Done!

After years of studying, I am finally done. What I learned, which have been reinforced these past months, is that I would never be a machinist. I have great respect for those who can just whip up clothes but I am not one of them.

Here is part of my collection:

Model: Nicole Labianca
Photographer: SMB

Progress

or lack thereof.

So many things are just cropping up that's not making me happy. I have toiled and retoiled so many times, it's no longer funny although I'm trying to find the lighter side of things. But I have persevered so it's not that bad. I've found alternatives and my lecturers have actually helped me find solutions for them, for example, my final fabric for my dress was sheer so she recommended using gore to give it a bit of a weight.

My timeline states that I should have finished two outfits by now but I'm still in the troubleshooting stage. =(

The Heat is On

And I don't only mean the surprising summer weather this early spring but the stress level to do the graduation collection is on and increasing by the day.

I've ordered my fabrics and they have arrived with the exception of my wool which I've ordered from Michael's fabrics. They have limited but exceptional fabrics. They carry Armani and Zegna fabrics. They're a bit pricey but you do pay for quality products (I hope. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for the wool.) There's also the Fashionfabricsclub and they have more variety. They sell by the yard and not by the meter so essentially, I'm going to lose 10 cm each time. I haven't bought anything from there yet since I found a local wholeseller here. They're in Sydney but hey! it's local to me. =)

Two of my fabrics have been sent for dyeing and while I was told that it usually takes 11 days, I could expect the fabrics by next week.

All I need to do now is buy my threads and stock up on the appropriate needles. I know I should have ordered everything earlier, which I did, when I bought my fabrics in Shenzhen, but it turned out that I needed more. Two of the fabrics were sent for dyeing and the others, I'm using to toile my garments. I've already used up my wool elastane which goes to show that I didn't take everything into account when I did my plan. Well, now that I'm in the thick of things, everything should fall into place nicely.

It's Crunch Time

Haven't been uploading much as I've been so busy with school and work (and watching kpop videos on youtube).

Now, it's gotten busier since I have to do my graduation collection. I've done my initial toiles but now I have to do my final toiles (isn't that a misnomer?). Before I could that though, I have to clean the house. tehehehe. All the stuff that I've accumulated over the past months have piled up and the living room looked like a garage. It took an inspection notice for me to clean and tidy up and now the living room looks like a living room - nice and airy. =)

Tomorrow, I have to sit down and start working. No more procrastinating. =)

VIP Night at Myer

From 6.30 to 9 this evening, we had a special event for Myer One VIPs.

Designers who came in to mingle and to say something about their range were

Wayne Cooper

from www.stylepalace.com.au

Fleur Wood

from www.fleurwood.com

Teresa Liano of T.L. Wood

www.earthwatch40th.org.au

Kate Sylvester

www.katesylvester.co.nz

And I think I even saw Charlie Brown of Charlie Brown.

www.news.com.au

Sadly, there weren't a lot of people who came. I'm comparing that to the last VIP night they had one season ago. People must be saving up instead of splurging on clothes. 

Back from Hong Kong

I had a marvelous time in HK with my friend who was the most patient and indulgent friend I could ever had. Not only did she bring me around HK but she went with me twice to Shenzhen. =)))

I managed to buy 10 to 15mtrs of fabrics which I'm hoping will be enough for my collection.

The fabric place at Lo Wu shopping centre in Shenzhen

The loot from Shenzhen

Inside Zara Melbourne

on a Monday. At 3.30 in the afternoon. Women in a flurry and barely contained excitement.

Not even the long queue to the fitting room would deter them.

Inside Zara ground level

The queue to the fitting room

Cute but not enough to entice me to buy

Lots of cute, colourful and girly clothes but my sentiments are still the same no matter which Zara store I visit, whether in Europe, in Asia or Australia. It doesn't tug at my purse strings. =P

Zara fever

It appears the fever still hasn't gone down over Zara.

