Designer Confidential: Grandma’s Fabrics

Designer Confidential highlights the work of SU's greatest fashion asset: its student designers.

Junior Gareth Brown doesn’t have to travel far to get her work done. This year, the fashion design major has had the good fortune of scoring a house with enough space to set up a studio that she shares with her housemate, a fellow fashion major. The duos’ swoon-worthy space contains all the essential studio accoutrements and more. The brick walls of the room are lined with glossy, fashion books, a mannequin in the corner stands poised to display the girls’ latest designs and a sewing machine sits on a small wooden table, ready to stitch together masterpieces. Below a mood board covered expanse of wall sits a set of shelves filled with boxes of salvaged fabrics.

While working on her 3 piece Geoffrey Beene inspired collection, Brown finally had the chance to dip into this massive stash of vintage fabric remnants. “I was excited to use [the] fabric my mom and I have accumulated over the years,” says Brown. The look of Geoffrey Beene is evoked in Brown’s use of circular geometric construction; inspired by Beene’s own triangular construction technique. “I really like geometric [shapes] in general...” she explains.

Brown is also a fan of mixing vibrant, patterned fabrics with tweeds. Her latest collection fittingly features a variety of unique colors and prints. Her skirt for example features floral patterned sheen polyester and subtle taupe colored cotton, which together, encircle a luxurious navy velvet yolk. The skirt is finished off with a burnt orange lining that adds a tone of warmth to the skirt and the whole thing will be paired with a simple, solid colored top.

Brown further displays her finesse for intricate design in the construction of her outer garment, a unique jacket-cape hybrid. The two outerwear elements are connected via a panel tastefully stitched to the back of the jacket at the top. Brown plays again with patterned wools, this time mixing navy and taupe colored micro check wools with plain wools in the same color scheme. “I never design things that I wouldn’t personally wear,” says Brown. “I think that this [collection] is designed for a younger set of people but the cape is ageless.”

The design of her final piece, a dress, will keep with the circular construction of her skirt and match the shape of the yolk.

“I think I design for people who have an appreciation for something different and [are] attract[ed] to detail,” Brown says.

This past summer, Brown interned in the womenswear department of Lauren Brand a knitwear design company. There, Brown picked up tricks and tackled projects that she says she never would have done in school, including creating stripe layouts and adjusting flats.

“...I was... doing [more than] minimal work. I was a...part of the design team,” she says.

She also interned for Jill Stuart’s FW 2009/10 show, where she observed “...the process of Fashion Week and getting started.” She watched the whole season unfold, from the design conception, to the seemingly endless revisions, to the final product. She feels privileged to have been able to attend the final Fashion Week held at Bryant Park.

Brown says one of her greatest personal design accomplishments occurred early on in her design education. After successfully sewing her junior prom dress, which had “a million pleats,” Brown went on to design both her senior prom dress and her friend’s senior prom dress. For the first time she had to work with another person, and fit her designs to a client’s needs. Brown says this solidified her desire to work in the fashion industry.

“It made [fashion] less shallow to me. [My friend] was so happy and appreciative and I realized [that fashion could inspire] confidence,” she says.

It’s a good thing, too, that Brown decided to stick with this industry, since now those boxes of fabrics that she has saved with her mother over the years can be put to good use.

Her Dream Job: Brown wants to own her own design business rather than designing for someone else. “I wouldn’t want to have to stay true to a brand for the rest of my life,” she says. She is also interested in eco-fashion, specifically; finding new ways of producing fabrics out of wood pulp, recycled wool, and turning old clothes into fresh new pieces. While most designers rely heavily on referencing archived looks and historical costume, Brown hopes to make her own history.

Why you should look out for her: “Hard work is the most important thing to me, and if you work hard at something you love I think that you can take your passion as far as you want to go with it [and be successful],” Brown says.

Her Designer Confidential: The floral fabric she is using for her skirt originally belonged to her grandmother. These fabrics passed down to her make her looks all the more authentically vintage. Her designs are very personal to her, as they are also a part of her family history.

-Amanda Michelson

Designer Confidential: Menswear on Women

Designer Confidential highlights the work of SU's greatest fashion asset: its student designers.

Fashion student Maxi Britt is more than a little rebellious and unconventional in her approach to womenswear design. When she dreamt up her Geoffrey Beene Collection for the juniors’ draping class, she thought about the dust bowl era—oh, and men.

“I try to take parts of menswear and basically design...boys [clothes for] girls...[it] just [feels effortless] and sexy,” she explains. Much of her collection is sewn in tweed, a traditional men's suiting material. To soften the look, she juxtaposes the masculine fabric with flirty feminine ruffles.

