Interview with Project Runway Fashion Designer - Samantha Plasencia

Bold, edgy and innovative are just three ways to describe the magnificent designs by Samantha Plasencia. This amazing talent has graciously allowed us to share in her story. You know Samantha from Lifetime's Project Runway. She got her start in San Antonio, TX and is now making her mark in the artsy city of Austin, TX. 

 Tell me about yourself... 

"My name is Samantha Plasencia. I'm 29 years old and currently reside in Austin, TX."

What inspired your love for fashion?

"It's something I've always enjoyed, being creative, standing out and doing your own thing."

Are there any designers that you admire? Who and why?

"I love McQueen and the story he tells. Fashion was more about art and that's what I love. I've currently started to do more RTW (ready to wear) which can cater to a wider audience. Alexander Wang has a unique style that I love. His runway shows are great, tell a story, but are not over the top."

Can you tell me a bit about your journey in fashion?

"I started sewing and learning design when I started college at 17. I was young and just dove in. I ended up having the best sewing and construction by the time we presented our collections our senior year. they gave out awards and showed my hard work and dedication paid off."

How do you describe your style?

"I love to do street wear that is still feminine. So you could wear sneakers or boots with the look and transition even into heels if you wanted. I focus on black and white with sometimes a pop of color."

Where do you find the most inspiration?

"I normally just come up with ideas on the random. I'm not one to just step outside or go to the park to get an idea.

Can you tell me a bit about your experience on Project Runway?

"Project Runway was great of course! I met some talented people and learned a lot while being there."

What has changed since the show?

"Since the show I've had more projects, shows and events so it keeps me busy and meeting new people all the time which I love."

What is the best advice you've received?

"Ask for forgiveness, not permission. Ken Downing told me that when I worked at Neimans in the visual department, it just stuck."

What advice would you give others?

"Always go after the things you dream and want. Hard work and dedication always win in the end. Also, to make a difference. Help, inspire, mentor!"

What are you currently working on?

"I'm currently working on an extension to my S/S 2015 collection to show in Austin on the 22nd. After that I will be in Santa Fe showing my Fall 2015 collection. When I get home I'll be working on my S/S 2016 collection for its debut in San Antonio in November. Also hats, the list goes on. Hope to see you there!"

Where can people find you and your work?

"My website is samanthaplasencia.com; links to my online shop are there and you can also like my fan page to keep up with fashion updates from events and shows at http://www.facebook.com/samantha.plasenciadesign.

Be sure and show her some love. Her work speaks for itself and we're honored to be able to showcase her as this weeks feature designer!

New and Exciting Future for the Retro Rambler

Alright guys, in order to explain how beautiful the opportunities are ahead of me, I need to break down a bit of what has happened so far. August sucks. Like, if I could sleep through August every year for the rest of my life, I'd gladly do so. This year has been extraordinarily hard. I am on the emotional roller coaster I am on every year at this time due to a quick succession of life shattering losses I had and now, on top of it, one of the things I thought was sound has been rocked. It's left me floating in uncertainty and it makes my stomach sick. But while crawling through this hopefully brief bout of darkness, I realized that I still have an outlet to reach to, cling to, during this time. So I used my aunt's advice... "WWTSD" which translates to What Would Taylor Swift Do... and I shook it off! ha. I know, really cheesy... but anyway... I shook off the negativity and looked at my blog. I thought "how in the world am I going to nurture this, grow it, make it all it can be?" and it came to me. It was in the form of a Tweet by a band on Twitter!

Now, before I go much further I want to mention that I am obsessive when it comes to music. I think in song lyrics most days and there is not a moment of my time that I don't either have music on or a song in stuck in my head. So when a band tweeted me and said they loved my blog and shared their song, I immediately listened. The song was outstanding! I was impressed to say the least. So I immediately told them that I loved it and would love to do an interview... and they said yes before I could fully comprehend what I had done. It was exhilarating! So on that successful high, I sent a request to the other artists that I follow/follow me on Twitter that stood out to me. I also sent messages to the batch of talent that my home town created. A week later I have the next 10 weeks booked with some outstanding singers, songwriters and bands! They are wonderful, unique, and super talented! I'm honored to share them with you.

Yesterday I was wracking my brain, trying to figure out how I was going to continue growing my blog and my mom gave me another wise piece of advise. She reminded me that the worst thing a person could say is "no" and that we have to take chances if we ever want to have extraordinary experiences. So I searched for two Project Runway contestants that had always stood out to me. One happened to be the sister of friends of mine from school and the other was from San Antonio. Both were strong women with unique and beautiful points of view. I found them both on Facebook and sent a message to them asking them if they'd be willing to be featured. I received messages from both saying that they would be willing to do it!

