one as will be traveling alone.

I am usually not scared but since this is such a new experience I just want to make the best choices.


Would I be better off trying to rent an apartment for a week or 10 days? just while I find my own-instead of staying at someone's couch or at a hostel?

Its not that I don't trust couch surfing.. I think it is a genuine program and i believe in it, but my stay will not just be for one night or 2.. but almost a week... I don't want to make anyone uncomfortable...


Do you have any comments or ideas on this? DO you think I am totally out of my mind?


ancora, grazie per il vostro tempo!'

http://www.couchsurfing.com/profile.html

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The problem is that elderly patients may be discharged from the hospital before appropriate discharge planning is complete. The purpose of this pilot study was to determine elderly patients' and their family members' level of satisfaction and perceptions with the overall quality of hospital discharge planning.

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An Emerging Strategic Vision in World Affairs

Advances in the field of information and communication technologies have substantially affected most segments of our life, leading to the Information Age or Information Revolution. On both individual and state scale, 'information' has become a vital 'commodity' by which one measures levels of knowledge, skills, well-being, prosperity and development. This academic work traces the evolution of the Information Age and the emerging trends of diplomacy and politics in today's world. It signals potential opportunities and threats, while strategically forecasting current and future implications.

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The Information Age and Diplomacy
Source www.disertation.com