Let's say you've got 20 bucks and an event to go to...

Oh come on... we've all been there!  The event is tomorrow.  Or this weekend. You have "nothing" to wear.  Payday is a bit too far away, and you haven't budgeted for this.  You still wanna look fabulous, current, and creative. What to do...?

Here's where you can go:

Top Trimmings - Grab a flower, and put it in your hair or on your dress/jacket whatever.  Match an interesting color of shoes you already own.

Daytona Braids and Trimming.  You can take something simple and boring, and jazz it up, with a bit of creativity.

Something I did for a dressmaking client - as posted on my other (older) blog on dressmaking.

Fabrics Garden Let's call their pricing "arbitrary".  And I mean that in the most respectful way.  This weekend, for example, I'm gonna make an $8 dress.  At least, I'm pretty sure it will be a dress.  I'll show you when I know!

Trumart... or is it Truemart?  Even Google doesn't know the answer to this question!  The signage on the store reads "Truemart", but other sources indicate otherwise.  Who cares, right?  I wrote a post on this store many moons ago, but there have clearly been some changes since.  While still packed to the brim, I shopped there comfortably with about 4 other customers yesterday, finding exactly what I needed, at exactly the price I was willing to pay.  Prices are clearly still negotiable there, and the other shoppers made their budget consciousness known, but the fabric quality of their offerings has significantly improved compared to my last trip inside.  No longer feeling like closeouts, but more like "lucky finds", the pickins' are much plumper now, and the variety more interesting.

Believe me, there's much more you can do.  You are only limited by what your imagination (or fellow bloggers and creatives) can dream up.  People don't really sew to save money anymore, but for what you can create, the opportunity to really do something fun and fabulous for yourself is irresistible.

And if you're in NYC right now, it is cold and raining.  Bummer for Memorial weekend plans today, but fire up the machine, and you can make magic.  Report back if you do!

Must-see Current Fashion Exhibits

Follow the links in this post to get a brilliant eyeful of inspiration, addresses, admission fees, and hours.

The first exhibit is the one I'm most jazzed about, and then, (if you can still breathe - pretty exciting... right?) are the others I encourage you to check out!

To inspire your next garment district jaunt, I encourage you to take a trip uptown to the Metropolitan Museum of Art.  Yes, the Met has an exhibit on the Punk movement.  If you are a fan of McQueen, Westwood, Rei Kawakubo, and Versace (and really... who isn't?)  this is an exhibit for you.

Punk: Chaos to Couture

Focusing on the relationship between the punk concept of "do-it-yourself" and the couture concept of "made-to-measure," the seven galleries will be organized around the materials, techniques, and embellishments associated with the anti-establishment style. Themes will include New York and London, which will tell punk's origin story as a tale of two cities, followed by Clothes for Heroes and four manifestations of the D.I.Y. aesthetic—Hardware, Bricolage, Graffiti and Agitprop, and Destroy.

To top it off, the juxtaposition of this exhibit against another, tamer one is particularly brilliant.  Impressionism, Fashion and Modernity is closing next week, and you MUST see it.  Not only for the standards you imagine; corsets made to squeeze in tiny waists, and lots of white dresses, but also for the menswear and consumer culture sections, which bring some additional food for creative thought.


As if that weren't enough, opening TODAY... the Museum at FIT offers RetroSpective, an exhibit showing pieces in the museum's current collection, detailing how the present continues to borrow from the past.

Deep breath... and now...

Be sure to check out the Museum of the City of New York, where the Stephen Burrows: When Fashion Danced is showing until July 28.

Stephen Burrows: When Fashion Danced is the first major examination of the work of the designer The New York Times called in 1977 the “brightest star of American fashion.” It looks at the period spanning the 1970s when Stephen Burrows’s meteoric rise to fame made him not only the first African-American designer to gain international stature, but a celebrated fashion innovator whose work helped define the look of a generation. With vibrant colors, metallic fabrics, and slinky silhouettes that clung to the body, Burrows’s danceable designs generated a vibrant look that was of a piece with the glamorous, liberated nightlife of the era. Through photographs, drawings, and original garments, the exhibition will trace Burrows’s evolution from creating eclectic looks for his friends in the 1960s to his work with the chic 57th Street retailer Henri Bendel to the floor of Studio 54, as he dressed such 70s style icons as Cher, Liza Minnelli, and Diana Ross.

