I do, Fondue!

There's this little restaurant I'd love to tell you about. Definitely the most unique place I've been to eat, ever! On Saturday we had a 21st birthday celebrate and the night started out at Refuge des Fondus. To get a feel for this place imagine a hole in the wall restaurant that is actually quite popular, you can write on the walls, and it only seats about forty people.

We mapped out our route on we need to take and set off at 7:15 pm. Excited as we were to have a reason to celebrate we put on our fanciest dresses only realize that is not how people usually ride the metro, its more of a jeans/pants/street clothes dress code. It probably didn't help our case with the French people that we got off one stop before the red light area. Needless to say we attracted lots of stares and angry looks. We weren't about to pay for a cab so we held our heads high and continued on our way. The place was easy to find but already packed! No room for six girls. Set on our goal we waited outside only to be joined by a crowd of other people with their sights set on eating lots of cheese fondue.

An hour later a large enough group cleared out that we could get in the restaurant. Our time had come there was just one little obstacle to -literally- surmount. Half of us had to climb over the table to get to the seats that were against the wall. Moments later I was on a chair and yes, over the table with the help of a waiter. This place was already an adventure!

First course was appetizers and an apertif, a little cocktail that was delicious. Fast forward a bit and we are all dipping bread in cheese fondue and cooking meat in hot oil, family style, while drinking wine out of baby bottles. There was something about avoiding taxes if alcohol is not served in a glass.


Notice the baby bottles and bowl of raw meat - it looks like red sauce!

It was a cozy atmosphere because it was one long table and we met the Australians next to us. When they staff found out we were celebrating the entire restaurant sang a boisterous round of Happy Birthday which, was the most English I've heard outside our group since coming here. We thought everything was just about as good as it could get when they asked us what we wanted for dessert! I got chocolate ice cream and it came with a white filling and rolled in cocoa. It looked like a little Hostess snowball but a chocolate ice cream version.




Yum!

This ending is just the beginning

Fashion Journalism class is coming to a close today. Ten days of class, five credits, and more learning than I could have imagined were packed into two and a half weeks. For our final assignment we had to write a reflection on our learning. I could think of no better way to express my growth on this trip than sharing that reflection because as this class is ending I have this feeling of great opportunity, of beginnings.

At the start of each new quarter in school, I always think about what I can expect. Who are my professors? Have I had them before? Do others say the class is good? As I looked forward to this course and this entire trip, I did not know what to expect. I tried to imagine what I would learn and experience but I couldn’t even begin to picture it. That’s the beauty of new experiences. When you try things for the first time it is an experience like you will never have again. This is why exploration, adventures, and learning are so important. It is the only way to broaden your horizons, to understand the world more fully.

The last thing I expected from this trip was to have my thinking towards learning styles and fashion completely enhanced. The university I attend is very focused on classroom work, guidelines, and tests. It is a good way to learn a lot of information and I don’t want to make little of what I have learned there. Here however I have learned by experiencing. Each day I packed up my bag with water, a French phrase book, a notepad, bandaids, snacks, and probably most important—my camera. Then with bag in hand I went out to the city to learn through class, exhibitions, and exploration. Every assignment, lecture, and outing inspired me and increased my desire to continue on this path. Each moment, interaction, and passerby is a chance to arouse my creativity and discover beauty and style. Yesterday I sat on the ground by a tree to rest in the shade but my mind continued to spin. Before I knew it I was taking photographs from of those passing by to capture the perspective of looking up into the crowd along the Champs-Élysées. I have learned to never let my mind rest, to continually be experiencing and growing.

This time has taught me not to wait until I am assigned work to start learning. So often I have put off things because I knew I would eventually have to do it anyway for class. But there is no time like the present to learn. Waiting until tomorrow to pursue your dreams never works because tomorrow never comes. John’s (our guest lecturer during this middle of the class) lecture and work is so inspiring because he did not wait to start what he wanted to do. There is no waiting around for some moment when your life begins, that time is now. It is now that I starting taking notes, hounding out internships, and soaking it in so that I can turn around and make my mark on the fashion world.

When you are passionate about something there is no way to be partway into it. This class has also taught me total immersion. To be good at something you have to be interested even when you aren’t on the clock and being paid for it or getting a grade for it. The sketchbook and photographing street style was difficult at first but the more I worked on it, the more I felt I was developing and becoming comfortable with it. There is much more to learn but the foundation has been laid. This course has taught me to look, listen, and learn. To not wait for someone else. To go for my dreams. I am eager to continue learning by doing, by putting what I want to do into practice.

fashion journalism: trends

TREND REPORT

TROUSERS WITH A TWIST

A brightness that cannot be ignored is dancing down the streets of Paris for summer and fall 2011. Legs adorned in the colors alluding royalty and passion; in colors that make bold statements and others speaking softly in delicate blush tones. Nothing is off limits; nothing is too much to show off the legs by covering them up in pants.

