Berlin Fashion Week: 7/5 - 7/11

This season's Berlin Fashion Week was pretty cool. I didn't get to see any shows, like I did last season, but I made up for it by checking out a lot of showrooms and galleries this time around. I'll be speaking on a few highlights.

One of my first galleries that I checked out was Camera Work (Camera Work-Herb Ritts, Kantstrasse 149, Berlin 10623) for the Herb Ritts exhibit. Herb Ritts is one of my many favorite photographers. His work is simply amazing!!! There were many different photos on display of supermodels (Christy Turlington, Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, Elaine Irwin), actors and actresses (Meryl Streep, Denzel Washington, Christian Bale, Jack Nicholson) and pop stars (Madonna). My favorite photograph (and I would love to own a print of) is of a blood splattered Christian Bale when he did "American Psycho". It's a little morbid, but it's a pretty awesome pic. The exhibition showed a body of work of a photographer that really connected with his subjects and got the best out of them. Whether it was for his own art projects, album artwork, or a fashion magazine, he manages to showcase his style within the celebrities and models. His photographs are usually the kind of photographs that when you look at them, you know it's him.

The next gallery I checked out was the West Berlin Gallery (West Berlin Gallery- Adidas Slvr, Brunnenstrasse 56, Berlin 13355). This gallery had some amazing artwork sponsored by Adidas Slvr. I went there, expecting to see some out of this world sneakers, but got some amazing artwork on paper, canvas, and even tshirts!!! Adidas never fails to surprise me with their collaborations. All of the artworks there were stand out pieces.

At this point, I was ready to check out some clothes. I've indulged in my arty, gallery side and now i was ready to take on some showrooms. Every showroom I went to had the the kind of set up that i wanted for myself: the front room to show and sell the clothes and the back room to sew and create the pieces.

The first showroom I checked out was Wesen Showroom (Wesen Showroom, Weserstrasse 191, Berlin 12045). The clothes were pretty sharp, casual wear and green. Let's just say that this is some funky street wear!!! The cuts for men and women were cool and slick and by just going through their racks, I got some ideas for my own stuff.

The next showroom I checked out was Widda Berlin (Widda Berlin- Die Modepioniere, Brunnenstrasse 67, Berlin 13355). The clothes here were cool and pretty dramatic in some ways. I love her ideas and a lot of the fabrics she used (silks, leathers) as well as her accessories. Her bags alone make me want to carry a purse. There was a gallery owner/rock star vibe to her clothes. All of the concepts were wearable and would turn heads on the street. I hope to see some edgy men and women in her clothes, even if I'm the only one!!!

Those were just a few places that I've checked out on this Fashion Week. I got a lot of ideas from a lot of the things I saw. I may be incorporating some of them into what I do.

As for the previous sketches that I've done, the pieces are coming along slowly and i still have to do a few more patterns. I've been traveling for a bit, so I'm off of my game a little, but it's all coming together.

During my travels, I got to NYC and checked out the Alexander McQueen- Savage Beauty exhibit. It was breathtaking!!!!! He is the kind of designer I want to be: a little dark, but tongue in cheek. I couldn't begin to describe how AMAZING everything was!!!! The fabrics, the ideas, the drama!!! Simply amazing!!!!


Stay fashionable!!!!

Got The Vision (I'm Finally Here)

I finally have the vision for the pieces that will set the tone for my first collection!!!! It took a while (a long while) and I endlessly tried out different things, but now I know what I want. I'm finally here!!!! WOO HOO!!!

I've created a few sketches of this and now I have to create the patterns and test them out. A few of the dresses I have made before (they're on my Facebook page, but in different fabrics), and a few others I will sketch out soon and post. They will all be cohesive with the first few pieces.

The first few pieces that will set the tone are colorblocked party wear. All these pieces will have a base color with another color as an accent, either in the same fabric or in a different fabric (ex. Electric Blue Dress with Silver Triangles and Black Border in Liquid Lame'). Most of these pieces will be pretty simple, but creating the patterns will be the hard part for me.

I've pulled out my pattern making books and started going over how to do it. It's been a long time since I drew my own patterns and I wasn't the best at it, but now that the pieces I want are coming along on paper, it's high time that I start bringing them to life. Pattern making is hard, but it's essential for my business, so I gotta do it, especially if I want to manufacture.

Finally, I want to take a moment to show case some of the sketches that I'm working on:

The first sketch will be a dress made of liquid lame' and it will be electric blue with silver triangles and black trim. The top will be loose, but the bottom will be fitted to the body.

