Nothing like finding your old school I.D. to make you feel ancient. A solid 10 years behind me, I am returning to F.I.T., having gone from snot-nosed fashion student to full-fledged faculty. I’ve been planning my outfits in my head for months, trying to fashionably adapt a Hot-For-Teacher crossed with a sexy librarian look, but sadly, its raining and humid, and I’m just not feeling the wool-blend pencil skirt today.
Seriously, though, I can’t believe I’m here again. It feels like a triumphant return of sorts….I never thought I’d be teaching, and, to boot, excited about it… it’s been a long journey. When I greeted the faculty for the first time, I don’t think that they realized how grateful and happy I was to be in a place where ideas and learning are born, the first fresh place I felt like anything in life was possible and new… My arrival in New York and to F.I.T. over (ahem) 13 years ago was the most exciting thing I had done in my entire 17.75 years of my life. I remember being so excited for my first draping class that I preemptively tried to create a dress from scratch for the occasion (hideous turquoise rayon, I’m afraid)… I suppose some habits die hard.
I’ve certainly paid my dues in more ways than one- having been exposed to the worst experiences in the fashion industry ( My married boss romancing my fellow 23-year old coworker! Traveling to India for my first job and working for $200 a week and being screamed at on a daily basis! Having clients dodge payment & skip town! The 80 hours work weeks!) to moonlighting at practically every side job for extra cash ( Selling Jello shots! Working late-night coat check at some very unsavory gentlemen’s clubs! Hawking nutritional supplements! Bloomingdales greeter!) Now, while it all sounds SOOOo00 fabulous to the outsider, the industry is a tough place, full of a lot of insecure, superficial people where egos and bottom lines are the most important tangibilities. Hence, why I’m so excited to be back at the root of where ingenuity is born, fresh from the naivete of young fashion students. Hopefully, I’ll be able to reacquaint myself with my old Raggedy-Ann (see above pic marked “1999″) self and get some of that youth back…
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