Once put on, colored pants can take you anywhere be it a stroll in the park, a romantic picnic, the cinema, a quick bite to eat, dancing, loud concerts, or shopping for more colored pants. While available in countless hues, colored pants are most popular in red, blush, and green. More careful variations of the color pants are black, gray, and white versions. These colors are still set apart from the standard denim color but make much less of a statement.

Where did this trend begin and why has it taken root? It may have started with the olive pants, which were a part of the military looks of previous seasons. It may have begun because of a hopeful outlook for the economy in the upcoming months. Or perhaps the rainbow of options is yet another way to focus in on the legs because these tones certainly draw attention to themselves. The list could go on and on but where the colored pants trend began is really a chicken or the egg phenomenon. Will the bright colors lead to further standout fashion styles? Can intense trends help excavate an economy buried under political problems? Subdued colors are safe and easy as they can be worn again and again without being recognized but a bright pair of pants must be in a careful rotation to avoid wardrobe scrutiny. These pants symbolize frivolity and a carefree attitude. Even if they prove more than a fad, each season will bring new colors and another reason to shop again for a new pair. These are not the careful, wear anywhere denim jeans. These pants shout to be looked at and must be worn with a bit of gusto and confidence. As one person wearing red pants said, I feel optimistic when I’m in these pants. It’s like everything good is coming in my direction.” It is clear now that it does not matter where it exactly began but instead where this trend will go. Several designers featured colored pants in their Fall 2011runway, including 3.1 Phillip Lim and Prabal Gurung. Phillip Lim’s relaxed fit ankle pants were tailored enough for some, albeit risky, business casual looks and the pants played a contrast to muted tops. Prabal Gurung used red and hot pink as accent colors on the runway. There is no better way to accent an outfit than with the pink flare pants from this line.

Now these pants can be found in various lengths and styles it is possible to match up personal style to this sought-after trend. Blush chinos could make for a casual chic look while red cigarette ankle jeans could breath new life into street looks. Travelling down the spectrum from safe to quite daring, one way to wear this style is in a monochromatic look pairing shades of the same color together from head to toe. No matter how it is worn, bright colors and anything but regular denim will certainly be on par for the coming months.

Madame Grès: Influence from Obscurity

Today for class we went to the Madame Gres exhibit at the Bourdelle Museum. For our fashion journalism class we had to do a write up about the exhibit, below.

Madame Grès is often a mysterious figure in the fashion industry but the exhibit: Madame Grès, la couture à l'oeuvre, at the Bourdelle Museum in Paris pulled the veil of obscurity back a bit to reveal a couturier of great talent. The exhibit displayed her garments as well as he sketches, and photographs of her work making clear mark on fashion.

Madame Grès’ skills spanned draping, tailoring, and sewing at their highest level. Her gowns were perfectly executed and her dresses lay smoothly. The beauty is in the detail of her work. Madame Grès was a frontrunner of the movement toward using jersey in night and day wear as opposed to only using jersey for men’s undergarments. This formerly hidden textile is made graceful as she gathers meters of fabric into several centimeters of drapes. This use of jersey has now led to use of jersey for every type of clothing for both day and night in current fashion. Her faux-fur jumpsuit was avant-garde and unique. Unfortunately the back of this could not be viewed and so curiosity about the closure of the garment remains. The bows, folds, and colors seen were stunning, from bright yellows, oranges, and even several different primary and secondary blocks of color in one gown. Madame Grès use of innovative textiles for her work of the mid-20^th century can serve is an inspiration to designers today to continue striving for innovation and excellence.

Knowing that Madame Gres worked directly on the body or on a mannequin, at times probably somewhat unconventionally, helps her often-unknown work to become clearer. She had a unique understanding of the movement of the female body and how the bone structure, muscles, and shape worked together. She carefully celebrated the female body, sometimes by covering it almost completely and other times by cleverly revealing it.

After seeing the work of Madame Grès, her continued influence on current fashion can be recognized in the seemingly ever-present draped jersey dress as well as in more elegant runway designs. While Madame Grès has been shrouded in obscurity, her legacy lives on in her influence on today’s fashions. This exhibit is very informative on the work of a couturier who is rarely recognized though its setting amongst the works Bourdelle makes it necessary to be very thorough in order to not miss a single piece.

