nan kempner

american chic.

something tells me that she most likely never ate bojangles in her life.

DwellStudio

when I first read that christiane lemieux from DwellStudio was coming to lecture at SCADStyle I was instantly so excited. Their overall designs and diversity of their products are pretty much genius. It is the perfect mix of modern, simple and cozy prints using vintage inspired colors. The most beautiful colors, I might add. Just all in all, extremely pleasing to the eye.

I've been a sucker for bedding and pillows since I was 10 years old. I remember one summer my Mom rewarded me for being a good kid by surprising me with a whole bedding set from Pottery Barn that I had found in the catalogue and mentioned that I liked. It was all white, with tiny embroidered butterflies and flowers and two decorative pillows that each said "Summer" and "Spring" (I think? I can't remember that second pillow). It was already set up on my bed in my room when I got home from school. I still have that set and always remember how wonderful it felt to see it there on my bed when I was a kid.

Another time, i was in 7th grade and extremely awkward and my Mom gave me the opportunity to re-do my room. I just remember that being the first time I really was able to be creative and hands on with something like decorating. I chose to paint the walls of my room a bright perri-winkle and bought bedding and other pieces in the room to match it (the theme was light green and purple) I loved it and I remember it making me feel (for the first time, really) that sensation you get when you've created something for yourself that you like.

When my parents got divorced, one of the things that really made the whole "mom's house/dad's house" thing easier was that every once in a while my Dad would treat me to picking out different bed spreads and pillows for my room at his house. We'd go to Target or wherever, and he'd let me explore the aisles and pick whatever I wanted. I'd be thrilled and after we'd go out for our Friday night dinners, I'd rush back to his house to re-decorate my little room there. It made the huge change that I was going through a little more exciting and less scary. I feel like those are just some of the little things that my parents did that has really influenced who I am now. Even if it was just letting a braces-wearing awkward pre-teen pick out her own bedding.

As Christiane spoke about design and how she started her business, I got goosebumps. I think I got goosebumps for most of the lectures but especially hers. She started in fashion but realized that she'd like to explore the area of home decor and after about 4 years with working experience after Parson's, she started her own business out of her apartment. Now that is a $20 million business that has spread all over the world and even selling a diffusion line at Target. Still, her designs seem to have stayed true to her whole philosophy of bold patterns, bright colors and functionality.

Christiane encouraged us to use blogging, etsy, and other social media outlets to get our work out there and to even create a website to showcase our work/resume instead of having it on paper. She even mentioned one of my favorite bloggers/jewelry makers For Me, For You and shared that she was once a DwellStudio graphic designer.

Also, another thing that Christiane explained was that design is so porous which is something that I've been learning this past year being at SCAD. Once you develop an eye for design or figure out what it is that you love, you can go for it in all areas. If you love fashion design, it can easily translate into graphic design, interior design, packaging design, furniture design, etc. As long as you figure what your eye loves and work on improving it every day, you can basically do anything if you try. That's something I love hearing because although I love studying fashion, there are so many other things in design that I want to touch on in my career/life. So her transition from fashion to home decor was inspiring and it was great to see how easy you can float from one to the other.

I want to work there! Or at least get an internship? This is something I made a mental note of. The whole thing gave me a warm happy and feeling.

Most importantly, check out how adorable and beautiful DwellStudio's products are. The baby stuff? I can't! So cute.

chanel & hermes. two peas in a pod.

i know that these two bags are the stereotypical fashion girl bags but come on. they are just timeless and beautiful. sometimes when i'm supposed to be doing other things (i'm looking at you french baroque art history study notes), i dream about being able to afford to buy both of these. that dream is right up there with owning my own house, business/a great career, having my own family, etc.

yesterday at kelly cutrone's lecture she said "make your own money, so you can sleep with whoever you want". but really, kelly, i want to make my own money so i can spend $2,000+ on a bag (with tons extra to spend on other things.) and no one can tell me no. bags rule.

x_x

y'allz is it just me or are all of these people kind of hot? they were all somehow involved with the assassination of lincoln. more here. WHO DOESNT LOVE A BAD BOY, RIGHT GUYS?

i should be studying more for art history but of course my brain is thinking of 9,000 other things (like Lincoln's murder? who thinks of it at a time like this!)

"design with retail in mind"

I didn't think I'd be able to make this third lecture tonight but wound up attending anyway (along with my marketing class). The focus was about designing with retail in mind, so initially I jumped at this idea because retail is a huge interest of mine. It was a panel discussion with House Beautiful magazine's editor in chief Robert Rufino, Dallas boutique owner Brian Bolke and fashion expert Jaqui Lividini.