2 Saturdays ago, this was the scene outside Zara at Bourke St. Mall.

A few days ago, when I passed by Zara, there was still a steady queue of people going in even at 9.30 in the morning

Coco Rocha's Wedding by Gilbert Le

I stumbled on this on a blogger's website (www.rantingsofashopaholic). It's a short movie of Coco Rocha's wedding to James Conran. It was shot so beautifully and you could tell the couple truly love each other. I found it especially moving when James said his vows. It was so heartfelt, I could just melt. =)

July...come faster

I've ordered a swatch book from the Angus International I/E Agency in Hong Kong a few months ago. They claim to be the "purveyors" of the finest silk from around the world. The prices were competitive when I received the swatch book but then I received an email stating they were increasing their prices.

Since I've already booked my flight and hotel, I decided to still go and check them out. If I find fabrics at the right price, I suppose I'd buy them then buy the rest here in Melbourne.

At the same time, I can go visit my friend there and we can go to Citygate Outlet. I've always been a fan of outlet shopping and July, apparently, is the sale month in Hong Kong. yey!

Robert Clergerie

What's going on so far

I've been working and studying and saving like crazy since I'm going to Hong Kong this July.

I'm nearing my target amount, unfortunately, the shifts started dwindling as of last week. Couldn't really blame them as retail in general has gone down. Still, I did manage to save enough. =)

A lot of work plus homework

makes for one very very tired marsupial.

I finally had to request to cut down on hours this week and next week only because all my homeworks are due.

But after that, back to working.

=)

Tension

is our first project for Design 3.

So far, I haven't felt that yet. Been working and studying with nothing much in between.

School Work

Two words that can mean one thing but also two separate things. Words that dominate my life at the moment. Not that I'm complaining.

School started two weeks ago and so far I'm feeling positive about my lecturers. Sure, the rooms are small, much smaller than the previous rooms we have in the other building. The promised "small size" classes weren't really small as there were 19 of us in a room. Not good when everybody's going to be doing their graduation collection.

So far though, our lecturers have been very helpful and very methodical. =)

****

Today, I had to redo my bodice blocks to fit the mannequin. Finally, I learned how to properly transfer the calico design onto my block and alter the blocks. I'm slow but I finally get it. My sewing has improved as well though I still need to mark the stitch lines to serve as my guide.

Best thing is, I found a McDonald's outlet that had a McCafe that serves pastries for $1.95! Amazing. Now, I can have my sugar fill whenever I'm at school. Not good for the health but good for my psyche. =)

Aches and pains

and school to look forward to. Sigh.

So glad I followed my GP's advice and bought these compression tights. They help! A lot! They're made by Levante, an Italian brand exclusively distributed in Australia and New Zealand by Ambra Corporation. I bought the support factor 10 and support factor 12 (or was it an 8 and a 10?). The first was for when I had to work for 8 to 10 hours and the second for when I have to work for 10 to 13 hours a day.

My back no longer aches as badly and my legs don't get as swollen as they used to when I work more than 8 hours.

I seriously recommend it to anyone who works in industries where they have to stand up for a very long time. The material is sheer so it's smooth to the touch. =)

You can read more about it on Levante's website.

from www.levante.com.au

Back to Work, Back to School

Came back from the US on a Saturday and went back to work on Tuesday. Surprisingly, jet lag didn't seem to affect me much. In fact, it actually helped me wake up early. I've been doing mostly logistics work, dirty, sweaty job but hey! I quite enjoy the physical work.

Speaking of work, my plan of finding a full-time job didn't pan out so I decided to go back to school and finish the course. As if reading my mind, the school (new administration) sent the first assignment even before classes started. They forgot to send out the full class schedule though so I have no idea when I have to go back to school.

So I've been taking lots of photos for my assignment though I haven't really made any headway. Hopefully, that will change by next week.

And by next week, I hope to get me a new sewing machine. Yey! I initially wanted an industrial sewing machine since that's what we use in school but there's no space for it at home. Also, the prices are prohibitive (for me anyway). Instead, I'm now planning to buy a Bernina 350 and an overlocker. That way I get two machines for the price of what I would be paying for an industrial machine.

