Ending One Chapter & Beginning A New

"The FUTURE belongs to those who BELIEVE in the BEAUTY of their DREAMS." 

- Eleanor Roosevelt

Company: Vera Wang

Week # __12___             Date of report:  ______10/26/14__________

Log work hours during past week of internship:  46 hours

Monday __9:00AM-5:30PM__   Tuesday   _9:00AM-6:00AM__   Wednesday __9:00AM-6:00PM__ Thursday __9:00AM-6:00PM__

SUMMARY OF LAST WEEK’S ACTIVITIES – INCLUDE DUTIES, TRAINING, AND EXPOSURE TO NEW AREAS OF INTERNSHIP ORGANIZATION: 

·         Organize fabric headers for Fanny.

·         Organize bins of grosgrain and other ribbons and create labels for the tubs they were in

·         Copied patterns

·         Errands to mid-town

·         Cut swatches for Anne’s fabric cards

·         Rolled up tulle

SPECIFIC SKILLS/TASKS DEVELOPED OR INTRODUCED THIS WEEK:

·         Cut and sewed Bridal Skirt Panels for Daniel using an invisible thread serge finish

·         Cut and sewed RTW Flowers

SELF-EVALUATION OF WEEK’S PERFORMANCE OF INTERNSHIP:

It was a wonderful last week.  The other interns threw a mini party for me after work with the design team and we all had champagne and toasted to the previous collections and to the group of interns we have now and our hard work.  The design team also took us out to lunch on Wednesday which was really nice and fun.   On my last day I brought beagles for the team and for the people in production.  I also brought a Halloween bucket of candy and thank you cards for the design team and a few people I grew close to in the production room.  Margo told me to send the team my resume and portfolio so they can refer me to any companies looking to hire.  Everyone has been incredible to work with and I am sad that it has come to an end.  My last week was very bitter sweet and it was difficult to say goodbye to so many talented and sweet people that I have grown to love.  I hope I will one day return to the city to work for a design company and be able to reconnect with everyone again.  I loved my experience at Vera Wang and I am so grateful for all that I have learned and all of the skills that I have developed while interning there.  

I am also very excited about the future and what my next chapter is going to be.  I will be returning to Colorado to spend time with family and friends, as well as apply for apparel design jobs.  

WEEKEND:

Yale University, New Heaven, CT

Cape Cod, MA

I am now traveling with my super amazing friend Paula on a road trip back to Colorado.  We are traveling up the east coast first and then back west into Upstate New York and the next stop will be Niagra Falls.  I am not positive where we will go after that.  It is quite the adventure!  

Once we get back to Colorado, I am not sure what my next chatper will be exactly, but I do know that I am extremely excited and hopeful! 

Thank you for reading my blog about my internship experience. I hope it has entertained you or given you some insight about an internship experience in NYC or maybe even given you encouragement to pursue your dream of interning in the city!  I wish you all the best in the future and if you do have a dream that you are unsure of or you are scared of...then I say just do it!  You will only regret not trying and if you don't try then you know for sure it will never come true!  If there is a will..there is a way.  You just might have to brainstorm a little longer!  Best of luck!

Love Always,

Sydni

Celeb Spoting

" I've never allowed fear to limit me. I believe you can will your way into good situations.  Go out and make things happen." 

- Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson III

Company: Vera Wang

Week # __11___             Date of report:  ______10/19/14__________

Log work hours during past week of internship:  46 hours

Monday __9:00AM-6:00PM__   Tuesday   _9:00AM-7:00AM__   Wednesday __9:00AM-6:00PM__ Thursday __9:00AM-6:30PM__ Friday __9:00AM-5:30PM __

SUMMARY OF LAST WEEK’S ACTIVITIES: 

·         Organize fabric headers that in closet from previous seasons and for Fanny who is the new fabric sourcing team member for the new up and coming seasons.  I learned that headers are large swatches of the fabric that are used by the agents to show design houses which fabrics they have available and then the design houses will order depending on which headers they liked. 

o   The fabric mills (located mostly in Italy) have agents in New York City and our fabric sourcing member (Fanny) chooses a selection to show the team as options for the new collections.  She has to know the direction of the collection and pieces that will be made so she has an idea for when she begins sourcing.  The team members all prepare their ideas and fabrics and show Vera Wang and she makes the final say to which fabrics will be used and which that will not be used. 

·         Sarah and I photo copied a bridal technique used in a center back godet of a gown in this fall 15 bridal collection and taped the copies together to create a flat pattern.  The pattern will be used in production to show where the technique will need to be placed.  It was difficult to get the fabric to lay flat and for the technique to show because it was light ivory tulle with a lining behind it so I decided to cut up black paper and pin it under the tulle so the technique would be more visible and the fabric would lay flat. 

