Life Advice from my Fashion School Teacher

Last week was the end of the semester for me, and it was exciting and even a bit nerve-wracking since it marked the halfway moment until I graduate from college. My favorite teacher this past semester, my accessories merchandising teacher, shared a few note-worthy words of advice with us as her final goodbye. She gave us some great tips, which apply to any and all majors, so I thought I was pass on her tips for succeeding in the real world.

1. Be nice. This is stressed by every guest speaker I have ever had at the Academy. Being nice can be extremely powerful and will cause people (the people who can help you grow in your job) to enjoy being around you and like you. Also, people in the fashion industry, and any industry for that matter, talk. If you were ever hard to work with or rude, the word will get around. Read more

Fashion School Diaries: First Styling

For my styling final, I had to create a six-look shoot that was part of one unique concept. The entire class built up to this project, giving me the tools, knowledge, and resources to conduct an entire shoot professionally. I had a blast playing stylist for the day and I learned some useful tips throughout the entire process. Come along for the journey as I relive the photo-shoot ups and downs. Read more

History of Jewelry in Fashion

My favorite class this semester at the Academy of Art University is Accessories Merchandising. I almost love learning about jewelry as much as I love buying it, and recently we covered the history of jewelry. Jewelry is such a fascinating topic on it’s own and learning about where it came from and how it changed throughout the decades was  truly inspiring. Since we all know that pretty much nothing is new in fashion, it is interesting to look at pieces dating as far back to the Ancient Summerians and seeing similarities in modern and current jewelry. As a potential jewelry buyer or anybody who may one day work with jewelry, it is crucial to understand how jewelry has transformed over the years. The following is a breakdown of the most important and influential time periods for jewelry. Read more

Touring Saks Fifth Avenue

I’m rounding out the last two weeks of my first semester at the Academy of Art and finals are looming. It seems like only yesterday that it was the end of January and I was shopping for supplies with monumental nerves about my first day. As I reflect back, it’s apparent two things have occurred over the last 12 weeks: I’ve worked my butt off and learned a lot. Read more

What Fashion Students Wear

With the sun finally making its way out, it has been so interesting to see how my classmates at the Academy of Art have been incorporating the latest trends into their spring wardrobes. Having a bunch of fashionistas as my classmates is incredibly inspirational because we all have our own individual style and wear things so differently. As self-proclaimed fashion junkies, we always like to be ahead of the fashion curve and wear the newest and latest hottest pieces. I have already seen so many ladies out there incorporating the newest fall 2011 trends into their spring wardrobes. Want to get ahead with your style too? Here’s how to mix in some fall trends and make it work for your spring wardrobe. Read more

Tommy Hilfiger Hits The Mark with New Fashion Campaign

The last time I wore any Tommy Hilfiger products was probably in junior high and even then it was limited to their Tommy Girl perfume. That’s how irrelevant and out of my mind the brand has been to me over the last 20 years. They’ve been around now for 25 years so needless to say they were in desperate need of a face lift. Finally sensing that they needed a change, Hilfiger hired New York based creative agency, Laird + Partners, a well known force in the fashion industry.

Hilfiger’s new interactive ad campaign encompasses much more than just a bunch of magazine photographs, which by the way, even left by themselves are pretty genius. If you go to their website, usa.tommy.com and click on the “Meet the Hilfigers” link, it takes you to four categories: On the Court, On the Green, On the Lawn, and By the Pool, all of which are represented in their ads. When you click on, By the Pool, for example, it takes you to all of the models represented in those ads, provides their names, introduces them, and provides a video of misc. shots in different outfits defining their style. Read more

Fashion School Diaries: Jewelry Metals and Stones 101

Being a fashion student definitely has its perks, such as getting all of the insider information. My Fashion Accessories Merchandising class always keeps my attention and this week we learned about metals and stones. More importantly, we learned about precious metals and the difference between precious and semiprecious stones and how to make sure that you are getting what you are paying for. Read more

A Taste of Fashion Design

One of the classes that I was most reluctant to take this semester was Fashion Design 1. Not that I am the worst drawer in the world, but I am much more interested and skilled in things pertaining to the business side of the fashion world. While creating and drawing a collection is not my ultimate highpoint, I have still learned a lot about fashion illustration and what it takes to become successful. Read more