Garance Dore at Fashion Institute of Technology

Today for my lecture class we had a very special guest speaker -- Garance Dore, fashion illustrator, blogger, and girlfriend of Scott Schuman of The Sartorialist.  Her blog has become one of the most closely followed by the fashion industry and an anonymous French editor said, "Garance is our daily bread." ...If that tells you anything about her impact! 

Her lecture was inspirational to students, encouraging them to "take that step" which pushes you to take the first risk and throw yourself at what you aim to do.  She talked about noting all of the "platforms" available to us in this age, from Youtube to Facebook to Tumblr, and to have something meaningful to add.  Find your identity, find your brand, and make the right choices.


"People will come to you because they know you will make the right choices," Dore says.  And when it comes to making sure you are staying relevant to your industry, well, she says if you even have to ask yourself that question you are probably already out of the picture.

She notes that it is of utmost importance to always dive into your fears, as it is the only way to progress.  She also said you must ask and find the impossible.  Push the boundaries to find a seamless solution.

Something to think about...

Things that Fashion Professors Say

This is only the end of the second day of classes here at FIT Spring Semester, but I feel like I'm two weeks in already.  We've got homework assignments due before the class even meets and my professors are expecting nothing less than the best.  Throughout these last few days I thought I would share some interesting quotes I managed to scribble down.  Although I think for privacy issues I have to keep the names unmentioned.

THE GOOD

"You want to find your own identity as a designer, know how you feel about things.  To become a designer you can't just make clothes; you can go home and just make clothes."
"This is a school for design, not plumbing."
If you already know what you want to do, it's because you've already seen it before."

THE BAD

"Oh, we're almost done...this is so easy for me." (Read: fashion gurus are cocky as hell).
"Your patterns should look like God made them."

THE UGLY

"If you even survive as a fashion designer..."