SPECIFIC SKILLS/TASKS DEVELOPED OR INTRODUCED THIS WEEK:

·         Bridal Veil:

o   I learned how to sew a clip onto the veils. 

o   I modeled more of the veils for Eleanor so she could send the pictures to Keith and get the okay from him to send the veils to sales. 

·         I hand tacked flowers for a trimming for ready to wear as a possible technique. 

SELF-EVALUATION OF WEEK’S PERFORMANCE OF INTERNSHIP:

This week I learned so much more about fabrics and developed my textile identification skills as well as expanded my knowledge of technical textile terms. 

I went on an errand to pick up some headers from an agent and when I got on the elevator I saw 50 Cent and it was just him and me on the elevator!  I was so shocked!  I just stared at him and he said hey and so I said hey back!  Then he got off and now I regret not taking a picture with him or talking to him more but it was super exciting and crazy! 

WEEKEND:

This weekend my friend Sarah that I met interning at Vera Wang made hot buttered rum and carved pumpkins!  It was so fun and festive!

Kindness

"Carry out a random act of kindness, with no expectation of reward, safe in the knowledge that one day someone might do the same for you." 

- Princess Diana

Company: Vera Wang

Week # __10___             Date of report:  ______10/12/14__________

Log work hours during past week of internship:  43.5 hours

Monday __9:00AM-11:59PM__   Tuesday   _12:00AM-1:30AM__   Wednesday __9:00AM-6:00PM__ Thursday __9:00AM-7:00PM__ Friday __9:00AM-5:00PM __

SUMMARY OF LAST WEEK’S ACTIVITIES: 

·         Organize Design/Fit Meeting Room

·         Cutting floral and leaf motifs from lace as well as crystals and beading from tulle backing which was later pinned and2 hand sewn onto gowns. 

·         Hand tacking bows

·         Cleaning the ends of bows by cutting at 45 degree angles clean lines. 

·         Preparing various combinations of layers of tulle strips for Daniel to use for different types of bows. 

·         Errands to midtown

·         I worked with a team of people to host an employee sample sale for Vera Wang.  My duties included helping set up the racks and hanging and organizing the clothing.  I taped signs around the room of the listed prices.  I also assisted customers at the point of sale.  At the end we all packed the left over hangers into boxes, bagged any leftover clothing to send to donate and took down the signs.  Before the sale began the other interns and I were able to choose three items for free.  It was so amazing!  I was in Heaven!  During the sale, the price list changed to 50% off and all of the old bridesmaids’ dresses were free!  It was complete chaos once the seamstresses from upstairs heard the news!  They all came running down.  I turned my head for a minute, and when I looked back the entire bridesmaids dress rack was completely empty.  Towards the very end the left overs became all FREE and we were able to take anything!  I was able to snag a few more things and I even found things to bring back to my roommates! 

SPECIFIC SKILLS/TASKS DEVELOPED OR INTRODUCED THIS WEEK:

·         Bridal Flower Petals:

o   Version 1: (organza squares)

o   Version 2: (organza squares)

·         Bridal Flowers:

o   We took four varying sizes of circles and created the petals using a pressing technique.  Then, Daniel taught me how to machine sew the flower.  It was amazing to learn how to make one and it turned out looking so pretty.  It was even used as an accessory for a photo shoot to debut the line on WWD.com.  Check out the artcle and images by clicking here!  One of the images of the flowers I helped create was also posted onto the verawanggang instagram, which I highly suggest following!  ...and yes I am always running that low on my phone battery!  haha! 

·         Bridal Veil:

o   Eleanor scattered flowers onto a veil and the interns and I all safety pinned the flowers down so a seamstress could hand sew them down. 

o   After the pinning, Eleanor and Keith (the leader of the Bridal design team) used me as their veil fit model.  It was really funny!  Everyone kept walking by and jokingly told me congratulations!  Haha!  While I was wearing the veil, they re-positioned and took off some of the flowers until it was just right!

·         I organized /separated different types of lace from this bridal season as well as laces, knits and jerseys (heavy, medium, and light weight). 

