What is your wildest dream? Do you think it is an attainable goal? How could you make it happen? Think about all aspects including breaking it into manageable chunks, education about whatever it is, etc.

My wildest dream is to become a well-known womens Haute-Couture fashion designer. I definitely think I can achieve this desire of mine because I have all of the resources and connections to do so. In order to make this happen, I am starting of by taking this Fashion Design and Textile Art class at SVCTE for the 2015-2016 school year. In addition, I have joined Fashion Club and I am running for the Presidential officer position. The president of the club receives a $6,000 renewable scholarship to FIDM, which happens to be my dream college. If I end up being given the honorable opportunity of being president, I would take lead of the club and turn it into an enjoyable environment for all, and I would use the scholarship to attend FIDM when I graduate. For my senior year, I plan on attending West Valley for Middle College and getting a college level education for my high school classes. After graduating, I plan on going to FIDM no matter what. After FIDM, I would like to possibly go to a community college and take my core classes, then transfer to UCLA and major in business. Because of my family and my connections to fashion designers, company owners, and other resources, I know how to take the path to the top. I wont reveal all my plans, because some are a secret!! Fashion is a huge passion of mine and fashion designing is a dream that I have. I often go to the library or bookstores and read books and biographies on fashion and designers in the fashion industry, modern and historical. I enjoy learning new things and informing myself on interests to keep me motivated throughout time. My goal is to complete this year with this fashion class and Fashion Club, as well as continue to grow in my knowledge and abilities for sewing, designing, and business. This way, I learn the basics to fashion designing while I am still in my youth years and so I am able to improve and take baby steps to reach my ultimate goal. My connections and resources give me incredible opportunities for events and activities that not only benefit me and help me practice my skills, but also gives back to the community and society, such as helping Girl Scouts and participating in clothing drives for the homeless. One of my aunt's friends is a fashion designer for young kid's clothing. She offers to allow me to shadow her, and receive tips and lessons from her as well. Also, I am given the amazing opportunity to be in, and be behind the scenes, to fashion shows. This gives me lots of experience for different events and helps me build my skills as an individual. Skills like these will help me a lot when I am applying for FIDM and contests, as well as other colleges and programs. Setting up small goals and achieving them one at a time in order to reach my overall main goal is an important part of my growth towards success. I will achieve my goals and nothing will stop me.
  

What skills does it take to be a fashion designer?

Fashion designing requires a lot of skills that need to be constantly practiced until perfected. For one, every fashion designer needs a good eye for shape, textures and colors. It is a huge deal when designing clothes to be able to match colors and patterns, otherwise the piece looks like a disaster. Second, one is expected to have a wide understanding of the characteristics of fabrics and how they can and cannot be used. Pattern cutting and sewing are also a large part in the production of clothing garments. A successful fashion designer has an advanced ability to develop and spot trends too! In teens and young adults, an array of trends are developed and expressed through individuals, and those need to be identified. For designing, drawing skills and the ability to understand how to use computer design packages are very important because the proportions of the model body are key to being able to design clothing correctly, whether on paper or on a computer. As a fashion designer, one will encounter excessive amounts of problems and "bumps in the road", which is why skills in problem solving are beneficial. Lastly, the ability to work as a part of a team is an essential skill. Cooperation with other business partners, models, companies, and groups allows events and processes to become easier and get done quicker. Communication is key, especially as a fashion designer because the fashion industry is a constant busy business.

What is 'Fast Fashion'? Please locate information on the internet to answer this question.

Fast fashion is a contemporary term used to describe how designs move from catwalks very quickly in order to capture current fashion trends going on. Fast fashion clothing collections are often based on trends presented in catwalk shows during New York Fashion Week. Fast fashion can also be described as low-cost clothing collections that are based on expensive luxury trends. This encourages disposability and throwing out fashions as they fade from society's interest. The fashion cycle for fast fashion is extremely quick and rapid. Because of this, production has to be fast, as well as transportation, pricing, and selling. Merchandise is often presented "floor ready", which means they are pre-hung on hangers and have price tags already attatched to them. Introducing new trends to the consumers constantly, keeps the customers coming back. New items, and different styles of old ones, tend to interest and catch the eyes of consumers. The process for taking items from the catwalk to the consumer that would usually take around six months to complete, is now being done by stores such as Zara and H&M in just a few weeks. Labor costs and manufacturing costs are lower for fast fashion because the products are being made faster and with cheaper materials. In addition, the products are being made in other countries which is why it is cheaper for labor. Lastly, fast fashion allows new styles and trends to immediately make an appearance when the previous ones fade out. This keeps the consumers constantly interested in buying the new items, because some want to be the first person to do so, and others just enjoy fitting in.

