Second Week Evaluation.

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I have now reached two weeks since I've begun my six week process of improving my Self Management skill that I learned from reading Daniel Goleman. I have to say, I have noticed myself improving slowly but surely in the area. For example, I have been doing well on not being so impulsive on responding immediately with my first thought in a situation. I tend to speak my mind instantly and sometimes that has been to my advantage and sometimes not, especially in my personal life. Well, this week something happened where I initially wanted to just yell out to the person because of a not-so-pretty past we have, but I collected myself and kept my calm, I looked at the overall picture. Which leads me to my next point, relating my Goleman goal to something I learned from reading Heifetz and Laurie's The Work of Leadership article that can be found in Harvard Business Review here. Going back to what I read from Heifetz and Laurie is the "get on the balcony" concept. Like I was saying about seeing the overall picture, this idea goes hand in hand with it. As they state, "leaders must be able to identify struggles over values and power, recognize patterns of work avoidance, and watch for the many other functional and dysfunctional reactions to change." Relating this to my goal, I have been stopping and looking over the entire context and looking for patterns and places to improve on. Instead of finding problems and acting on impulses, I am making an opportunity out of the problem to do better. I am taking the bigger picture into consideration, not just myself as part of the picture. 

First Week Evaluation.

http://jimmysinsights.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/When-there-is-confusion-on-results.jpg

Today marks the end of the first week of my journey towards improving my self-management skill. Reflecting on this week, a time I remember getting to put this to the test was this entire week of midterms. I lately have a lot going on, with school work, outside work, and my personal life that I find myself schmoozing a lot at home on my days off or just being flat out unproductive. However, with the stress of being a senior in college now and with the reminder of wanting to better myself, I did self-manage myself better this first week. Instead of falling into the temptation of going out with friends, I instead put my phone to silent during my homework hours and completely ignored it. I tried to look over at it the least possible and solely focus on my work to get done. I was able to manage doing this for an hour or so and that was a lot of for me, considering I'm always doing some sort of thing on my phone and "multi-tasking". From what I learned about Peter F. Drucker's What Makes An Effective Executive article this week in relation to my Goleman intention (self-management skill), is asking myself what I needed to get done and making action plans for myself. In the article Drucker discusses an enterprise jotting down their top tasks, developing action plans and asking themselves what's right for the enterprise. I applied that to myself and jotted down my top tasks for midterms, developed my action plan schedule with deadlines and  got them done. I had some minor bumps along the way but for the most part I was able to stick to my action plan. For the first week done, I think I did a good job of retaining the idea that I'm on this six week journey towards self improvement through self management. Click here to access Drucker's What  Makes An Effective Executive or use this link: 
http://harconllc.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/HCLLC_Harvard_Business_Review_Effective_Executive.pdf

The Beginning.

Over the course of the next six weeks I am going to be working on something not beauty or fashion related, but me related. Recently I read an article by Daniel Goleman about what makes a good leader, and the five competencies we can develop to become a great leader. Here you can find a portion of his article on the topic in Harvard Business Review. One of the five competencies that hit me right away is Self-Management. It encompasses having self-control and conscientiousness. These two aspects of this competency are where I lack the most in my being. I know that I am a person with very little patience and that in result acts on impulses a lot to only wish later that I should of done it differently. Therefore, that is what I will be working on developing over the next six weeks. Being able to not act or open my mouth right away, to think things through for best results, to overall be a person that can manage what I say and do efficiently. There is a lot to learn about what Goleman has to say in the topic of leadership; investing some time and effort into the person you can potentially be can only lead to good things. Below I have linked a video where you can see Mr. Goleman himself speaking on the topic of emotional intelligence.

source: YouTube.com

Project Runway, Re-Vamped!