The sides of her tweed skirt are flanked with patches, like those found on hunting gear, but with a twist. Done up in floral fabric and silk chiffon, these are decidedly not what you’d find on your Grandpa’s rifleman jacket. Details like these create an image of a woman that is a little rough around the edges, yet still girly.

Her gusto for paired-down elegance is also displayed in a tweed crop top with pleated chiffon across the bustline. Britt is still designing the outwear component of her collection, but has plans to construct a collared cape with pockets and a detachable hood.

Her collection’s color scheme will include earth tones to compliment the fall season. Britt quips, that from the buildings to the muddy surroundings, “...Syracuse is looking very brown to me.”

Because of the unique nature of her collection, Britt admits that her collection may be hard to market to large retailers, however fashion trailblazers will flip for her fun and experimental designs. Britt also relishes her chances to experiment as a designer. “Being a design student is the only [time] you have to be crazy and do something ridiculous and for yourself,” she explains.

Britt is very much inspired by classic American design, such as Halstons’ Heritage line and Ralph Lauren. In fact, she interned for Ralph Lauren, and did a stint at Jill Stuart.

“I’ve definitely [seen] that this is the industry for me,” Britt says of her experiences.

In collaboration with Tim Westbrook, a fellow arts major, Britt founded The Internation, a member-based company that helps students find internships. To join, students can e-mail theinternation@g-mail.com.

Britt is dead-set on a future in the fashion industry. For her, fashion isn’t just about expression, but the different ways that one piece can be interpreted. She says, “My clothes say something about who I am, but on someone else it could say something completely different. The body is a blank canvas.”

Her Dream Job: To design for Ralph Lauren. “The way that the company is structured is that all the [divisions of the] brand... are in the same place, so you can see what’s hot for children, men, and every [other] department,” Britt explains. She also loves that each collection tells a story.

Why You Should Look Out For Her: Britt has a sarcastic and witty demeanor. This sharpness translates into both her edgy designs and work ethic. “I’m very goal-oriented, so if I say I’m going to do something, I will,” she says.

Her Designer Confidential: Britt recognizes that students will have to fight their way into their desired professional fields and she knows the weapon for combat.

“Life is a competition,” she says, “But you’ll win if you don’t let the Man hold you back.”

-Amanda Michelson

Designer Confidential: A Mind for the Business

Designer Confidential highlights the work of SU's greatest fashion asset: its student designers.

Junior fashion design major Alexandra Greiner knows exactly what it is that sets her apart from the rest. In a sea of designers creating fast fashion for the bright, young, (jobless) youth Greiner is creating clothes for women set on upward mobility, as career oriented as the designer herself. “I look at trends and go the opposite way, or if I’m going to follow a trend I try to spin it in a...fresh and new [way]. My style is very tailored, for the power [driven] woman...”

For the Geoffrey Beene inspired collection so talked about in this column, Greiner draws on the designer’s love of sculptural haute couture and merges it with her rich, austere, sensibility. A prim black bustier, for example, is transformed with a ruched plume of material that fades from black to white and back again.

Greiner’s aesthetic permeates even the most straightforward pieces. A simple gray jacket she designed last year became a bold self-statement with the addition of sculptural details on the shoulders and waist.

Greiner draws her inspiration from nature, architecture, and period costumes. Her most recent collection utilizes all three elements in what she describes as a battle of “organic vs. geometric.” Her affection for the paired down silhouettes of the 1920s is also present in the collection. “I like creating interest with shapes and forms rather than [embellishments, like] embroidery or pattern,” she says.

An internship this past summer at BCBG redefined Greiner’s perspective on her future career opportunities in the fashion industry. “I got to see what type of job i’ll [be applying for] right when I get out of college. There are three levels: designer, assistant designer, and design associate. I’ll start out as a design associate, who basically just run errands for the designers.”

Greiner also had the chance to interview two designers currently employed at the fashion house.

“Both of them said that when they were in college they viewed [creating their own line]... as the ideal success, but once they got out in the real world they saw what huge [of an] undertaking [that] was and they didn’t want to risk their own money. They also said they didn’t think they had the business sense for it. I think what makes me unique is that I [understand] both the artistic and business sides of the industry”

Dream Job: To open a fashion house with a small, but devoted audience (similar to the studios of Helmut Lang and Jason Wu) or work as a haute couture designer at an established company like Chanel or Louis Vuitton.

Why you should look out for her: “My work is definitely not for the mass-market. It’s high end. My target market is established urban women in her 20s and 30s. I feel like a lot of style right now is very eclectic and you throw a bunch of shit on and its called style. I like it for our age group, but it’s not good for an older woman.”

Designer Confidential: “I love both the artistic and the business sides of the industry, so that will help me when I want to start my own line.”

-Julie Kosin

Designer Confidential: African Sunset

Designer Confidential highlights the work of SU's greatest fashion asset: its student designers.

