boy oh boy. add a headache to a shaky voice plus quivering knees and a blank mind, and what you get is the bunch of us retarded, scared shitless people. people who were sweating buckets while waiting in line at the gates of heaven for the angels to tell us if we get through, or go straight to hell.

at parsons, they call it the jury. just like what it means. they basically decide on your fate, and your life depends on it. you’d be lucky if you get good jury. meaning, even if they slay you alive, they are reputable and super amazing people whose criticisms and comments you would really appreciate. but sometimes, man, a couple of those on the panel are those “who are you again?” type of “fashion industry” people, and you think, “fuck, you mean i worked my ass off all year and all i get for christmas is you?”

judgement day is made into such a stern, serious event. i mean, i understand that it needs to be serious, but it is unnecessarily so. there are so many strict cut-off times that you must meet to be able to show your collection. miss it by 10 seconds, and it means you’ve wasted your 4 years at parsons.

oh but hey, as i mentioned before, there are always that handful of people who can show up late and hand in their things the next day. we suspect that they are secretly giving blowjobs to those teachers-in-charge to get these special privileges, while those who didn’t get on their knees end up sobbing their eyeballs out when the teachers tell them auf wiedersein.

what happens at the gates of heaven

so here’s how it goes.

you all know about the dreadful year-long process that has led up to this day. no doubt it was hard, but i’ve never experienced nervousness like this. mind-boggling, stuttering, brain-freezing, hands-jittering, knee-shaking nervousness. my mouth was dry and i could hardly speak. thesis week is a weeklong of senior classes showing their collections. usually 2 classes a day. depending on luck and on who our teachers know in the industry, some classes get pretty amazing judges to come and view their collections, though some aren’t as lucky.

in my case, we had 2 buyers from oak, a fashion consultant (what does that actually mean?), a journalist, a stylish lady who comes every year and i’m not actually sure what her job is, someone from the cfda, and the head designer for isaac mizrahi couture.

although i made a pre-fall collection, i didn’t really create looks with that many layers, and so shucks, with 2 looks on the models, my rack looked bare. not great. i wish it was a less wide rack. haha!

the concept

i started off explaining my concept and inspirations.

the debut mini collection by RÊVASSEUR, which translates to “daydreamer”, embodies the emotions of childhood – adventures, imagination, self-discovery, growing up, dependency, and tension, where something cannot exist without the other, nor function without a helping hand. it was also inspired by english author, enid blyton’s magic faraway tree series.

as a child, i used to follow my older sister everywhere, and loved reading fairy-tales, building the biggest lego castles with my brother (and smacking him when he knocked them down), and playing in our squatter-like make-shift indoor tent that consisted of tons of blankets hung from the ceiling and buntings strung all over. we would eat, sleep and read in there, and come up with new passwords every hour!

after my mother bought me my first enid blyton book when i was 4, i got obsessed and would read a new book each day. this started my love affair with enid blyton and her wonderful tales, and in particular, the magic faraway tree series. they brought me into an imaginary world filled with pixies and gnomes, flustered golliwogs, and talking rabbits; into the enchanted wood, up the magic faraway tree, gobbling pop biscuits and google buns, into the land of take-what-you-want and do-as-you-please, and down moonface’s slippery-slide.

the inspiration is expressed through a variety of strong silhouettes, a great mixture of textures and prints, as well as multiple pattern manipulations and fabric treatments. this collection is an exploration of a memory of my childhood, and continual imagination of a world of colour, fun, and make-believe.

erm, of course, that was the plan but it didn’t go HALF as well. i was shaking all over; my fingers, hands, knees, and voice. i couldn’t stop fidgeting, and although i did make it a point to look and speak to each of the judges, i also closed my eyes a few times just to think. prior to this day, we have had 2 rehearsals in class when we presented to our teachers and classmates. but nothing really prepares you for the beady eyes of the judges burning holes through you.

owww.

my line

each of the judges were handed a folder containing all of our linesheets, and this was mine. i got my model to do a pose like a kid reading a book. the book of course, is a really old edition of the magic faraway tree, of which i had based many ideas of my collection on. i drew the tree on photoshop; i’ll admit here though, that i certainly had to look at pictures of trees to draw this, and even then, it ain’t great!! the pixies and fairy folk i drew with some reference to illustrations i found. (apparently i’m not that talented?) pfffft.

