unleash the power of inspiration...

                                         unleash the power of inspiration...

Shared experience

If a problem shared halves it then sharing fun things with somebody must surely double the pleasure. 


My work environment can tend to be lonely a lot of the time, but I have been fortunate enough to build amazing relationships with some of the people that are my colleagues. One of those special bonds is with Kate Atherley.


Kate and her husband Norm have a tradition of going to NYC for US Thanksgiving and they invited myself & my beloved to join them once again. High on the must-do list for both Kate and I was to see the "Is Fashion Modern?" exhibition at MOMA....and it certainly didn't disappoint! We spent several hours oohing & arhhing over the exhibit, completely lost in our world of clothing and design. Having noticed just how engrossed we were, both the  boys went off to do their own thing eventually. 


In the past I have mentioned Julia Cameron's idea of the Artist's Date. Ms Cameron advocates attending the kind of events/places that "fill the well" by yourself so as to avoid distraction. But in this case I found that seeing this exhibition with somebody who was enjoying as much as I was added a whole other layer to the experience. Kate brought a similar perspective, but viewed through the lens of her knowledge and experience. Being able to discuss our thoughts from our own unique vantage points added a great deal. 


We both understood each other's excitement at seeing an original 1920's Chanel cocktail dress up so close you could have touched it...and then enjoyed imagining the stories that dress could tell. We were able to share moments of being almost overwhelmed by seeing items that we have seen countless times in photos - the original Von Furstenberg jersey wrap dress (can you believe it's been around for over 40 years?), the Poiret Lampshade Tunic & Harem Pants, ....I could go on. We also discussed contemporary designers approaches to problem solving such as how to provide people who have mobility issues with garments so they can look like others...specifically pantyhose. Even those of us who have full use of our limbs find those garments difficult to put on - maybe we should all be looking to improve the usability across the board. 


We pondered how even though so many garments go in and out of fashion, that the moto jacket has never been "not cool". I had snap a photo of Kate wearing her knit version "The Wild One" standing next to the exhibition sample. 


Kate & I know each other well and are super supportive of each other's specific expertise and have knowledge of what pushes each of us forward. This means that an unexpected outcome of seeing this exhibition together was setting each other a "Challenge".  We hadn't meant to do this, but we had moments when as the other was talking we could reflect it back, by pointing out that this was something we could add to our work. So fun and inspiring!


I have had a very fun month of travel, getting to visit both New York and London. Both cities are fun all year around but during the festive season they kick it up another notch. I'm now back home and enjoying celebrating in Toronto, but I'm itching to get going on new design work and to get started on my challenge.







Thanks for stopping by...I hope that you enjoy the photos! 

This month they were taken during my recent travels....seems I must have been nice (or must have managed to pull the wool over Santa) this year as I have had so many wonderful treats already! 


Please check back in next month...I promise I'll be here telling you what my latest fascination is.

See you next month      
Fiona xxxx

On-line, On-nine
Monthly post on the 9th of each month! 
On-line, On-nine Dec 9th 2017

Button Emporium (NYC)               Breton Sweaters (MOMA)               Little Black Dresses (MOMA)