The Dutch & their bikes

Amsterdam has a population of about 750,000 yet has 1.2 million bikes! Never before have I seen so many bikes (or inhaled so much secondhand marijuana smoke) so this post is entirely dedicated to bikes.

Here is a bike parking area:

The bikes below are chained to the canal railing; many bikes are not chained to anything. Instead, they have a chain through the wheels so that they cannot turn without unlocking it. Someone said that on average they have their bike stolen every two years.

They bike out in the country too, of course!

I'm not sure how everyone finds their bike back at the end of the day. They have a bike parking garage by the train station but unfortunately I couldn't get a photo as my hands were full of baggage.

They created floating bike parking on the canal to accommodate them all.

And with so many bikes comes special bike lanes, bike road signs and...

bike traffic lights for busy intersections!

Bun in the Oven

Here is the logo for a project I developed last quarter. I had to write a business plan for a retail business of my choice. I developed a plan for a maternity and children's boutique called Bun in the Oven. I made this logo on Inkscape- a free online program that is similar to Illustrator. The program is not to difficult to use but of course, it is different than Illustrator which I had already learned how to use!

Read my fingers!

If you look closely, there is newsprint on my fingernails! You'll probably have to click to enlarge the photo to actually see anything. I'll try to find another photo that is better. It was difficult to get a proper photograph as it turns out hand are hard take pictures of. This was a fun little spring break activity I did with a friend of mine. I can't take credit for the idea, my friend found it online. You can find some good instructions at A Pretty Penny Blog. This blog tells you not to press down too hard on the newspaper but I say go for it. The more you press on it, the better print it will make on your nail. Be careful not to move it around at all though and peel it off before the paper dries or it will stick to your nail. Other things to keep in mind is to make sure your coats under the newsprint are very dry and don't forget a topcoat or it won't stay on! Don't worry if it's not perfect though...everyone loves it anyway.

Also, you can see my beautiful engagement ring in this photo! Didn't he do a great job picking it out?

rrain wear

Here are the final sketches for my CAD project:


This inspiration for this line came from the idea of being “right as rain,” and expression that means just right; another similar expression is “fit as a fiddle.” This expression can be used when someone is feeling satisfied, comfortable, and that everything is as it should be. Performance clothing should be not only comfortable but also satisfying. The purpose of rrain wear line is just that, to provide comfortable clothing for outdoor and active lifestyles. The target customer, a woman between the ages 25-40, does not want to compromise her style even when she is being active. This active wear has unique stitching details, excellent fit, and an up to date color story to fulfill this desire. The stitching as a design detail is a finishing touch that makes the line “right as rrain.”

The word "rrain" is spelled with two "r's" to indicate my first initial and the inspiration "right as rain."

Design Project

Last week I worked on a project for my CAD class. The assignment was to create a presentation board for the line we each began to develop. Later we will create our designs on the computer.







All these designs are mine, don't copy them!

So Fresh, Sew Green

The fashion show last weekend was a huge success! The show's theme was sustainability and there were four design categories, recycled fabrics, recycled products, organic fabrics, and naturals. This meant we had used clothes remade into beautiful runway pieces, pieces out of trash, organic clothing, and in the grand finale, a dress made from corn husks, leaves, and flowers. I created two looks for it both of them in the recycled products category. The first was a dress out of plastic bags ironed together. The second, a top out of plastic bags and a petal skirt out of phonebook pages. I have a photo of the second look and I will get the other photographs from the photographer as soon as possible!


Also, I have recently been using the website BurdaStyle. It is such a great resource and community for people who like to create things. There are free patterns and project tips. Find the projects I've made under the username rebekah lynn.

The One Shoulder

It's been awhile! Whew! I was just working on a project for the upcoming student fashion show at Seattle Pacific University and pondering the current one shoulder phenomenon. I saw it coming a mile away and had mixed feelings at first but now I have come to really respect the one should style that is so prevalent in this season's dresses and tops.

This style has so much potential! It is asymmetrical and gives a far different look than strapless or a two shoulder look. It can be done in long sleeve, tank, jersey, organza, silk...there are countless varieties. Not convinced yet? This look also keeps it covered up! I have yet to see the one shoulder in a low cut look (I'm sure it's out there, but don't go there- keep it classy). It reveals the shoulder but keeps the bust covered. For formal wear it is still interesting while actually providing more coverage than most other evening styles. It is a great style that's in right, so wear it while you have the chance!


Blake Lively pulls off the one should quite nicely!

