Written by: Brooke Finnerty
Senior textiles and apparel design student, Sophie LG is only two weeks out from flaunting her collection at the Capstone Fashion Show. Sophie explained her creative process and expressed her excitement to reveal a collection that’s so identifiably hers. In this interview, she dove deeper into each piece in her collection and shared important moments that shaped her to be the designer she is today.
BF: Tell me about yourself as a designer and as an individual.
SLG: Well, I’d always sort of been a black sheep. I was adopted in my teens and my dad just growing up did not get my look or whatever, but I went to an art school for high school and so every day I was dressing crazy. Everybody at school liked what I was doing, but at home nobody did.
In high school we had this fashion show and I was really going out there and being myself. So it was like, emo, feminine, just, you know, completely out there. I knew my dad wasn’t going to understand it or like it, so I played the song that all the models walk out to, to one of his favorite songs. After that, everything made sense to him and now he thinks I’m a star.
So I’d say, lots of struggle before the acceptance, but now that I’m here, it’s really good. I feel like if I wasn’t rebelling or fighting in some way, maybe I wouldn’t have pushed it that far to where I am.
BF: What is the inspiration for your collection?
SLG: The collection is titled ‘The Reclassified Ingenue’, and that has multiple meanings. I like reclassification because traditionally we classify and categorize women into little boxes. So that’s a reclassification but I also like taking classic silhouettes and redoing them. But then you have the word ingenue, and it means this naive, meek, doe eyed, sexy, stupid little thing. To me, it’s taking that naive girl and putting her through this mold where she emerges a more wise, mature figure. She’s able to reap those social rewards while still being witty enough to comment on being forced to do that in the first place.
BF: Tell me more about your collection.
SLG: There are four looks in my collection and each is inspired by an iconic old Hollywood glamor queen. All of the looks are an integral part of a woman’s day: the dressing up look, driving look, signing checks look, and like the party look.
My first look is called ‘The Harlow’ inspired by Jean Harlow and it’s an old Hollywood getting ready look. Think of an old silver screen starlet sitting there doing her makeup for hours and hours just because she doesn’t have anything else interesting in her life to do. So that is big bustling ostrich feathers.
The second look is a driving vintage motor wear look called ‘The Renette’. It’s inspired by Ronnie Spector leaving her abusive husband Phil Spector. They were both famous famous singers back in the day, so when I was designing I was trying to think of an old Hollywood Starlet that is famous for escaping. You know, the convertible scenes in old movies where the girl gets away. With this piece she’s getting away from her evil man.
Look number three is called ‘The Josephine’ and it’s a chic cocktail look. It’s both masculine and feminine and I just imagined a lesbian in the 20s wearing this outfit to go see Josephine Baker. It’s kind of some disconnect on where the origins of the inspiration came from.
The final look is called ‘the Crawford’ inspired by Joan Crawford and the scene from Mommy Dearest where she says “I own 72% of Pepsi Cola, don’t mess with me fellas”. The piece is a super strong feminine pantsuit with the very staunch, no funny business, signing checks, powerful woman look.
BF: Tell me about your creative process.
SLG: My creative process when it comes to collections is imagining the type of girl that will wear it. I like to draw first. I like to draw this beautiful woman. I like to see how she’d wear her hair and feel her personality to let me discover who they are. The ideal woman is maybe a woman like me. She pushes the boundaries, but still is able to weasel her way into social acceptance. She’s witty enough to be able to commentate while also receiving the social benefits.
BF: How do you feel about your completed products and them being showcased in an upcoming show?
SLG: I can’t wait to get my models ready because sometimes I make the clothes based on how I would look in them. At the draping shoot I put the look on the model, I saw her wearing it and walking, and I was like, Oh my God. When it’s not on my little short body but it’s on this beautiful model, it’s like a garment for sale.
It feels real. It feels like a real show. It’s not just me being cool. This is incredible. So I’m excited to have the girls all walk out and look like they’re from the house of LG. I feel like when they all come out, it’ll be so identifiably mine that I just can’t wait to see how it all comes together.
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