Interview with Sophia

I had the pleasure of attending the wonderful weekend contra dance at Table Rock State Park earlier this month. It was a great weekend for reconnecting with old friends and making new friends. I met Sophia who was attending the weekend with her mother and sister. Sophia is 11 years old and I learned about her from her mom during another weekend dance. She has just recently started her own blog called Cat Eyes and Kitten Heels. She is very articulate and very focused. We enjoyed the exchange because we are both into making our own clothes. I have to say I don't know as much as Sophia about different fashion designers although I do often look at fashion magazines for inspiration I don't always remember their names. Either way we both had a love for sewing and designing. I found myself revisiting my childhood and remembering the enthusiasm and excitement that I embraced art with during that time. It was really really wonderful to get in touch with that energy by spending time with Sophia and her sister Esther. It's amazing to me to imagine being so young with such lofty goals at 11 and considering my age and where I am. If anything I hope to encourage Sophia and any young person to follow their hearts into whatever will give them happiness and joy. I'm grateful I found my way no matter what my age.

Here is the interview:
How long have you been into fashion?

I have been into fashion since I was 2. When I look back at photos of me in childhood I was always stylishly dressed and wearing accessories and carrying a purse. I have always been attracted to pretty jewelry and was careful to look closer at someone's earrings.

What is your favorite quote?

I don't do fashion, I am fashion -Coco Chanel

Why is this your favorite quote?

Because it's true about me. I was born to be fashion and it's not just something I saw in a window and decided to get into it. It just kind of happened.

What do you do in fashion?

I design stuff at my house, I sew to dress myself. I like making clothes, and I care about my appearance.

Do you use patterns?

I make my own patterns. Using a pattern that someone else made is kind of like a cheat. So I want all of it to be handmade.

Have you learned how to make patterns?

Yeah, my mom gave me some pattern paper and I look on pinterest.

Do you use a dress form?

I don't have one but I want one some day!!

Who is your favorite designer?

I alternate, for one month I like one designer and then I find another one. I like Kate Spade, I like how her stuff is colorful because I am a colorful person. I like bright colors.

 

I also like Tory Burch because she has a lot of pattern in her designs.

 

 

What is your favorite color?

 

Teal and turquoise are my favorite colors and blues.

 

What's your style?

 

I practically like everything especially if it's my favorite color. I like things in the fashion world not the teenage world. Because in the teenage world everything is the same and just what is in trend. Designers do what they want to do and each have their own style. They design something and make a line.

 

What do you want to do?

 

I want to design clothes and if I need to I might hire people to make more of my designs. I don't want to sell my clothes in another store. I want to sell them in my store. I also want to make wedding dresses and they will be one of a kind and I will custom make them. I want to follow a theme for the persons wedding and be inspired by that. I was inspired by Vera Wangs wedding dresses. Gucchi, Prada, Louis Vitton design mostly purses and I like them but I want to be mostly focused on just clothing not accessories or purses.

 

Do you have a sketchbook?

 

I have a lightboard and I put a figure on it with some tracing paper over top to draw Croquis ( ME: I had to look this up .. all my life an artist and somehow I never learned the French word for sketch, proof that you can learn something new every day) I've been to a professional camp where I learned about this. I want to learn to sketch a quick one. Croquis is a quick sketch.

 

What is your process?

 

This might sound a bit crazy but sometimes when I am looking at someones clothes I think I see something on their outfit. It looks like something that I like. Then when I get a closer look and find that it wasn't what I thought, I use what I thought it was as my inspiration. I can't sit down and just design something from the top of my head, I have to wait till the juices flow and I get the idea. I never know when it will come up. Sometimes I can be in class and as soon as I can I try to get it down on paper. If you give me some colors and textures I can find a way to circle around it.

 

Why do you want to do this?

 

When I was younger I wanted to be a singer or an actress but I really just wanted to be famous. I found out that being famous was stressful so I got back into fashion and I knew that's what I wanted to do!

 

Sophia was a delight to interview and hang out with. I also got a personally drawn portrait of my self from her beautiful sister Esther. I will treasure it. If you get a chance check out Sophia's blog and leave her a note. Thanks for stopping by. :)