fighting doubt

The above image is from a runway shot from a show by Manish Arora, a really popular Indian designer. I love the colours...

This is really fun...to map the construction of a dream from the ground up. I wish I could have the Slumdog soundtrack playing when you come to the site, because that movie and its music really captures how I feel about chasing this dream. Scrappy underdog defying the odds (i.e. all the circumstances, obstacles, and 'voices of reason' in my way). Truly, it's not such a crazy dream, and i need to find people who can really see that.

I think, with a little more elbow grease, i'll pull through the end of this course okay. there have been a few moments when i was like, "what am I doing here???? this is crazy!" It's just REALLY important for me to finish! looking back, I can't believe how I started out with just a little flicker in my soul that I decided to pursue against all obvious reasoning. it may not be much of an accomplishment, but i now know how to sew and have discovered that this really isn't impossible. As for the bigger picture, here are some quotes from people in the industry that really back up my vision. Take that, naysayers.

"India is one of the few countries left on this planet with a distinct fashion identity," says IMG Fashion's Mallis, who was a celebrity judge last season on the Bravo network hit show "Project Runway." "The country is modernizing as fast as it can, and it's remarkable that women in saris and men in kurtas blend so well with evening gowns and suits. In the rest of the world, it seems like all the men are in blue jackets," says Mallis, who spent a week in Mumbai for Lakme Fashion Week earlier this month.

Suze Yalof Schwartz, Glamour magazine's executive fashion editor at large, agrees that "Slumdog" may jump-start an interest in Indian aesthetics. She points to the growing popularity of designers of Indian heritage, such as Rachel Roy (who is half Indian) and Naeem Khan, whose "clothes just pop - never have they been hotter than right now.""I'm proud of that heritage," says Bibhu Mohapatra, who was raised in Orissa, India, educated at FIT and was design director at J. Mendel. Last month he debuted his first eponymous collection, which hits stores this fall.Hints of India emerge in subtle ways in Mohapatra's designs. A glorious chiffon strapless looks simple from the front but cascades in dramatic, sari-like drapes in back. An über-luxe coat and dress are made from peacock feathers, hand-loomed and woven in an ancient Indian technique.American awareness of Indian culture is growing, notes Mohapatra. "In fashion, film, art...," he says, moving his hands like a spinning wheel. "It's a big storm that's brewing."