Instructor Spotlight: Anais Garcia

Anais Garcia is a Technical Design Manager in the intimates field with a background in women’s and men’s apparel. She is a graduate of FIT. Prof. She travels overseas to factories and vendors and has been active in the fashion industry for 15 years. Garcia has a great passion for sharing her expertise and fashion industry experience with others. 

 

 

 

Anais Garcia teaches the following FIT Precollege Classes:
HPM 070 Basic Patternmaking and Sewing I (Grades 11 & 12)
HSA 002 Patternmaking and Sewing Tops

Teaching Philosophy:
I’m always focused on developing the student skills by interacting with them individually and as a team. We are together on this learning journey. We must work as a team to overcome all the bumps on the way and learn from each other. I encourage them to explore different techniques and research the trends and industry to incorporate their findings in their future projects.

Experience Outside of the Classroom

Hi Everyone!

I hope you have had a great past week and a lovely holiday weekend (if you celebrated) full of pastel colors and sweet treats! Even though FIT did not hold precollege classes this past weekend, because they were on break, that did not stop me from practicing the skills that I have learned so far this term, as well as in past semesters!

FullSizeRender (1)At the beginning of the semester, on my first, of many, trip to my favorite fabric store, I stumbled across an absolutely gorgeous light yellow fabric with a white, paisley pattern. I have historically had a deep-rooted love for anything that brings a little sunshine into any situation, so this fabric seemed like a no-brainer. I eagerly went to the makeshift checkout counter made of stacked rolls of exquisite fabrics and snagged three yards of the paisley perfection for my assignment: a simple circle skirt.

I thought about the fabric constantly in the seemingly endless days leading up to that next Saturday; my pure excitement to begin the L.O. N. G. process of pinning was unlike anything I had every experienced before.

I had set a goal for myself to finish the skirt in time for Easter, as the fabric literally could not have been more tastefully festive, and I was actually able to finish with more than enough time! The only problem was, I could not think of a top that was worthy enough to be paired with my new favorite skirt. I made the executive decision to make the trek back up to my favorite store and purchase another yard of the fabric.
As a result of a combination of a crazy week at school, and the copious preparations for my family’s Easter celebration, I was unable to even think about starting my new project until the final hour: Saturday night.

An onlooker might have described the scene as a final, on-the-spot elimination round on Project Runway. Shreds of paper and fabric were strewn across my bedroom floor as I assembled the simple top, but in the end, I was extremely proud of my finished look: the yellow paisley perfection with pastel blue shoes and a corresponding sunhat!

I am SO grateful for the skills that I have been taught and acquired through my time at FIT, and I am sure that every other precollege student would agree! I hope you all have an amazing day and an even better week!

~Kaela

In The Halls: Chet-Lunn

Student: Chet-Lunn (15) Westchester
Program: Saturday Live
Precollege Course:�
HPM 067: Manual Patternmaking and Sewing

Describe your personal style?
I really love a grungy, yet composed style. I’m obsessed with prints, but not so much to make me look like a Hawaiian tourist.

Where do you go on your breaks from class?
I eat. Food is my guilty pleasure. Just food.

What is your favorite thing about FIT?
I love the creativity FIT provides for their students. It is a great and accepting college.

Who or what inspires you?
I’m inspired by people all over the world and all different cultures. I also am inspired by dramatic prints.

What do you want to do after you graduate from college?
I hope to work at a big fashion company, and eventually launch my own brand.

 

-Meghan

Last Class(es) at the admirable FIT!

All we could talk about in class today was about how fast we think time flew. The three weeks at FIT went by so quickly! It’s amazing how much we’ve learned. Although I am sad about the conclusion to this fantastic adventure, I am overjoyed with how much I’ve accomplished… from my fully completed dress to the additions to my portfolio! During the last day in my Manual Pattern Making and Sewing class, we franticly tried to finally muster together our beautiful dresses. In my last few blog posts, they have consisted of brief segments of the making of our dresses! Momentarily I will show you the vast completion of my very first dress EVER. And personally, I think I did a fairly good job given the fact that this is practically the first time properly managing and working a sewing machine!… Even if these machines did go 400 miles/hour.

