Fashion School Diaries

FASHION INSTITUTE OF FLORIDA

I went back to fashion school later in life — formally, this time. This series covers what I actually learned: construction, pattern-making, and a lot of patience. Some posts are reflection, some are just walking through what a specific class covered.

Dress forms and garments in progress representing sewing, construction, and the craft of making clothing.

THE DIARIES

Going back to fashion school as an adult, and what that actually involved.

WHY I WENT BACK TO FASHION SCHOOL
One class, I said. I did the whole programme.
INSIDE THE FASHION SCHOOL OF FLORIDA
Small classes, big learning — a look inside.
WHAT FASHION SCHOOL TAUGHT ME ABOUT CONSTRUCTION
Turns out I'd been skipping all the boring important bits.
LEARNING PATTERN MAKING CHANGED THE WAY I SEE CLOTHES
Now I can't unsee a bad armhole. Sorry.
CLASSROOM TO THE RUNWAY: NYFW
Does school prep you for backstage? Sort of.
MY 2ND SEASON AT NEW YORK FASHION WEEK
Back at Fashion Week — and less terrified this time.

THE CLASSES

The actual classes — pattern making, construction, draping, and the rest of the coursework.

REBUILDING THE FOUNDATIONS
Technique slowed. Precision began.
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$Learning children's pattern making taught me structure through smaller scale. From conquering fractions to drafting my first shirt from scratch—where drafting stopped feeling theoretical and started feeling possible.$

CHILDREN'S PATTERN MAKING
Learning structure through scale.
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PATTERN MAKING CLASSES 1–4
Learning to think in lines
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PATTERN MAKING 5
Thinking like a pattern maker
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GARMENT CONSTRUCTION 1–4
This was the season of making.
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GARMENT CONSTRUCTION 5
Where independence deepened.
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DRAPING
Letting fabric speak. Where structure met intuition.
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HISTORY, TEXTILES & TRENDS
Where design became intentional
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FROM CONCEPT TO PRODUCTION
Where it all came together
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These posts cover going back to fashion school as an adult — the decision to do it, the actual coursework, and how it's changed how I make things since.

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