New York On Reflection

Me and my classmates gained a first hand insight into New York as a fashion capital and had a insiders glimspe of what it would be like to be part of one of the top design schools in the world, as one of Parson's design students. Personally i was amazed and delighted by the impeccable standard of the collections we were presented with. The professionalism and thought that has gone into not only their creative process, but their impact and place as a designer within the fashion industry and awareness of the marketing process was just as impressive.
The preconception of New York fashion being polished and highly commercial was definitely reinforced to me after seeing the selection of designers in store at Barney's and Bloomingdales especially, but also after seeing the output of the graduating year at Parson's.
I learned after interviewing Lindsey, my designer, it all made sense. Students are given a rigourous training regime to back up their creative endeavours. They have to have explainations and clear plan to everything they design and take business and marketing classes to prepare them for life in the big bad fashion world. On reflection, it is no surprise that some of the biggest names in fashion have come out of this worldclass institution.
I'm so happy that I was given a designer to profile in the end, as this is part of what I do best. My interview went very well and I really felt that I had improved on the things that usually catch me out. I definitely gained more competence in talking to a designer about their work.
As far as the design process goes, I know from my own experience how inpsiration translates into a garment. Here, it was a direct and clear transition from the artist's work/architecture into a pleat here or there, the cut of a neckline or material used for a blouse. There wasn't much else added to the creative vision in terms of design ideas, but the result was clothes that were well crafted and realistically wearable with just enough quirk thrown into the mix. Their was inventiness and conceptuality but these were strictly applied to the cut and wearability of a garment; a reversable parka or five ways to wear a linen jacket. On numerous occasions I could imagine myself wearing a few of the pieces but my favorites were the Saga fur winner and her beautiful cape style hooded jacket and the Frieda inspired collection which really spoke to the entire audience.