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A senior studying apparel design at UT-Austin, Alexandra J. King has already amassed an impressive resume, including working for Austin designer Linda Asaf. Impressed with King’s talent, Asaf invited her to be the featured emerging designer at Austin’s much-vaunted “Runway to Heaven” charity fashion show in November 2009.
At 22, King already knows the fashion business is more hard work than glamour, and this economy makes jobs scarce: “So many people will work for free.” First stop after graduation in December will be a fashion house, she hopes, then maybe back to school to earn her Master’s before launching her own line. The Plano, TX native is “more passionate about design every day,” and has built her resume (and thick skin) with a precision and eye for the future.
In 2008, King decided to broaden her horizons and headed to Europe, studying in London and Milan. The following summer she returned to London, honing her skills while interning for British designer La Petite Salope, attending more classes and continuing her love affair with London. She’s spending this summer in New York to get the feel of living long-term in that city. Although she’s never lived in NYC, she’s spent time at both the New York and LA Fashion Weeks, helping behind the scenes.
If, and when, she heads back to school, King has her sights on the Master’s program at the Central St. Martins College of Art & Design in London, where she studied while overseas. It’s one of Europe’s most prestigious fashion schools, and the MA program students are regularly snapped up by the world’s biggest fashion houses, including Louis Vuitton, Balenciaga and Chloé.
Back in Austin, and preparing for her senior collection, King walks us through the design process – from inspiration to final garment – and gives us tips on keeping up with the runway looks without running away with your budget.
The Process
“It starts with collecting images in my sketchbook. The name of my senior show collection is “Birds of Paradise,” and I took images of the essence of birds – their feathers, their movement, the colors.”
“From sketchbook I go to the mood board, which is a collection of images defining the collection: colors and textures. If I was a designer, that’s how I would present to a creative director or client.”
“The next step is to design. I’ll draw about 60 sketches before I come up with final looks.”
“Then it’s on to construction. You start with the muslin, draping it on the mannequin. It’s really rough. From there I’ll do another muslin piece, finding the grain. Then I make a pattern, another muslin piece which I sew, and then make it in the real fabric.”
“I want to create digital prints for the fabric I’ll be using in my senior collection. It adds individuality.” (This example is a CAD digitally printed silk scarf, Spring 2009, Alexandra J. King.)
Tools of Her Trade
“Most of the models are the size of the mannequin. This is a dress size 2. It’s kind of a guessing game though. You never know exactly what you are going to get. We fit the models before the show, and make any necessary changes on the garment … the silhouette of women changes over time, and that changes the mannequins. We have mannequins at school from the ‘50s and ‘60s, and they are so curvy.”
The Savvy Stylista: High Fashion on a Low Budget
1. Take one key piece from the runway that you really like and pair it with something else from your wardrobe that is your style to form the foundation of your look. If I could afford it, I’d take a really great Balenciaga skirt and pair it with a plain t-shirt.
2. If, like me, you’re not in the market for a runway piece, study the silhouettes, adapt and shop around. Some of the current trends are kimono sleeves (my favorite – I design a lot of drapey, loose-fitting, comfortable things), off the shoulder, and shoulder pads. I’ve got a blazer that has shoulder pads. I pair it with jeans and a regular shirt.
3. To check if something is going to be a trend, rather than a fad, go to style.com. That’s where I look at all the runway shows. And you can see the key trends. You’ll see the trench coat used in almost all the designers’ collections, but it’s always different in each, their own take on it. The same with shoulder pads.
King’s Links
Central St. Martins College of Art & Design, London | www.csm.arts.ac.uk
The Victoria and Albert | www.vam.ac.uk/collections/fashion
The online home for Vogue | style.com
Visit austinwomanmagazine.com
for more from king on her work and time in london