Ethnic Influences on Apparel Design

Designers are influenced by many things and a country's culture certainly plays a role in designing. Whether it be through mimicking a geisha, a muslim woman, or a beautiful African headdress fashion is always changing, but it always bringing us back to our roots.

"African influence is set to be 2005's biggest trend" says Fashion Capital's website. Patterns, prints, and cuts on the catwalk that year were mostly inspired by the beauty of Africa. Hair and makeup that year was kept lowkey to let the bold patterns breathe and speak for themselves.(1) Designers like Dolci and Gabbana and Fendi embraced this unique form of expression and put it into play in their line. Not only can specific designs be used as an example, but afros are ALWAYS in style. Even white girls try to pull off the afro by making it fashionable with some barrets and pins.

"Geisha influenced prints, patchwork prints, oversized painterly rose stencil style prints" were big in 2006 trends according to fashion-era.com. The colors of a geisha are as follows: black, white, and splashes of red. There are designs and clothes everywhere with that popular color scheme. In spring of 2006, Valentino had the geisha look with pale white faces and red/pomegranate lips on his models that year.

Trends of New York Fashion Week: Spring 2009

One of my favorite trends from New York Fashion Week was definitely the "Harem Pant." These pants are full throughout the hip and leg, but band at the ankle! They are fashionable and also, in their own way, comfortable looking. The band is extremely flattering to the calf and ankle. The "Harem Pants" come in all different fabrics, but the one that caught my eye the most was the velour-type. With global warming looming around every corner, I find these pants breezy and sensible. A woman can pair them with a slinky tank top or a long sleeved peasant top, like shown. Wedges, flats, sandals, tennis shoes...they all look great with these pants! Since the pants are the "most forward" piece of the outfit, accessories can be kept to a bare minimum.

Ethereal floral prints that popped were all over the runway this year. Too much floral is always aging, but these women look fabulous in their cropped jackets, babydoll dresses, and halter dresses. Prints like these are timeless, so I think that the silhouette is what always has to be changing with floral. The way the clothes are made and how they fit is innovative and constantly something to look forward to.

Jumpers, rompers, jumpsuits, anyone? I, personally, am a proud owner of several jumpers. I love the comfort of knowing that all I have to put on is one piece and then just embellish from there. Silky, matte, and even lustrous fabrics were used on the runway to add life to these jumpsuits. The designers went different ways on each jumper that I saw. Some are more urban than others. Some of the jumpers are dressy and cocktail-esque. I enjoy the more playful ones that fall just above the knee.

Organic and Environmental Friendly Clothing

My knowledge of environmental friendly clothing is not very vast. I've learned things about it here and there, but it has never been a staple in my mind. Currently, in my Textiles: Fiber to Finish class we are discussing alternative processes that reduce environmental harm. There are current alternatives to a process called retting. Retting is used to loosen the fibers so that they can be removed from the stalk. Chemical retting is where all the problems come in. It is used because it is the most efficient and fastest of the retting processes. It creates problems with water quality if the retting water is released into surrounding streams and waters.

I researched different companies online that produce organic clothing and one in paricular struck my interest. The name of the company is called Gaiam. Gaiam promotes yoga wear and comfortable organic clothes. They also sell home and outdoor furnishings that are eco-friendly. Gaiam has a special line of "Thoughtful Tees" that encourage environmental concern. T-shirts like "Cool It" inspire America's youth to be aware of global warming...its not a myth. This is a picture of a jacket that I liked because I find the color very unique and vibrant...unlike the economy which is grim and morose. I appreciate companies like this one because they hold a positive outlook that really comes through in their products.

My Favorite Designer and Why

My favorite designer is Heatherette. It is run by Traver Rains and infamous club kid, Richie Rich. The reason Heatherette clothes are what I would call my "favorite" is not because they're wearable or reasonable. I love them because they are extreme and outrageous. I'm not a plain jane dresser, but I definitely do not dress over-the-top like these guys. I almost idolize these dresses, corsettes, gowns, and bags because I know that I'll probably never be able to wear amazing pieces like this. I love the feeling of being one of a kind. Heatherette also has a line of streetwear for young women. Its not my favorite line of streetwear, but it is very popular among women my age. I like some of the fun pieces with ice cream cones and unicorns, but thats just because I'm a child at heart. I gravitate toward the more mature pieces. The colors are always different, but uniform with every runway show.  

Check out Heatherette's Spring 2008 Collection

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v-VdwRHSoPqDY&feature=related

Couture pieces give me a feeling of luxury and uniqueness. Sure, Heatherette may not be for an everyday working woman, but thats not what I want to be.