Photo Diary: Yaoyao goes to Downtown Palo Alto

After a tough start-up of the new semester this year, what better way to take a break than by having a girl's day out? I, Yaoyao, enthusiastically took up onto this idea by spending a day out with my girlfriends, Lucy and Michelle. We three girls headed to Downtown Palo Alto on our own, carrying fat wallets and hopeful hearts (for sales). Although there was more eating and getting lost than actually shopping, we still managed to empty our wallets purposefully on good buys while having a lot of fun at the same time.

Follow up on what we did in Palo Alto by reading on!

Woohoo, we love Sephora! Partly for the nice products, but mostly for the free samples. I used Urban Decay for both Michelle and Lucy's eyeshadow looks, and YSL lipstick in "Le Orange" for myself.

Please excuse my messiness, I'm a noob when it comes to nails. Still, I had to feature this neon look because I used Sephora's "UV" top coat which supposedly makes it glow-in-the-dark. 

Back to the ol' middle school dress-trying days. Except this time, we're buying for junior prom! .... Kidding. No matter what occasion, we love these dresses from BCBG Max Azria that we matched according to our makeup looks. Next, are some food photos I really just couldn't help posting.

3 (Amazing) Days of Fashion!

Rachel here! I just got back from an amazing program called 3 Days of Fashion, hosted by the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising (FIDM) in San Francisco.This experience gave me a chance to meet and work with awesome people who were all fashion-minded like me. These three days were a blast, so I hope you guys will enjoy reading what I learned and who I saw. 

Here are some highlights from the 3 days, along with a style diary. (Click photos for high-res!)

In the city, it's all about comfort and function (and still trying to look cute!).
H&M Jacket // Charlotte Russe Top // Hollister Jeans // dEliA's Boots // Forever 21 Necklace // Pacsun Bag

In the first workshop called “Concept to Consumer,” I used a collection of photographs as an inspiration for a Fall 2013 clothing collection. My team presented colors, textiles, sketches, and the inspiration pictures as a “concept,” or an idea. I loved working with my teammates to create a collaborative collection that was original, creative, and wearable.

Creating our concept - our table was a mess!

Next, I attended a “Draping” class where my team created three dresses with three yards of fabric, a mannequin, and lots of pins. My team’s first dress was a partial disaster; the fabric was fringy and hard to work with. But we pulled off a dress that ended up looking great! (bottom left) 

For our second dress on the top right, we used a sequined burgundy sheer fabric. Our challenge was to drape the dress on the bias, which made the drapes flow well. We shaped a cowl-neck, a V back, and lots of gorgeous drapes on the sides and back. It was a challenge to work with unusual fabric – but it was a good challenge!

In my last workshop called “Footwear Design,” I saw how shoes are made. I even got to design my own heels, which were a summery wedge with geometric print:

Watch out Steve Madden! (just kidding.)

Basic black with a pop of pink to make it interesting!
Split Coat // Gap Cami // Rockstar Pants // Dollhouse Oxfords // Forever 21 Necklace // Pacsun Bag

Next, in “Promo Campaigning” we simulated a promotion campaign for a clothing line. We designed a studio for a promotional photo shoot as well as an event to promote the collection, focusing on neon, edgy, and geometric shapes. We planned out all the details for the event - from the dinner to the runway to the lighting!

Our photo shoot studio & the event plan!

“Sketching the Fashion Figure” was a fast-paced class where I learned how to sketch figures, outfits, faces, shoes, and hair. Using the 9-headed technique, I developed a sketch that somewhat resembled a model:

With and without an outfit

 It is said that these models are simply "pretty hangers for your clothing." To make them "pretty," the key things to keep in mind are proportions! As you can see from my sketch, I need lots of practice!

Combining cold weather clothing (long pants, sweaters, and scarves) with bright, summery colors!
Old Navy Dolman // Century 21 Pants // Airwalk Shoes // F21 Belt & Shades // Hollister Scarf // Pacsun Bag

On the last day, we had the famous “Trends Tour.” We talked about spotting and predicting new trends and how these trends end up in stores like H&M of Forever 21. Then, we created an inspiration board of a trend:

Our trend was Metallic (Magnetism!)

We headed out to the stylish streets of San Francisco (Union Square, baby!) to check out window displays and to watch for trends. After three days of learning about marketing and retail, it was amazing to see it all come to life in the stores we shop at!

Left, clockwise: Zara; Diesel; Juicy Ombre Shorts; Levi's; Zara studs; Chanel; Inside Juicy; Walking the streets.

But the part everyone had been looking forward to was at the very end: a visit from Nick Verreos, the Project Runway season 2 winner! He’s so funny! :)

It was inspiring listening to his personal story and we even got to see some of his dresses – ones he designed for Beyoncé and Katy Perry:

Yes, the celebrities actually wore these dresses!

I’m so glad I attended 3 Days of Fashion at FIDM. It was an eye-opening experience that was fun and educational. Maybe you can attend this program next summer and experience it for yourself. Because in the words of Nick Ferreos, "No shoulda, woulda, coulda. Just do it!"

Spring Break Photo Diary: Rachel & Yaoyao

What better season to go travelling than spring? Us editors here at Crush Mag definitely don't miss out on opportunities for vacation. This break, Sarah and Yaoyao headed down to the warm weathers in SoCal while Rachel packed her bags for college-hopping on the east coast! Of course, we saw to it to stay stylish throughout our trips. And of course we are going to blog about it.

So here you go, peeps, our individual photo diaries. (Click the photos for high-resolution!)

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A beautiful South Californian sunset seen from the boat

Beach + semi-formal wear = picturesque.

It's hard to tell, but our individual makeup looks

Aboard the boat for dinner

Floral-black sandwich, anyone? @ Festival.

SHOPPING WOOHOO

Dressy dressy for musical Miss Saigon

Fun fun fun is all I can say

This rollercoaster = only one worth the wait