September 24th: I scramble out of bed to catch my 8:04 train to Penn. I am soooooooo excited. I was unable to take a class over the summer. So I have not been at FIT for about 4 months – it felt more like a year! I put on my outfit that I picked out the night before, eat a quick breakfast (I always eat now. Before I did not because I wanted to sleep later, but by the time class concluded I felt lightheaded – so not ideal), and rush out the door to meet my friend Grace. I happen to hate getting up early but it is so worth it for FIT. I actually enjoy getting up early because I am going somewhere I love. When I tell people I voluntarily get up early on Saturdays to go to class, they look at me like I’m crazy – I so don’t care though. I am doing something both fun and productive at the same time that will better my looming fashion career – what could be better?
This class that I am taking in the fall, Fashion Design Techniques, is my 4th class so I can’t say I was too nervous walking into class. I have previously taken Fashion Art for Fashion Designers, Introduction to the Fashion Design Industry, and Fabric Styling. Also, since my friend Grace is taking the class with me I would surely have someone to talk to. Although, I have taken two classes by myself. What I love about FIT is that even if you don’t know anyone in your class, at least you have something in common to talk about: fashion. I like my professor, Marie Wright, instantly because it was evident that she actually wanted to be there. Of course there are expectations that could be challenging to live up to, but she still wants us to have fun. That’s important because of course I am there to (fashionably) learn and grow as a person first and foremost, but it’s also nice to have fun in the process.
Fashion Design Techniques focuses on draping. I feel that I am going to learn A LOT. Even if it is hard it will be worth it in the end. I am a pretty good drawer, but I need to know how to interpret my sketches into actual garments. This class will take me one step closer to this goal. I learned some new terms, such as terms of the dress form such as apex and center back. I couldn’t believe there are so many terms but surprisingly I found I knew many of them already. We blocked muslin, meaning that we cut the muslin (more like ripped it) and ironed it to achieve the shape of a square. You have to map out the muslin, such as indicating where center front and the side seams are located. This is all very technical, but I did not find it all that challenging. You have to draw a lot of lines and it can be annoying because the lines must be perfectly straight and parallel to one another. But I can tell I’m going to love this class.
After class me and Grace took a trip to the fabulous Buffalo Exchange. I scored what I describe as a “knitted blazer sweater” for only $16. Buffalo is my favorite store. The clothes are unique and reasonably priced (my favorite type) All-in-all, I think I am going to really enjoy this class. It will place me one step closer to be an internationally known fashion designer. This dream might sound childlike and shallow to many but I am determined to do whatever it takes to achieve this goal. One of my biggest pet peeves is people saying that a career in fashion is for dumb blondes who have nothing else to do. Fashion is actually a really tough (and sometimes brutal) industry; it requires self motivation, confidence in one’s self, and self-motivation, and thick skin. These are qualities that I possess, hopefully qualities that will catapult me to the top of the “fashion hierarchy”.
Emily