During the process (pre-zipper)

Finally cut out of the pattern!

The sewing machine that didn't like me. Haha

My completed dress.

During the time when I was unwillingly struggling with my dress, I realized that there were so many completions that just blew my mind.

Other then the success and outcome of my Pattern making class, I’ve also received a few pointers on how to be prepared for college/university. Since FIT is one of the top colleges I would like to attend, it is super important to know that my portfolio is relevant and is something that sums up what colleges are looking for. In order to depict that, it’s good to have it reviewed by people who have been through the process, and know all about it. And the perfect person would be a graduate of FIT, who in fact was our professor. Once he examined my existing (non-completed) portfolio, he stated that some pieces I had needed to be defined and purposed. For example, I had designed the front of a postcard, and the smart thing to do would be to complete the back side, including the format of an actual postcard. Overall, everything was great, but its never too late to add more, thus creating a stronger reason for the course. During our time in that classroom, we worked on collages, creating an ad (shown in previous blog posts), coming up and conceptualizing marketing ideas, knowing and realizing what kind of designer you are and doing things that are unusual, just because not everything in the art and design world is conventional, so it’s good to step out of your usual box of 2B pencils and pencil crayons.

Presentation of self-portraits.

Self portrait I created with photoshop paintbrush mediums. I drew it, scanned it... and then colored the whole thing on photoshop.

 Everything has to come to an end, but hopefully this won’t be the end to my time at FIT. We shall meet again!

View from my Design class, D building.

Outfit of the day! (Fashionpanoramic.blogspot.com)

Forever 21 bronze necklaces

Thrifted Vintage Levi cut-off shorts

Thrifted fur cropped sweater

Thrifted head scarf (Used as a bow tie in the first picture)

DSW gold loafers (The shoes are not shown in this OOTD, but I wore them with white lace socks)

Tianna

If interested, check out my blogs:

fashionpanoramic.blogspot.com
muffin-t0pless.tumblr.com 

 

Emotions, Patterns & Reminiscence

Today as I was making my collage for my advertising class, I came across this quote, “Don’t live under someone else’s shadow!”. At first I couldn’t quite fathom what this could mean. Then I realized that it metaphorically meant that we shouldn’t depend on others to create our success nor should we hide behind someone else’s deemed  success. I personally believe that everyone should create their own success and strive in it! That is why I think that FIT is a great place to get started.

During my courses this year, I’ve realized the professors are always trying to help us with our future endeavors involving the arts because inevitably success just does not just create itself… unless you’re a Kardashian. Haha. Anyways, we made a collage today that was soposed to express a feeling within the color, shape and such. I bestowed myself with an Allure magazine and cut everything up, and voila, this design was created. What emotion do you think this represents?

Yipeee! I’m so exited, my dress is 1/2 done, and we have 2 days left (NO!). And I plan to cherish every single moment until then. Of course, as I started the final dart sewing of my bodice I encountered sparse problems… mainly with the faults of my darn sewing machine! I swear it hated me, every other machine was working perfectly. In the end, my prof came and solved the problem, but I still feel like its always giving me the evil eye. Surprisingly, cutting patterns is much easier than I thought, I’m gradually becomes more infatuated with pattern making day by day. Today, I finished my doing the pleats and darts of my bodice, and I plan to finish the top and circle skirt by Thursday, which is uncontrollably our last day.

Patterns I cut out of my patterned fabric.

Lost but never forgotten. 

Today I went to the train station after school. Today I ran fast to catch the shuttle to Grand Central. Today my favorite sunglasses flew onto the train tracks shallow, swampy floors. Today the train track rats will enjoy my beautiful circular sunglasses.  But never mind, I’ll find someone like youuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu. ♪

Outfit of the day! (fashionpanoramic.blogspot.com)

Buffalo Exchange dress

Forever21 belt

DSW loafers

Topshop earrings

I know I don’t frequently put nail polish on my OOTDs, but I’m wearing Essie’s “Muchi, Muchi” (LOVE) 

Tianna

If interested, check out my blogs:

fashionpanoramic.blogspot.com
muffin-t0pless.tumblr.com