Welcome to my design journal...
Here, I upload updates of my current personal projects and opinion-based journal entries. Take a look below at some of the behind-the-scenes moments that bring my designs to fruition.
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The Whering App
and its role in the virtualization
of fashion
I recently discovered the UK-based virtual fashion app appropriately named Whering where any user can upload the individual pieces in their wardrobe and style them within an easy to use, interactive platform. The app has the capabilities to make transparent backgrounds in uploaded images of articles of clothing. The user then has the option to fill information out about the garment, including associated colors, original cost, and if the item is handmade or secondhand. The app then allows the user to swipe between their closet pieces and create outfits.
I think this app is a gateway into what could very well end the overproduction and overconsumption issue in fashion. It has the ability to show users, even while away from home, what exactly they have in their wardrobe. Overbuying due to a disconnection with what pieces would work with those in one's own closet would become obsolete with the app's use. It provides a visual catalog of one's pieces and in turn allows every user the privilege to shop with an idea of what items are actually able to be styled with items they already own.
The app has latent functions; it stands as a helpful tool for neurodivergent and consumption-conscious fashion consumers. Whering can be used in place of the user's memory of their wardrobe, obviously. For neurodivergent users, the app is a holy grace for issues with object permanence. In the case of consumption-consciousness, users with a strong awareness of their fashion consumption could find the app helpful in limiting their consumption in multiple ways. Whering allows the user to style one piece over and over, reducing the impending need to buy more pieces to style more outfits.
I highly recommend Whering. In the few weeks I have used the app, I find my purchases of fashion pieces much more methodical and intentional. It's also been a helpful tool in styling my wardrobe effortlessly. I can make a combination of outfits with the shuffle function in a matter of seconds without ever getting off of my couch.
Apps like Whering are going to be an everyday solution for average-Joe consumers that want to stop spending money on clothing and wasting closet space with pieces that they will donate before ever wearing out of the house. I hope to see more use of the app in the future and plan to continue my search for new methods of reducing my own fashion consumption.
08-07-2024
on the coquette aesthetic, ribbons & bows discourse, and the specter of the girlboss
On a recent deep dive into the incoming coquette aesthetic, I came across this video hypothesizing the origin of this trend- and I think it's a very interesting take.
This creator's idea is that the girl boss trend, which is currently failing, is doing so because it acts as pro capitalism propaganda. Because we're seeing less and less possibility to liberate women in our society by hiring female CEOs, women no longer want to partake in this trend as it does not actually affect their position in society. This is why they are choosing to opt out of #girlbossing.
The coquette aesthetic has risen in place of this trend to provide a space where women can return to their traditional gender role as a last resort, resulting in infantilizing themselves.
It's interesting to consider the role capitalism plays in the inability of women to become liberated in workplace settings. However, it's even more interesting to consider that this newfound era of being "just a baby" is brought on from a lack of liberation using the dominance technique.
Feminists are tired of fighting for empty results and diversity hires that have no impact on female liberation in our society. Women are now left to return to the state of fragility and girlhood themes that have historically plagued them because doing otherwise is no longer efficient.
I see a return to girlhood themes as a ramification of the newfound mental health conversation and its relation to the psychology of childhood trauma, but I also can agree that pro-capitalist feminism is out- if not for its lack of progress, then for its lack of style.
image: A rat's dream, 2023
12-19-2023
The Coquette Aesthetic...
and how it may be a reflection of the failing GirlBoss trend
My Winter Fashion Essentials
Knit Fingerless
Gloves
Chunky Sweaters
Bulky Puffer
Jackets
As I mosey into the holiday season, I'm left
trying to focus on my winter staples: the puffer coat,
the chunky sweater, and functional statement accessories.
It's been a challenge to stick to my wardrobe as new trends emerge for the cold months ahead. While I love to indulge in upcoming fads, I am striving to reduce my fashion-related purchases this season by using pieces I already have, without sacrificing the necessity of warmth. Similar to a winter capsule wardrobe, this is a simple collection of three staple items that I currently own and can build outfits with.
Let this be a small but fierce reminder that buying practical items is never a mistake.
12-15-2023
Argentina fashion observations...
from a small-town Iowa girl
During a recent week-long vacation in Mendoza, Argentina for a family wedding, I noticed much more than the bridal party's dress choices; I was very interested to learn how different the average person dresses in Mendoza versus the average person in the U.S.
Firstly, trends that I'd believed to be left behind in the 2010s were still thriving in Mendoza- ankle socks and crop tops to name a few. In fact, socks above the ankle indicated that you were a tourist to Mendoza natives.
Secondly, age has much less of an influence on clothing choices. Middle aged women continue to dress on trend whereas the average middle aged woman in the U.S. would be expected to dress "according to her age group," with a matronly aesthetic in mind. Multiple 40-50 year old women arrived to the wedding celebration sporting little black dresses, one of which was absolutely drenched in sequins and sparkle.
Lastly, showing skin is appropriate at all times. Of course, this is partially due to the intense dry heat in Argentina during their summer months. However, showing skin is less frowned upon in Argentinian culture from what I've gathered, and it is severely less taboo than it is in the States to reveal midriff and high thigh areas.
Overall, the experience was amazing and getting to see South American culture, especially fashion-related, was a crucial reminder that successful trend analysis and branding strategies depend on a deep understanding of the culture you are marketing to.
12-14-2023
11-15-2023
Black Dress with White Bias Binding and Bow Detail
y2k Inspired Micro-top
11-07-2023
SKIMS faux nipple bra
is announced...
and social media is torn
The newest SKIMS product featuring faux nipples is currently trending on social media. SKIMS as a brand currently stands to eliminate negative body image and hopes to empower women through their shapewear choices.
In the shortest of summations, SKIMS makes shapewear sexy and empowering to wear whereas other brands focus on the hide-ability of their products. This has been demonstrated through various body positive campaigns under the brand. Where the cultural norm is to have seamless coverage in an attempt to hide the existence of the nipple,
SKIMS instead refutes this idea and informs its audience that the body is intended to be on display- that the body is intrinsically an object of sex and that humanity should embrace it.
This literal interpretation of the Free the Nipple movement is refreshing in a culture where the only way to stir critique of social norms is by producing something so shocking that people have to say something, in praise or in condemnation.
image: SKIMS Ultimate Bra Nipple Push-Up Bra
11-05-2023
10-05-2023
Black Babydoll Dress with Bow Detail
10-04-2023
08-2023 to 10-2023 Accumulated Images of My Internship Experience at Dignity Apparel
