FIDM Magazine

FIDM Alumna Mona May Visits LA Campus

FIDM Alumna, costume designer Mona May, visited the downtown LA campus last week for an informative and inspiring hour-long chat with FIDM Students and Faculty. Students from majors ranging from Visual Communications to Merchandise Product Development and Fashion Design came to pick the brain of the master Costume Designer of movies like Clueless, Enchanted, Stuart Little 2, and The Wedding Singer. Mona, who is at work on a TV pilot, generously answered students’ questions:

Q How did you get started in the movie industry?
A I had studied fashion in Europe and New York. I came to FIDM in the 90s because I wanted to do sportswear. While going to fashion school here, I naturally met students from the film schools like UCLA and USC. When they asked me to design costumes for their student films, it sounded like fun, so I just jumped in.

Q What is the main difference between fashion design and costume design?
A In costume design you are not designing for the trends. You are designing for character. You have to think, “What makes this character different? What is their transformation?” Drew Barrymore’s character in Never Been Kissed was so much fun to dress for that reason.

Q Where do you go for ideas?
A You have to be innovative. Since your job starts about 8 months before the movie shoots, you have to be ahead of trends. I look at the runway shows and magazines like Collezioni that are looking to the future. You cannot look at what is in the stores right now or the clothes will be out-of-date by the time the movie is released.

Q How can students prepare for interviews?
A I am still auditioning after nearly 20 years in the industry. I like to bring big presentation boards filled with visual ideas to show the director I really care. Don’t be afraid to have a strong point-of-view as a designer. Remember that you’re competing with other designers so you have to stand out.

That said, I dress professionally and arty for the meeting. I want to make an impact with my ideas.

Q Can you tell us about your process?
A As a designer, you collaborate with lots of people, but the director is the most important. I begin the conversation by discussing the script. You are not the artist who sits at home and paints so you have to meet and talk everything out. Over time, you build trust with a director, but you have to be like a combination artist/lawyer. You are always convincing him that your ideas are right.

On Stuart Little 2, I was designing for a 4-inch computer animated no-neck mouse as well as a 6-feet tall live action actor, Geena Davis, so the collaborations were complex. For instance, computer programs were designed to actually make patterns for all the tiny mice clothes, so I was a virtual tailor working with a large staff of animators.

Enchanted was even more complex. There were 3 formats we were designing for: live action, classic animation, and CGI.

Q How do you deal with the stress of Hollywood?
A If you love what you do, it’s fun! Being a costume designer involves lots of problem solving. My advice to new designers is: get there early, stay late, and be happy at work. Go cry at home, if you have a bad day.

Q Is there a philosophy that guides your work?
A I think of each scene in a movie or TV show as a painting. All the characters, their clothes, and their surroundings should go together and make a pleasing picture on screen.

Film & TV Costume Design is one of 20 majors offered at FIDM.

Business Management Alumna Speaks to Students at OC Campus

Business Management and Merchandise Product Development Alumna Alison Carreon recently returned to FIDM to speak to students at the Orange County campus. She talked about landing internships with The Donegar Group, a trend forecasting company, and Saks Fifth Avenue while still in school. "One of the most valuable lessons FIDM instilled in me is that we live and work in a world that revolves around truly connecting with people," she explains. "Returning to FIDM to interact with the Premier Product Development students at the OC Campus was a wonderful and rewarding experience."

After graduation, Alison worked for Forever 21 and was then recruited back to The Donegar Group to work as a Market Analyst. She then reconnected fellow FIDM Alumna Amy Nicole Bernstein, who is the co-founder and stylist for Wardrobe Wear. Alison and Amy have partnered with Rebecca Jonah to launch an exciting digital fashion community, Wear to Click, coming in early 2012.

OC Alumni Chapter Event with HR Recruiter From Wet Seal

The Orange County Chapter of the FIDM Alumni Association recently held an event, "How to Stand Out Above the Competition," featuring Corporate Recruiter for Wet Seal, Amy Morita. The luncheon was held at the Hyatt Regency Newport and included a drawing for a $100 Visa gift certificate.

"I have been in retail for over 20 years and I learned plenty of resume tips," said OC Chapter Rep Monique Large. "I never thought to add bold coloring to an area for emphasis or to put something in the subject line that stands out, like 'Been a planner for the last five years.'" More than 20 FIDM Grads attended the helpful event.

