IsabeauxStudio

Let's see...life presented a pretty big fork in the road during high school.  At that time, I was all about volleyball.  My big goal at that time was to be in the Olympics.  Problem was, I was short, with absolutely no hopes of a scholarship.  I was taking art classes, but being creative at that time didn't consume me like it does now.  During high school I was presented  the opportunity to declare what I wanted to be for the rest of my life.  What did I know?  I wasn't exposed to  career options like kids these days are.  When asked, I said that I wanted to be a nuclear physicist.  My dad was in the nuclear field, it sounded like a good path, and it made my father proud.  However, there was one small problem.  I wasn't really very good at math.

My friend and I used to draw cartoon characters, these Betty Boop-like cat figures that were very voluptuous.  We would dress them up in all kinds of outfits.  Since I was so proficient at creating these cat cartoon characters I decided that I wanted to be a fashion designer.  When I look back at this being the start to the thousands of dollars in schooling, and the scary jobs, the long hours, the nasty people.  I shake my head in disbelief.

The funny thing is, I didn't sew.  Didn't like to sew.  Wasn't necessarily interested in fashion.  At that time, Jordache jeans, Seventeen magazine, Brooke Shields (and her eyebrows) and the "Prairie" look was in, only to be followed by Madonna fashions- the early years in all their glory.  Lace tights, mini skirts, bows in the hair.  Yikes.

So with my career path chosen, I applied to one school, Drexel University in Philadelphia, and thankfully was accepted.  I chose Drexel because of its year round schooling and its 3 month and 6 month internships.  This was no FIT, Pratt, or Parsons, which are the known fashion schools based in New York City.  Drexel had a small design school with a good student teacher ratio.  I was most interested in the internships that provided me with connections in the industry.  I liked the fact that I could test drive my career prior to graduating and the internships proved to be good stepping stones to my first job in New York.