All us fashionistas can agree on one thing, we know Project Runway! Fan or not, this hit TV show has given us fashion reality TV like no other show! The opportunities for new emerging fashion designers to really show what they got on the TV show runway every week for many seasons has become a real popular show for fashion lovers. We've only once seen these hundreds and hundreds of these garments on the runway once and forgot how many exquisite garments have been designed on this show. These designs need to come out of the dark and into new light, styled, shared with the fans and fashion lovers, all re-vamped! I've had the amazing opportunity to visit some of the Project Runway garments and pick some pieces out to style them and shoot them for a collaboration school project! For the featured  look on this post I chose a leather high-low leather skirt by designer Olivier Green from Project Runway Season 9, according to my research. I paired it with a sheer black top and a heavy beaded black shirt that I styled as a vest for this particular look. These are also Project Runway garments, however from extensive research the designers of the two pieces haven't been identified yet. So, Project Runway fanatics, help me out here and let's do some trivia and figure out the designers of these lovely pieces I've handpicked for this look. My inspiration came from glam-rock queens such as Madonna, Cyndi Lauper and Joan Jett. Pairing leather with shiny beading and steel colored metals on the earrings and necklace helped achieve that glam-rock look I was going for. Oh, and how could I forget the gorgeous silver guitar! I loved having this opportunity to style a look from Project Runway archives and collaborate with a fellow Photography student with the idea of dramatic rim lighting to create a more intense and visually stunning result in re-vamping these pieces. Enjoy and stay tuned for another similar project! And for the Project Runway die-hard fans, for those whom can identify the designers of the two tops, I will shout you out and credit you on this post! Comment your guesses or answers down below!

Styling, Hair & Makeup: Priscilla Garcia

Model: Chantel Heinen

Photographer: Wes Aldana

Olivier Green info.:

http://oliviergreen.com/

https://www.facebook.com/oliviergreendesign

The Favorites. (SS13)

As my Current Designers class comes to an end, we are assigned our final project. For the given assignment, we are being asked to choose five designers from the array of designers we discussed in class, all ranging from American, Italian, French, British, Avant Garde, emerging designers and reemerging ones. Of all these categories, I have been able to narrow it down to my top five for this assignment. Tough it has been. I sincerely mean that. So without further ado, let's get started. The order in which I will be discussing the designer's Spring/Summer 2013 collections is in order from my favorite being the first, and so forth. However, these are all my top favorites of the many covered!




 1.Jason Wu

First off is my most favorite collection we saw, Jason Wu. I had never really looked at his collections before, but this one really caught my eye and pleased me from the get go. I find it to be the perfect mix of lovely femininity and sex appeal. The light, sheer, and lacey fabrics mixed with black leather, harness-like straps and open backs, oh my. All that is what I feel compiles to this incredibly sexy feel in this collection without it looking ungraceful or provocative. And I am all for that! The colors most seen is black and white, and we get some coral, nude and navy in the mix. The silhouettes I feel were very classic with a contemporary edge. We get form-fitting cigarette pants, high-waisted shorts, a tight top with revealed backs, and midriffs. This collection totally gives me the vibe of a wealthy, young and trendy business woman on vacation. The fitted and tailored pants, button ups, and almost knee length skirts for work; swimwear, cocktail dresses, and evening gowns. I'd love to be that traveling gal! I couldn't think of a more perfect collection, it has a look for almost any scene. I love how it is also rather wearable for someone how wants to play safe, and also has other pieces for those who like to dress on the edge. Very well done job to the young Mr. Wu ! I really can't wait to see more.

2. Altuzarra

Altuzarra came in as my second favorite, I am just absolutely in love
with every thing about it. From the shoes to the embroidery! I also
feel like this collection is one that is quite wearable, which is another reason why I like it. Form, function and fashion! I had never been familiar with Altuzarra prior to this class, but it only took one collection to really get me hooked, and this one is just pure class, beauty and a little something. The color palette ranges from neutrals like brown, cream, gray and black, we get royal blue, baby blue, olive and gold. That is yet another reason why I loved this collection, it's one of the few that actually have some color for spring! The fabrics are just amazing, we have some pin-stripes, a lot of embroidery, texture, and volume. The silhouette was more relaxed, loose, long and a little layered. The evening wear was just icing on the cake, exquisite. I am so fond with the idea of how he made the dresses look like it was an extremely long, beautifully embroidered scarf turned into a dress. I also am particularly so proud of the fact that he stated those "scarf" dresses that look like somewhat of a hassle to put on, just have on simple zipper in the back and you're out! Again, FORM, FUNCTION AND FASHION. Another thing I adore in fashion is practicality. And his cape/coat is very practical! It has sleeves for when the chilly weather comes around, but also openings on the side for the more warmer vibe. Love love love. And I cannot end this without mentioning the shoes. The knee high gladiator sandal heels are to die for! They will add edge to any outfit, as we can see with them paired with more business casual apparel, and they are just going to be the hottest things for spring! I've been catching them on many runways for SS13 and I feel like they will never really fade. Overall, I rate this collection as perfection.