“We’re exiting an era ...[of] skin tight fits,” says junior fashion design student, Samantha Davis. For Davis, loose, draped fabric is the new tight mini-skirt.

In her collection, Davis will play up the simple beauty and style of quality fabric while eschewing the popularity of suggestive wear. Her target audience for the collection is young but broad; women ranging from teenage-hood to their early thirties, who love cuisine, fine music, traveling, and are discover-oriented, David explains. She believes that as sophisticated women, they should leave a little to the imagination, and instead, showoff the beauty of immaculately detailed clothing.

While emphasizing sophisticated modesty, Davis will be drawing on Geoffrey Beene’s classic method of draping and constructing directly on the dress form. “He embraced the way a fabric moved and the way the female body moved and combined it in a beautiful way,” she says. Her goal is to create, “a simple form with exquisite fabric, and...embrace the natural qualities of the material.”

The form of the garment isn’t the only thing Davis wishes to keep unfussy. “I’m sick of bold colors…” she says, “…they’re everywhere. I’m thinking more natural, like an African sunset.”

In fact, her collection has subtle but noticeable African theme going. One of her key fabrics is a sheer georgette with a giraffe-like print which she will layer over a neutral blush ultra-suede cloth with a plush velour finish.

The bodice will be fitted using a princess seam over the apex, leading to the statement of the piece—a large, three-layered drape over one shoulder that will cascade over the side of the body. Drawing again on her fascination with the organic world, the three-layer drape will mimic the undulating look of a continual wood-grain pattern, or the spiral of a fingerprint.

Davis’s skirt is another demonstration of her desire to play-up up the strong tailoring of her designs. True to her word, she keeps the form simple, creating a pencil skirt that will fall just above the knee. On both sides of the skirt Davis will make slits; a feminized rendition of the cutouts found on Nike athletic shorts. Like the bodice, the skirt will have one strong focal point with braided trimming, and cording embellishing one of the slits.

She is still finalizing the design of her jacket, but is certain that it will involve a statement collar. “Outerwear should be just as exciting as what’s underneath. It should speak with an explanation point and not a period...” Davis says.

Davis is fascinated by patterns and shapes and seeks out inspiration in the world close at hand. Even the shadow of trees on the night sky can resemble a human silhouette, she says.

Ironically, she is also inspired by poorly constructed clothing and constantly envisions ways to make store bought garments better. This desire to rid the world of cheaply manufactured clothing motivates her to keep designing. A fellow designer working next to her interjects, “She is such a harsh critique [of people’s work and her own].”

Davis has a minor in marketing and is not entirely set on working as a designer. Nevertheless, she has a strong passion and appreciation for design, which speaks loudly in her method of emphasizing fabric over flesh.

Her earthy collection parallels her down-to-earth, warm and friendly disposition and the subtle, safari-like theme is bound to make the audience go wild at the fashion show.

-Amanda Michelson

Designer Confidential: Say Yes to the Dress

Designer Confidential highlights the work of SU's greatest fashion asset: its student designers.

Joshua Eder, 20, may be a design student, but his artistic talent goes beyond the threshold of sewing and construction. For a project given to him in Professor Claudia Gervais’s Draping class, Eder draws on theater, traditional art, and fashion to produce a collection thriving with artistic passion. Students are required to construct three matching pieces for the collection—a top, a skirt, and an outer garment of their chose. The assignment will culminate in a student-run fashion show held on December 2nd at Bounce, a local boutique.

A dedicated student of the Arts, Eder began his college career as a Theater Major, before transferring into the Costume Design program, and most recently, joining the Fashion department. In his collection, Eder translates the style of Victorian theater into modern couture. His top, for example, will feature feminine lantern sleeves, sewn in black and pink chiffon. “I’m combining both...[the] aesthetic of Geoffrey Beene (a secondary requirement of the assignment) [and] that painting...to [inspire the] collection,” Eder says, gesturing towards a copy of Giovanni Boldini’s "Spanish Dancer at the Moulin Rouge," a portrait of a woman in a flowing black and white gown. “I’ll be doing a lot of intricate lace work [as well]."

Despite his taste for traditional Victorian design, Eder gives the top modern sensibility, morphing the bodice into a sultry, yet elegant corset. Constructed with coutil fabric that won’t stretch or wrap, straight boning and spiral steel, the corset hugs the body tightly.

To achieve the coveted hourglass silhouette, Eder's corset is designed with a waist cinching clip in the back. The flattering clip also serves a practical purpose .“[It]...takes stress off of the zipper so that the zipper doesn’t pop,” says Eder, as he and a classmate reminisce about a wardrobe malfunction that occurred at last year’s fashion show.