Alright, so this is going to be a not so glowing review of the lecture. The whole thing really put a bad taste in my mouth for some reason. I felt as if their tones and attitudes really reflected a certain bitterness and elitism that you always hear about in the fashion industry. They were there to, I suppose, inspire us as students and educate us but I felt as if they were stuck in their own bubble.

They did say some things that I felt were valuable but mainly, it made me think how the fashion industry is changing so much. It is evolving and it is becoming easier for people, with perhaps less social status and less of a bank account, to steal their jobs. They seemed to really roll their eyes at the fact that bloggers exist and that people even read blogs. They threw around the words "fashion authority" a lot which made me feel weird. Fashion authority? RELAX. I also heard the sentence "Going to Paris to pick out clothing for my shop is like, the hardest job in the world". I looked around to see if I was supposed to laugh or nod my head in agreement. The hardest job in the world? RELAX.

The three of them were in their own little world and I felt that they had no interest in really stepping out of their world to help the students and I realize this because they know that everyone in that room, and everyone with their blogs, are waiting in line to steal their spots. Quickly. They let that insecurity show.

They frankly made me feel embarrassed to want to be apart of fashion because they made it sound so superficial and as if it were truly the only thing in the world. Talking about struggling between if green or blue is big that season and other things that make me cringe when it is spoken in a way that makes it sound like we're talking about strategies in Iraq. I didn't get that feeling from the other lectures, so it's okay. Fashion is a a business, but style is personal. It's something that i love so i'm willing to work hard to make it a career. There are so many elements to the industry that I am learning about. It isn't all fun and games but it's not rocket science.

I must say there were some interesting points (Brian Bolke was cool) but their attitude made me not even want to listen. They clearly are successful and know what they are talking about but they just seemed old and bitter to me. Go retire somewhere so the next generation can take over, please.

BAST FRANZ

okay i am posting this as an official warning and/or announcement that my best friend Abby and I are planning on collaborating on a blog together.

It will be filled with our thoughts on everything from LIFE, MUSIC, GIRLFUN, COMPLAINTS, BABIES, LOST LOVE, DESIGN, HUMOR, BURGERS/FOOD, and DREAMS! (and everything in between) Basically it will just be a big pile of sarcasm and will be a strengthening tool for our friendship since we have to use WORDS to be best friends now that we are so far from each other. Maybe it will get us a book deal! Take that Lauren Conrad! Two witty best frans from New Jersey are comin' to get cha.

Basically, we get a kick out of each other and want to chronicle our ways of life and the way our brains work. Who cares, right? WELL HOPEFULLY EVERYONE! stay tuned.

amazing.

i'm going to try and keep this (somewhat) short (but not really) and sweet because I feel like I could write a whole trilogy on this but i'd like to share with you all about today's SCAD Style events. I wrote about this 2 week long event before but to make a long story short, SCAD put together a bunch of different events each day for about 14 or so days, filled with lectures and panel discussions from some of the greatest minds in the fashion and design world.

yesterday was Fern Mallis (the HBIC of Fashion Week), which I unfortunately missed. However, today I was lucky enough to see Kelly Cutrone's lecture which was followed by a panel discussion by vintage expert & owner of Decades Cameron Silver and Vogue contributor and author Derek Blasberg.

Um. Can I just explain how inspirational and wonderful it was? I mean, it wasn't like these events were three hour long workshops or something. It was kind of 'in and out' but every word out of their mouths were just so educational, smart and motivating.

Kelly Cutrone was just as wonderful as I thought she would be. Very to the point, honest, hilarious, full of enthusiasm and support. She had such great advice for all of us and also shared some of her opinions on different things going on in the industry. Since it was so crowded, I didn't get my copy of her book signed. I almost felt like I wanted to cry during it (SHUT UP) because it just made me feel like "holy shit.....this is school?"

After about an hour break in between, I was ready for more. Cameron Silver and Derek Blasberg were so cute, hysterical, and smart. Cameron's story really touched me because he started his own vintage boutique which is something I dream of doing one day (in my own way of course) and his advice was extremely valuable. Derek had me cracking up which made me want to purchase his book immediately. He had great advice about working for different publications and they expelled some false ideas about how working in the fashion industry is. It's not like "a big gay space ship like in Ugly Betty" was an exact quote from Blasberg's mouth. Perfect.

