Postponed, Published, & Productive

This post is definitely a little different than what I would normally put on here. I don’t have a big photo shoot to talk about or a new collection to present. Just a couple small things here and there – Zersten is still growing into more than I ever thought it would be!

First of all, most of you will know that Zersten was selected to participate in Greenville Fashion Weeks’s Emerging Designers competition (I announced it on Instagram and Facebook in February). The show was scheduled for late April but has since been postponed as I’m sure you all can understand. They are hoping to move the show to mid June but keep an eye on their website for updates. 

I have a title (Uncharted) and sketches for the collection, as well as a color palette and a bunch of secondhand clothes (for materials!). I’m really looking forward to putting it together! This time around I have started with sketches and I am planning everything else around these drawings. When I was in school this is always how I was taught to work and I appreciate the organization of it. When I studied in Paris this process was challenged by one of my professors; he really wanted to knock me off my feet and make me uncomfortable.

I have found that putting a collection together “out of order” really works for these upcycled projects. I go to the thrift store, I pick up pieces I am drawn to, colors and textures. Then I determine a color palette based on those items and how much material I’ll need. At this point I’m just guessing how much I’ll need, which is something I’ve gotten better at the more I do it. After everything has been washed I start taking things apart. I like to collect all the notions (buttons, zippers, hooks…) in a small tin to make me  feel like a fancy studio with all my fabrics and notions organized and ready for use. At this point I’m finally ready to “design” – I let these random pieces of fabric tell me what they should be and I just keep making pieces until I’m done – or its show/shoot day (and even then I’m normally still sewing up until the lights are up). 

All of this to say, Greenville Fashion Week has reversed my process. I submitted my sketches for approval to participate before I collected my materials. I would call this the “classical” approach to designing a collection. 

The emerging designers competition also includes a “People’s Choice” element to the contest. This will require me to make a piece that is entirely separate from my collection to go along with their theme. The theme is The Roaring 20’s! You know because it’s 2020, the 100th anniversary! Woohoo! Yay for dropped waists? (If you know me then you know that I do not really favor the silhouette popularized in the 1920’s). But I have a plan to make it my own (Pinterest board!), and I will definitely dive into this deeper in another post where I can really rant about historical fashion (hooray!).

The “People’s Choice” looks will be presented and voted upon at a 1920’s themed party, so this has me thinking, ‘what a perfect excuse to make myself a new dress!’ While conducting my research for my “People’s Choice” look I have come across many examples of the “One Hour Dress” – a simple dress that can be drafted directly onto the fabric by a home sewer in presumably in no more than an hour. This was back before the show was postponed, but I could not think of a better opportunity to test out this suspicious “One Hour Dress” for myself! I have more time now so I have plans to make the dress a little less “simple” but I definitely will share more about this too. 

In the meantime I have also been working on the crochet piece for Uncharted (some of you may have noticed that I’ve included crochet pieces in my collections). For me, crochet is very mindless and carefree, and it is something I can do with very little effort but still feel productive. It is especially perfect for those quarantine evenings when you’re binging The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. You’ve only gotten up once in the last 3 hours (for a cookie that you really didn’t need), but hey, at least you crocheted a whole sleeve! No? just me? Anywho, the crochet piece is the procrastination piece. It’s something to do when I don’t want to do other things and still feel productive. This is (I think) the first crochet piece I am putting together with absolutely no pattern. I often follow a pattern, but I like to take my creative liberty and tweak it here and there (yes, I’m a bad girl like that). I am drafting this sweater all on my own and I would love to put together another post all about once it’s finished (so I can tell you about all the mistakes I made!).

One last exciting point: Zersten is being featured on the cover of a magazine! Zersten girl, Carlye Pieratt, submitted some photos from the Current photoshoot, shot by Melendezphoto, to be featured. This incredible group shot was selected to be the cover of Dreamy Magazine, issue 112. I couldn’t be more proud of these incredible ladies being recognized for their hard work and I am just so honored to be featured! You can pick up a copy for yourself here.

To bring this ramble to a close: can you tell I haven’t been thrifting in weeks?! If you’re stuck at home I hope you can find a way to not feel so “stuck”. I have been feeling really grateful for this opportunity to get back into painting, and I feel especially lucky to be in a safe place with my favorite person. To all of you ESSENTIAL workers: I am so grateful for you and the work you do and I understand that you are taking a risk everyday that you are going to work. 

That’s all I have for now. Don’t forget to be a little #QuarantineCrafty because I mean, Why not!?

Thanks everybody!

*I’m promising a post on Uncharted, the “One Hour Dress”, and my self-drafted sweater. Hold me to it!