"Why is fashion important?"

There are many reasons for why fashion is important. First of all, fashion is a way of self-expression! Personalities, moods, interests, hobbies, and more, can often be determined by the clothing styles, colors, and patters a person wears. Clothing items such as shirts can be customized with any image, saying, or design, which allows it to be easier to have a wide array of different buyers and clients. Also, people may wear outstanding clothing to stand out from the others around them, or because it fits your personality. In the morning when determining your outfit for the day, you constantly think about what might look acceptable together and which other garments and accessories could match with it, which helps you become more creative. Fashion can help your creativity level. Next, fashion plays an extreme part in different cultures and religions. For example, Hindus occasionally wear white as a religious color. Some religions have rules for modesty and clothing helps obey those rules by covering the body as needed, to fulfill the feeling and appearance of modesty for that person. In addition, fashion can help with self-confidence. Children of younger ages wear different styles of clothing than the average adult, and same goes for adults and the elderly. If a child wants to feel more grown up, they may wear adult clothing to allow themselves to feel more mature, especially if they want to prove to others they are not the little kid they see them to be. For interviews and occupations, one may wear professional-looking clothes to give a nice first impression. Fashion is important in many ways and is a big part of every day life whether you realize it or not.

What is the "Fashion Cycle?" In your own words, describe each of the four stages and try to think of a clothing retailer (store) that might carry a clothing style at each stage.

A fashion cycle is the periodic return of specific styles and general shapes. Basically, the cycle is that fashions are popular, then fade off, disappear, and become even "unacceptable", and later return to popularity again. There are four stages of the fashion cycle. The first one is the "Introduction stage." During the introduction stage, a designer usually creates a new style and introduces it to the fashion industry where, therefore, it becomes placed as high-price garments. From there, upper class and wealthy citizens and celebrities purchase these garments to wear, because they can afford it and it allows them to stand apart from the rest of society. These people have enough money to buy these garments and dispose of them when a new style comes along. Stores such as Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Prada, etc, may have these expensive, high-quality garments available to purchase. Following this, there is the "Growing stage." Here, fashion becomes affordable to middle and lower class citizens in society and gains popularity with the general public. Eventually, the fashion can be seen among a wide variety of people as sales start to increase for it. Because of the high demand, major retailers all carry that style in various versions for different prices, in order to maintain the best business. Forever 21, Charlotte Russe, Pacsun, Hollister, and many more, are popular major companies that take styles and convert them into affordable fashions for the citizens in their areas. After that comes the "Maturity stage." In the maturity stage, people add these styles to their wardrobe because they start becoming more comfortable with it. During this time, the style is worn by most people and is recognized. Sales of this style are at it's very peak, and at the same time, trendsetters and fashion designers are focusing on the new styles and fashions to come. Stores such as Target may carry these items now, because the style is so common and someone discovered how to make those garments for really cheap prices. Lastly, is the "Decline stage". This is where the popularity of the style fades. Sales decline and since it has been worn by so many people for so long, it gets uninteresting and boring. Sale racks may contain these styles as the popularity comes to an end, and soon it will disappear altogether. H&M, Cotton On, and Papaya are examples of stores that may have these items on sale during the declining stage. That sums up the fashion cycle and after each of those stages, the cycle restarts!

Watch one of the NY Fashion Week Collections,. Click on the link on the class homepage then scroll down to see the list of designer shows under "replays". As you watch pay close attention to the details, colors, and fabrics, mood, etc. Then respond to the following: What show did you watch? Describe it. What did you notice? How did it make you feel? What do you think makes a successful collection? For the reasons you stated, do you think this was a successful collection? Add any other information about the show you watched that you think is important. Be sure to copy and paste the link to your Fashion Show on your Blog entry.

