Castle Dress, NYC, and an Announcement

I'm back! 

I took a nearly week-long vacation to New York and Connecticut and I finished making a new dress 1am, the night before we left!

Me and Max wandered around on Tuesday, one of the stops being Belvedere Castle located in Central Park West. It's pretty much just a lookout point disguised as a castle but fun nonetheless.

 Many people might not know, but Connecticut is actually my homeland. My family all lives in a quaint, New England town in Southern Connecticut about an hour and 45 minutes outside of New York City. In 4th grade, we actually made a field trip to the Statue of Liberty. I remember forcing my mom to come to the top with me, as at that point you could go up to the crown (they might have reopened the crown by now.)

I think memories like that make me want to become a New Yorker, though only time will tell really. I know it's cliche for anyone to live in NYC, but as a fashion designer it's quite difficult to do anything in Chicago unless you are your own startup, are extremely lucky, etc. I hate to say it, but Chicago is hardly a "fashion city" and it breaks my heart as I've tried to make it work for almost a decade.

 I actually love Central Park. I know most people go to the city for the city but you can easily get lost in the feeling that you're not in the city. It's a really great retreat. 

View from Belvedere Castle

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 This dress was whipped up pretty quick - I think you can tell just a little bit. I wanted something extra to wear that would be easy to sew and would include using any fabric scraps I had leftover. Ta da! You get this dress.

Stairs at Belvedere Castle

 The lace ribbon was actually an afterthought while sewing it up, but I think I makes the entire dress.

 We also stopped for a visit on the High Line in Chelsea which consists of old rail tracks that were turned into a garden, more or less. It was a nice thing to enjoy in the city.

The High Line, Chelsea.

We accidentally also wandered by the Chelsea Hotel while we were there.

 Max made me laugh while we were in a train car in Lower Manhattan all by ourselves. I really enjoy the seats that are ALL facing inward. Chicago has seats that go either direction, some facing inward nearby the doors. A few years ago, Chicago tried to replace their train cars with seats like NYC's and everyone made this ridiculous stink about it. I thought Chicagoans were nuts. You can actually see and enjoy the ride on these train cars.

 We also accidentally ended up in Times Square on the way home. It's near 42nd Street which is right by Grand Central, where we had to catch the train back into Connecticut anyway. I think Max had been there already (as had I) yet it was a nice way to end our day in NYC.



Where am I Going in Life? 

I wanted to make an announcement that this coming week I start as an intern with a Chicago fashion designer! It was quite a happy accident - let's just say that social media is your best friend, creatives! This blog was also a big help as it's a rolling portfolio in a way. I'm excited to work with this designer because our styles are quite similar and we share many of the same loves.

I'm not sure what that means for Manic Pop as far as the next 3 months are concerned but I'm hoping to learn a lot. I'll be working 6 if not 7 days a week at times as I must keep my current job. I'll probably have  little time for my own projects with Manic Pop, but we'll see. I have a few ideas in mind I would like to test out.

Thanks to all my friends, family, and followers for support! Manic Pop is not over, just on (possible) hiatus for a bit! But it's all in the journey of being a fashion designer. 

It's My Birthday!

Admittedly off to a rough start, I got myself dressed and am heading out for something for myself. Might be an Argo Tea, might be some flowers for the porch from Home Depot.... something.

 I'm alone for most of this birthday today, so I'm probably going to try to sew one last item before my trip to Connecticut which I'll be celebrating my 27th birthday with family... and Carvel ice cream cake!

For some reason, this dress just asks for a bouffant-ish hairstyle. I seem to usually have my hair like this whenever I wear this dress. I bought it long ago at Lenny and Me in Wicker Park though they have since closed.

Photo of me in this dress by Jane Chu, 2011.

See more photos from mine and Jane's photoshoot in 2011 here.

It's still one of my favorite vintage dresses!

I'll be in both Connecticut and Brooklyn soon, so I plan on using that whole week to splurge on myself for my birthday. That's what vacations and birthdays are for, right?

Be Social!

Hey guys! Just checking in - like Manic Pop over on Facebook for some extra goodies ( 100 likes just happened today!)

Manic Pop Facebook Page

 And say hi on Instagram!  @uniko509

Completed: Sunset Maxi Skirt

Finished what I am calling the "Sunset Skirt" last night! 

Ok, ok - I am faaaaaarr from a Photoshop expert. If you look hard enough, you can see a bunch of flaws. My advice? DON'T LOOK SO HARD.

This skirt is made from a very fine, stretch lycra. In retrospect, perhaps not the best fabric choice. The fabric shows every minor sewing issue and when you walk, it stretches in such a way that the fabric looks like it's a pattern issue with pulling. Also, the fabric store I go to - you have to take your choices. I originally was looking for a stretch jersey but didn't find anything I liked. I also had completely different colors in mind but couldn't find the hues I wanted.

I'm not beating myself up about it. This was my 2nd stretch knit fabric garment ever and it was my own pattern.  You may recognize the design from my Ultimate Manic Pop Collection board I did. I never planned on making anything from that board, but over time I really wanted this skirt.

Pattern making for the skirt.

 I took my skirt block and eliminated the darts. After all, this is a stretch knit pattern and darts are not necessary. However, you can't just eliminate the darts altogether - you have to slice off the intake. I just went ahead and did this on center front - the darts totaled to 1" there. On the back side, the darts totaled 2", so I also sliced that amount off the center back seam. Then, I drew my design lines.

 It really was that simple!

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 I added an elastic waistband at the top. This is important since it will hold the skirt up. Dummy me has only done elastic a couple of times in my entire life and what I really should have done is sew the skirt fully and THEN add the elastic, much like you would do a hem.

But this is what a sample is all about. You make mistakes, take notes, and attach it to the pattern. "Don't do this next time."