3. Balenciaga

Up next we have Balenciaga, and the last we will see of Nicolas at the house. I've chosen this collection for a little bit more reason than the previous and rest. I've personally been fond of Balenciaga for some time, so it wasn't new to me like the rest, and since it is the last of Nicolas designing for the house; whose work I love, of course I'm going to include it. Regardless of those facts, I really did like the collection a whole lot! I love the variety we see here through various ways, such as a lot of the bare midriff, high-waisted pants, long and loose suits, cropped tops, ruffles, slits, boxy mini-skirts and a little lace and what looks like to be tweed, but is not! I get somewhat of an old school vibe from these outfits and silhouettes. The silhouette is long and short, as well as boxy and fitted. We get a mixture of all. In the short end is the boxy-mini skirts and cropped tops, and the longer end is the pants, blazers and ruffle skirts. It's all a great mixture of masculine and feminine appeal. The color story of this is basic and plain like the accessorizing. We get black, white, beige, gray, baby blue, and hints of navy, red and a pastel yellow. The fabrics range from what looks like to be tweed but is actually embroidery, some lace, and the rest are rather stiff and structured fabrics. I think this collection was all in all a nice tribute to classic Balenciaga, as well as the best farewell from Mr. Ghesquière for staying true to the house for so long. Round of applause and forever appraised!

  
4. Gareth Pugh 

 Next aboard is a now new-found favorite, Gareth Pugh. Seeing this collection, I instantly liked him. I immediately started looking at his past collections to see what he was about. To my surprise, the rest didn't seem as wearable as this one does. If you solely look at just the garments and not sometimes gaudy accessories and over-the-top makeup, you have a beautiful piece. I chose this collection because I loved the simplicity of it, but the extra design on these rather simple pieces, did it all. The fringe, knits, ruffles, leather, and high necklines were exquisite aesthetic. This collection I also find to be rather easy to wear, it's one colored pieces and the separates are not over the top. The colors in this collection are black, white, light gray and red. I love that he kept it so simple and basic because then do you really pay attention to design and aesthetic. The fabrics are fabulous mix of leather, knit, and what looks like to be jacquard and some satin, but in the smallest amount not taking away from anything. The silhouette is very long and somewhat wide, with the trumpet pants, capes, and what looks like bell bottoms on our sleeves. I just think this collection is absolutely stunning in a more muted way, but in no way is that negative. My favorite piece is the dress with the fringe along the sleeves to the back, so perfect. Shoes? PERFECT.

5. Mulberry

 

 Last but definitely not least is Mulberry. Mulberry was not a new name for me to hear about in class, but I never really paid attention to their clothing. Hence the reason we learned about is as a reemerging brand. If anything, I was only familiar with their handbags, what they were most popular for. However, I was clearly really pleased with their collection for spring. It somewhat takes me back to the seventies with the retro makeup and ditzy floral print in come of their pieces. Another reason why I just loved it is because it's another of the few that actually showcase spring colors in their clothing! How nice is that. The lovely color story of this collection contains mustard yellow, cream, pastel orange, bright orange, mint green, white, black, navy and some nudes. Again, many of those browns and oranges taking me to a seventies era. The fabrics were also just as spring-y as the colors, we see a floral jacquard in different patters, fabrics and colors. We also get a few light, thin and flowy fabrics like lace, and these awesome flared pants in leather, other pieces in leather being some small coats. The silhouette is long, loose and rather wide. I just find the collection to be a masterpiece of spring.

So there it is, my tops for Spring/Summer 13 out of our covered designers in class. Until next season!

Images via Style.com and Nowfashion

Fast Fashions & Ethics.

During my Current Designer's class last week we discussed the ethical & environmental issues behind not solely fast fashion retailers, but even with the world's biggest designer brand names. However for this assignment, I'll be focusing on fast fashion because we did make a trip to our local H&M & Uniqlo retailers to look further into the little details that cause such big problems.