This next sketch is two more pieces also made of liquid lame'. The first on this page is an electric blue blouse with silver triangles and black trim with black 3/4 trousers. The second is an electric blue tunic dress with silver triangles and long sleeves. This dress can be also worn as a blouse with a belt. I'm thinking of doing one that is backless as well. We'll see.

The third sketch is a trio of pieces also made of liquid lame'. The first piece is a strapless black dress with silver triangles and a silver tie. The next dress is asymmetric black with silver triangles , silver belt and one sleeve. The last one is an asymmetric black top with silver triangles, and a silver belt. It also has one sleeve.

These sketches are just the beginning of what's to come. Let me know your thought and also offer up some suggestions. I'll read everything and of course, let you know anything you like.

Stay fashionable and sexy!!!!!

Catching Up

As I come down from my whirlwind USA trip, I'm trying to catch up on the blogs that inspire me, trying to do entries for my own blog and catching up on all of my fashion magazines (I have a stack of them that I haven't read yet). I vowed that I would do a blog entry every week with text and pictures, but I've been a little slow on the start of that. I hope to rectify that soon.

I also just got through watching the full season of "The Fashion Show: Ultimate Collection". Congratulations to Jeffrey for having the Ultimate Collection. His work is definetely amazing. The other two finalists (Calvin and Dominique) also presented some very interesting work. They also had some ideas that I will take and put my spin on. I wish all of the contestants the best for the future.

I read somewhere that there will be a German version of "Project Runway". I am curious to see how it will work out, so I will be keeping an eye out for it. I'm not gonna try out for it, because my conversational German is not the best yet, but that I am still working on.

I'm also slowly working on my line and trying to narrow down some ideas. I gotta start drawing some patterns (which I'm not the best at) and I gotta keep it simple. I'm way better at draping, but in order to manufacture, I gotta make and have patterns. I'm still in the sketching and experimenting stage right now. There are so many ideas, but trying to bring cohesion to them is a little difficult. I'm trying to edit as I go, but that's not always the best idea. Nonetheless, it helps a little.

I'm hoping to start posting pics and sketches soon (once I master using the scanner and learning how to enter pics onto my blog), cause I would love for all of you to see what I'm up to and also to get some feedback.

Until then, stay fashionable and sexy!!!!

Getting Crazy Fashion Inspiration From The Blogs

As we're about to end the year, I decided to do some hunting for some more inspiration, other than the usual staples for me (magazines, streets, nightclubs, bars). I got on line and started checking out a few different fashion blogs. I also did it, so I can get myself on a schedule to put up a new post more often. I found a lot of inspiration from the three blogs that I'm gonna discuss this time around. In each of these blogs, it was either the dialogue or the pictures that moved me.

The first one that completely rocks my world is "Individuality" by Joey Ma (www.Joey-Ma.com). He chronicles his everyday looks and his looks when he goes out (which are wild and AMAZING). There's an interview there done by another fashion blogger which fills you in a little more about him. He's from Hong Kong (a place I would love to go to so I can check out the fashion). He's very soft spoken and he seems pretty cool. I would love to meet him and create something for him.

The second one that blows my mind is "NewMaleFashion". This blogger has a lot of interest and he showcases interesting things about menswear. It's far from conventional, but it's all amazing. This is where I wanna go with my menswear. I wanna do some drapey things, with high heels, skirts, kilts, everything totally avant garde (well, not everything but quite a bit). I go to these two sites to really get my creative juices flowing.

The third one is "Lookbook.Nu". This one is mostly pictures of guys and girls all over the world in different types of clothes. I mostly look at this site to see how people wear things. No one wears certain things the same way, so it's always interesting to see how they put a spin on something. This site has given me ideas, even for my own wardrobe.

My goal now, after 2 years living in Berlin (my German is still horrible, but I'm learning) is to really start injecting my avant garde and club kid ideas into my fashion for men and women. My photo albums on Facebook (Eric Farr is the name, My Clothes & My Clothes 2 are the albums) show what I can do. Now, I'm gonna take it a step further. I'm also gonna start creating some avant garde pieces for myself. Those will be here and on Facebook, so watch this space; It's about to get crazy.

Stay fashionable and sexy!!!!

On To The New Things

As I congratulate Gretchen for winning "Project Runway-Season 8", I shed a tear for Mondo, who I thought would win and notice that there is a new season of "The Fashion Show" with Isaac Mizrahi and Iman (last season it was Kelly Rowland).

I watch the first two episodes of "The Fashion Show: Ultimate Collection" (that's the new name with a new concept) and was blown away. The first season followed the steps of "Project Runway" ("The Fashion Show" was created because they lost "Project Runway" to Lifetime). This season they flipped the concept and turned it into group challenges. The 12 designers are broken up into two teams of six (two houses: House Of Emerald and House of Nami). Each house must create a collection based on a challenge. The winning house will be safe from elimination. The winning look from the winning house, the designer will get an extra hour of work time and 500 dollars to go towards fabrics and notions for his/her final collection. The losing house would have each look judged by the judges and one designer is eliminated.

