I’m Emily and I’m a junior from Rockaway, New York. I’ve taken Saturday classes at FIT since the fall of my freshman year, back in 2010. All in all, I’ve taken Sewing for Fashion Designers, Fashion Design Techniques, Fashion Art for Fashion Designers, Advanced Fashion Design Art Techniques, Junior Special Occasion, and I’m signed up for Anatomy of Fashion this semester. If you haven’t guessed by now, I’m into fashion. But not street fashion, or everyday wear. I love evening gowns, wedding gowns, and prom dresses. If it’s a special occasion which requires a dress, I want to design the dress. I could go on for hours about gowns and fit and fabric… But my goal in life isn’t to design the most beautiful gown or to have the most successful label. It’s to change the way the fashion industry presents physical beauty, and to positively influence the way adolescents see themselves. Whether I do this through my primary passion, special occasion wear, or through any of the numerous hobbies I’ve developed over the years like handmade jewelry or photography, doesn’t matter. The simple fact that social standards of beauty have been changed would be enough for me.

I’ve been making beaded jewelry since I was nine, and have sold to some celebrities. Motivational Speaker Jerry “D’Rhino” Clark purchased a turquoise and pearl necklace for his wife, Marky Ramone, drummer of the rock band The Ramones is a repeat customer of mine, and I’ve sold fashion’s darling Isaac Mizrahi a pair of Swarovski Crystal earrings. Besides that, one of the more interesting facts about me is how I am the proud owner of five chickens.

I love my chickens.

There are so many different types of chickens, and they are so beautiful. The ones I have are twin Bard Plymouth Rock chickens named Marsala and Parmesan, two Easter Egger chickens named Hawkeye and Nugget, and the chillest Aracuna chicken named General Tso. One of my goals is to design a line of gowns inspired by their feathers. Hawkeye has spear-point shaped, off-white feathers with a multi-dimensional black stripe down the center around her neck, and mottled browns and grays over her wings, with eggshell white downy clouds underneath her tail. The twins are covered in black, gray and white striped feathers that have a metallic green sheen on the darkest part. Nugget is the color of a chicken McNugget, with the same little black speckles reminiscent of ground pepper. And General Tso. The General is a hazy day in the woods, small charcoal feathers covering her head, blending into more of a chestnut color down her breast into a body covered with feathers reminiscent of stormy clouds.

I guess what I’m trying to get at is the way I love the little things, the things not noticed at a first glance. That’s what I love about clothes. The little details on a shirt that make it unique. How an interestingly placed seam creates more than visual appeal, it can completely alter the mood a garment creates. The way a well-tailored jacket does more than just act as an essential accessory, it’s a way to exude confidence as you walk down the street. And those are all ideas I will come back to in upcoming posts. I’m really excited to  blog for FIT so I can share all the little things about my adventures in Manhattan after class, stories from class, deals in the fabric district, my thoughts on a particular designer, the concept behind a runway presentation, or even a particular garment. I want to be able to share the world as I see it, where the oft-overlooked, inspiring details are brought to the surface of the imagination.

Emily