a99kitten's Musings

“When a99kitten asked me to write a posting for her blog as a guest blogger I got very excited. Knowing that she loves all things fashion-related, especially shoes, I thought it might be a semi-interesting read about how I almost made fashion design my career path, instead of law.

To start, in the words of the Seinfeld cast, I am not gay, not that there’s anything wrong with that. I have a very healthy adoration for women, which sort of was the catalyst for the interest in women’s fashion. And no, I do not wear any articles of women’s clothing, thank you for asking.

I had a relative when I was in college who was an advertising/marketing executive with a large fashion house in New York. This relative was responsible for the launch of some of the most commercially successful women’s wear, specifically undergarments. The brand is still, apparently, wildly popular with the ladies, which is a testament to the relative’s advertising and marketing skills.

Anyway, I was always able to draw- starting at an early age, I used to draw my own comics from the superheroes that I created –charcoal and pencil were always my instruments of choice. I never thought that I was that good at it, but teachers and this relative, initially encouraged me to pursue drawing. The only problem was that I also had a fascination with the legal system and began to find myself being drawn there (no pun intended).

Anyway, during prep school (high school) I began drawing designs for dresses that I thought might be used by women for galas, premieres or for a truly special occasion. The designs were always different from what the current trends were as I tried to envision what the dress would look like with a specific person in mind, whether it be an actress, dignitary or the girl next door.

My relative invited me to join her department for an internship during college where I would be able to gain knowledge and experience with fashion shows, a brand launch and get to attend meetings and social events around the products. I also had the opportunity to present some of my work for consideration.

During this time, I had the opportunity of what every red-blooded boy in the country at that time would envy- an up close and personal interaction with some of the supermodels of the time. One takeaway from that experience is that there is little to no modesty during a fashion show. The models are required to change outfits so quickly, that dressing rooms are an afterthought. Most of them were actually very nice and kept in touch for a number of years after my time there. It’s funny to see who’s married, with kids and compare that to when I met them.

At the end of the term, my relative and a few other big wigs told me that my drawings were kind of amateurish – I was crushed. Looking back however, I think they were telling me that because the business is so fickle, that I should pursue my other passion as a career where I could better serve and assist others.

As time went by, I put away my drawing tools and focused on the law, until recently. I dusted off my tools and drew a couple of designs for people that have inspired me as a gift to thank them. It felt good and maybe I’ll do more in the future.

For now, the experience and lessons that I learned with my brush in the fashion industry have carried forward and influenced me today.”

Thank you for this squozed. And I will say that in the drawings I have seen, I personally do not agree that they are amateurish at all. And I would very like my dress in real life. So I too could be pretty in pink :)

My dress :)

Please visit for more: http://squozed.wordpress.com/