TURQUOISE WITH PINK DOTTED COTTON asobi TWO-WAY DRESS

my first look is an airy light dress that looks a little simple but can be played with to create something a lot more fun. it can be worn on its own in summer, or layered in the fall and winter to show just the drapes! i created some huge tiered folds in the front which adds some drapes on the side, and allows the dress to balloon a little as the wearer walks. the great part is that this silhouette completely changes because of the epaulette on the back that allows you to pull up the skirt of the dress and button it up higher so that the drapes become a little more dramatic and cute!

did i also mention that this is a turquoise cotton fabric with textured pink dots all over? love it so much.

MULTI-COLOUR DOUBLE-FRONTED fukuzatsu TWEED JACKET WITH HIDDEN SHIRT POCKET, HAND-WOVEN SAORI COLLAR AND PLACKET, AND WASHED TWO-PLY SILK COWL

following that, anna came out parading my second look. this jacket was probably one of the hardest little thing to make and made me want to slit my wrists when i was making it. the drapes on the side, god, why did i want so much to stick to my plans! no matter what i did, it kept moving and changing its shape and really made me feel like stabbing myself in the chest!!

the jacket is made from a ton of different colours and textures (obviously!), with this amazing woven tweed i found from linton tweeds, which had a mix of greens, orange and khakis – very weird (in a good way), very different, and i love it. i picked up the colours form this tweed, and used wools and yarns in the same colour story in the weave that i made, which i then cut and sewed to make the front placket and collar. this was decorated with a ton of different plastic and covered buttons, some made and some bought.

the left front of the jacket is actually a double layer, which unbuttons to reveal another layer inside that looks like a shirt but is of course made of tweed and pretty warm. there are hooks where the collar can hook onto which changes the look of the jacket a little at a time.

i had made an extra piece of woven fabric which i passed around to the judges for them to have a closer look at the possibilities of what this technique of weaving could produce.

BALLOON PRINT JERSEY kantan T-SHIRT WITH TIERED SLEEVES

BLACK SILK WOOL DIAGONAL yattaze PANTS WITH BLACK SPANDEX AND GREY JERSEY

underneath the jacket was a simple tshirt in my balloon print, with a few tiers in its sleeves. it’s worn with these pants with 2 very strong diagonal seams that cut across the leg, which i thought slimmed down the hips and thighs a little. it also has a little gleamy spandex in there, which is usually perceived to be a rather cheap fabric, but i thought it added a nice bit of shine to an otherwise matte pair of pants.

the best part about these pair of pants, is that no matter who tried it on, they all told me how comfortable it was and wanted to order a pair! whee!

ORANGE AND TURQUOISE IKAT COTTON ASYMMETRICAL nanka-iissho SHIRT WITH GREY JERSEY SLEEVES AND SAORI BIB

next is a shirt and pant look. the shirt was made with this seriously colourful and so-very-me ikat cotton that was made in india. it was a little rough when i first bought it and had to wash it through a few times to soften it.

i made its sleeves in this really soft grey jersey (same as the one i used in the diagonal yattaze pants), because we all know how many times we’ve bought shirts and start fidgeting because seriously, shirt sleeves are sometimes simply not the most comfortable things to wear. the shirt is longer on one side, with a slightly rounded collar, and curved shirt placket. the highlight is of course, another version of one of my weaves, again with colours that are also in the ikat. this was used to make a square shirt bib. i stuffed the collar, placket, and bib a little to give it the slightest bit of volume and added curves, and then threw in more plastic and covered buttons down the placket.