If you are going to wear it, don't confuse anyone as to your intentions. I was recently in line and the guys behind me were discussing whether the girl in front of me intended to have her shirt sleeve off. They weren't really sure whether the shirt was made that way, or she just had a dressing fiasco. The problem was, she was wearing a tank top underneath and had all these straps showing, so the one shoulder was not apparent. Make sure if you wear it, wear it alone and don't show any straps. Also, as with all your clothes, make sure it fits you well. In the words of Coco Chanel, "Dress shabbily, they notice the dress. Dress impeccably, they notice the woman."

Superman's Children

Earlier this quarter I was hired for a sewing project through the Seattle Pacific job website. The task was to make 24 super hero capes for a four-year-old's birthday party. It was a learning experience but not so much learning any new sewing skills, rather learning about the time it takes to make that amount of items, even something that appears relatively simple. First I made a pattern from a sample I was given. Next, I cut out the pieces in both red and blue. After that I sewed them together, leaving six inches at the bottom open to inside them out. Before turning them inside out I clipped the corners to help the fabric lay smooth and then I after turning them, I topstitched close to the edge. The final step was sewing on the velcro. I put two different colors of thread on my machine so that it would blend in to each side (red and blue). Please note that the photos do not upload to the blog true to color, the fabric on the one side is actually bright red.

Cutting


Sewing


Finished Product (Reversible)


Lots of Capes

Clothing Exchange

I invited friends over last night and we held a clothing exchange is our dorm room. This was the first time I have done this with friends and it turned out so well! Our room was transformed by piles of clothes. Everyone went through their closets and sorted out clothing that they no longer wear or want. It was motivating to get rid of stuff because you knew that you could find something really great in return. The rules were that you could pick out however many items you brought. Four example, if one person brought five things, she could pick out five things from what everyone else had brought. This rule was not really necessary for us because no one reached their limit but for a larger exchange it would be helpful. This first exchange was a success, each of us found at least two or more things that we wanted and all the leftovers we donated. For future exchanges I would definitely make it a bigger event because the more people and clothes that their are, the better chance there is for everyone to find new things and for sizes to match up.

If you've never done an exchange like this, try it! It is so easy to plan and a very economical way (Go green!) to get new clothes and pass on some beloved pieces that never looked right on you anyway. Although I was not able to attend, a woman at my church set up a clothing exchange one Saturday last year. I heard it turned out really well, with many people in the church participating. The Sunday after it was open to anyone to look at before they donated the rest and I found a cute shirt.

Child's Summer Dress

I have doing so much sewing lately! One of my most recent projects is a dress for a three and a half year old girl. This was the midterm project for my sewing class, everyone made clothing for a little girl my teacher knows through church who is in need of more clothing. I followed Simplicity pattern 3510. The pattern was pretty straight forward. All the tucks on the dress lined up without any problem. The only confusing part was the patch pockets. I used the Reader's Digest New Complete Guide to Sewing for instructions on rounded patch pockets. I am very pleased with how it came together!

Dorm Decor

Finally I though I'd post a few pictures of our room! It has looked like this for awhile but I never got around to taking and uploading photos. It was fun going to Ikea this last fall and picking out curtains and finding curtain rods and such. My desk and closet are on the left side of the room and my bed is the one that is higher. We put it up on risers so that there is space of the person below.

Thanksgiving

Well, it's been awhile since I've written anything on here! I've been busy this quarter and so some of these extra things have just fallen by the wayside. I had a wonderful, relaxing Thanksgiving break, from Wednesday to Sunday. After fight traffic with two of my friends from school, I was dropped off in Salem, Oregon on Wednesday night to spend the weekend with Nick and his family. I made sweet potatoes for Thanksgiving Day and to my delight they turned out just as I remember my mom and grandma making them! In addition to traditional Thanksgiving celebrations, I also enjoyed a little Black Friday shopping, hanging out with friends, and going swimming. Swimming at this time of the year? No, we aren't crazy; we went to the Kroc Center, a Salvation Army Community Center facility made possible by McDonald's heiress, Joan Kroc. I also played a little Rock Band with friends (pictured, although I am not in the picture).

Back at it...

