Baby steps to costume design

When I realized that I wanted to become a costume designer, I had to dedicated any free time I had (basically mornings and evenings when my son is busy at school)  to develop drawing skills. I gave myself a year to learn how to draw and paint the basics. I could not find illustration courses in costume design but I was fortunate to meet Irina Simeonova of New England  Fashion Design who believed in my potential. I've also been taking to continued education classes in Westport Stamford, Greenwich. I enjoy it so much and it was a great place to connect and exchange with people who like me have a whole different life but cannot live without creating art.

It was great to sense my own progress from practicing on drawing circles and eggs to creating figures and landscapes. I still have a way to go but here is what I have done so far in illustration classes.

 In Painting classes I focused on learning colors but I manage to produce...

.... a few things

 I like to display this so I can see the progress I made but also how far I still have to go. I can't wait to work on getting better.

All the roads lead to Rome

You probably come across many blogs all the time where the writer goes into hiatus. This has been my case. I went through a period of assessing why I created this blog. Mostly because I love clothes. That should be enough. But why do I love clothes? I understand now that I like fashion as it reflects society and history but I love clothes because they hold such meaning. It can be a state of mind. It can be a statement, an armor, a distraction, a purpose, a message...so many things. I believe I did not have enough of a passion for fashion to drive me to share it on this blog. I realized that I never really have it in me to always know what was the last trends or to keep up with award seasons and runways.

Then came the time to listen to my heart and pay attention to what drives me. What never fails to excite me and makes me want to know more or contribute in some way? I must say it is not too far from fashion because clothes are my passion but in the context of a story. It was not clear to me because I never thought of it as a career. I though it normal to always have this zooming attention whenever I see a play or watch a movie. I thought it normal to wonder what are the clothes telling us beyond the words. It is a well thought choice or an instinct, but to get it right transports the story.

Once I realized where my passion truly lies, it took me some time to make a leap of faith and start the process of learning the basics. When I started learning new skills it seemed impossible. Then after putting my foot in the door of the costume design world, I feel I have no choice. I cannot imagine doing anything else.

I strive to improve my skills and knowledge and gain as much experience as possible to some day channel my voice as a costume designer... until I become one stay tuned. I might even share some old and new drawings. I also will still share any fashion items if I come across some I really like. After all it is this blog that led to this realization. For that reason, I will still keep the name of FashionNée and will not remove my previous posts. They are a window into my past state of mind. So no regrets, always no regrets.