And... if you find yourself (if you're a student, apparently) in the Garment District today, check out the Stoll Fashion and Technology Knitting Center, which has long been a mystery business in the Garment District to me, as I have walked past, looked in the windows, and wondered...

Okay - these are your missions.  Report back on your impressions after visiting.  I'd love to see your comments!

Speakeasy tour update (revised post)

I have added one more "Speakeasy" date, and my summer plans are pretty intense this year, so there will only be the May, June, and October dates below. 

For any established, aspiring, and small designers among you, the opportunities to learn and greet today are virtually endless.  For the curious creatives among you, passionately sewing things for yourselves, your families, and your clients/friends, there are secret doors to be opened, and this ever-changing wonderland of fabrics, notions, and supplies awaits you.  For anyone at any level of sewing and design, come along on a "Speakeasy" tour, shopping, brainstorming, and hanging out with people who share your passion!

Itinerary below: 

10AM - 2PM - 

Shopping (Will include several very special fabric and trimming stores with a wide variety of offerings suitable for many different purposes/types of garments.)

2PM-3PM

Lunch (included in your fee)

3PM - until end of business day

Armed with your "Secret Map" and your own interest in or desire to visit the many other stores you see or have learned about, you may visit more garment district stores if you wish, and give unique codes (that you'll get from me) to vendors who will give special assistance/discounts.

The cost of this guided, efficient tour is $75 per person. If you use this trip to shop and participate in what NYC has to offer, you will save at least as much as you are paying, and probably far more.

Wanna come? Click below the date you wish to attend, send payment, and the details on meeting time/place will be provided.

From outta town? If you need hotel and/or travel help, I will advise some of the BEST NYC secrets I know! Also, you can click on hotels above (this page - to your right) for the most standard and convenient choices. Payment is only accepted via PayPal (you do not need a Paypal account), credit or debit card. No cash, personal checks, or additional payments will be accepted on the day of the tour. The trip will involve a good amount of walking, so come prepared, and healthy. These are the dates for all remaining Garment District Speakeasy Tours:

May 24, 2013

This one is just before Memorial Day weekend, and a great way to entertain yourself and/or out of town guests! Because it is a holiday weekend, I will even allow you to bring a friend for a "drag someone along" fee of $35, which still includes a great lunch!

Bring a friend (for May 24 only)

Two people $110.00 USD Simply adding a person (after one full price has been paid) $35.00 USD Three people $145.00 USD

Sounds like fun, right?  Can't go in May?  Don't fret... you've got another chance...

I'm planning the first themed Speakeasy tour - this one, on Friday, June 21.  It will be the last one before the fall.

 This one will not focus on everyday apparel, but will give you information and resources for doing "the hard stuff". Leather, suede, closures, embellishments, and home dec stuff, where more guidance may be needed to get the job done. This tour has a more educational purpose, and will include resources for supplies, appropriate tools, and general information on how to work with them.

 Note: You can sew leather with your home machine.

 The Hard Stuff 
(Leather, suede, corsetry, closures, handbag and accessory supplies, home dec)

10AM - 1PM Shopping
(Will include several very special stores with a wide variety of offerings suitable for many different purposes/types of garments, but focusing specifically on stores who offer the tougher stuff to work with - leather, suede, home dec fabrics, etc.)

 1PM-2PM Lunch (included in your fee)

 2PM - until end of business day Armed with your "Secret Map" and your own interest in or desire to visit the many other stores you see or have learned about, you may visit more garment district stores if you wish, and give unique codes (that you'll get from me) to vendors who will give special assistance/discounts.


The cost of this guided, efficient tour is $90 per person. If you use this trip to shop, learn, avoid wasted purchases/effort, and participate in what the NYC Garment District has to offer, you will save at least as much as you are paying, and potentially far more. Wanna come? Click below, send payment, and the details on meeting time/place will be provided. 

Friday, June 21, 2013 "Hard Stuff" Speakeasy Tour

Regarding cancellations:
 If you have paid and wish to cancel 7 days or more before date - 100% refund
 Fewer than 7 days - 50% refund
 If you don't come on the scheduled date or cancel within 24 hours or less - you will forfeit your refund, but can switch reservation to a future tour date.
 If I cancel a tour for reasons not related to weather, newsworthy acts of God or other emergencies, you are entitled to your choice of a full refund, or a future tour.

You can come along on the October 4, 2013 Speakeasy! 

Same schedule/description as the May date (above), but in the Fall!

 

 Come along on a tour! We have lots of fun!