It's Been a Long Time

To quote Timbaland from the classic song Try Again by Aaliyah, "It's been a long time, I shouldn't have left you." It's been nearly 4 years since my last post here and 5 years since I started my blog Captivating. My intent when I started Captivating was to document my love affair with all things fashion (see Hello World). This is still my intent but expanded to include my journey to become a fashion tycoon within the hyper-saturated industry. 

If you don’t know:

I am an aspiring fashion designer with a BS in management and entrepreneurship, working towards my MFA in fashion design. I am a creative, inquisitive, hard-working, and determined individual! I’m constantly seeking new opportunities and experiences that will increase my knowledge in the fields of management, entrepreneurship, and fashion. Presently, I am looking for ways to utilize my management degree and gain more hands on experience in fashion design. My long term objective is to open my own clothing store selling my personal designs to women and men at the better or bridge price point.

Now you know.

For the immediate future I have some excited things lined up:

1. I need a portfolio! Clarification: I need a digital portfolio! So I’ll be working on organizing, scanning, rescanning and photographing, and cataloguing all the projects, garments and collections I have created to assemble an awesome portfolio that I can easily build on. Once it’s presentable I will link to it and provide some pointers for those who may be curious.

2. Things with my online program have improved slightly in the sense that I had the best instructors by far this past semester. One in particular has pushed me down the path of textile design (more on that later)! However, I’m still struggling. I need much more hands on, in person experience. I’ll be taking an instructor’s advice and enroll in more local classes on figure drawing and sewing. Bring on the nude models!

3. Speaking of models I have recently relocated and am in the works of establishing a relationship with a new fashion week. Being that I worked for so long with PHXFW I am sure I can bring a lot to the table. I’ll of course keep you posted!

4. I have been inspired both divinely and by a few of my friends to start my own business… NOW. So I am opening up an Etsy shop where I will start selling some of my wares. My initial offering will be hand-dyed scarves and scarves printed with the textiles I’ve been designing for school. This includes many sub-points and goals which will be discussed in a later post.

5. One of the friends that inspired me to take the leap and start building my empire now also inadvertently inspired me to start a movement on loving kindness. Unrelated to fashion and yet integral to my life at some point I will figure out how to combine the two. In the near future I will share more on this once I flush out the idea.

So although it’s been a long time, all of these recent developments have pushed me to pick my blog back up and try again to chronicle the journey. Because really that’s all it’s about— the journey. 

From Love to Hate

Quite a bit has transpired since my last post. 

On September 1st I began my MFA in Fashion Design program. The plan was to move to San Francisco where the school is located and begin a new and exciting chapter in life. To my dismay, I had a rude awakening when I learned just how expensive and difficult it is to find a place even outside the city. I spent about a week in San Francisco exploring the city, visiting my school, and looking for apartments. The fact that I am now enrolled in the school's online program should tell you just how successful I was. When I told my advisor how unsuccessful things had gone and how I decided to postpone moving and starting school until the spring semester, she pushed for me to take online classes instead.That way I'd stay on track with my program. I should have listened to that inner voice that said, "Hmmm this doesn't sound like a good idea. Art and fashion classes online??" Instead I switched my schedule to all online classes and here I am three weeks into the program and hating it. 


Don't get me wrong I love the fact that I am taking classes to do something I have always dreamed of, but the format... well... sucks. I have taken plenty of online classes and loved them however, I am a visual learner, so when it comes to more hands on things like drawing hands or a proportionate and realistic nude figure, or sewing a curved seam or a straight dart I need so much more than just a "how to" paragraph. Only one of the three courses I am taking does a great job of explaining in written word, audio, and video the concepts of the course and requirements of assignments. The other two, illustration and construction, are shakey at best.

In my illustration class I feel as though I have walked into the middle of an advanced figure drawing course. I have no background on appropriate drawing techniques and no way of knowing if what I am doing or how I am doing it is correct until I have submitted my work to be graded. And the workload is insane! Five plus assignments every week each taking 2-3 hours; this class alone is like a part-time job and I haven't even started on the other two! I honestly think I could handle the work if I were a more advanced artists like my peers however, every week is like a never ending cycle and I am struggling to keep up.


But the class I hate the absolute most is my construction class. I will credit the instructor for posting videos for each assignment but the videos are based on a one set of requirements, the course assignment list another, and the discussion topics where we submit our work list yet another set. Why? Because the instructor fails to update the course outline and instead uses the same outdated one year after year. So when I submit my sewing assignments incorrectly it's my fault and my grade suffers because the videos and directions are unclear. GRRRR... And on top of that this class requires me to purchase a $600 dress form in addition to all the other supplies and the RIDICULOUS amount of tuition I am paying (and starting to second guess). 


For something I was so excited to start I am beginning to lose the joy and enthusiasm for this educational choice. I am praying and hoping things will be different when I move to the city and am taking classes on campus. But for right now I need some sort of revival or break from it all. 

Experience Needed

In an effort to immerse myself in the fashion industry and gain some tangible experience prior to graduation, I have taken some proactive steps. Step 1: I joined Phoenix Fashion Week, an up and coming organization dedicated to elevating the fashion scene in a lackluster city of perpetual summer. Since I began volunteering with this fine group of people, I have gained a wealth of knowledge and insight into what it takes to be successful in such a competitive industry. I primarily work with emerging designers, apparel and accessory, helping them prepare their lines for fashion week.  On the opposite end of the spectrum I also connect buyers to  designers. I work closely with the Executive Director, and since coming on as an ambassador have quickly made a name for myself. Most recently the over-achiever in me received a  "promotion" and now heads ticket sales along with two other lovely ladies- this I do in addition to working with designers and buyers. Being a part of PHXFW has granted me the opportunity to connect with innumerable fashion insiders from models to photographers, buyers to designers, fashion writers to media, and so much more. Its a tremendous learning experience that is all at once exciting, stressful, demanding, exhilarating, and captivating. 

Hello World!

This blog is intended to document my love affair with fashion. Fashion has always been something I have had an interest and passion for since I began sketching designs in middle school. To create a line that women will love is my dream. Gracing the covers of magazines is great, but to walk down the street and see the college girl or the mother of three wearing your dress would be pure delight. I love being creative and using my talents and abilities to create things people will enjoy. I especially love using my hands to create or enhance things. I see the potential in those flats that are maybe a little plain, but add some beading and everyone will be complimenting you on them. 

So here's to fashion. 

Here's to being Captivating.