Reviews - Fashion

Q and A with Kara Sennett
by Terra Becks

Kara Sennett received her MFA in Fashion Design from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco in 2009. Her Spring 2010 collection has a retro vibe and features blazers, vests, shorts, and swimsuits in pinks and hues of blue and ivory. The collection was officially inspired by David Hockney's 1966 painting Beverly Hills Housewife, and unofficially maybe a little by Lady Gaga. In any case the clean, white linear details accented by the bright happy hues are easy to love. Like Hockney, Sennett had always fantasized about California, and so it's no wonder she decided on San Francisco for school. Hockney's paintings are designed to lift the viewer's spirits like no other, especially those featuring midcentury modern California-style ranch houses that many have dreamed of calling home. It is easy to be drawn to Sennett's colorful wool and vinyl pieces depicting the Mad Men era of the 1960s. This collection is versatile and body-conscious, despite it's bold retro colors and short hemlines. The idea of beachwear as everyday wear is unique and appealing-the crisp blue and white swimsuit, for example, that can be worn with the trim ivory jacket for a look that's ready for a warm California night out. Similar to many of Hockney's paintings, Sennett constructs garments made of finely drawn lines and mixed colors, exemplified by one of her looks styled with a monochromatic pool-blue tank, vinyl capris, and layered with a pink short-sleeve swing jacket. Sennett's well-edited collection creates a look that truly embodies California style: laid back yet effortlessly put together.

Terra Becks: When did you realize you were a fashion designer, and was that always your passion/goal?
Kara Sennett: To be honest it still surprises me that I am a fashion designer. I think I didn't really notice it until the models were all lined up back stage. All the pieces I had worked so hard on were on real models at NYC Fashion Week, and they all looked good! Fashion design was not something I knew I wanted to do when I was younger at all. I learned how to sew in grad school, my first semester. I had never had the interest to sew before. I always had a strong opinion on what I wore, though. Looking back at old pictures, it might not be the hottest look ever, but I was very opinionated [about] what I wore and when. I really just liked all forms of art, and just never found a profession where you could do them all. It just clicked one day in undergrad that fashion design combine all my interests in art and creating things with my hands, as well as a means to a job and income! Which is still to come. One step at a time.

Becks: In what ways do you think growing up on military bases abroad shaped your view of the world, and how does that view relate to your designs?
Sennett: I'm not really sure in what ways growing up on military bases affected my life, since it is all I know. I don't know what I missed out on or really what I gained. I do know that growing up I was not aware of the fashion industry. We only went to malls in the summer and were removed from a lot of media. I had lots of learning to do in college when I moved to California, to say the least. The only drawback I can think of is that I might have known earlier on in my life what I wanted to do had I been aware of its existence. The idea of traveling and learning about the world from seeing it rather than reading about it in books is the best thing I gained from going to school in Germany. Seeing how other people live their daily lives has helped me figure out what kind of life I want to lead and where. Growing up the way I did made it really easy for me to move and transition myself into new settings, and to not have where I live limit my professional choices.




Becks: Describe what it was like to be one of 7 students from the Academy of Art showing at Bryant Park. Also, how did the school decide who was going?
Sennett: Aside from the obvious awesomeness of it all... The Academy of Art faculty selected who was going to Bryant Park after we turned in our finished collections. Then we were told individually who made the show, and that while we could celebrate, the work was not done yet. We still had fittings to do, last minute changes, and accessories to decide on. It felt like a huge weight off my shoulders to know that my work had been judged as good enough for Bryant Park, as well as exhausting to think of the finishing work that was still to be done. Even though there was a lot to do, knowing the faculty was behind me and believed in my collection really helped ease my nerves about any future reviews. Bryant Park was surprisingly calm. I thought I would be nervous or that it would be crazy with things to do, but our school was very good with time management and making sure known earlier on in my life what I wanted to do had I been aware of its existence. The idea of traveling and learning about the world from seeing it rather than reading about it in books is the best thing I gained from going to school in Germany. Seeing how other people live their daily lives has helped me figure out what kind of life I want to lead and where. Growing up the way I did made it really easy for me to move and transition myself into new settings, and to not have where I live limit my professional choices.