I, of course, had to purchase Blasberg's book "Classy: Exceptional Advice for the Extremely Modern Lady" and had him sign it. He was so sweet and I told him I was going to neglect all of my schoolwork to read it ASAP and he said that's what he likes to hear!

All in all, a wonderful, indescribable time. And there are more to come! I will be writing about the other ones I attend as well. I just feel like this is a dream. That is all.

Next on the list : DwellStudio lecture on Thursday afternoon! This one is extra cool because no only do I love home decor & babies but this lecture is taking place down the street from my house.

nails

this is a picture of a stranger person's nails i found on google image search.

So, i'm the worst at maintaining/caring about certain girl things like pedicures and manicures. i can't relate to when I hear a woman say "UghHh it's been 2 weeks since my last pedicure! im so gross!". Frankly, the bottom of my feet are covered in black dirt from walking around my house/my porch with no shoes on/wearing the same dirty shoes all the time SToMpIN ARoUnd AwL oVer TowN. Seriously, it's gross but it doesn't bother me all that much unless I really take a look. Then it just makes me nervous and I cover them with my blanket or forget they exist. This is mature and healthy.

My hands are a little better but not by much. I'm not at the 'rubbing your palms together really fast so dirt comes off of them' point like what all the cool kids did in 2nd grade (remember that? was that just my class? was that just the boys I had crushes on? the dirty ones? oh.) Infact, they're pretty clean but let's not push it. My nails are chipped and bit and just a big old weird mess. I'll paint them every now and then but the colors chip off and are sometimes left on until there is literally a speck of pepper sized dot of color in the center of my nail.

So naturally when it's time for me to pay attention to this shit, I go to the best of the best to get it done. I pick up cheap bottles of weird colors at Urban Outfitters for 5 dollars and they chip off in ten minutes, or like today, i go to the Haven of All things Rich, Unique and Elegant.....Walmart.

Walmart has their own brand of nail polish called "Pure Ice" (mmm doesn't that name just make you tingle with dollar signs?) and every bottle is $2.oo. I found the coolest neutral, creamy silver color that I'm dying over. It's called "Kiss Me Here". What a dumb name but whatever.

I tried finding pictures of it online, which brought a ton of nail polish blogs to my attention (who knew) but the only pictures I found were of other people's cracked weirdy hands modeling the polish. And although that photoshopped sparkle on the nail really makes me want to dry heave, that picture above was the most normal set of hands on there(no offense, everyone. i know i'm not one to talk)

But anyway, doesn't that color rule? I put on three coats cause I'm a big girl now and I'm going to sport this color on my nails until the bottle is literally empty. Mii handz are readi fer summer.

Speaking of summer..I'm officially staying in Savannah for ten weeks (after being able to go home for a month, and then another couple weeks after the ten weeks are complete) and i'm happy about it. This weekend ruled although today didn't that much. Enough of that though. This isn't a sad girl journal or anything!

ugh

fuck mondays.

sigh

these two kill me. so cute.

finished

after taking it apart and re-doing it 4,0000 times, working on it til 230am on thursday and lots of anxiety, i am done with my first garment!

dont judge part 2

here is a bit of an update on the progress of my dress. planning on sprucing it up more during studio time tomorrow morning and then hopefully finishing it by friday morning. I changed up the deep-v and added layers of black lace instead of cris-crossed strips of fabric (too slutty). this past weekend i removed most of the pins and hand sewed everything I could but need to finish the back, trim the tulle, and hem the bottom. i've got a lot to do.

more to come.

!!

what a great kitchen. i love the colors. c/o of the lovely Design is Mine

yeah, you're the re-occuring kind

yeah, i still like bright eyes. when did it become so UnCoOL to like bright eyes, anyway? what's the point? it's good music. it was years ago and it still is, so shh. this song is a favorite and just came on my itunes while i was laying in bed trying to sleep. the lyrics are so wonderful and remind me of something in my life that always keeps popping up, year after year. the re-occuring kind..it is not a bad thing. it's a nice memory, a nice person from the past, that won't seem to fade away. i don't mind it.

?_?

here is a little questionnaire that a bunch of other people were filling out so i decided to also complete it while i'm waiting around for 4pm to hit (meeting with my advisor to go over taking extra classes this summer and then taco tuesday with my palz)

1. When do you feel happiest?

I think that it changes all the time and I feel happy a lot of times. Mainly, if I am outside in nice weather, surrounded by beautiful buildings/flowers, downtown savannah (night or day) with friends having fun, or even wandering around with my ipod in my ears. Or even going on a drive around my area in new jersey listening to music, listening to my little nieces talk, sitting on my porch, spending one on one time with each of my parents, sitting in bed with my windows open reading, seeing a great concert in a small venue, watching dogs and babies, good iced coffee/tea, good food, my family. i don't know! a lot of things make me feel happy. i can't pick one!

