Posts tagged fashion event

Q and A with SF Based Fashion Designer Jess Lindgren

Nikki Lindgren in clothing by Jess LindgrenI’ve been fortunate enough to know Jess Lindgren for all my life since she’s my older sister. I have fond memories of putting on fashion shows in our backyard as young girls. It’s been a lot of fun to watch her grow into the stylist and designer she is today with her self titled label Jess Lindgren. She’s gives me a lot of outfit advice, helpful pointers, and recaps of the best fashion trends. I can’t even begin to count the number of times she’s outfitted me for parties and events.

Here are a couple of questions and answers with Jessi Lindgren, my sister.

Style Bust: How did you get into fashion design?

It kind of just happened. I’ve always been into clothing, but actually designing and making clothes started a few years back when my parents gave me a sewing machine for Christmas. Since then I’ve been making clothing for my sister and myself. Anytime we have an event or family function to attend I make our dresses!

But, I used to make clothes for my Barbie’s – maybe you could say my interest in fashion design started back then!

Style Bust: What is your philosophy on fashion?

I’m a believer in wearing the old with the new. Trends can be very uniform looking which is why I love mixing a trend with something classic or vintage. Mixing adds a little character and personality to an outfit. Though, I’d say above anything else, its most important to wear whatever makes you feel good!

Style Bust: Where and what did you study in college?

I took some classes at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota. Upon learning how awesome San Diego was, I transferred to FIDM in San Diego and studied Merchandise Marketing.

Style Bust: Are you working on your fashion line full-time? If not, what else do you do for work?

Unfortunately for me, designing clothes doesn’t pay the bills. You’ll find me at the Woodhouse Fish Co. most days, serving some amazing lobster rolls and other seafood goodies! And you can read my weekly blog posts right here at Stylebust.com.

Style Bust: What’s your favorite part about designing?

It’s really rewarding to have an idea, buy some fabric and in the end be able to say, “wow, I actually made this!”. It’s exciting to see someone wearing your designs!

Style Bust: Describe the collection you’ll be showing at the Give Back Gala.

I’m designing a resort-wear collection that has a bohemian vibe. And for once, you’ll see NO black!

Style Bust: What inspired this collection?

My inspiration for the color story comes from a photograph my boyfriend took on our drive back from Stanislaus Forest. It just finished raining and the colors were absolutely gorgeous. As far as my designs go, I was inspired by rockstar girlfriends from the 70’s (Bianca Jagger, Francoise Hardy, Jane Birkin – you get the picture).

Style Bust: Why should people come out and see your work at this show?

I don’t think anyone should attend the Give Back Gala just to see my collection, I think people should come out and support two great charities and see some extremely talented and hard-working designers!

Style Bust: How can people learn more about your designs?

You can visit my website: Jess Lindgren (thanks to Nicole and Tyler for hooking me up)! Or email me [email protected]

Interview with Sacramento Based Fashion Designer Tiana Vega

Tiana Vega

Tiana Vega is my favorite thing about Sacramento, California. She is upbeat and a ton of fun to be around. Her personality comes through in her unique self titled clothing line Tiana Vega. I’m looking froward to working with her for the upcoming Give Back Gala fashion show.

Here’s a couple of questions and answers with Tiana.

Style Bust: How did you get into fashion design?

I have always had an eye for fashion. My infatuation in the fashion industry stems from my the early years of my childhood so I knew exactly what I wanted to do when I grew up. After high school I attended FIDM where I got my degree and have been working freelance ever since!

Style Bust: What did you think about the fashion school experience?

I attended FIDM in Los Angeles to obtain my degree in fashion design, my experience there was nothing short of amazing! I met a lot of great people who I still keep in contact with! It’s always fun to see what everyone else is doing with their experiences they’ve gained after school!

Style Bust: Are you working on your fashion line full-time?

Yes I am. This is my job…I eat, breath and live for designing! I couldn’t see be happier doing anything else.

