Endless Creativity...

My body may be tired from going through a mini "bootcamp" lastnight, thanks to my daughter, but my imagination and creativity has been going for a couple of weeks and not tiring yet.  My daughter decided to put me through what she has to go through in Phys Ed class every now and then.  Beep test.  Constantly moving, running, burpies, push-ups, lunges, for 10 to 20 minutes.  I was practically on the floor when I was done.  Prior to that, I had a fantastic idea for a dress and I'm looking forward to working on it and my tank top designs either tomorrow or Monday.  Hope to post pictures of them next week.

Well, I was looking at designer dresses yesterday online.  There's no end to the creativity regarding clothing designs.  Caroline Herrera has some fantastic dresses for her fall 2009 collection.   Sheer fabrics and ruffles really make an outfit absolutley feminine and ethereal.

 

Tracy Reese is a fashion designer I love.  Color must be the first thing that inspires her designs.  She usually uses unusual combinations of colors in her clothing that make the pieces fresh and unique, and the combinations work! These two pieces are from Tracy Reese's spring 2009 collection.

 Revolve Clothing Company is a Canadian clothing business based in Toronto.  Revolve uses eco-friendly fabrics to make tops and dresses for women.  The designs combine clean lines and stylish silhouettes.  To view the designs, go to www.revolveyourworld.com.

I was looking at my fashion business notes earlier and came across the names of the Project Runway season 1 contestants.  The name I focused on was Daniel Franco.  He was the first to be cut from the show.  Daniel came back for season 2 and I was rooting for him.  He didn't make the final three contestants to show his collection, but he was on the show long enough to prove he's a good designer and a gentleman.  I looked at Daniel's website, www.danielfranco.net, and I love the projects he's working on currently.  You should visit Daniel's site to see what he's done and doing.

Till next blog!

Black ruffle gown by Caroline Herrera- www.fashion.about.com
Black jacker over ruffle gown by Caroline Herrera - www.fashion.about.com
Red blouse, plaid skirt by Tracy Reese - www.fashion.about.com
Red and black print dress by Tracy Reese - www.fashion.about.com
Brown and yellow trim dress - www.revolveyourworld.com

A Second Life for Fabrics and Paper

With so many people designing clothing lines, notably the stars and top designers who can buy new fabric every season, my imagination would start going and I'd sometimes wondered what was done with all the old clothing that wasn't bought in secondhand stores.  I don't have to worry too much though.  The designers of recycled clothing, paper and other products are large in number and growing, and their imagination knows no boundaries!

Preloved is a store that sells designs made from  fabric from vintage clothing.  Started in 1995 by a former model Julia Grieve and her friend Peter Frieson, they have three stores, one in Toronto, one in Montreal and the other in Australia.  Musicians, models and actors, such as Hilary Duff and Kate Hudson, purchase Preloved pieces.  The website for Preloved is www.preloved.ca.

Katherine Soucie is a designer based in Vancouver who uses an unusual fabric: used and new nylon hosiery.   The hosiery is dyed, cut in pieces, silk-screened and then heat set before being draped and sewn to make clothing.  This is a very unique idea.  View the designs at www.sanssoucie.ca.

Love bags?  Consider buying a bag made from candy wrappers or soda can pull tops.  It sounds bizarre, but the finished results from the designer of Ecoist are fantastic and attractive.  Paper and other products from factories that  have been misprinted and/or overaged are used by this company to make their creations rather than being thrown in landfills.  You have to look at the website:  www.ecoist.com.

There are many more businesses using recycled fabric and other products.  I will keep searching for them.  Till next blog!

multi-colored sweater - www.preloved.ca
candy wrapper bag - www.ecoist.com