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The Alive wrote
Can Columbus become a Midwestern fashion capital?
Thursday, October 2, 2008
By Brittany Kress
Take a look at the street corners, the sidewalks, the grocery stores. It’s a sea of people in sweatshirts and sneakers, and that casual, Midwest lifestyle is stifling Columbus designers’ best intentions.
Well, so are the makeshift studios they’re working from in bedrooms and living rooms across the city.
But it’s not just quality craftsmanship, training and education, sweatshop-style long nights and promotional efforts that’ll put the city’s designers on the map. Simply put, if Columbus wants to become a fashion capital – and plenty are pushing for it – we’re going to have to start looking more like New York. Or at least shopping a little more local, and with a little more style. Because designers can’t get respect coming from a city of sweatpants.
Alive’s Featured Fashion Designers:
- Columbus Style: Akira Burgess
- Columbus Style: Working from home
- Columbus Style: Brad Osting and Justin Hemm
- Alive & Unedited: Project Runway’s Terri Stevens
- Columbus Style: Shannon Mingus
Really? because I interviewed with both of them in NYC that was over 6 years ago. I know they do some final before production work here in Columbus like the patterns, and grading.
As for leather thanks for the heads up. I’m not HUGE into leather but I just remembered being irked because I had this leather jacket in mind I want to make for the fall. I looked up stuff on google but I guess not hard enough.
I suppose we would have been better off consulting these guys:
Maybe there is a corporate conspiracy to keep the mid-west unfashionable. :shock:
Saks will provide you with ANYTHING you see on their website via locator.
Go to Filene’s Basement you guys…..just like other things, there are fashion niches….some people are into it, some people are not.
As a collective group, I am not going to comment on Columbus fashion sense and nonsense. I think it is like comfort food, there are comfort clothes. I also believe Columbus is not as transient as other places and so perhaps the DEMAND for high fashion is not as great…maybe some people are ignorant to what else is out there. Just like art and artists, some people have no idea about clothing designers or eyewear designers or shoes. Some people make it their passion to know, buy and appreciate high fashion. It is just what you are into, like Buckeye football…..I do not care about it one single bit.
I love Filene’s basement. I have gotten Vivienne Westwood, Michael Kors, Betsy Johnson, Miu Miu, Prada and even Emmanuel Ungaro there! That’s just clothes too, they have so many pretty shoes…………
I’m a fan of Filene’s Basement as well, and the fact that the parent company is located in Columbus may well mean that we don’t get treated as a “C store,” to borrow JonMyers’ term, in the Retail Ventures pecking order. It’s definitely a lot better than the Filene’s Basement off Harvard Rd. up here.
I know that the Saks at Polaris has been surprisingly hit-or-miss; over the course of my life, I’ve actually spent more at the Cincinnati one than the Polaris one.
However, I think that this thread was more about being a hotspot for design rather than for the mere availability of garments designed elsewhere; after all, we’ve got the Internet, and I’ve done fine ordering clothes from Bluefly and RevolveClothing. We’ve had discussions about this clothing store or that coming to Columbus almost as long as I’ve been on CU, and some of those may well happen. Likewise, we could add to that that we’d like some of the existing stores here to give us some of their better merchandise, but that might be making unwarranted assumptions on the part of the Columbus market; what strikes some people as chic and trendy might very well strike others–including many in Columbus–as gaudy and pretentious. (My guess is that that was the politer way of expressing some of what JonMyers’ extemporaneous and vociferous critics were saying.) However, I very much doubt that we’re going to see people in Columbus actually designing for the high-end designers you’ll find in Saks, or those figures putting in appearances at Columbus fashion shows.
Yesssss. Filene’s is a lovely treasure…hey why don’t they put one in the City Center!!!! A gigantic one like the one in downtown Chicago, then maybe Tenzo will ease up. :wink:
Something I find HILARIOUS/IRONIC or pick another word….is women and their hair and make up….they could have the most cutting edge, runway hair and make up sporting some Kohls Garanimal outfit made from stretchy stretch stretch with glitter flakes or something equally strange. I don’t get that….at all.
Something I find HILARIOUS/IRONIC or pick another word….is women and their hair and make up….they could have the most cutting edge, runway hair and make up sporting some Kohls Garanimal outfit made from stretchy stretch stretch with glitter flakes or something equally strange. I don’t get that….at all.