I watched the Jeremy Scott fashion show from 2015 New York Fashion Week. I noticed that all garments had pops of bright colors. In addition, Scott incorporated 80's styles into his clothing line. As the models walked down the runway, they walked differently than a "normal" model walk, in order to allow the tips of their blonde and brunette wigs to bounce up and down a few inches. The shoes on each female model were either ankle boots in plastic silver, white and black boots, or high heels in popping bright and neon colors. Several of the garments have shiny decals or materials that reflect light and catch the eyes of the audience more, and some are plain fabric. Some of the material on some clothing pieces seemed to be plastic or rubbery. I enjoyed watching this show and I really approve of the fashion line Scott has created here. This line made me feel happy and energetic, and watching the models bounce down the runway gave me a rush! This is something I would have designed because I am a huge fan of bright colors and interesting, different materials. To me, a successful collection is one who has a nice amount of garments (averaging around 25) and having all pieces match in some way, or fit well together. Jeremy Scott did a magnificent job with this 2016 collection. His collection was spectacular because he had an array of different garments, each who has the same color scheme and/or materials. Also, he had a theme and incorporated that theme and inspiration into each and every one of his garments whether it was a male or female model and piece. Adding to all of this, Scott took 80's fashion (the bright colors, the hairstyles and wigs, the jewelry shape and sizes, and the clothing styles) and incorporated them into modern outfits for society and the fashion world. This caught my eye extremely because of the insanely bright colors, the winged eyeliner and "Twiggy" bottom eyelashes. He even put in the bounce of the wigs into the show to make each model stand out a little bit more and catch the attention of the audience he is presenting to.

Here is the link to the Jeremy Scott 2016 Collection from New York Fashion Week:

http://newyorkfashionweeklive.com/jeremy-scott-replay-spring-summer-2016-show-2

Read this article about technology in this year's "New York Fashion Week." Why do you think this is important? Do you think this trend will continue? Why or why not?

2015 New York Fashion Week has introduced a completely new style of clothing to the world: Responsive Technological Garments. This type of clothing basically takes lights and sensors and incorporates them into dresses, active wear, shirts, and anything else, to be worn by any client who is interested and is able to buy. Of course, these are not on sale yet, but bracelets of this kind will be around the holiday season of this year. This trend is brand new to the public and is a lot of work to make, and a lot of money to buy. Regular citizens most likely will not buy garments of this sort because many do not make enough extra money to buy expensive items like this. The top clients will most likely be high class, wealthy people who have extra money to use to buy these outfits. Because of the fact that most middle-class people cannot afford items of this style, the idea may prosper but the sales will not be very high. On top of that, even if most people could afford this, a majority of people enjoy wearing subtle fashions to blend in with everyone else around them, such as normal jeans and a t-shirt or jacket. Avant-Garde people may be more interested in something like this because of the fact that buying it will help them stand out extremely among the rest of society. Since the majority of buyers will probably not be middle-class, the sales will be lower and it will essentially not be a trend. The fact that designers are incorporating technology and lighting into physically wearable items is a huge step for the industry and society, but right now I do not believe that the trend will continue unless the items were made affordable to lower class citizens in society.

What is the difference between retro and vintage? Please explain your answer using examples. Also, include one image of each (one retro and one vintage) on your blog.

There are two types of clothing that often get confused: Retro and Vintage. Retro refers to clothing that resembles styles from at least 20 years ago, while vintage refers to second-hand clothing with a sense of history. An example of a retro would be bell-bottom pants from the 60's, or poodle skirts, and even chiffon scarves. Vintage clothing, however, can be clothing items from thrift shops or other second-hand stores, or items passed down from older family members if they represent certain, specific events. Items of clothing in the "Vintage" category may be expensive depending on if the item was made by a famous designer or not, or if that piece of clothing was worn first during an important history event. Nostalgic people commonly choose to wear vintage clothing and celebrities do also, to stand apart from others.  Vintage T-shirts are popular in the modern teen generation.

                              

Retro                                                                                       Vintage

What current fashion trend do you particularly like or dislike? Why?

Currently, my favorite fashion trend would have to be the thin, flowy shorts widely worn by female teens and adults in this late month of 2015. These style of shorts, in my opinion, are extremely comfortable and can be worn for almost any occasion. I wear them to sleep, for a walk, for hanging out with friends, going to school, and just about anything else! In addition to being comfortable, they are loose fitting and breathable. This allows more leg moving freedom for the person wearing them, which helps with more and easier physical activity. Another amazing quality of this type of shorts is that they can be designed any way! There are an array of different colors and designs sold in different clothing stores. Lastly, they do not cost a fortune to buy. At clothing stores such as Forever 21 and target, these shorts sometimes range from about $9 - $15 for a pair, which isn't too shabby if you ask me. Their endless amount of designs, patterns, and colors allow them to be able to be paired with basically anything. When I wear these flowy shorts, I pair a designed pair with a plain halter top, in order to have the design on the shorts stand out, and vice, versa. Shorts of this style are extremely amazing to have and I strongly suggest going out and buying a pair... or maybe one hundred pairs because you will most likely fall in love with them. This is my favorite trend for the reasons above and trust me, if you buy a pair, you will probably go out and buy more!

