Twinkle By Wenlan

I am proud, in some ways, to be one of the first to do model casting in the New York.
I must say, all the models are very very pretty, however, my job is to select the few that best fit with Twinkle’s image to represent our new collection.
Thanks to all my friends at Ford, IMG, Next, NY Models, Elite, MC2, Trump, ONE, Marilyn, and Major, with all their great help at the casting. That is, calling their cell phone at 11pm to inform them about changes.
The model’s cards have recently turned into a source of competition. Whether if it is the special kinds of paper/cards used, illustrations, packaging, or the special photography techniques, there are definitely something to attract your eyes.
Everytime when it comes close to fashion week, my work surrounding area automatically turn into what i call-”world of models”
on the floor, on the wall, desks, windows, drawers, and anywhere there’s a surface to place something.
Its rare with someone like me who work with models all the time, not dream about them at night. Good thing? Bad Thing? I don’t know.
 
Wish all those models the best of luck during fashion week.
PLEASE….PLEASE don’t sleep in for our show. Or else that would really be a nightmare for me.

What’s going on with our messenger service?
don’t you know this is fragile and urgent???
forget it, i’m just going to deliver it myself.

Even though fashion week is coming and there are so much going on, as the leader of the pack I still keep my heads up with goals and maintain the cool atmosphere for my fellow crew members.

Before I jump onto the next  topic, one last comment on the Olympics : How can anyone not know who designed the official oufits worn by the American team.  You know, for the Opening Ceremony?  That was the biggest logo I’ve ever seen on a garment.  That’s what we call product placement, or is that logo placement?

I lied actually, I didn’t stay glued to the TV the entire time over the past week.  I did make it to the MET museum somehow for the SUPERHEROES - Exhibition.  Can’t  think of any particular word or words to describe it but only one advice - for anyone who hasn’t seen it, catch it QUICK before it ends like really really soon.  Really?  Really!

A dog may not always be wo(man’s) best friend.  Especially if said person is attempting to piece together an intricate pattern and said dog likes to play on that pattern.  About a minute after this adorable picture was taken, Wenlan was calling Milan off of the pattern, and two minutes later Emma and Milan went flying by my desk as Emma tried to pry her pen from Milan’s jaws.  Frankly, I didn’t know Milan could move that fast.  Oh, the glamorous life of a design assistant!

So when Lauren Conrad appeared in the US weekly wearing a Twinkle dress, Leon berated me about my small addiction to the MTV show “The Hills”.  (I’m not proud!) Well, lo and behold, guess who accidentally watched an episode and got himself hooked.  I tell you, Perez Hilton is so right when he says that “The Hills” is like crack and once you start, you can’t stop.  Well to all of you that share our affliction, tonight is the night.  Lauren wears a Twinkle dress to Stephanie Conrad’s birthday party.  Will Heidi and Spencer be there?  Will there be showdown.  Well since a Twinkle dress is involved, it would be wrong not to watch-right?!

Being an avid knitter, I am always on the lookout for interesting patterns as well as new approaches to knitting.  I can safely say I was knitting Twinkle patterns before I knew they were Twinkle since I was drawn to the way the signature sweaters featured delicate motifs in bulky yarn.  Big yarn is simply irresistible (who has not molested a big ball of wool yet?) and being able to knit form-fitting, flattering pieces sealed the deal for me. 

It was only two summers ago, when I read a feature on Wenlan in Interweave Knits, did I go searching for her patterns and discovered that I already knitted plenty of her sweaters.  When I scored an internship in her studio, I began learning more about the craft and some of the artists and designers that make knitting so luxurious. 

I learned about artist Sandra Backlund while still at NYU.  I had knitted some bolero sweaters for a student-run fashion show and pretty soon I got all sorts of tips about the world of knitwear.  Sandra Backlund is an innovative knitwear designer and creates awe-inspiring pieces from her studio in Stockholm, Sweden.  She takes her main inspiration from the human body and each season, endeavors to highlight the female silhouette with novel forms and shapes.  Sandra is very open-ended about her craft and her experimenting leads to fresh looks, but with a timeless character.

I truly appreciate designers like Wenlan - she makes knitting so approachable…but there is something VERY appealing about knitwear that you can’t have.  You can’t buy Sandra’s work, nor find a pattern online that shows you how to knit one of her sweaters for yourself.  You simply must spend a good portion of your life ogling at her work in a magazine spread.  As a knitter, I get extremely excited when I see a sweater that I have to stop to think about. 

Where do you think this piece from Sandra’s “In No Time” collection even begins?  It’s like a long, twisting ribbon with no beginning or end- what a delightful puzzle!

While Sandra does present a collection each season, she does not focus on marketability.  Her stuff is handmade and more artistic than commercial. This fluffy yet rigid, white concoction looks spectacular, but I don’t suppose I could pull it off even in New York City!

Such artistry is what I retreat to when I need a kick of inspiration.  When I stare at my yarn stash, pondering what project to embark on, I take a look at stylish knits by Sandra, Wenlan, and even London designer Giles Deacon, known for his broomstick-handle knitted pieces.  Knitting is such a free form of expression that you simply cannot be retrained by a pattern. While I cannot say it is easy to take up a pair of needles and knit an original work of art, there is a plethora of knitting creativity all over the world such that knitting isn’t reserved for one group of individuals.  Anyone can knit and creative expression is limitless!

Make sure to check out Sandra’s current collection, “Last Breath Bruises”, in the August 2008 issue of Soma magazine.  Her website is at http://www.sandrabacklund.com.

Today was a pretty routine day here at Twinkle. All afternoon we’ve been pulling samples that various editors have requested for fall issues. Editors at 4 Times Square should be expecting some Twinkle goodies in their hands very shortly! Wait wait….so when do we get them back??? I hope tracking back is as easy as pulling.

I wouldn’t usually label myself sporty or athletic, but I have been glued to the TV over the past couple of days watching nothing but the Olympics.  Discussing the performance of the Chinese gymnasts, watching breathless as Michael Phelps broke not one but two personal records, cheering on the American men’s swimming relay team.  Speaking of which, and if you hadn’t caught the race, that upset was pure sensational!  You see what I mean??  Here I am on wenlan’s website and talking sports instead of knitwear.  Oh well, sports….knitwear……is there such a thing as sporty knitwear??  I smell something there.

Party time!  Seriously I hadn’t expected the night to be fun at all.  I was thinking it’s going to be a madhouse, prepping for this and that.  And it doesn’t help, when you’re working in pitch dark (almost!) environment and screaming your lungs out just to get a message across.  But you know what, amidst all of the madness, the adrenaline rush to get everything in place in a really short time, in a really packed room was really enjoyable.  Not to mention the great company of coworkers.  It’s either that or I must have had a little too much to drink.  Are we even supposed to drink while we are on duty in the first place?