Secrets of a Fashion Designer
Posted by Christie - 16/08/10 at 11:08 am“I don’t discriminate, everyone loves fashion”
–Tashia Senn
So, Marc, my fantastic stylist, introduced me to a cool new designer who is up and coming AND very awesome. CG fans, may I introduce you to Tashia Senn?
Tashia is super cool. She’s got kind of a timeless, elegant, feminine sort of glamor about her clothes, and her dresses are full of fun detail and very VERY cool buttons (also, did we mention the feathers?). And when she’s not creating cool outfits that I desperately want to fit into, she’s working for her non-profit called SAVVY GIRL — an organization devoted to helping mentor and develop young women.
So, upon meeting her I was a fan. But more importantly, I was interested in learning about her secrets. You know, those crazy designer secrets that we all want to know about? Things like: “Why doesn’t this look good on me?” and “What are my best colors?” and “No seriously, why can’t I fit into this?” Hard hitting questions abound!
Anyway, Tashia was awesome, and explained some of the challenges that a designer can face:
1. You can’t find a good seamstress anywhere! Apparently if you aren’t in the designer Mecca of NYC, it’s hard to find a seamstress to execute on designs well. As a customer, I rarely think about what goes into the construction of a garment, but if you are a high-end fashion person, the construction is everything. Therefore, a great seamstress is worth her weight in gold. Or feathers. Or fur. You know, whatever is trendy these days!
2. Clients are challenging. When working with a designer on a custom look, it’s important to be open. Trust in the designer to have ideas and execute a vision that you will love AND will look good on you. Second guessing and thinking that those MC Hammer parachute pants will work for a black tie event and not make your thighs enormous…bad plan. No one understands a woman’s body like a designer — so give them some guidelines and ideas, and let them work!
3. Do not bring a picture of something and demand exactly that. Dude. Not only is that not exactly on the right shade of legal to copy another designer’s work, but that sort of defeats the purpose of hiring a designer in the first place, no? It seems so simple, but hey, apparently not.
We also asked the tough question of: “how much exactly would it cost to get one of these dresses or a custom dress?” and found out that the answer is not as expensive as we thought. Several hundred dollars can net you one of Tashia’s less formal dresses, up to several grand if you are looking for something totally custom and totally formal. Not bad, when you think that every dress you order is made expressly for you, so the fit will be perfect…kind of makes some of the pricier off the rack dresses a little less interesting, no?
Plus, Tashia herself is so cool. When we asked how she got here, she said: “Do your thing. With hard work and determination you can achieve anything.”
I think we’ve developed a girl crush!
Check her (and her fabulous pieces out) at www.tashiasenn.com
