What inspires me?

What insipres me? When I asked myself this question, I was, at first, bombarded with a vat of visceral images bursting  through a blown fuse in my cerebral cortex.   As a 'visual person' I'm inspired by everything I see and very aware of how I may translate daily nothings into 'aha' moments. I compare my mind to something like a non-stop reel of cinema paradiso- except my censored love scenes aren't sweet italian mouth kisses- but crazy swirls and flashes of would-be red carpet looks and slinky illustration inspirations. I see the sky and and taste the crisp winter air as I inhale and it brings me back to nostalgic moments growing up in Virginia. I see the way the checkout guy wears his rustic leather watch on the inside of his wrist and instantly want to spread the odd fad. I day dream from the tangent of a fashion history lecture and my mind is sent in a whirlwind  of which  quick, sloppy, beautiful sketches are blood-let out- abruptly satiating my creativity. Not to sound pretentious, but- it's more like what doesn't inspire that would be easier to chew.
 But when I take a moment to sit down and sift through all the wishy-washy mind gunk, there are a few motifs and hobbies that are recurring themes in my work. They are as follows...

Art History: Alberto Vargas

Scheherazade, 1930

Image from Vargas Collection

Memories of Olive, 1920

Image from Vargas Collection

As a total art history buff, of course I draw lots  of inspiration from the greats but I find the more ethereal illustrations and paintings of Aubrey Beardsley, Gustav Klimt, and Alberto Vargas to be my tops. I'd always hear people talk about 'Vargas Girls' on playing cards and cigarette cases like they were a derogatory and exclusively Burlesque- era type of woman. Upon research I found that Alberto Vargas's 'girls' had an immortal allure that stretches as far as Vargas's career from the early 1900's to the mid 1970's working as an Esquire & Playboy illustrator.  I'm drawn to the slinky silhouettes and the come hither facial expressions that create a timeless sensuality. I want to design for this woman- the alluring and ever-sensual woman who knows herself and is confident.

Goodwill: "Thriftage" 

image from here

Growing up as a bargain shopper, in my youth I remember being ashamed when I told my peers that I shopped there. Now I'm much more confident in my purchases and I don't mind saying that "I got this shirt for 2$". A little thing I like to call "thriftage": thrifted-vintage, is what I live off these days. I love the rush of a good deal. As it turns out, the Goodwill and other thrift stores are a treasure trove of slightly used garments with lost techniques and fantastic craftsmanship. I look to these garments when in doubt about a hem, facing trouble, or a fabric care inquiry. This hobby has also ingrained a very nice "golden age" mentality in me- I find deep inspiration by envisioning the lives of the women who wore these garments before me.

Period Films: Costume Design

Atonement (2007). Designed by Jacqueline Durran.
Image from The Costumer's Guide

Titanic (1997). Designed by Deborah Scott.
Image from The Costumer's Guide

Moulin Rouge(2001). Designs by Catherine Martin & Angus Strathie.
Images from The Costumer's Guide

One of the most creatively gratifying things to me is cinema. The moving picture is the most affective way to titivate the sense and fuel the imagination. Whenever I feel uninspired, I watch a period film with great costumes like Atonement, Titanic, or Moulin Rouge which bring me back to my childhood when I would stay up and doodle replicas of these dresses.