Style Bust: How long have you been designing fashion as an independent designer?

I have been designing fashion as an independent designer for about 2 years now.

Style Bust: Describe the collection you’ll be showing at the Give Back Gala.

The collection has a 1940’s flair with intricate beading and beautiful style and cuts in each piece.

Style Bust: What inspired this collection?

This collection is actually inspired by my grandmother who passed away in November, I was close with her and so losing her was pretty hard on me and my family…but I decided to use her sense of elegant and graceful style to inspire me to create a beautiful collection dedicated to her and the beautiful woman she was.

Style Bust: What inspired this collection?

Well this collection has a fresh new take on the following seasons coming up, so if you’re a fashionista and you are always looking for new and exciting fashion forward pieces, than coming out to the fashion is a must!

Style Bust: What have been some of your biggest accomplishments as a designer?

One of my biggest accomplishments was when I teamed up with a nonprofit know as Sweet Dreams Foundation and produced one of the largest fashion shows in Sacramento, raising a good amount of not only publicity for our charity but the money they needed to help a local child get the remodeled room she had always wanted.

Style Bust: Where can people find out more about your collection?

To learn more about me and my designs you can go to my website at www.tianavega.com.

Q and A with SF Based Fashion Designer Jennifer Ly

Jennifer Ly Fashion Sketches
Jennifer Ly Sketches

I’ve been working with Jennifer Ly over the past couple months in preparation to the Give Back Gala, which she will be participating in as a designer. I’ve asked her a couple of quick questions to help our readers get to know here before the big event!

Style Bust: How did you get into fashion design?

Completely by chance, although I’ve always been interested in fashion even at the earliest age of my life. I actually majored in Computer Science before deciding to pursue fashion.

Style Bust: Where did you study, and what did you think about the fashion school experience?

I studied at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in San Francisco. My school experience was fast and intense. My teachers were amazing and pointed me in the right direction to reach my full creative potential. I really owe a lot of what I’ve accomplished in my career to me stepping stones at FIDM.

Style Bust: You’re working full-time at Gap Inc. Can you tell us a little bit about your role there?

I’m currently a Designer for OLD NAVY. I design all the denim and woven bottoms for girls ages 5-16. I design all silhouettes, washes and finishes, and manage all product from development to production.

Style Bust: How long have you been designing fashion as an independent designer?

I haven’t been designing fashion as an independent designer at all. Upon graduating from FIDM I got several freelance design gigs and never really had the time to focus on my own work. This collection is my first I’ve ever done.

Style Bust: Describe the collection you’ll be showing at the Give Back Gala.

My collection is playful and quaint. I love the use of clean lines with a variety of textures and mixed symmetry. The color palette is soft with tones of white, grey, blk and mauve.

Style Bust: What inspired this collection?

The collection was inspired by whimsical winter snow. I was inspired by 70’s silhouettes and early roman body adornment.

Jennifer Ly Fashion Design
Jennifer Ly Designs
Jennifer Ly Transit

Interview With The Designers Of Kajan Padraig

Cake Carlos and Patrick Steber, the designers behind Kajan Padraig are probably the most professional designers I’ve ever worked with. They come to models calls and fashion production meetings extremely prepared and always have a handful of great questions to ask. It’s been a lot of fun to get to know both Cake and Patrick better of the past couple of months and I look forward to seeing their show at the Give Back Gala on April 2nd, 2011.

Cake Carlos and Patrick Steber of Kajan Padraig

Cake and Patrick took some time out of their busy schedule to answer a couple of questions for our readers, here goes.

Style Bust: How did you get into fashion design?

Cake Carlos: Looking at how my life came together, it just made sense. I have a talent and passion for sketching that really came to life when I moved to America from Thailand. As a child and adolescent, I would help my mother sew piece goods. I have always loved clothing and had an eye for design. With skills and passion in these areas, I moved confidently in the direction of fashion and enrolled myself at FIDM.