What is Avant-Garde Fashion? Why do you think many celebrities dress in avant-garde fashions? What behaviors support your rationale?

Avant-garde refers to fashions that are innovative, extreme, and daring. These styles are common and popular with people who wish to stay away from mainstream styles and trends. Celebrities who desire more attention from others sometimes will wear such fashions. For example, Lady Gaga wears extreme clothing that most people would not wear. Miley Cyrus wears minimal clothing to expose her body from head to toe. Many other celebrities and even normal everyday people are avant garde in his or her appearance. These people choose to wear such fashions because since these are so extreme, most people would not choose to wear them, allowing these people to stand out and not be like everyone else. Avant-garde looks are not just clothing. It can be hairstyles, extreme makeup, or multiple tattoos and piercings. In most cases, avant-garde looks fade away throughout years, and new ones replace them. Sometimes avant-garde fashions become acceptable to society over a period of time. Again, many celebrities, such as Miley Cyrus and Lady Gaga, wear daring clothing to gain more attentions from society, paparazzi, the media, and other celebrities. They are examples of avant-garde.

What do you think makes a team function well together? Explain your answer and provide examples.

A team is a group of people that do one thing together. Everyone in a team has a part in what they, as a whole, are up to. For instance, a soccer team is a group of people who play soccer, train together, and compete together against other teams to win. A school club can also be considered a team because they work towards a goal or for a cause as a whole and each person has an important contribution to the team. Teams need some qualities in order to function well together. First of all, if there is no communication then no one will understand what is going on and plans might get messed up really bad. Also, everyone in a team should be open-minded. If everyone wanted to work independently, were competitive, and wanted to act on only their ideas and no one else's, then no one would get along, no one would communicate, and their plans and events might be at a lower presentation level then a team who shared ideas and compromised on putting some together in order to make their work more advanced and professional or fun. In addition, team members should all have an interest in the category of group, team, or club that they are in/on. If there is no passion, inspiration or motivation from anyone in the group, then the group will get nowhere and will make absolutely no progress. All members of a team should contribute to their group and it's cause. All in all, a team should have passion, inspiration, teamwork, and open-mindedness, otherwise it may not function as well.

What is a fad? What is a fashion? What is a classic? Give one example of each. Which do you prefer to spend your money on? Why?

A fad, a fashion, and a classic are completely different terms. A fad is something new in clothing that quickly becomes popular, although it is only for a short period of time. A fashion is a particular style of apparel that is popular at a given time. A classic is a style that remains in fashion for a long time. Personally, I prefer to spend my money on a fashion, which is a style that is currently popular with consumers. One could say I am hopping on "the bandwagon" by purchasing clothing items that a majority of others are already wearing, but I, myself, tend to be more of a trend follower than a trend setter. I feel more comfortable with wearing clothing that I see others wearing because it tends to allow me to feel as if I fit in more with them. Celebrities, magazines, movies, and TV shows are all contributors to the inspiring of others to wear different things. For instance, Kylie Jenner, from "Keeping Up With the Kardashians", is very popular in the celebrity world at the moment. Her clothing choices, as well as the common styles the rest of her family wears, have inspired many, from their makeup routines to their half-calf long, tight skirts. Wearing clothing that was inspired by celebrities or other popular items helps me feel better about my image, especially because when wearing these things, I feel as if I get judged less than if I did not. I do not choose to wear these types of clothing because of the fact I feel as if I fit in, but I wear things for myself because I feel comfortable in it and because I enjoy the way I look.

Why are leadership positions important for young people?

Leadership positions for young people help them in several ways from school to business and jobs, and even everyday life. Learning leadership skills can improve many things. For example, it may help one with public speaking if someone had to present an idea or project. In addition, it can improve one's ability to work with others, multitasking skills, and even leadership itself, such as running events or possibly a company. Leadership classes and opportunities can be beneficial to anyone, especially young men and women, and boys and girls. Starting early in one's life to learn skills in all areas of the "leadership" category can boost their ability to succeed in the business world as they mature and grow to be adults. In the business world, one needs to have good skill level in the categories mention earlier in this, and even additional ones too. Meetings and presentations require public speaking skills, partnerships and business itself requires a huge amount of communication, and the tasks assigned to a person could require multitasking. These are only a few of the skills beneficial to every day life and the business world. All in all, leadership classes and positions dramatically improve the skills needed for everyday life, especially in young people.