Each designer I have seen is a working designer, either working for their own labels or for other companies. There is a lot of amazing talent on the show and there are some standout personalities and a couple of divas, so this makes for an interesting mix. The concept showcases what goes into creating a fashion line and the fashion show to present that line. It's interesting to pull back the curtain and see how the magic happens.

Watching "Project Runway", "Launch My Line" and "The Fashion Show" has given me all sorts of ideas and I've even used some of the challenges as springboards to test out my skills. I've been doing a lot of sketching and sewing and most of the stuff I've done is posted on my Facebook page. Ive also been doing a lot of sketching and I hope to include some of these things soon on my blog.

Until next time, stay fashionable and sexy!!!!

Old Ending - New Beginnings

I just got through watching the recent episode of "Project Runway" and we're down to the Final 4 (April was eliminated). The Final 4 are Mondo, Michael C., Gretchen, and Andy. The challenge was all about New York City. They had to create a garment using New York City as an influence. The challenge was introduced by the Mayor of New York, Michael Bloomberg.

As they let the designers loose in my hometown, I felt the memories of being on those streets rush back like a tidal wave. Andy goes to Central Park and as the cameras showcase the view, I think back to all the times I've gone there with friends to hang out. Mondo and April go to the Brooklyn Bridge and I think back to the many times I've crossed the bridge on foot, when I didn't have money to get the train to get to Manhattan to see my friends, or to check out all the interesting places I loved to see, armed with my walkman and tons of cassettes. Michael C. goes to the Statue Of Liberty and I remember the first time I went there in third or fourth grade. I loved seeing the statue and every time I'm in New York, I go there. I love what she represents to so many people from anywhere in the world. Gretchen goes to the Lower East Side and it takes me back to my teens and early twenties, going through those streets enjoying the funky looks of of all the artists in the area mixing it up with the streetwise Puerto Rican, Asian and black teenagers. The challenge was a loaded one for me, because it hit me on an emotional level. I love living and being from New York. It will always have a special place in my heart.

Now, I'm living in Berlin, Germany and loving it. I'm loving all of the history here. In some ways it also feels like New York to me. Berlin is a place for me to begin again.

I recently took a workshop at ESMOD (one of the fashion schools here) with Fashion Patrons on how to set up a fashion business in Berlin. The workshop was intense and it went for two weeks. It was the best two weeks in my life. I got a hell of a lot of information (setting up a business plan, creating a look book, getting publicity, etc.) and met some amazing people from all over the place like Denmark, Amsterdam, Austria, Holland, Russia, Israel, and Greece. it was exhausting at times, but I know more now than ever and I'm ready to put all I've learned into action. I also hope to collaborate with some of my fellow designers in the future. I thank all of my seminar instructors for passing on their knowledge of Berlin and the Berlin business and fashion scene to me. I'll be emailing you all with questions as they come up. I also thank the coordinator for putting me on to this and making it available to me. I needed this so bad, you have no idea.

As I bring this entry to a close, I hope I touched upon my old endings and my new beginnings. Let me know what you think. I'll keep you posted on all the goings on in my fashion world.

Stay fashionable and sexy!!!!

Project Runway - The Halfway Point (or a little further than that)

As I edit down some sketches and prepare to do some more, I want to take a moment to write about my favorite show, "Project Runway".

As season 8 reaches the halfway point, the challenges are becoming more interesting and for some of the designers, a little more difficult. They are (the designers) are really starting to pull out the big guns with their creativity. The challenges where they are pulling out all the stops are also some of my favorites. They are:

The Unconventional Challenge- Create a garment using supplies from a party store.
The Sportswear Challenge- Create a sportswear look inspired by Jacqueline Kennedy.
The High Fashion Challenge- Create a high fashion or avant garde look and its ready to wear counterpart.
The Group Challenges- Create a resort line (Groups of 6), Be the others sample maker (Groups of 2).
The HP Touch Challenge- Create a print based on your memories from your family photos.

At this point in the show, you usually can see who will make the final three, but it's anybody's game at this point. Some of the designers who came in with a lot of big talk and trashing some of the other designers have been eliminated and the underdogs that are not as skilled are stepping up their game. One thing I do know is, I'll be watching along with you. If I had to choose who I think the final three will be, I believe they will be Mondo, Gretchen, and Christopher. Either way, I wish all of the designers luck and I hope for all the best to those that are eliminated.

Stay fabulous and glamorous!!!