2. How do you take care of yourself?

um, i don't know. i don't smoke, i drink once or twice a week, eat whole wheat/grains, lots of water, not as many chicken fingers as i'd like, soda once a week, walking, i do yoga stretches before i go to bed and when i wake up hahaha. whatever! i'm not all that healthy but i'm pretty well balanced and happy.

3. Are you internally (by yourself) or externally (by others) motivated?

i'm a mix. the more i grow, the more i realize that i am a total only child (although i have 4 older siblings. they are much older, so i was basically raised as an only child). i love alone time, i love motivating myself, doing things myself. my first word was 'self'. However, I am motivated by others especially when I see someone doing something really cool that I want to try or if everyone else is getting better grades than I am, it makes me want to step my act up a bit. I like picking ideas off of people but putting my own twist on it.

4. What do you do for fun?

walk around savannah, go for drives, go out to bars once, maybe twice, a week, watch movies/bad tv shows, hang out with friends, sit on my porch, cook, read, listen to music, write, drink wine, think about interior design, sketch, go thrifting/flea markets/garage sales, travel, etc. i guess i'm boring but it works for me.

5. What intimidates you?

unfriendly people, teenagers, people who do things better than me/arent helpful about it, los angeles, and that's pretty much it.

6. What is something you're proud of?

well, i'm pretty young but i guess i'm proud of the fact that i go out and try to get things/make things happen to the best of my ability. i don't really sit around and wait for things to happen to me. also, i'm pretty vocal about how i feel about certain issues/situations. i don't let people walk all over me, i don't play dumb, i don't act like nothing is wrong when something is wrong. i have a filter sometimes but a lot of the time i don't. :)

7. Finish this sentence. I never _____________ run. oh and also, i never eat seafood.

8. Favorite vacation spot.

Basically anywhere in France and also my house on Long Beach Island.

9. Today is a (rate from 1 - 10).

it's just the middle of the day but i'm going to say it is a 7 or 8! i don't know why. it just is.

10. Finish this sentence. If you knew me really well you'd know _____________ I'm really sensitive.

scad style week 2010

This time last year, I distinctively remember sitting at the King's College library in Wilkes-Barre, PA, writing a paper on the computer for some subject I don't even remember. In between typing pages and pages of whatever, I kept perusing the SCAD website looking at the list of people set to appear and lecture at SCAD Style Week. I remember reading the names of these powerful and influential people in the industry that were going to be there and with each one I went through, felt more jealous and upset.

It's like that dream or scenario where you're struck somewhere and the world is moving around you so fast and with such excitement but you can't get to it. I was stuck at a college in the middle of nowhere, with an acceptance letter to SCAD for Fall 2009 but still no way of possibly attending this great event.

This year? It's a whole other story. I finally get to go. Not to brag or anything but...is this list of people not amazing? the full schedule is on the website i featured above (I believe some are open to the public so if you're in the Savannah or Atlanta area, look into it!) Here are the ones I will absolutely try and attend:

kelly cutrone, fern mallis, derek lam, michael bruno, chris benz, kelly framel (of one of my favorite blogs the Glamourai), the screening of Handmade Nation, keegan singh, and last but not least, Hammish Bowles!

This will be a busy week but i just don't care. I can't wait to hear/see all of them. My, how things can change in a year. (I think that's the main idea for this blog.)

its just a dream he keeps havin'

this is one of those songs that has this positive, happy effect on me each and every time i hear it. the lyrics aren't necessarily cheery but i don't mind. it's just beautiful.

sorry about the photobooth ARTsY HiP SElF PorTRAiTS up there. i just felt like making crazy eyes but mainly i wanted to feature the sunlight in my blue room. this room may become 3,000 degrees hotter than all the other rooms in the house but i get the happiest lighting in here, i must say.

synthetic happiness

a little outside time downtown, mixed with interviewing a local boutique owner & hearing that my nightclass is cancelled helped today flow even better than I thought. Before I hit the library, I'm just going to relax, listen to music and catch up on some reading. I did however come across this article about Michael Alig that I found interesting.

