Meet our junior fashion designer, Grace Buckley!

As if life wasn’t hectic enough creating three pieces for this years fashion show, Grace is also a teaching assistant in the Marist Fashion Department.

Age: 20
Hometown: Rockport, Maine
Favorite Colors: Pink and Green
“But when I'm designing it tends to be more neutrals and black, I LOVE BLACK!”
Favorite designer: Diane Von Furstenberg and Christian Siriano
Why did you choose Marist for fashion?
I chose Marist because I wanted to go to a school with a fashion design program, but I also wanted a school with a campus, as opposed to just a building in the middle of the city. I like that Marist is a combination of the two, and it is still close enough to the city that it isn’t difficult to travel back and forth.
What are your essentials for a day in the lab?
Definitely my iPod and snacks, but also comfortable clothing and coffee to keep me up!

Meet our senior fashion designer, Laura Shell!

This is Laura’s second year at Marist, after she traveled around the world studying her passion. She is excited to establish herself as a designer in the industry and continues to develop her personal design style.

Age: 23
Hometown: Idaho Falls, Idaho
Favorite color: I don't really have a favorite color.
“I like to keep trying things out. Sometimes I’ll keep to a certain color scheme, for example my collection now is greys, neutrals, and black. I’ve designed things before that are colors of the rainbow, I’ve don’t all black, then I’ve done pastel colors. I’m still experimenting with what I want to be as a designer.”
Favorite designers: Alexander McQueen, Philosophy by Di Alberta, Marc Jacobs
Why did you choose Marist for fashion?
“I was attending Lorenzo de’ Medici Institute in Florence, Italy. There weren’t enough girls in the program anymore, so they suggested I transfer to Marist. The difference between studying fashion in Italy and Marist is if you study fashion at Marist, and you study abroad in Florence, you’re not allowed to take draping, pattern making, anything that has to do with design, but I was an LDM student so that is where I learned my draping and patternmaking and drawing.”
Why fashion design?
“I was at Barnes and Noble looking at interior design books because when I had stopped going to school for graphic design I was going to go into interior design. And those books all happen to be right next to each other—graphic, interior, and fashion. I saw the fashion books and they just caught my eye and I spent hours in Barnes and Noble looking through the fashion books. It was really intriguing. I decided that this was something I wanted to try out, to go for. So I guess you could say it was just books that inspired me.
What are your essentials for a day in the lab?
“I always bring music, patterns, scissors, all that stuff. I always bring food. Caffeine for sure, to keep us up. Sometimes we bring pajamas, because we change into them cuz were here all night, and slippers, they’re essential to bring with us.”

Meet our sophomore fashion designer, Eva Block!

Eva was originally a fashion-merchandising student at Marist, however in the last year she has declared fashion design as her focus of study.

Age: 20
Hometown: Woodbridge, Connecticut
Favorite color: I really don’t have a favorite color, I like all colors…
“In terms of designing I tend to gravitate toward my inspiration, whatever that may be at the time. I like to use a lot of neutrals though. The color usually changes, but I usually like to use neutrals and have pops of color.”
Favorite designer:
Oh, that’s hard! I like Marc Jacobs. Balenciaga is a big inspirational designer for me. You can tell a Balenciaga garment when you see it. A couple years ago when the house came out with dresses with big shoulder pads and flowered prints I thought it was a great mix of feminine and masculine at the same time. It was kind of a hard look but the pattern on the dress softened it. I like Jill Sander a lot just as a designer. She has a great simplicity to her work that lets the fabric speak for itself.
Why did you choose Marist for fashion? 
Because it was pretty. They [also] have a good fashion program that is pretty well known in the city and they have really great professors that have a lot of experience in the industry. Unlike a school like Parsons or FIT it offers a campus life as well which I liked.
Why fashion design?
I really enjoy art, and I really love fashion. I have devoured magazines since I was a little kid [and] I’ve just wanted to go into the industry. I never really knew what I wanted to do but then I realized it was right in front of me. I like to be creative. I could never sit at a desk, its so boring.
What are your essentials for a day in the lab?
If I’m sketching, I need an inspiration – like whatever I’m working on. And then I would need my sketchpad, my pencils, [and] my markers. If I’m going to drape I need my box, which is a toolbox that has everything in it – pins, needles, scissors. I bring my iPod to listen to music - otherwise I’m bored. I bring drinks and snacks because your usually in there for a while when you go.

Meet our freshman fashion designer, Forrest Simms!

We will be following Forrest throughout the semester as he creates his first piece for the Silver Needle Fashion Show and becomes accustomed to life at Marist.

Age: 18
Hometown: Denver, Colorado
Favorite Color: Turquoise
Favorite designer: Galliano and Versace are my personal favorite designers. As far as inspiration I tend to look to iconic women like Marilyn Monroe or Betty White. I like woman who lived during a given time period but made their style their own.
Why did you choose Marist for fashion? 
I actually heard about Marist from a friend who went here and liked it a lot. I knew I wanted to go to school for design.
What are your essentials for a day in the lab?
I need to have my planner to keep track of everything. As a freshman I am only making one piece for the show, but I am an assistant to the directors of the Fashion Show Production class so I am in the Fashion Department quite a bit.