First Stop: H&M

  Our first location we visited was H&M. We walked to the first floor and the first things I started to examine and squeal over a little bit was the Maison Martin Margiela capsule collection. I have my problems with the collection, I'd never buy into it; but we can all admit there are pieces in the store that are indeed very trendy and appealing. The current clothing at H&M feature a quite straight, slim and rather boxy silhouette. Of course because it is a fast fashion retailer it has many other silhouettes, but for the most part they are all quite form-fitting pieces, and an occasional peplum and a-line skirt is seen. The colors are ranging from neutrals, silver, black, sapphire blues, forest and emerald greens, and burgundy. All a very wintery appropriate color scheme. The fabrics used in this clothing are all an array of polyester, viscose, some silk, acrylic, wool and cotton. For the most part, polyester and cotton are the fabrics being used the most. Most of these garments are being produced in Asia, Korea & Cambodia, being some of the most seen countries on those black tags. The quality of the garments, for the price they are, is good. Isn't that why they have expanded immensely and are so successful? Sure. You pay a low price for a low end fabric, but the cost of production for those puppies are even lower. However, from this recent trip and seeing the H&M x MMM collection pieces, for the H&M customer, I believe that the price point of that collection was just ridiculously high for that consumer. Not to mention, I don't think it would be worth it. Sure you get a trendy and cool piece with a designer name slapped right on it, but you're not getting a piece that is timeless, will last a long time, and actually took some time to make. You get what you pay for. In that instance, the Maison Martin Margiela name. I'm not gonna sit here and say I don't shop at H&M because I do occasionally, but a lot of times you might what to consider it and ask yourself if it is truly worth it.


















Next Stop: Uniqlo

 

Our next and final destination was Uniqlo. I had already previously visited this store to check it out when it had recently opened here in San Francisco. The style of the merchandise in this retailer is not one I like, but I really am fond of the visual displays and set up of the store. The colors in the clothing at the store are practically every color in the rainbow and your regular neutrals. They have jackets and leggings in every color of the rainbow. Fabrics range from nylon, polyester, wool, faux fur, feathers, cashmere and cotton. The silhouette at Uniqlo I would say is definitely more relaxed, long, and straight. A lot of it is sportswear and really no formal wear besides the few basic dresses and button ups they carry. Definitely a casual wear destination. The garments are produced in China, surprise surprise. Despite the styles of the garments, I'd say the quality looks and seems to be a bit better than that of H&M's. The stitching, weight and feel of them make me feel that way. I feel like this store is very similar to Old Navy or Gap, so if you are a fan of either of those stores, consider making a trip to Uniqlo!

Final Stop: Ethics.

Now comes all the problems and opinions on the manufacturing of the clothing from these fast fashion retailers. Like the article "Making The Case Against Fast Fashion Collaborations" by "Guest Contributor" on www.businessoffashion.com states, is this clothing really fashion? They say no, it's decent clothing sold at affordable prices. And that is true. There are many environmental issues going on with even the types of dyes being used on these fabrics because they contain very hazardous chemicals that are even hormone disrupting and cancer causing, as an article from the same webpage called "Toxic Chemicals in Clothing Make All of Us Fashion Victims" states. Obviously this is not okay because we live in the world where this is happening now, what about the generations to come? How will their world be like? Some companies have already pledged to have more sustainable procedures with some of their manufacturing and there are ways to slowly start changing the procedures these companies decide to use. It won't happen over-night or in 5-10 years, but we can get there. I personally am saddened by the toxic waste being spread from some of the chemicals in our clothing, the billions of gallons of water used to make pairs of jeans, the horrible labor conditions in factories across seas, but what can one really do? I can decide to no longer purchase from there, but at the end of the day, thousands and thousands of people will continue to shop at these places every weekend. I think it should be more upon the companies to change their ways. As far as fast fashion collaborations go, I'm rather neutral about it. I don't see too much wrong with it as far as ethics go, but I've never wanted to buy from any, nor have I. I'd rather save myself some money and buy the real deal, I know I'd get my money's worth out of it. The way I see it, all big businesses have big problems.


Works Cited:
Images via Google and H&M 
Articles via http://www.businessoffashion.com/