I'm pleased to report that I've finally returned to Seattle and all it's rainy glory. School started this week and so far classes are going great! I am taking Christian Formation, Beginning Figure, Intro to the Fashion Industry, and Composición y Conversación. The titles are fairly self-explanatory. In Christian Formation we are not only exploring Christianity's roots but also our own personal convictions and spiritual journeys.
Beginning Figure is going to be challenging but no doubt rewarding. It's a night class and sometimes it can be difficult to draw for two hours but I know from my drawing class last year that I'll get used to it. Understanding the human body will definitely be useful in upcoming Fashion Illustration, draping, and pattern making classes. And just because you're probably wondering; no, we do not have naked models. All our models are clothed as per Seattle Pacific policy. So far, that is one of my frequently asked questions when talking about my classes to other people.
Intro to the Fashion Industry, my most interesting class so far, covers the entire fashion process- from a designer's idea all the way to the consumer. We have a big group project to do in that class where we will study fashion forecasting by promoting a line of clothing to a particular demographic. Our group has chosen to do Women's Winter 2011, working particularly in mass-merchandising. We'll meet once a week for the next seven weeks to work out the details of our promotion.
My final class, Composición y Conversación, is entirely in Spanish. So far this has presented no problems. My professor is very engaging and class always moves right along and most of it is just conversation. Our usual assignments will involve present 3-5 minute monologues and engaging in dialogues between classmates and the professor.
Last but not least is some very exciting news! I have a new job working at a daycare. I am a substitute teacher which means I will be called in as needed. It will involve working with the same age range of children that I worked with this summer. This daycare also uses the same positive discipline techniques. I won't need to adjust too much because I already spent eight weeks this summer in a similar environment.
The picture is of a squirrel that was spying on some friends and I during a picnic this summer. He was quite close to us and climbing all over the tree branches above our heads.

Cutting Edge Children's Wear

I work with children for my summer job and have noticed an interesting trend in children's wear- light up shirts. I remember light-up shoes and I can sort of understand light up backpacks but light up shirts don't make much sense. It definitely wouldn't be comfortable to wear and little LED light lighting up a princess shirt doesn't do much to enhance its aesthetic value. It is interesting to see such an impractical trend take root. It's probably a good idea to leave this one at the store and hope it doesn't last long.

Stranded in a Storm

Just a week and a half ago my cousins and I were struggling to keep afloat on the great and mighty Ross Lake. We headed out on the little fishing boat to see a waterfall and it was a beautiful, but cloudy morning. By the time we were a to the waterfall and a half hour out the weather took a drastic turn for the worse. We started back but waves were crashing over the boat and with too few lifejackets we decided we needed to stop. We stopped at a place called Little Beaver, where there are places to camp but you can only get there by boat. When we arrived there was a larger boat just leaving in the other direction who promised to call the ranger to rescue us. Shortly after a young Canadian couple in a canoe joined us to wait out the storm for 2 1/2 hours. It turned out to be a great adventure! We made a brush fire and dried our soaking wet clothes. After the storm began to calm rangers came to rescue us! We returned to our campsite across the lake shortly thereafter.

Crazy Cousins' Campout

Well, it's been awhile but that's mostly because I wasn't sure if I would be writing on the metropolitan blog if I'm currently living in the country. And also, I just don't always feeling much like doing anything besides eating and falling asleep after working all day. That may sound lame, but my cousin Janine and I wake up at 3:15am every weekday for work. Right now, I'm living with my aunt and uncle and their family plus my cousin Janine because her and I found jobs up here in Washington.
Just a few days ago the three of us girl cousin went on a campout. We went to Larrabee State Park for one night. Before we settled into our beautiful campsite for the night we met a motorcycle camper (the best kind of camper there is) who was going all the way from Florida to Alaska! He was also kind enough to exchange us quarters for dollars so we could shower in the morning. It was good to go camping and relax. It was a very nice campground for tent campers, which we were. Most of the RV and trailer spots were not as scenic and beautiful as the tent spots. Overall, I would definitely recommend the campground to you but hopefully you're a heavy sleeper because a train runs just outside the camp. I'm told that the train went by during the night but I didn't hear a sound. Our campout was complete with a campfire s'mores, a delicious breakfast, and some good campfire songs. Our favorite is:

Catalina Madalina, Hoopin Stina, Walla dina
Hogan, Bogan, Wogan was her name.

She had two hairs on the top of her head
One was alive and the other was dead.
Catalina Madalina, Hoopin Stina, Walla dina
Hogan, Bogan, Wogan was her name.

She had two eyes in the front of her head
One was green and the other was red.
Catalina Madalina, Hoopin Stina, Walla dina
Hogan, Bogan, Wogan was her name.

She had two teeth in the front of her mouth
One pointed north and the other pointed south.
Catalina Madalina, Hoopin Stina, Walla dina
Hogan, Bogan, Wogan was her name.

She had ten toes like me and you
But all ten toes were in one shoe
Catalina Madalina, Hoopin Stina, Walla dina
Hogan, Bogan, Wogan was her name.

Then one day a truck hit poor Madaline
The man had to buy a whole new machine!
Catalina Madalina, Hoopin Stina, Walla dina
Hogan, Bogan, Wogan was her name.