Flutterby™! : life in the fashion industry 2003-01-15 23:13:48+00

life in the fashion industry

2003-01-15 23:13:48+00 by Dan Lyke 10 comments

So despite Todd's glamorous views of the fashion industry, my life isn't nearly that way. Today's comments from a model viewing us working with a mannequin made from a scan of her include complaining about how to keep her job she's had to stop working out and gain 15 lbs over the past few years to keep up with the American size 8, and "when you're done with me, would you put some clothes on me?"

But I'm getting a fascinating peek into how much models know about their own bodies ("This needs another quarter inch on the back shoulder, and...") and the interaction with the designers and technical folks.

On the contrary side, I discovered how much the hotel wants for laundry service, so I went into Macy's last night in hopes of finding a new shirt and some undies. All of a sudden the extra bucks for the service at Nordstrom seem totally worthwhile, and Macy's is now lower than Target in my personal ranking of stores.

You gave me a hint that a GOOD model provides necessary feedback to the clothing designers. Will what you are doing make that feedback go away, or will the role of a model change to more of that capacity, while technology takes care of the repetitive size/shape issues once the patterns are established.

I made a comment last night about being willing to pay for convienence, got told I was lazy, and admitted to being so. My reason was that it lets me focus on the things I need to. Why get frustrated and waste time? - And yes.. when I have a little time to kill, I LOVE bargain shopping.

Aha! Okay, 3^rd 59^th it is. I was going to try to hit Come Again Erotic Emporium

, up on 53^rd or 54^th, but after poking around on the web I'm not sure I'll see anything I haven't already run into down in the village.

Scared the bejezus out of a guy asking for directions to Korea town last night, I have to wonder if that sort of psychic toll makes any place worth living. I'll be glad to head home, although I will end up out here again soon, I'm sure.

I think I need to figure a way to hit Boston, so I can meet Columbine and hook up with Debra without having to deal with Manhattan again.

meuon, good question about where the knowledge is held, and whether we can replace that knowledge. There are lots of really powerful reasons to get away from using the model; mannequins don't get pregnant, they're easily cloned and don't mind flying to Sri Lanka or China or wherever, they don't take vacations. On the other hand, mannequins can't raise their arms, and even if they could it'd be hard to articulate the back correctly, and things that I'd never even consider, like surface texture, can have a big bearing on how clothing falls. The model shrugs and shakes a few times as a function of putting on the clothing, but if you're using a cotton (or, in our case, linen) surfaced pattern mannequin, clothing can stick and drag in all sorts of ways that it just doesn't do on a human.

I'm learning a lot about a set of processes that I'd never really considered much. I'm concerned about what this might do to my clothing budgets as my personal tastes become more refined.

2. Clothing budget. as I've lost some weight and gotten back in shape, I've been splurging on some nice clothes. My tastes are divergent enough to make this difficult, but I have decided I've got to get a good cape of my own (this one is borrowed from Ms. M.) - and although not something you can wear anywhere, I love the blue flames on this shirt.

Other necessities on the list are the London Opera Trenchcoat (saw it up close at Chattacon) and more banded shirts. - It's hard to judge the material and feel of things online though, and local stores don't carry much. It may be time for a weekend in Atlanta.

The fabric is for a pinnable surface, the linen is because that's super durable. We've been playing with a sanded fiberglass surface for other reasons, and I think that's the next thing we're going to try for the technical review and approvals process; especially since at that point nobody's trying to pin to anything.

I like the shirt. Despite the lack of feel and fit checking, I think I'm going to have to move a lot of my shopping online, and International Male looks like they'll get some of my business (despite the confusion which might result from being registered as a part of the "gay missing persons bureau"). A good return policy can help a lot.

Talking outta school and off topic, I might be up for a weekend in Atlanta too, Mike. I need to pick up some topo software before I head to Utah.

I also agree that human models are essential, if only to give heavy metal bands and wealthy Europeans someone to date.

Sure, the 501's.. (Ok.. Bass fits my fat ass better..) and normal clothes are easy to find, and it's mostly what I wear. But it's fun to get dressed every once in a while, and when I do, I like to be just a little different than the normal person. I've found that it changes the way people relate to you, especially a well dressed woman. :) The clean stylish side of Gay/Goth works for me... even though I'm not either. Topspin, you'd be a sharp dude dressed up.