BCBGeneration shoes

Remember this pair of shoes? I just found out its style name: Impulse. It also comes in nude but I prefer black.

From US$118.00 to $99.99 to $89.99 to $71.99 excl tax.

For a casual look, I'm going to pair it with this outfit of mine. 

Back from my US Trip Part II

After Georgia, we flew to Florida, less than an hour's flight away.

After cold Georgia, it was a relief to finally have the sun on my face and feel the heat on my skin. What I did notice in both states is that the places are just so far apart. Wide open spaces. You definitely need a car when you're in these states. They say New York is different with its subways and proximity to almost any place. But I wouldn't know.

It was hard not to be reminded that we were in Disney World. Everywhere we looked, Mickey Mouse was there. But I didn't care. I wasn't there to go to the theme parks (though I did go to one), I was there to check out the shopping outlets. =) I went to Prime Outlet at International Drive (it's called Premium Outlet but locals still refer to it as Prime as there's another Premium Outlet at Vineland Ave.) and had fun browsing and buying things at Neiman Marcus Last Call, Saks Fifth Ave Off Fifth, Coach Factory Outlet, Calvin Klein, Guess, etc.

Since I wasn't the type to worry over being on trend, these last season's merchandise at heavily discounted prices, were a sight for me. One of the items I bought was this

I love the way it just envelopes my body. It's made of thin polyester (I'm not a snob; I do wear polyester) but mimics the feel of silk. And it's blue!

Back from my US trip Part I

Despite the long and sleep-depriving travel (about 26 hours according to Zuji but felt like more due to the delays), I enjoyed the brief and my first trip to the US.

I was only able to stay for 2 days in Georgia but I have no complaints save for the fact that Alpharetta was so far from downtown Atlanta. Then again, I suppose it's a good thing. I had a fun time listening to people talk. Their southern accent was just so lovely to listen to especially the African Americans. I had a chat with my taxi driver and he told me about the rich blacks and other celebrities who were living in the expensive suburbs of Atlanta. And how ten years ago, there was nothing but farm lands owned by red necks. Now, Atlanta is growing. There are lots of shopping malls and restaurants and the only thing missing are theatres to complete the cultural vibe.

African-Americans really have a way of talking and communicating. They are frank but they know how to throw in compliments. For some reason, I like the men better than the women though. I find the men so slick. They know what to say to hook you in. They make great salespeople in my opinion.

Talking about sales, I had the most amazing time shopping at North Point Mall. I went directly there the day after I arrived and went straight to Macy's. I had a domestic pass which I printed out and was told to get an International Pass at the Executive Office. I did and got a pass which entitled me to a further 10% off merchandise even those on sale.

So I went around and found this BCBGMaxAzria dress and a BCBGeneration pair of shoes. I forgot how much the dress cost but the shoes! The shoes were originally priced at US$118.00 (before taxes). On sale, it was $ 89.99 but after my pass, I got it for $70.00+ (I forgot the exact amount) (Side note: I had to work my head around adding the sales tax on top of the price. Since each state had a different sales tax, I just added 10% to be on the safe side.)

I saw another pair of shoes, in suede. It had a ribbon at the back which you need to tie into a bow otherwise, it'll be dragging on the ground. After walking a bit in it, I decided not to get it even though they were telling me they'd give it to me for a further 20% on top of the 10%.

Then, I visited Dillards and was amazed at the 70% discount they were giving! Whoah! But I only managed to buy just one item since the sizes just didn't fit me. But a few doors down at Ann Taylor, I scored two dresses at $49.99 each! Can you believe that?

But it wasn't all just for me. I also got V a shirt which looked great on him. =))

Looking for Work

While having breakfast at Vue Monde to celebrate a friend's birthday, we got into a discussion of what each of us were up to.