Fabulous on a Budget Offers Blog Advice

Social media experts and FIDM Grads Leah Ashley and Mary Darling visited the FIDM campus on Monday to speak to students about the many opportunities available online for creating a personal brand. When the Fabulous on a Budget bloggers met as Fashion Design majors back in 2005, they first bonded over shopping escapes to Santee Alley. Now, in their seventh year together, the kinetic duo are advising major brands like MTV and Microsoft, appearing as guests on HGTV and Style Network, consulting with private clients, styling photo shoots, and twittering all day long—keeping the information fresh and building the lifestyle brand they describe as “Martha Stewart meets the Olsens.” They offered FIDM Students valuable details on how to start a blog and left with this inspiring piece of advice—Just do it!

FIDM Grad Starts Gift Soap Business

FIDM Beauty Industry Merchandising and Marketing Grad JingJing Wang started her company producing handmade, eco-friendly, cold processed gift soaps a year after graduation. She visited the LA Campus to speak to a class in Entrepreneurship. “Sometimes doing a business is not what you planned,” said the upbeat Jing as she described some of the ups and downs of her first year in business. 

Where did you get the idea for your first business?

 I was inspired by a soap-making class I took in San Francisco. I found the process itself spiritually satisfying.

What did you learn in your first year?

After attending the LA Gift Show, I learned that my target market was bridal and baby shower, not the broader 30 year old, female, organic Whole Foods customer. I am still learning the market in China.

What are your plans for the company?

I’m going to start giving soap-making classes. My big dream is to bring my version of the crafts ecommerce website Etsy to China.

How do you keep moving forward?

I keep two books with me all the time: The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz and Deepok Chopra’s Seven Spiritual Laws of Success.

Any thoughts to leave your fellow entrepreneurs with?

Pure potentiality. Just do it.

Visit Jing’s website at jingbeautyusa.com

Mad Men Designer Janie Bryant Meets FIDM Students for Q & A

Emmy Award-winning Costume Designer Janie Bryant spent an hour fielding questions from FIDM Students before signing her new book, The Fashion File: Advice, Tips and Inspiration at the FIDM Museum Store on Wednesday. The upbeat designer traced her career trajectory from 7^th Avenue Fashion Designer to top movie and television costume designer, advising students to understand what they want and then to go for it. 

“It’s all going to be fine,” said the sympathetic designer, recognizing that the 20s can be a tough time. “It all works out. Just stay focused and ignore the negativity.”

Q. What are the differences between working on TV and film; which do you prefer?

A. I like them both. The main difference is the work pace. The pace for TV is extremely fast. With slower-paced film work, there is more time to create. Sometimes with TV, I will think of another detail, and it’s too late. The show is done filming.

Q. Can you describe your research methods for period costumes?

A. I love working on periods. My inspiration starts with reading the script. I feel the mood and pacing of the story and then I move on to other sources: old movies, the Internet, catalogs, family photos, old magazines like Time and Life, newspaper photos. Early inspiration for Mad Men came from the 60s movie classic The Apartment. McCabe & Mrs. Miller was instrumental in creating the look for Deadwood.

Q. Do undergarments matter?

A. Yes, the right garments create the shape for the garment to ride the body. For Mad Men I use reproduction girdles, long line bras, garter belts. Even if I find vintage pieces, they are no longer wearable since they lose their stretch. 

Q. Any advice for how to start our careers?

A. I like making inspiration boards for my life goals and desires. I find that visualizing what I want helps me understand myself and stay focused. Right now, I’m focused on creating a lifestyle brand.

Q. Any advice to those of us who want to work in TV?

A. Most important is to maintain a sense of artistry while staying flexible. If an actor doesn’t like my vision, I try to get him to “just try it on.” Often he will change his mind. But if an actor insists that a costume isn’t right, I work out a compromise. You have to stay flexible.
My other piece of advice is to avoid gossip on set. When a team is working together for 17 hours straight, things can get strange. Have fun with your team but don’t go negative.

Q. How much of Mad Men is original design?

A. The costumes are 50% original and 50% rebuilt from vintage pieces.

Q. Do you have a favorite period?

A. I’m obsessed with the Baroque period (17^th century). I’m really into menswear and I love that men were just as fancy as women. They wore ruffles, brocade, and lots of trim. I also love the Romantic period for similar reasons. Yes, I am unreasonably attached to (Victorian) leg o’ mutton sleeves.