Starting this week, I have two interviews with Project Runway Alumni and many interviews with the talented artists I explained earlier. My mom was right (as always), it was worth the nerves and fear of rejection because now I have wonderful talent to share with you!

So on Wednesday, I am proud to announce, I will be sharing an interview with Samantha Plasencia, the young, innovative designer from season 13 of Project Runway! Friday I will be sharing an interview with the up and coming, super talented Aussie, Tori Forsyth! Both are young women with bright futures ahead of them who push their own boundaries in order to share their vision and voice with the world!They are role models in their fields for all women, reminding us that hard work and dedication can lead to wondrous things.

If the amount of exclamation points I used in this post doesn't express how excited I am, I'm not sure what else will, haha! I am thrilled an honored. And this is just the start... I have much more in store!

"Every decision leads somewhere... the excitement is watching what unfolds." 

-- Michael R. Krozer

The 90's Are Back in Fashion

Today my post about fashion is a bit different than usual. First of all, I'm sharing a very personal picture with you *gasp.* I know, I know... but I think I was a pretty cute kid, plus, my post for today is about how our style grows and develops, but still tends to be influenced by our childhoods. Yeah, I know... there is no way in hell you'd put your hair in a side pony (see photo reference to your left) and butterfly clips or pull the bottom of your shirt through the neck so that you had a crop top like Selena and the Spice Girls; but subconsciously, maybe you wouldn't hate it that much.

As a matter of fact, 2014-2015 has seen an uprising in the 90's resurgence and I'm not talking the grunge fad that never seemed to leave, I'm talking the 90's we made fun of for 15 years. First thing's first... remember the beloved stirrup pants we had? We had them in some awesome colors and patterns that resembled a combination of Nickelodeon and the Fresh Prince. We would match them to our scrunchies and our light up Sketchers... Yeah, well, we cut the "stirrup" off and now we call them leggings. You heard me right. Leggings are just glorified stirrup pants without the convenience of looping around your foot so they stayed nicely in your boot (well, folded sock back then, but whatever). Now we're stuck with the same pant that doesn't even serve the purpose it did before... blasphemy! I say this only joking, I love me some leggings.

Next up, overalls! Hell yeah, I totally knew they'd be back! NOT! They look much cuter now then they did back then. We've learned how to cut them so that they are chic-er and more feminine but they are still the same ones that we all had to have after watching It Takes Two and Mary Kate and Ashley had them... don't kid yourself.

Cropped halter tops that look straight out of Joey's closet. Seriously... we're not only wearing them but we're pairing them with higher waisted jeans?? and we're cuffing them with sneakers??? Alright, so I love a great crop top... I also love a nice high-waisted jean...but when I see them combined the theme song of Friends starts playing in my head and I feel the need to watch Titanic. I'm still not sure if I like this particular uprising. I can't even tell you if I liked it when it was popular the first time.

This brings me to my next trend... high-waisted pants and shorts. Now, these have been around for ages but we saw a significant decline in the 2000's when we saw the rise of the visible thong (lets hope that doesn't resurface; keep them in your pants, ladies). However, they are popping up more and more now. Like I said before, I can dig a great high waist. I think if done properly they can be slimming, reserved and sexy. But now more than ever I'm seeing them paired with the crop tops I discussed above, chunky sweaters, 90's-esque printed t's and many other throwback ways. I feel that if done wrong it's a bit too much. If the only way I can tell your picture is current is by the filter... you might need to tone it down a smidge.

Alright, so there's my bit of fashion for the day. Oh, I have to share... as I was typing that last sentence... No Doubt's Don't Speak just started playing! Ha! Long Live the 90's...

Sunday Funday Link Up Party

A Tid Bit on Fashion

In the sixth grade I started a “design company” called J-wear. I would draw fashion designs and my friends would color them for me with their large collection of gel pens, ha! Can you tell my generation or what? Suffice to say, I have been a fan of fashion design about as long as I have been a fan of interior design. To me they go hand in hand. One expresses your passion and creativity through your living space, the other on your person. I feel that clothes should be comfortable, flaunt who you are and make you feel beautiful. The picture I posted is of my favorite shirt. I purchased it a few months back at Torrid for less than $40! It’s soft, it flows beautifully, it is more comfortable than most of my other shirts and you can never go wrong with a lace back.