For Hire

Saturday, April 17, 2010

in new york city

In New York City one has plenty of opportunity to wonder where people are coming from, yeah right, most of them are of course just tourists wandering around the stores on Broadway taking advantage of the weak currency of that Dollar nowadays, well great, we can surely use that kind of influx here in the Big Apple. And NY is the biggest melting pot of cultures.

But I am talking about another stranger here. It's the souls you meet that seem like they are not part of the big movement, even though they are probably your neighbors, maybe have been living here longer than you, yet they are somehow left behind, at least that is what they seem to be, maybe they are just ahead of the rest. But these characters whom you encounter once in a while are standing out of the crowd because they are not like everybody else, there are plenty of them, thanks goodness!


The other day we were taking a bike ride in Battery Park, taking a few breaths of fresh air on a bench, discussing the days developments and this young woman in a red rose printed dress walks by - and made us smile - carrying a sign that read: "Stress Stops Here". She's just spreading a good vibe she says... reminding the people to take a deep breath and relax.

How cool is that? Heh? Only in NYC? Maybe not, but definitely in NYC.


...so stress stopped right here...




Thursday, April 8, 2010

being a step ahead by taking a step back


For a fashion designer it is already 2011. Yes it can be weird to work on designs to be worn in a year from now. You're always hushed to the next thing before you can really enjoy that moment. As an independent I can control the design schedule a bit more, but let's be honest, you've got to think ahead and sometimes that means to just really be in the now. Because people who do not worry about fashion (they could be your customer), they have to catch up first.



As much as it is shameful to be catching up on an ongoing trend, it can be frustrating to be ahead all the time. And sometimes I just wanna make a piece of clothing for right now! That could mean I've got to take a step back. "What is she talking about? It's confusing!" you may say. So let me show you a situation like this on an example.

I am rediscovering a print from 2 years ago. It feels right to me now.

It just happened yesterday when I was on my usual sneak peek tour through the garment district. Those of you who have been following some of my work, know about the cool Sunglasses photo printed fabric. Well, when I chose it for a dress 2 years ago, there was another print from the same manufacturer, the Sandals photo print. I preferred the Sunglasses one over the Sandals one then and never looked back, but on my stroll yesterday this print looked like now to me, I wanted to make something with it to wear this Summer 2010. And that is what I mean when I say: "Sometimes I have to take a step back to be ahead", which could be what I am feeling right now.

It's intuition I believe. Anyway, now that I have picked the fabric, I've got to get inspired to come up with the type of garment it is going to be and that - you bet - is a whole another story! It may inspire you or you may have a suggestion... please feel free to comment on it :)



about IDILVICE

My photo
New York, NY, United States
Just like the rare Swiss mountain flower Edelweiss - a symbol of prestige and distinction - the clothing brand IDILVICE (pronouced "Edel-vice") was born in the mountains of Switzerland and since then it's flourishing on the concrete of Manhattan and recently even in the rolling hills of the San Francisco Bay Area. However as the spelling indicates, the label is not meant to be associated with too much folkloric alpine tradition, but rather and probably in the contrary, with unconventionality. The IDILVICE label was founded in 1995 by Swiss Native fashion designer Idil from the city of Saint Gallen, Switzerland, who's foundation dates back to the 7th Century and which became famous for their quality textile products, especially embroidery textiles, which are still popular with Parisian Haute Couture designers today. In search for something less traditional, Master Graphic Designer Idil ventured out to New York City where she fell in love with American Pop Culture.