R was finishing her collection to have them photographed and included in her folio. Next stop for her would be London to get work experience.

H has been sending out resumes and still waiting for calls. Funny enough, she got a message on her voice mailbox from one of the designers in Melbourne. =)

J and T would be going back to school to finish the remaining courses.

As for me, I'm still waiting from the companies I've applied to. Some have already rejected me. Sad. But I'm still hopeful. =)

R's coffee at Vue Monde

The pastries at Houpton Tearoom

Our very crowded tiny table

Window shopping at GPO Building

Retail land...

has been slow after the new year.

Had a 3-hour shift early this week and got called for a 5-hour shift tomorrow.

Speaking of retail land, Myer, Harvery Norman and the Greens have banded together to urge the government to impose GST on all imports. The two retailers have been calling for this measure before Christmas when the strong Aussie dollar made online shopping in other countries (i.e. USA) cheaper. Bernie Brooks claimed that should the trend continue, part-time and casual workers would suffer as retailers would have to cut hours.

Now I work for a big retailer but I think the reasoning is a bit off. Retailers should have already anticipated this move by consumers. Consumers are a savvy lot. They can a smell a bargain a mile away and they know how to use the most out of their money / credit cards. Why else would sites like Scoupon, Groupon and all those other coupon based companies proliferate? With internet sites like net-a-porter, bluefly, yoox, Luisa Via Roma offering products online and even delivering to Australia, consumers are given the opportunity to buy things they wouldn't normally buy in Australia.

While being nationalistic and supporting Australian made products shouldn't be pooh-poohed, the government had made it difficult for Australian made products to compete with relatively cheap imports. I say relative as you get a good, quality made product, same as it would have been made in Australia, but relatively cheaper in price even if you factor in the shipping. Most people I've spoken to during my work placement days and even news articles have lamented that the artisans in Australia were not supported enough. A lot of the talents by the Italian and Greek tailors and dressmakers were not passed on to the younger generation or if they were, the financial support wasn't there. When overseas manufacturing became the norm, a lot of the factories here closed down as they couldn't compete with the cheap prices of overseas manufacturing.

France and Paris are still the forerunners in quality made products but even some of their companies have taken to manufacturing overseas. That's how things work. You either adapt or you lose.

In the case of the retail giants here, they should've seen how online shopping have now become a part of the shopping habits of consumers. It's a bit strange that Myer and David Jones don't even have online shopping in their web sites. And while taxing people who shop online seems like a desperate move, it's more the big retailers fault for sitting on their laurels. Yes, Australia is far, far away from most shopping destinations but that doesn't give a lot of the retailers the right to charge so much for the products they're selling.

It is unfair to compare online shoppers with that of retail giants' importation of products. Retailers buy in bulk which is how they get a relatively cheap price per product. Add the GST and other customs taxes and they still can mark up their prices so high as to make profit. Then they pass on that GST to the consumer to pay. Online shoppers buy a product individually and don't get a discount unless it's on sale. They pay the cost of the good and for the shipping. They don't make a profit out of their shopping unlike retailers.

And on the issue of staff losing hours, shouldn't that be a challenge on the part of the retailer? Don't employ too many people if you're not going to be cutting back hours in the long run. Make your employees happy by giving them decent hours, acknowledge their work and take care of them. Happy workers make shopping a happy experience.

Students' Works

Some of the amazing clothes the students made, presented during Melbourne School of Fashion's graduation last December 15, 2010.

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get the names of the designers of some of the dresses.

Hayley Archibald

Probably a 2nd year student's work

Karen Jeffers

2nd year couture student's work

2nd year student's work

Happy New Year

First day of 2011. We heard the fireworks but didn't see it.

Today, I spent the day working. It was only for 6 hours and I wanted to extend but I suppose they didn't have enough hours to give so I left after my shift. Had to extend a bit due to some things that needed to be done.

Now, V is trying his best to convince me to go with him to the US. I think he doesn't want me to go on an adventure of my own. hehehehehehe