The yelp of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs drifts quietly from a clock radio while Francisca Ruslani fastens a pin into a piece of blue fabric on the dress-form in front of her. The big windows that showcase a wonderful view of San Francisco light up her face as she works. To the right of the window, she has posted several sketches of thin women dressed in simple pantsuits and elegant dresses, and she refers to them occasionally as she works. A desk with a sewing machine sits to her right with swatches of colorful fabric strewn about.
The twenty-three-year-old SF State fashion student is working on her very own line for the department's spring fashion show, hosted by the Student Fashion Association. The all-student designer showcase happens every spring and has drawn some wonderful designs from many talented students, some of whom now have important careers in fashion.
"We see lots and lots of fabulous things,” says Susan Stark, a professor of Apparel Design. She says that there are nearly forty lines just this year, and that students create them all on their own time. In her classes, she hosts critiques of pieces that the students are working on and also introduces new ways to stitch the garments.
“[My line] is inspired by a mix of different things,” Ruslani says, pinning back a piece of the dress she’s assembling. Her idea is to mix aviation with a 1940s feel. “I love the freedom of flying,” she says. She is using blue and brown fabric to accomplish the look along with triangle-shaped patterns. “There are a lot of hard lines in the garments,” she says. “But I also want to make it look soft.”
Matthew Paul Robinson, the president of the Student Fashion Association at SF State, is working on his own five-look collection inspired by a 1930s Jean Harlow. He is expecting to see some unique clothes at this year’s show, because he says that the diversity of each designer's style is reflected in the garments. “A lot of designers here are participating,” he says.
Ruslani is on a time crunch now. Her designs are coming along, and she’s anticipating the show. She works best at night, she says, and especially well under pressure. “I was a little afraid at first that the line wouldn’t match,” she says. “But the pieces look good together; I added some gold to the garments.” She has cut her dark hair short and her small features look more delicate than they did before. When she talks about the show, she can't help but smile to herself: “I got to see a little preview last week and now I’m really excited.” The yelp of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs drifts quietly from a clock radio while Francisca Ruslani fastens a pin into a piece of blue fabric on the dress-form in front of her. The big windows that showcase a wonderful view of San Francisco light up her face as she works. To the right of the window, she has posted several sketches of thin women dressed in simple pantsuits and elegant dresses, and she refers to them occasionally as she works. A desk with a sewing machine sits to her right, with swatches of colorful fabric strewn about.
The twenty-three-year-old SF State fashion student is working on her very own line for the department's spring fashion show, hosted by the Student Fashion Association. The all-student designer showcase happens every spring and has drawn some wonderful designs from many talented students, some of whom now have important careers in fashion.
"We see lots and lots of fabulous things,” says Susan Stark, a Professor of Apparel Design. She says that there are nearly forty lines just this year, and that students create them all on their own time. In her classes, she hosts critiques of pieces that the students are working on, and also introduces new ways to stitch the garments.
“[My line] is inspired by a mix of different things,” Ruslani says, pinning back a piece of the dress she’s assembling. Her idea is to mix aviation with a 1940s feel. “I love the freedom of flying,” she says. She is using blue and brown fabric to accomplish this look, along with using many triangle-shaped patterns. “There are a lot of hard lines in the garments,” she says. “But I also want to make it look soft.”
Matthew Paul Robinson, the president of the Student Fashion Association at SF State, is working on his own five-look collection inspired by 1930s Jean Harlow. He is expecting to see some unique clothes at this year’s show, because he says that the diversity of each designer's style reflects in the garments. “A lot of designers here are participating,” he says.
Ruslani is on a time crunch now. Her designs are coming along, and she’s anticipating the show. She works best at night, she says, and especially under pressure. “I was a little afraid at first that the line wouldn’t match,” she says. “But the pieces look good together; I added some gold to the garments.” She has cut her dark hair short and her small features look more delicate than they did before. When she talks about the show, she can't help but smile to herself: “I got to see a little preview last week and now I’m really excited.”