'Clothes Reflect People As A Whole’ An Inside Look At A Minneapolis Designer

    The trendy uptown bar was buzzing as Leslie and I sat down for our interview. Picture one of those really sophisticated people, who presence makes you want to be more like them, this is what Leslie broadcasts to the world with her sense of fashion. A recent graduate from the University of Minnesota’s  College of Design, Leslie has been obsessing about fashion since she was a little girl. Her first recollection of fashion came when her grandmother would let Leslie create and sew outfits for her doll collection.
    Now that she is a graduate, Leslie wants to take her talents to the stage, as in theatrical costume design, in the movies, or simply styling for a television show. Her fever for the theatre comes from her love of history. Picasso is her most inspirational person from the past. He is not only famous for his paintings but he designed sets and costumes for the theatre. With her head and heart in right place, Leslie feels that she needs to move to New York or California if she wants to make a name for herself. While she admits that there are possibilities here, but that they aren’t for her. Her aspirations are to make it big and be in the midst of the chaos that is New York
    As we continued talking I thought it would be interesting to be  in the mind of a designer while she is working on a collection. Leslie told me her experience with her final project. The designer starts with an idea. It may not be the best, but research and imagination go into this step and make the idea come alive. For this particular project each designer was asked to do something with two ideas that were opposite from each other.  Leslie chose comedy and tragedy and began  drawing inspiration from Romeo and Juliet. Research on the movies, the play, the author, and then the fabrics and styles of the time period. When the research process if done the fun begins. Leslie starts by sketching her ideas, and begins pattern making. Then the fabrics and trims are chosen. Then the pieces are cut out and sewn, fitted, usually, to Leslie from her bust form which is her exact measurements. This process seems short, but the whole project took her from January to May.

    As I stated earlier, Leslie has impeccable style. She’s the type of girl who seems effortless, so I wanted a little inside dish on how she achieves her look. Leslie says that ‘clothes reflect people as a whole’. Which to her means that we are all connected by fashion whether or not we are in the business. Leslie stays true to herself by purchasing clothes from stores she could see her designs fitting in. Vintage and local designer shops are her fav, but she doesn’t discriminate against Target and the big names like Urban Outfitters. She says that you should watch trends and interpret them in your own unique way. ‘If you feel like throwing pearls on with an army coat, then do it!’ This is how she stays true to herself.
    Like any good conversation, ours had to come to an end. Reflecting back the most significant thing that Leslie left me with was to her ‘clothes reflect people as a whole’. That no matter what we are all connected by a little thing called fashion.