DARK TURQUOISE AND MUSTARD JERSEY DROPPED-CROTCH sarueru PANTS WITH ASYMMETRIC MULTI-TIERED LEGS

the shirt can be paired with this super comfortable dropped-crotch pants. i explained to the judges that dropped-crotch pants are something you either love or loath. i. love. them. i live in them, i really do. i don’t know how many pairs i own. i think it’s easy to create a statement with dropped-crotch pants, because they instantly create a very unique and quirky silhouette even if you are wearing a plain white tshirt and no accessories at all.

i added tiers down the legs of the pants which is something i don’t think i’ve seen before and adds a little something different. on the left side though, i added 4 tiers and then made it very skinny, to make sure it doesn’t make the wearer look like she’s some kind of walrus blubber.

DARK NAVY HIGH-WAISTED GABARDINE piero PANTS

a pant alternative is this pair of high-waisted, almost corseted pair of pants. it has a pretty wide leg that tapers towards the ankles, with great hand stitching detail in red. i also spoke about how i enjoy using interesting linings with great prints that add a little something extra, that might not get seen by anyone other than the wearer, but is a detail that i like to include in my designs. the multiple tweed fukuzatsu jacket had a silk lining that was printed with my balloon print, and for these pair of pants, i used a bright red polka dot lining that is just the cutest thing.

CASHMERE WOOL forrest-nymph ASYMMETRICAL JACKET

i threw in my forrest-nymph jacket that i admittedly made in junior year, but which was also made with the same concept as my collection, so much so that my teacher convinced me to include it in my presentation. honestly, i thought long and hard about whether it was a good idea to include it, but after seeing how some students had some extremely questionable collections where they OBVIOUSLY had no part in sewing anything at all, i was like, fuck it. they didn’t even make any of their collection, it’s all bullshit, and at least this is my own work, that i created and sewed without copying another designer. so yes, i did it, and i included it in. whatever.

the jacket itself is a combination of different colours of cashmere, asymmetrical again, and of course, decorated with my signature mix of buttons. there’s also the added detail of the turquoise hand-stitch all along the lapel and hem. i have to say, i’ve worn this jacket a million times and it goes with just about anything i own! it’s the perfect piece that i’m really proud to have made!

ORANGE AND TURQUOISE IKAT COTTON mecharaku DRESS WITH STUFFED JERSEY COLLAR, SEAMS AND BALLOON SKIRT

my second to last look is made with the same ikat and soft grey jersey, this time in a balloon dress with an uneven hem. you’ll notice that the dress is as long as my entire self. yes, i am that short and it was made for model people. (annoying. i hate them. j/k)

it kinda resembles a motorcycle/riders jacket effect with its collar, lapel and also the diagonal zip. the collar is stuffed and hugs the neck, and is made of the softest black jersey so it feels so good. the same jersey also lines the inside of the dress. i mimicked the same tiers in the grey jersey, as with the other garments… well, technically speaking, they are tucks.

strips of curved jersey goes around the body which draws the eye together with it, and the poofy balloon shapes add playfulness to the design.

i love the shape of this dress and really need to make it shorter so i can wear it myself!

BALLOON PRINT JERSEY iroiro MULTI-WAY ROMPER

my last look was on monica. it can be worn in a multitude of ways. there are 4 different necklines (where your legs could also go through), and 3 different armholes. i created texture along the shoulders with hundreds of tucks closely sewn together, and right underneath all the tucks on the left shoulder is the zipper that closes up the entire romper.

when worn in its normal way, the left arm can either come out of the armhole at her waist (as in the top left picture where monica is walking), or at the shoulders (as in the top right picture).

however her head could also go through either of the holes through which her legs are, thus producing completely different looks and a whole lot of possibilities; it could be worn as a romper, or even yet, as just a top and paired with something else below!

the back of the romper has a circular seam (that i admit, went sliiiightly wonky as i was sewing in the black cording to emphasize the line!!), which i’m a big fan of.

accessories

we had 7 minutes to finish our presentation and about 3 minutes left to answer questions from the panel. after i explained through my line of clothing, i gave a sigh of relief and was like, “phew! ok i’m done!!”

then one of the judges was kind enough to point to my accessories table and say, “i think you forgot to tell us about those crazy shoes there?”

i was like, “OH. MY. GAWD. thank you SO much for telling me!! i am so nervous i’m peeing in my pants i didn’t even remember it even though it’s right next to me!!”