Q. Any favorite costumes from Mad Men?

A. I do love Joan’s red Christmas dress and Betty’s riding costume. Let’s not forget Betty’s pink and white maternity dress.

Are you thinking of pursuing a Costume Design career? Explore FIDM's major in Film & TV Costume Design.

 

Saks Senior Vice President Harry Cunningham Inspires FIDM Visual Communications Students

“I get to live my dream, every day. Going to work, doing a job I love, with other people who love what they are doing,” said the impeccably tailored Harry Cunningham, Senior Vice President Store Design, Planning, and Visual Merchandising for Saks Fifth Avenue. The 40 year-old New Yorker spent an hour on the downtown FIDM campus tracing his career path and offering advice to a roomful of FIDM Visual Communications students on Wednesday, January 19.

The path to New York was not a straight shot for Cunningham. He grew up in a small town in Central Florida in a family of farmers and educators. Selling ads for the high school newspaper led to a part-time job at a local department store, which morphed into a full-time job after college—where he stayed and learned the retail business for 10 years. During the next 10 years he worked at various Saks locations in the South; then took a job at Liz Claiborne that moved him to New York, where he eventually returned to Saks to oversee the look of all the stores from the New York corporate offices.

Cunningham did a visual presentation for students of a few of his recent inspirations: a bare subway car, a Manhattan manhole cover, the James Perse store in Malibu, a coffee shop fixture in Jersey City, tree branches weighted with snow. His message was that ideas could be found everywhere—especially at a fashion college like FIDM, in a city like Los Angeles.

“The creativity on display at FIDM is amazing,” he said about the student-designed windows.

Second year FIDM Visual Communications majors Linden Foster and Marko Alejo were elated after the lunch talk. “What he was saying tapped into what I’m doing at FIDM,” said Linden. “My inspiration boards of visual images are similar to his. It made me feel like I’m going in the right direction.”

Before taking questions and explaining the internship programs at Saks, Cunningham advised students to stay focused. “Don’t let anything get in your way. You can live your dreams,” he told them. 

 

Library Speaker Series: Style Section L.A.

Erin Weinger, Co-Founder and Publisher of Style Section L.A., came out to FIDM recently to share her fashion blogging experiences with FIDM Students, as part of the week-long Library Speaker Series.

She told the inspiring story of how she got started in the fashion industry—passion, hard work, dedication, and networking!

Style Section L.A. is a blog reporting on the fashion and arts scene in and around Los Angeles. 

Erin says, "I like to go and live my life and find cool stuff along the way and write about it."

Tom Julian Visits FIDM

FIDM Students had the opportunity to meet Tom Julian, author of Nordstrom Guide to Men's Everyday Dressing and founder of the Tom Julian Group, when he visited FIDM for a book signing and lecture. The Tom Julian Group is comprised of industry experts who provide branding and consumer expertise for clients such as Nordstrom, Lifetime TV, MasterCard, and Liz Claiborne, Inc.

The branding expert explained why he developed the book for Nordstrom and how it helped his client reach out to customers. He also shared some branding insights and gave an overview of upcoming trends in menswear.

After the presentation, I asked Tom for his advice on how students should dress to impress: "It's great for any student to brand themselves. They should create a look that can transition from day to night as well as bridge the business and creative worlds." He added, "It should be one part tailored and one part sportswear."

 

 

Visit from Mod’Art International's Director of Fashion Design

Professor Xavier Chaumette

FIDM Students were treated to a fascinating lecture and Q&A session from expert Xavier Chaumette, Co-Director of Fashion Design at Mod'Art International in Paris. He gave an overview of the history of fashion from 18th century to contemporary times with a focus on the evolving role of women in society and its impact on clothing. (Did you know, for instance, that Coco Chanel introduced the first jackets for women that had pockets?)

"Xavier has collaborated with FIDM for over 20 years on special projects and serves as a guide during FIDM's Study Tours to Paris, providing insight into the history of the city as well as where--and where not--to shop," explains FIDM's International Director Lanie Denslow. Xavier is also the author of The History of the Women’s Suit and Textiles for a Century of Fashion and a contributing editor to the International Dictionary of Fashion Design.