 In production, you typically have a few go'rounds of the same pattern. I've made 1/2 muslins, made corrections, then done a FULL muslin, and then after the sample is made, take notes again and edit the pattern. With this one? There was NO muslin. Hahaha. I like to fly by the seat of my pants.

I started the pattern on this April 30th, completed sewing by May 2nd. Three days?! I also only had one day off in between that time. This is my 4th original design/pattern this year already.

Finished skirt. 

I'm convinced my mannequin is a little thicker than I am because the fabric lays relatively flat on her. I hadn't really pressed the bottom at this point either.

During serging. Technically, I should have not even touched the sewing machine and just serged the whole thing, but my serger is sometimes iffy. I've ruined garments pretty well with it (and on the industrial ones at school) so I don't really jump to that thing first.

Another mental note: I should have continued the stripes horizontally across my butt and match up to the other side. That might be a pattern hack for next time.

 It was actually about 44 degrees Fahrenheit when we took these photos and had been raining. I was freezing, cars kept coming down the street... and I know my neighbors think I'm nuts! Haha. 

 

Another pattern and garment finished!

White Picket Fences

Yes, yes.... I know. I haven't finished sewing my quick-and colorful-maxi skirt yet. These things take time. And pattern making in between days I'm at work.

 FILLER POST! 

 

Not an original of mine, this dress was found for about $6 at the same super-secret location in Wicker Park. The shape on me is fantastic - giving me the appearance of a super-tiny waist. It's also my favorite fabric, polyester! This photo feels oddly late-90s for some reason - like I should be listening to Stereolab, or Super Furry Animals, or something. (I still listen to those bands.)

 Maybe you can see in this photo a little, but it sort of makes this upside-down v-shape under the bust. There must be a name for it, but I don't know what it's called. The seaming is the same on this dress from last year, oddly enough found at the same shop!

I'm not sad, it's the sunlight!

I've also had this purse since high school (at least 2003). It's from one of those department stores like Younkers or Sears and I remember a WHOLE TABLE full of them marked down to $9.99. I thought, "How come such a cool bag is so marked down?" People stop me and ask me about it now - if only they knew then!

Actually am not a fan of these shoes with this dress, but we were out walking around in the neighborhood and I wanted to be able to walk far. Unfortunately we didn't because it's now a little too hot at 83 degrees in Chicago. I'm a much cooler weather person, liking 50-70 degrees so it was too much for me to handle right away. Bah!

 And Percy! God only knows why I had sunglasses on inside today. Whatevs.

Hopefully the next post will be my maxi skirt, but no promises!

70s Vintage Floral Maxi Find

I found this vintage 70s dress today right after work (!)

 Our backyard is sort of atrocious. But when I moved in here almost 4 years ago we had weeds that were about 3 feet tall. It's been a battle to say the least but at least we have some flowers popping up in the flower bed along with some rhubarb near the corner of the yard. I typically harvest it and make a delicious strawberry rhubarb crisp with it! I usually have extra, so I do give to friends as well. 

So flowy!

 It's finally nice out in Chicago and I think this would be a fun addition to my Connecticut/New York trip coming up. It's a bit unlike my mod garb I like to wear, but different is good! Nice to change it up a bit.

Normally, this is a sort of a dress that I would hem, but I love it as a maxi in all of its 70s glory. I tried it on, not thinking too much of it initially and it fit perfectly. The only thing missing really is a wide-brim sunhat. I don't really wear hats though - they just aren't my thing.

The print is a pretty unobtrusive floral and it was a cheapie at $12!

Yep - that's it. I'm just addicted to buying vintage dresses.

What's in My Sketchbook?

Time for an edition of: What's in My Sketchbook! 

 People do a thing like, "What's in my bag?" and display all the items neatly but my bag is such a mess. It's like, wadded up receipts (at least one from Walgreens), about 3 broken pencils, Micron pens, and my sketchbook. My sketchbook is perhaps the most interesting. I'll be on the bus or train and suddenly scrawl in it and that's how the Sunrise Panel Top came to be - it was a doodle on the train one morning!

Next project: Contrast maxi skirt, potential colorways

Admittedly, I have a "schtick". Some might say a "voice".

One of those things is apparently putting these 3 colors together, but I can't decide which colorway I like best just yet, but it's definitely between the 1st 2. This was a quick Photoshop rendering tonight of my next project which I just bought the fabric for today - a stretch lycra. I might make my pattern for 2 stripes only instead of 3 stripes on each side. Who knows.

The other things in my "schtick", if you will, are included all throughout these sketches: contrast bright colors, stripes/paneling, zigzags. I love orange, have a thing for acid green, blue-greens, and 70s colors. Long story short: It's good to have a voice, good to be "known" for something. When I was in college and we would line our dressforms up for a critique I remember people being like, "Oooh, I know which one Nicole's is!" I'd be like, "You guys! I used different colors/different seaming/whatever!" but my pieces were nearly instantly recognizable.

If you're a designer, take the time to find your voice and your aesthetic. Really hone in on what makes your style unique and ultimately you. Never design for anyone else - it's your art. (Arguably, you might not make money designing solely what you want but that's not what it's about. Who really makes money as a fashion designer? Hardly anyone. Do yer thing and people will come around. Maybe.)

I guess I had in my mind that these were knitwear pieces. They could go either way.

Still might make this skirt. Orange/robin-egg blue.

Unfortunately, due to time and just overall abundance of sketches/things I want to make, these will probably never get made. But I thought these all were cool enough to send out into the universe.

I'll be heading out to New York/Connecticut in a few weeks to see mostly family so I wanted to make this maxi skirt before heading out there as a fun new thing to wear. Perhaps I'll get to take photos of me in it out in Brooklyn!