You Never Leave Parsons - Graduation & Final Thoughts

Parsons School of Fashion Graduation 2012

One of our last nights working in the studios

So, its already July 2012, and somehow my time at Parsons has come to an end. A year and a half has flown by and I have suddenly found myself standing at the beginning again. As a recently graduated designer, I now find myself before the formidable task of finding a job I love in the industry that I adore. I am excited, exhilarated, nervous and curious to see what is next for me.

But I digress. Lets talk about this final semester at Parsons. This time around, I decided to take it easy - taking on a low workload of 4 classes


and an internship as compared to the 7/8 classes workload I have become accustomed to in the previous semesters. I decided that I had worked hard enough and I wanted to take the time to take care of myself and enjoy what could be my last few months in NYC (which btw, I had hardly explored thus far).

Georgina & Keren

I had scored my dream internship at Marchesa the semester before and was ecstatic about starting work there and being able to actually see and learn how those exquisite gowns were made. And boy what a learning experience it was. Marchesa internships are some of the most highly coveted and it is not only because people are dying to work with such an esteemed label, but its because of the amount of work that is delegated to the interns. Interns at Marchesa are trusted with tasks ranging from dyeing fabrics and trims to fabric manipulation, draping, embroidery design and of course, lots and lots of hand sewing. The hours are long, even for the interns, but the dedication of their design team and the presence of Keren Craig and Georgina Chapman motivates you to stay behind and help out even after-hours. I can honestly say that I learnt so many things that helped me to create my final projects for Couture and Construction 3 at school, skills, techniques and ideas which I would never have been exposed to otherwise.

Brigitte's Couture techniques samples

Professor Brigitte Conti

At school, I was taking classes I enjoyed with the professors I love. I carefully selected my courses to further my passion for couture and evening wear design and I could not have chosen any better. My Construction 3 class with Joyce enabled me to utilize all the skills I had learned thus far and create the garment of my dreams exactly the way I wanted it. It was amazing to have someplace where I could literally create something that was truly my own, in short, a designer's dream to show off their aesthetic and creative skills. Couture techniques with Brigitte focused on fabric manipulation techniques. I found her class especially challenging as she pushed me to explore a new aesthetic, and think outside the box without losing my own aesthetic. Brigitte's class enabled me to learn design from a couture perspective, and it took more than a a few dozen sketches and samples before we finally agreed upon a design that was fresh, unexpected, unique and yet still completely something I wanted to create.

All this combined with my Marchesa internship taught me what couture was all about. That is, a lot (and I mean a LOT) of hand sewing and patience. Marchesa showed me to effort that goes into creating every single exquisite piece that is now expected from the label. Everything is possible. Can't find the exact shade you were looking for? Then stand by the dyeing stand in the kitchen and spend an entire 8 hour day mixing colors and making samples until you get that exact one you want. Trims? Look for them in both high-end and discount stores, then dye them to make sure they match exactly. Cut them out, play with them to create something that nobody has ever seen before. Parsons and Marchesa were quite possibly the perfect combination for my final semester, they both pushed me to think outside the box and never to settle for anything less than what I had in my mind. And this invaluable lesson will be something I will always carry with me into every aspect of my future and my life.

All in all, my experiences at Parsons exceeded my expectations. It is a school which, if you let it, will guide you and hone you to become whatever you want to be and give you every single opportunity you can dream of. Despite the workload and the frequent tears and frustrations, it was the best decision I ever made in my entire life, and for any of you considering the school and weighing its costs (which admittedly are insanely high), do it, you will not regret a single moment.

Officially a Parsons Graduate!