OH no kidding! I am a BIG promoter for MAC makeup and I look at the LJ forums and dude. How do these girls get all Dolled up and then go out wearing a Tank, sweats/jeans?! I mean if I am going to go ALL out I go ALL OUT! Stilletto’s, false lashes, Big/colorful hair and dressed like I was going to a gallery or fashion event in NYC even though I’m just going to Tip Top or Surly Good for some good comfort food.
Here is the Bell Sleeve Escada Sweater I am in love with and all the other outfits are great too…..would I look gay wearing them…don’t care, because I love it so much and wearing certain works of art makes you feel so fabulous, who cares if the mass thinks you are too dressy or too whatever….
That is actually simple and easy to recreate. It looks like Silk taffeta is used for the ruffles around the neckline and the embelishments on the sleeve.
I know several ladies in my knitter’s circle even myself who could knit that general shape for you and then you can add on the rest yourself.
Do you like it? I think it is so super.
Something else I do not understand is why Coldwater Creek and Christopher and Banks? I do not understand those stores. Why are they in business?
Also…if some women want to dress like tramps, there is a classy way to do it…and still look smokin hot.
The one on the left…..
or
The orange jacket is an Hermes though?
Something else I do not understand is why Coldwater Creek and Christopher and Banks? I do not understand those stores. Why are they in business?
Yes I do like that Sweater, I used to design a lot of cropped sweaters with exaggerated bell sleeve in my college days. Now I am a fan of Mutton sleeves.
that is one of my own. I thought I had a more recent photo of a pinstripe blouse I was working on but I was wrong.
Also ~SHUDDER~ coldwater creek and christopher & Banks?! They are worse then Eddie Bauer IMO.
In what is considered a “town coup” Columbus has netted one of the foremost fashion consultants to rocket the city into the designer capital of the Midwest
“I think High street is as fashionable as Pa-ree”; said Minnie, modeling her new hat.
Seriously Tenzo, you have your DOG dressed up in roughly 30 different outfits in his own website complete with blog…are you sure you want to be talking fashion with anyone?!?
Nothing spells sophistication like forcing your animal companion to try on outfits like a dress up doll…
You are talented!!!!! Wow. I can see something in vintage or old clothes and tell someone how to sew it or change it to make it what I want, but cannot do more than a button or sew up a small hole……stich witchery for pants in a pinch :lol: !!
Bustown Modern does a kickass job with vintage wear as well, btw.
+1
Great furniture too. Give them a look before your next Ikea, DWR, West Elm trip. You can likely get the real thing for less.
I’m always disappointed how all the Fashion design students I know automatically go to NYC or Abroad instead of thinking about staying here and making it work. I only went to NYC because there as this awesome designer I got an internship with and wanted to work with after College. The second time I went to NYC for interviews and such and Found that I did NOT want to work for a big company because I didn’t want designing to become something I was solely dependent on and end up hating it and everything I was doing and all the regulations for each company. I like to be able to work for myself on design and do it because I enjoy it and other people enjoy it and making custom orders.
And I know this is a little backwards to what i was saying before with Supplies but honestly if you are willing to do it you can get anything and sell nearly everything on the Internet so why does location matter that much? On my etsy I have sold to NYC, AR, UK, Canada.
Most of my friends from School are in NYC and you know what? they are NOT doing what they thought they would and most of them aren’t even happy half the time because of it.
I know what you mean TA, I’ve lectured a few times to fashion photography students at CCAD about actually making a living doing what they hope to do. They all think, “finish school, move to NY”…and they don’t realize, they will get CRUSHED there. What, there’s some shortage of fashion photographers in NYC suddenly, that their meager portfolio is going to get them in the door of a bathroom stall?!?
There’s a guy here in town who was first assistant to Herb Ritz for years, there’s a guy in Cincinnati who was first assistant to Bruce Weber for years, these guys are actually making a good living as professional photographers in Ohio…by choice.
+1
Great furniture too. Give them a look before your next Ikea, DWR, West Elm trip. You can likely get the real thing for less.
Where is this Bustown Modern you speak of? Please advise.
+1
Great furniture too. Give them a look before your next Ikea, DWR, West Elm trip. You can likely get the real thing for less.
Where is this Bustown Modern you speak of? Please advise.
http://www.bustownmodern.com/