Becks: Describe what it was like to be one of 7 students from the Academy of Art showing at Bryant Park. Also, how did the school decide who was going?
Sennett: Aside from the obvious awesomeness of it all... The Academy of Art faculty selected who was going to Bryant Park after we turned in our finished collections. Then we were told individually who made the show, and that while we could celebrate, the work was not done yet. We still had fittings to do, last minute changes, and accessories to decide on. It felt like a huge weight off my shoulders to know that my work had been judged as good enough for Bryant Park, as well as exhausting to think of the finishing work that was still to be done. Even though there was a lot to do, knowing the faculty was behind me and believed in my collection really helped ease my nerves about any future reviews. Bryant Park was surprisingly calm. I thought I would be nervous or that it would be crazy with things to do, but our school was very good with time management and making sure everyone's work was immaculate and done before the show. So once we were backstage, we really just made sure that everything was unwrinkled and all the accessories were in the right place, and watched as everything came together. The most surreal parts were both the reporters asking us about our work, as well as watching each girl disappear from backstage onto the runway! I just felt a huge sense of accomplishment during the show, and hoped that no one fell down because of the huge wedges they were wearing.

Becks: How did artist David Hockney's painting Beverly Hills Housewife influence your Spring 2010 collection?
Sennett: His painting influenced my work from everything from color story to the minimalist retro design aesthetic. I have liked Beverly Hills Housewife for some time now and knew for months that I wanted to use it as my inspiration for my final collection because of its amazing colors. I wanted my collection to be very bright and eyecatching on the runway. One of the main reasons I loved all of the paintings in his California Dreaming series is because at first glance I felt so happy and in awe of the bright color and picturesque settings, but then looking at them longer, it just felt eerie. The paintings were too empty, too stark, too perfect; not like reality. I wanted to have that eerie feeling of things being not quite right in my collection. I tried to do this by making what looks like a pocket be nothing more than a seam. It looks like a functioning pocket, but it's not. There were some real pockets in the collection, but they were nothing more than an opening in a seam so that you would barely know they were there. The fake white belts on all the tunics added to the too-perfect and minimalistic feeling, as well making the models seem almost like plastic dolls.

Becks: What other artists, places, people, things, etc. have influenced your design aesthetic and how?
Sennett: My undergraduate work was in Studio Art, with my favorite media being oil paints and printmaking. My background has led to most of my inspiration being from different artists. I am mainly drawn to contemporary artists, but really can be inspired by just about any form of art, from sidewalk graffiti to the San Francisco hills in Wyane Theibaud paintings. Each evokes a great feeling, a mood, which become a starting point for building design. Becks: How long have you been living in New York City, and what does your internship at Diane von Furstenburg involve? Sennett: I have been in New York City since the middle of November. Right now I am a design intern at Diane von Furstenberg, and it is a really creative and hands-on workplace. We are involved in a lot of various tasks, from silhouette research to accessories-making. It's just been such a fun work environment, while at the same time a place to learn so much.



Becks: How has living in New York City versus San Francisco (or other cities you've lived in} shaped the direction you see yourself going as a designer?
Sennett: I think the vibe of all cities have an effect on the designs I create. I really love designing sportswear for women. Evening gowns are interesting and fun as well, but I really enjoy designing the clothes that women will live their everyday lives in. Each city's women have different needs for their clothing. I find that New York is more about layering and the combination of fabrics and patterns put together. Chunky-knit scarves, with silky tops under heavy coats-that kind of thing. Whereas when I think of California, bright colors and one-piece outfits to relax in the outdoors come to mind. Both types of women's needs are fun to design for. The relaxed, sun-drenched vibe of the California woman is what I used for designing my S/S collection, and it remains one of my favorites. Maybe a combination of the two is in my future.

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