The tale of Michael Alig is one of my favorites, i'm not sure why. It's just so outlandish, glittery, terrifying and weird. If any of you have read the book Disco Bloodbath or have seen the movie Party Monster, you'd know about this guy. I recommend reading Disco Bloodbath before seeing the movie though because it's better. The movie stars Macauley Culkin and i don't know, it just looked cheap, tacky and poorly done. However, I think it was purposely done that way. I still loved it in high school though and would probably like it now just for the LOLz.

Long story short, Michael Alig was once king of the 'club kids' in late 80's/early 90's NYC and found himself in trouble when he murdered & dismembered a fellow club kid/drug dealer. Alig got away with it for some time but eventually was found hiding out in TOMS RIVER, NJ (my favorite part) and was arrested. Turns out, he's due to be out of prison soon. What a train wreck this will (continue to) be!

Read more about it if you like this type of stuff like I do. This story has all the elements of a good crazy hot mess crime story & will not disappoint.

if you're going to drink, i'd rather you do it in the house

i just don't feel right the past couple of days. something is off. i have to think myself out of it and tell myself "its beautiful out! life is good! stop being in a mood!". maybe I just need a couple of days to just let it flow, and feel it. feel the weirdness. i just need to get more motivated!

the photo above is amy poehler's cool mom character which always pops into my mind during random points in the day. it's so perfect. maybe i'll watch that today. but what i really need to do is get my ass out of my room, into the sunlight, go for a nice drive and then head to the library and PWN~* my marketing paper. that's what i'll do. eh, in a little bit.

in other news- this saturday, i sold a couple of eighty 8 pieces to an adorable boutique in Bluffton, SC called Eggs-N-Tricities. It's located in Old Town Bluffton which is the prettiest and most charming section with a bunch of antique stores, art galleries, a couple of restaurants, tons of mossy trees and cute bungalow homes. if you're in the area, stop by! it's about 20 mins from Savannah and probably 15 minutes from Hilton Head, SC.

9 By Design

god i love bravo. it's the best channel. i can tell 9 By Design is going to be my new favorite show. It follows a cool NYC HiP ArTSy couple Bob & Cortney Novogratz that buy old spaces and re-design them into brilliant homes using their signature mix of modern & vintage styling. They also have seven children. I really like this show so far, it's interesting and not in a Real Housewives "What is Ramona going to say now? Who is going to fake fight? Who is going to make me cringe" way.

I've been googling them like crazy to learn more about them. Turns out they are originally from the South and were married in Georgia before moving to NYC. Also, they helped design the Bungalow hotel in Long Branch, NJ which is apart of the Pier Village shopping area (which is near where i live in NJ and such a great example of how nice the Jersey Shore can be.) I want to be them when I grow up. Case closed.

don't judge.

okay, i'm going to feature my whole 3d garment process on here. This project is for my fashion design class and it is the first garment I have ever designed/made myself, with a full on concept/storyboard, for a grade, etc. My concept (as I featured on another post, but it has since changed a bit) is from the book Vintage Tattoos. The entire book is filled with beautiful and interesting photos and history of tattoos but I had to focus in on one main idea for my garment inspiration so I chose feminine vintage tattoos. Meaning, women from the past with full sleeves, neck and chest tattoos.

I was amazed to see the photos of these ladies, looking feminine in their sweetheart cut dresses & pearls, covered in ink. The contrast is fascinating and I love how they were truly breaking the rules. Tattoos on women are still a bit of a taboo even now let alone 50+ years ago.
I deconstructed a vintage black dress (that had spaghetti straps but I cut them off before i took the 'before' photo)

every tangle and twist shown on the top is hand braided/twisted by me using black recycled fabric from various thrift store finds, chains, garbage bag strips, and black lace. don't mind if you spot some pins showing, this isn't completely sewn together just yet..


i'm contemplating cutting out part of the hip & putting more tangles & twists over there but i'm not sure. I was just playing around with some extra fabric which is what i pictured above near the hip. it is too topheavy and needs balance. what do you guys think? email meee with any tips! another set of eyes always helps

So, for the garment..I'm focusing on an all black color scheme, with lots of detail on the neck to somewhat mock a neck tattoo. I was extremely inspired by this woman, she is serving as my main 'muse'. Also, I looked to the Rodarte Spring 2010 collection a lot.

It's still a work in progress so I just wanted to feature some pictures from it's beginning stages. Of course this dress would look like a big hot mess on someone if they wore it in real life but that's not the point of the assignment. This is not supposed to be that wearable, it's supposed to just reflect the idea.

stay tuned!