SELF-EVALUATION OF WEEK’S PERFORMANCE OF INTERNSHIP:

When I was sewing the bridal flower on the sewing machine, the seamstress sitting next to me told me that I was doing beautiful work and she was surprised because I was so young.  It made me so excited and much more confident in the work I was doing.  Small things like that can really make another person's day so much better.  I don't think about it enough, but I know that I can help to brighten up someone elses day too.  I see small acts of kindess everyday in NYC.  I watch as strangers give up their seats on the subway for others and people who make an efforet to go out of their way to help another person out just because it is a community of people who are trying to take care of one another.  I know that not everyone does this, but when they do...it makes me smile and think that the world is a better place, and I can have that effect on the community as well.  Working at Vera Wang has made me feel like I am now a part of this amazing family with people who really are looking out and rooting for me.  They are at times a little crazy and outrageous but that is what makes their character so endearing and loveable.  

WEEKEND:

I had one of the most amazing weekends!  No work and all play with my bf and partner in crime, Ken Klein.  He came out to visit me this weekend.  We went to Smorgasburg in Willamsburg, and the food was so deliscious.  I highly recommend going if you have never gone before.  

We also went to an Oktoberfest on the Lowe East side of Manhattan.  It was so much fun.  There was a live band and everyone was up on their benches dancing and "PROSTING!" which means "cheersing!" in German.  

Sunday we went to the Metlife Stadium and watched the New York Jets play the Denver Broncos!  The Broncos won!  Woot woot! That night we went to the Bule Ribbon Sushi restraunt and it was super delicious.   

It was an unbelievable weekend being able to do so many fun things with such an amazing person!  I will never forget it!

Love Always,

Sydni

The City That Never Sleeps

"Always live life excited and nervous.  It is the best way to live!" 

~Carol Engel-Enright, An amazing professor at Colorado State University

Company: Vera Wang

Week # __9___                Date of report:  ______10/05/14__________

Log work hours during past week of internship:  85.5 hours

Monday __9:00AM-7:15PM__   Tuesday   _9:00AM-9:00PM__   Wednesday __9:00AM-10:00PM__ Thursday __9:00AM-10:00PM__ Friday __9:00AM-8:00PM __Saturday__9:00AM-10:00PM__Sunday__9:00AM-10:15PM

SUMMARY OF LAST WEEK’S ACTIVITIES – INCLUDE DUTIES, TRAINING, AND EXPOSURE TO NEW AREAS OF INTERNSHIP ORGANIZATION: 

·         Organize Design/Fit Meeting Room

o   Re-hanging fabric techniques and rolling up ribbon

o   Re-pinning things to the board

·         Cutting floral and leaf motifs from lace as well as crystals and beading from tulle backing which was later pinned and2 hand sewn onto gowns. 

·         Hand tacking bows

·         Cleaning the ends of bows by cutting at 45 degree angles clean lines. 

·         Errand to Vogue Too

SPECIFIC SKILLS/TASKS DEVELOPED OR INTRODUCED THIS WEEK:

·         Bridal Top:

o   Daniel, a member of the bridal design team had me re-make a long sleeve lace top from a previous season that sales needed to borrow for a photo shoot for the Princess perfume ad.  I tried to help her look for the original top, but we could not find it anywhere. She also could not find that pattern so I took another top with the same pattern and picked it apart.  Then I used the old pieces to form the new patterns.  She needed it fast so I did not even make paper patterns.  I pinned the other tops’ pieces on top of the new lace I was making the top from and cut the new patterns.  Then I pinned and sewed.  The back had a snap closure I has to sew as well.   

·         Bridal Flower Petals:

o   First we cut various sizes of circles. Then we created 6 different versions of petals using various pressing and folding techniques. 

·         Flower Backings:

o   Hand sewing organza circles onto the back using cross stitching. 

SELF-EVALUATION OF WEEK’S PERFORMANCE OF INTERNSHIP:

The top I re-created for Daniel was very challenging because the lace that I was making the long sleeve top out of had pretty wide holes in it.  I was extremely nervous, but grateful to Daniel for trusting and believing in me enough to help her as well as challeng me to grow in my construction abilities. 

While creating one of the petal variations, Natalie originally wanted to have a seamstress sew the pinned shapes onto the canvas backing but none of the seamstresses were available.  She had me do a few of the easier lines and told me that she thought I could do the rest and that she believed in me! I was very nervous because the lines where all very curving and there were layers I needed to be carful to move before I machine sewed.  

I never knew you could make so many different types of flower petals from circles.  It is amazing the fabric manipulation that Daniel comes up with.  She is brilliant!

This week I had to work a lot of late nights and over the weekend, but I loved every minute of it!  I have done a lot of things that I have been excited about and afraid to do and I know that I am definitely growing from this experience!

I am loving seeing the season change here!  It is beautiful and the weather has been amazing!  

Love Always,

Sydni