Name: Kay-Jean Wagner

Where do you live? Brookfield, CT USA

Area of study: BFA Fashion Design

Day job / occupation: Domestic Engineer

What qualities do you most value in others? Honesty, Ethics, Optimism

Name three of your favorite designers:

Marc Jacobs, Givenchy, House of Lanvin

List a guilty pleasure:

Yarn – I love shopping for yarn and fabric.

What is your present state of mind?

Do I have to confess to insanity? What is normal? I am always thinking of the myriad of things I should be doing and more on the things I want to do.

What is your dream job?

Working for myself in fashion design.

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Cathy Horyn intervewing Alexander McQueen Creative Director Sarah Burton. Photo Courtesy of Nowness.

Welcome back – we hope you are all looking forward to the Spring semester! As you begin your new classes and embark on exciting adventures, we want to remind you to let us know about all of the amazing things that you’re working on! If you have a class project that you’re really proud of, or something you’re working on outside of school, email us for a chance to be featured!

Additionally, we want to encourage all of our students to write for Fashion School Daily! Think of it as a platform to hone your skills and write about the exciting worlds of fashion, pop culture, San Francisco, New York, and beyond! If you dream of being the next Cathy Horyn, Suzy Menkes, or Hamish Bowles – this is your first step.

Please send any and all pitches to fashionschooldaily@gmail.com. Or, if you just want to send us your stories – and pictures – for consideration, you can do that too!

Looking forward to your submissions and good luck in the Spring Semester!

You can also keep up with the School of Fashion on Facebook and Twitter (@aaufashion).

The runway at the Academy of Art University Fashion Show at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week. Photo Courtesy of Melvin Harper.

Dear New Students,

Welcome to the School of Fashion! It was great seeing you all today and we are so happy to have you with us. We know that all of that orientation information can be a lot to take in, so we’ve created a Spark Notes version for you. Since you’re reading this, you’ve obviously found Fashion School Daily – the School of Fashion’s blog where we keep you updated on all of the events happening within the school (as well as fun stuff in San Francisco), post jobs and internships, keep you updated on industry news, alumni updates and feature your amazing work!

You can visit us on Facebook , YouTube and Twitter too!

You also met your Orientation Leaders – current students who are here to help with any questions or concerns you might have. Their contact info is below:

Nikki Anderson-Joy – Costume Design – aauorientationleader4@gmail.com

Morgan Barnes – Fashion Merchandising – aauorientationleader7@gmail.com

Akaila Johnson – Fashion Merchandising – aauorientationleader5@gmail.com

Melissa Charles – Fashion Design – aauorientationleader3@gmail.com

And if you’re ever looking for a little inspiration, be sure to check out Executive Director Gladys Perint Palmer’s Tumblr, where she posts illustrations daily.

Good luck on your first days of school!

Francis Liang was inspired by the work of Jackson Pollock.

Here are some amazing window displays created by Russell Clower’s Visual Merchandising 2 students! The project asked students to create a shadowbox window display for a men’s or women’s fragrance, incorporating a particular period of art history or the style of a particular artist that matched the image of the brand and it’s fragrance. Students drew from a variety of eras and artists – and we’re seriously loving what they came up with! What artist or artistic period would be the perfect match for your signature scent? Tell us in the comments below!

Caitlyn Randrup was inspired by Hollywood director and choreographer Busby Berkeley.

Abilen Mora was inspired by Cubism.

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Paintings from “The Masters of Venice” at the de Young Museum

Here is another photo shoot styled by students from Flore Morton’s Styling 1 class! The shoot, titled Ritratto di signora (Portrait of a Lady), was inspired by “The Master of Venice” exhibit at the de Young Museum. The shoot was styled by Noah Shaw, Kimberley Bolton, and Jessica Hallworth, and photographed by Jeff Bacani, a B.F.A. Photography student.