Accompanying the top is a short, fitted black jacket with a collar and two buttons. With its simple shape and classic lines the jacket will help balance and tone down the free-flowing chiffon. Eder will finish of his look with a short, chiffon circle skirt. “I’ll be playing with piping, chording, and all that fun stuff,” Eder says.

Eder’s “playtime” however is no joke. Last weekend alone, he spent 36 hours at the warehouse working on his collection. The hardworking designer has also already landed two internships; making patterns for designer Rafael Cennamo, and altering wedding gowns for TLC's hit reality show, “Say Yes to the Dress.” In fact, Eder’s true passion is bridal design.

With his knowledge of theater, artwork, and fashion, Eder stands out as a multi-faceted designer. Syracuse’s girls may want to stay in touch with Eder for that special wedding day in years to come, as his beautiful, feminine, and elegant work will surely look gorgeous flowing down the aisle.

-Amanda Michelson

Designer Confidential: Breaking the Mold

Designer Confidential highlights the work of SU's greatest fashion asset: its student designers.

Although sophomore, fashion design major, Christina Riggio is still learning the basics of being a designer, she already knows exactly what she wants. “A lot of people say they want to be a famous designer, but my aspiration is to work for a famous designer. I would love to be a creative director at Ralph Lauren or Donna Karan,” said Riggio.

Riggio is heavily influenced by contemporary fashion, drawing inspiration for her sketches from magazine spreads and the latest runway collections.

“My favorite designers are ones that can develop, and not use the same design [concept] over and over again. Like you look at Ralph Lauren, and this season he did...fringe, [a] kind of cowgirl theme...You['d] never think to do that,” said Riggio.

For this reason, Riggio favors the on-trend but innovative designs of Stella Mccartney, Oscar De La Renta and of course Ralph Lauren. Right now, Riggio has several projects in the works, one of which is designing a ten-piece collection drawn on the classic American designs of the late Geoffrey Beene and the modern eco-luxe looks of Danish design house Noir. Both are known for their use of organic fabrics.

“You can’t use any stretchy materials, or knits or polyester. You can only use silks, cotton, or chiffon; nothing made out of synthetic fibers. I’m using see-through chiffon over this gorgeous pink silk. The whole collection [has a] sheer, cut-out look.”

Through all her designs, Riggio keeps the basics in sight, emphasizing "color and fabric" because she wants to be unique.

"I really want to make something that stands out,” she said.

Dream Job: Creative Director at a big fashion house, like Ralph Lauren or Donna Karan.

Why you should look out for her: She was one of a select few Freshmen chosen to have her designs featured in last year's "Cents 'n Sensibility" fashion show, with two of her pieces making the cut.

Designer Confidential: “I made my prom dress. I used a very slippery silk and I really didn’t have any intense sewing skills, but I made the dress on my home sewing machine and wore it [anyway]. I was really proud...”

-Julie Kosin

Fashion Czar: Dressing the American woman

Fashion Czar is a weekly comment from the Editor, Phillip Crook.  

Jaunt over to your local department store’s menswear section and you’ll enter a wonderland of professional male dressing, with fitted lavender button-downs, blue patterned ties and gray pinstripe suits by label Geoffrey Beene.

Tragically, what you will never see amidst the accountants’ uniforms is any reference to the innovative couture womenswear that made Geoffrey Beene a revolutionary American designer in the 1960s.  

Make an additional outing to SU’s Fashion Design department, and the only Geoffrey Beene suits you’ll find are ones that come with skirts.

Pulling nine pieces from the Sue Ann Genet Costume Collection, the department created a small retrospective of Beene’s womenswear to keep his work alive in the minds of its design students. The exhibit is on display in the Leon Genet Gallery on the seventh floor of The Warehouse until Jan. 7, 2010. 

Smartly juxtaposed with the industrial white walls and concrete columns of the gallery, the collection displays Beene’s use of fabrics, from a stiff lace to an airy cotton to a minute silk weave. 

Contrasting further still with the blank canvas-like room, Beene’s range in color includes electric pink, black, peach and a daring plaid combining orange and green. 

But material and dye are merely the perch from which Beene’s genius takes flight.  

What the exhibit effectively captures more than any other aspect of Beene’s 40-year career is the way he understood shape. In a matter of four mannequins, you’ll see a décolleté V-neckline, a pleated A-line skirt, a sleeveless sheath tiered with lace ruffles and an enormous collar folded over and coming to a point at the back of an evening coat. In the last case, imagine Dracula as a woman in the `60s dressed for a night at the opera, and you’ll know how playful Beene could be.  

Through such detailed and evocative pieces, the small collection swiftly delivers its message: here was a designer whose taste made the case for American couture when Europe ruled the runway.


- by Phillip Crook