Patrick Steber: My first love is fabric. I remember walking through department stores with my mother, arms outstretched, feeling all the fabrics that I could get my hands on. As I grew older, I would
pull out vintage clothes of my mother’s and dress my sister in them. I would then create elaborate runway shows the length of my parent’s hallway. It did not dawn on me until I was twenty that I could do more than just imagine these shows. With that realization, I submitted my application to design school and never looked back.

Style Bust: How did the two of you form your design partnership?

Patrick Steber: Cake and I worked together at a very talented San Francisco designer for three years before setting off on our own. We both wanted our own design house some day and talked about it often. We worked extremely well together and had the same passion and energy to succeed. Our strengths complimented each other. What sealed the deal for our partnership was that we could actually enjoy each other’s company even after ten hours of working side-by-side, six days a week.

Style Bust: How long have you been designing together?

Cake Carols: We have been designing together as Kajan Padraig since December of 2009.

Style Bust: Were you designing independently before you teamed up?

Patrick Steber: Yes, but both on a much smaller scale. Cake was making dresses for herself and her sister for weddings and other events. I designed and presented for a few indie fashion shows in San Francisco. Both of us have continually re-purposed our own clothes to keep them fresh and exciting. We draw on these past experiences and designs in our work together.

Style Bust: What would you say are some of the benefits to designing with a partner?

Cake Carols: Someone to share the stress!! In all seriousness, it is extremely beneficial to have another pair of eyes and another creative viewpoint. As designers, we tend to get stuck in our own heads. It is nice to have someone help you continue in a positive direction, or to help you rethink something you have stared at for too long. We help each other grow as designers and as entrepreneurs. It is very easy to spread yourself too thin and we both feel very lucky to be able to focus on our strengths, knowing that the other is there to help carry the load.

Style Bust: Describe your philosophy about the art of fashion.

Patrick Steber: Our philosophy of the art of fashion follows that of the philosophy of all art. The new is created in response to the old. Either building upon or reacting against. Fashion is ever changing and, for us, it is anything we want it to be. Our aim is to design beautiful clothes that make women feel confident, regardless of trend.

Style Bust: Describe the collection you will be showing at the Give Back Gala.

Cake Carlos: We are showing a full collection from shorts and tank tops to full length evening gowns. Our collection is bright and optimistic, while drawing it’s strengths from the solid foundations of design. Our color choices evolved from this philosophy. We started with solid, sensible neutrals then introduced chartreuse, lavender and watercolor prints to infuse optimism and hope. Nothing is so over the top that you can’t see yourself wearing it right off the runway.

Style Bust: What inspired this collection?

Patrick Steber: In a word, Lines. More specifically, the shapes and emotions they create. We played with soft, draped lines to tailored and architectural lines and then the occasional manipulation of those lines. The beauty of the female back also inspired us. A lot of the designs have the focus on the back.

Style Bust: Why should people come out to see your work at this show?

Cake Carlos: We are creating a full experience for the audience. We are putting on a show, of course, but more importantly, we are showcasing the beauty of our aesthetic. We want women to see that beauty, relate to it and want to be a part of it.

Style Bust: If you could do anything else (professionally) what would it be?

Cake Carlos: I don’t see myself doing anything else.

Patrick Steber: Designing runway shows and making innovative textiles.

Style Bust: How can people get in touch with you?

www.kajanpadraig.com, email: [email protected]

Food is Fashion This Holiday at Barneys

image of barneys-new-york-food-is-fashion

Barneys New York will take holiday shoppers on a culinary journey through their “Have a Foodie Holiday” window displays. In a partnership with the Food Network/Cooking Channel and Illycaffe, Barneys says the windows will feature the “rock stars” of the food world.