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Here is another photoshoot from Flore Morton’s Styling 1 class – and it was inspired by the master painter Vincent Van Gogh! Each photo replicates an aspect of one of his paintings, whether it is color, light, or the subject. We love the way that they abstracted a single element from each work of art, and used that as inspiration to create something completely different. The photo shoot was styled by Anita Long and Uma Anupindi, one of our exchange students from the National Institute of Technology (NIFT) in India, and shot by BFA Photography student Bailey Harada Stone. Natasha Bacon, from City Models, brings the images to life. Enjoy!

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Inspiration for the Photo Shoot

The following is a final project from three of Flore Morton’s Styling 1 students – Jessica Mongeau, Phyllis Smith, and Alex Grant. They were inspired by 1920s boudoir images, and were able to link up with photography student Jeff Bacani, whose work also has a vintage feel. He used an old Polaroid camera that had been converted to create digital files. The images are very rustic, and the long exposures capture movement in a blur.

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On Wednesday, December 7th, Michael Rosen’s students put on an amazing art installation titled We Will Rock You. All six of his classes participated in the show: three sections of FSH 616 – Dynamics of Fashion, FSH 390 – Fashion Merchandising Career Development, GS 671 – Professional Practices and Communication of Fashion, and FSH 262 – Fashion Design 3.

Career Development and Professional Practices students displayed their business cards, résumés, and original bio’s meant to grab an employer’s attention. The three Dynamics of Fashion classes created publications that represented what they had learned in the course. One was an XXXpandable magazine that stretched the entire length of the table, another was a “Hand Coutured” Manual with everything from A to Z, and the third – a moving, transparent magazine. The three publications were set up amidst a tableau of household furniture: a chair here, an easel there, a grandfather clock in the corner. The furniture became the set for the final act of the presentation – a runway show, sans clothes, put on by the Fashion Design 3 students. The designers presented their sketches, mood boards, and fabrics – exhibiting their ideas in complete silence, and allowing the work to speak for itself.

The entire experience was amazing – so many different forms of creativity came together with one powerful message: We Will Rock You.

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We are so excited to welcome back Joe’s Blackbook! They’ll be here on Monday to present the Joe’s Blackbook 2012 Design Competition. The scholarship competition is open to junior level B.F.A. Fashion Design students. They’ll be outlining the design project and answering any questions you might have. Submissions will be reviewed by the judges, who in previous years have included Vena Cava, Shipley + Halmos, and Madewell. After the final review, they’ll award a $10,000 scholarship to one men’s wear design student and a $10,000 scholarship to one women’s wear design student!

Where do you live? Born and Raised in the Big Apple but reside in Pensacola, Florida with my Soldier Husband (a US Marine)

What is your area of study? BFA Journalism debating Design and later Illustration as an addition to my Fashion Career

Day job/occupation: Owner and Founder of Pink Couture Life! A company that empowers women through beauty, fashion, fitness and anything and everything lifestyle services including an online magazine! I also get to test out beauty and fashion products for Vogue Magazine as a Vogue Influencer Network. I am multi-passionate so I juggle a lot of creative projects.

What qualities do you most value in others?

Honor, Respect, Loyalty and Style…To thine own self be true – Polonius

Name three of your favorite designers, journalists, etc:

Designers: Carolina Herrera , Halston, Alexander Mcqueen, I love any journalist that can make fashion sound like a poetry.

List a guilty pleasure:

Gossip Magazines, and Reality Shows ssshhh our little secret.

What is your present state of mind?

Fashion, Fashion, Fashion…looking for a great vintage piece right now.

What is your dream job?

Princess to the Fashion world…no just kidding. To write, design and illustrate fashion.

What is the most important thing that people should know about you?

I am a loving person. I love wholeheartedly and indefinitely

When was the first time you recognized your interest in fashion?

As a little girl dress up was not just dress up but an entire production.

Where have you found inspiration lately?

Books, Magazines, Blogs, Movies (older movies)

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