seriously. if he didn’t tell me that, i would have really ended it and also perhaps ended my life.

i really wanted these comfy and yet strange looking boots and wanted to get them properly made but obviously lacked the funds to do so. so i made these blue monster boots myself. it’s basically a boot with the turquoise, pink dotted cotton wrapped and draped over it, with buttons as accents!!

the shoes that i DID get made professionally were these pair with corked wedges with a 1″ inbuilt platform. it carries the same idea of tiers and a support system, that goes in line with my theme, and is made with the balloon print canvas, and turquoise and lime leather. i got them made at elias custom made shoes, at 856 lexington avenue, (212) 988-7360. they were great, and really friendly!! tell them gilda sent you!! they will remember that i am the crazy girl who made turquoise and lime green wedges!!

the booties also have a little leather collar which was an accent that i wanted in the design.

lastly, i’d made 2 hats. now if you know me, you’d know i love hats. i have 26 hats hanging from my walls at home… and more in my hat boxes. and these are just hats, mind you, i have a ton of other hair accessories! so there was no way that i would have done my collection without hats included! a hat completes an outfit, right? right.

one of my hats was a mix of the weave i made, plus a pink and green tweed, raw lime green silk, and a blue-green cashmere for its rim. it can be worn in any direction and tilted to its side to produce different looks.

the second one i made with another blue-green wool, which is super cute when worn tilted. i’d re-watched the peter pan movie when i was making this, and it was a little rounder at first but after watching peter pan, i made its brim a little pointier and i think it makes it look like something a little pixie would wear. no? i mean, c’mon, tinkerbell would totally wear it! (i hope)

and there you have it, ladies and gentlemen. that was my thesis presentation!! 3 years of hell (luckily i didn’t have to do foundation year, or it would have been 4 years!!), all leading up to this short little 10 minutes!! it’s crazy!!

it was so hard for myself, i think some of the korean girls in my class really had it 40 times worse. some of them really couldn’t speak much english and my teachers spent days rehearsing with them. i tried to help too, and up till the last minute, was helping one girl rehearse what she was going to say. she wasn’t confident enough to just do some free-talk, and actually memorized every single word. i was worried about that because once she got nervous, she stammered a little, but we were all crossing our fingers for her and somehow, we pulled through together!

at the end of all our presentations, we went in a line in front of the panel again for our final bows. the auditorium was quite full and there must have been about 200 people who came to watch our presentation that day. i think we all seriously sweat buckets. we were hugging each other because the damn thing was finally over!!

we thanked soo and rob, our methods and concepts teacher. they were really instrumental in us getting our thesis done, and clapped like crazy for them.

later we found out that we were the only class who actually thanked their teachers publicly. ain’t that weird?

i’m putting up pictures of some of my friends’ collections in a couple of days, so keep a look out for that!!

by the way,  with the exception of about 3 of these photos here, all the images you see were taken by the lovely aneta genova of bobbin talk!! she took the pictures and all i did was edit them.

aneta teaches accessories design at parsons, and is really active on her blog. we were all too nervous to take pictures even for each other during our presentations, and relied on outside friends to help shoot some. but, the auditorium was basically pitch black except for a couple of lights in the front, so most photos turned out fuzzy! then i remembered that aneta had posted an amazingly clear picture of my collection on her blog, so i thought of asking if she might have had taken any other photos of my clothes, considering that she basically sat right in front where all the action was! turns out, she did! and not just a few, more like 119 pictures!! i was like, OH MY GOD i love you!! so she burned them all for me on a disc. if not for her, i never would have been able to share this with you guys, and would also not have any pictures to remember this day by! so, thank you so much aneta!! i really do appreciate it!!

aneta, by the way, also conducts accessory design e-classes!! i think that’s a fantastic idea and can certainly be applied to garment design as well! you should definitely check it out if you have always wanted to attend design classes but don’t want to commit to silly school rules and the risk of a teacher who might not be great. i’ve never taken aneta’s class before at parsons, but a lot of my friends do, and they all love her so you will too!!

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