The windows will be unveiled Nov. 16 at a book party for Lee Brian Schrager’s new book, “The Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival Cookbook: Recipes and Behind-the-Scenes Stories from America’s Hottest Chefs.” One window will highlight the Bad Boys of Food (Bobby Flay, Jean-Georges Vongerichten, and Mario Batali), another will display the Ladies (Paula Deen, Cat Cora, Rachael Ray, and Anita Lo) a third will display Trailblazers like Julia Child and Jamie Oliver.

Insiders say that this collaboration is just one more example of how “the cultural power of food is on the rise,” with a special appeal for Gen X shoppers. “Chefs have become tastemakers in so many ways, from gentrifying urban neighborhoods with their restaurants to inspiring the fashion world with their bravura.” Others are saying that this collaboration should help Barney’s holiday performance.

I’m not sure a department store that has high-end cafe’s within select stores should plan to bank on food celebrities, and their fans. To me, it’s a long stretch. Do you think the average Paula Deen fan makes it to NYC, let alone to shop at Barneys? I feel like the Barnes and Noble would have a better shot of success with windows displaying food since they sell the books. Maybe I just have to wait until 11/16 to get more perspective on the windows.

Valpixel at San Francisco Fashion Week 2010

Valpixel is the last show I saw for San Francisco Fashion Week 2010. I really enjoyed the collection, however it was unfortunate that this designer was placed last in the lineup. The reason I say unfortunate is because even though the pieces themselves were hands-down amazing, the collections presentation was mediocre. The music consisted of one, extremely slow song, on repeat (annoying). The models walked an incredibly slow pace to match the music, and as a result, the presentation was too long for people’s’ attention spans.

If you take a close look at the pieces however, you’ll find that the design and construction of each garment is outstanding. I really dig the muted fire tone colors paired with basic solids. I can’t say for sure whether this collection was designed for a Fall season, but it was completely right to showcase going into the Fall. In my mind the colors paired with the hooded look were Fall.




Photographs by Steven Han.

Alyssa Nicole at San Francisco Fashion Week 2010

Owen Geronimo of the San Francisco Fashion and Merchants Alliance is a friend of mine, and as of this year he is also the man behind San Francisco Fashion Week. Lucky for me, this means I have access to some very saucy San Francisco fashion events throughout the year and San Francisco Fashion Week made the start to a new fashion season a lot sweeter!

Aside from Alexandria von Bromssen, I wasn’t aware of any of the designers on the SF Fashion Week schedule this year. Now, you have to understand how small and disconnected the fashion scene is here in SF; and that the majority of the San Francisco based trend setters and fashion bloggers totally overlook the talent we have in our backyard to go straight to NYC based designers – and most of the time, not even by way of LA. That said, it’s hard to get good, honest data on what the designers here is SF are doing, and how we can see their collections.

This first collection I saw was self titled, Alyssa Nicole. The show started with very upbeat, dance music and cute girly models adorned in high tea type dresses. The collection was loosely tied together by two strings, 1) all items were dresses, and 2) it was entirely pink. As you can imagine this collection could go one of two ways….really, really good, or awfully bad. As you can see by the pieces below, I think most of us would agree that the collection fell into “good, with shades of gray”.

Pros: The silhouettes are flattering. The dress styles are current. The models all seemed comfortable, flirty and maybe even happy coming down the runway. I bet we all can imagine ourselves or closest girlfriends wearing one of these pieces.

Cons: Too much pink. Too many ruffles, layers, and frill for most urban girls.

image of Designer Alyssa Nicole at SFFW 2010
image of Designer Alyssa Nicole at SFFW 2010 pink dress
image of Designer Alyssa Nicole at SFFW 2010 pink layered dress
image of Designer Alyssa Nicole at SFFW 2010 pink ruffle dress
image of Designer Alyssa Nicole at SFFW 2010 pink tool dress
image of Designer Alyssa Nicole

The designer Alyssa Nicole is photographed in this last image.

Photographs by Steven Han.

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