Diana Eng » FashionGeekBook

On PBS SciGirls High Tech Fashion

diana — Sat, 03 Apr 2010 05:25:14 +0000

Last fall, I had a lot of fun being a mentor for an episode of PBS SciGirls which aired last week. I worked with 11 year old SciGirls Ariella, Hallie, and Sophia to create a super hero princess dress for the Fairytale Fashion launch party. Watch the Episode here.

The girls designed the super hero prince dress and I showed them how to make it. The dress had an EL wire cape controlled by an accelerometer so that the cape lit up in reaction to motion. And the skirt inflated to create a billowing cloud effect which every flying superhero princess needs.

The girls programmed an Arduino microcontroller to make conductive thread embroidered LEDs sparkle on lace. The girls really liked sparkly things. When I was showing them how to program the Arduino to make the LEDs sparkle, they practically pushed me out of the way so that they could program the sparkles themselves. I didn’t even finish explaining how to write the program. The girls just took over.

In between takes, Ariella, Hallie, and Sophia made up a song and dance for everything, the ironing dance, the LED song. It would be interesting to see little girls take over the electronics world with sparkle programs and soldering songs.

The Twin Cities Public Television production crew was one of the nicest I’d ever worked with. The whole crew was really chipper and upbeat which made them great for working with the girls. And I enjoyed drinking the juice boxes that were always on set. Thank you model Jen Kresge, make-up artist Santiago Sibert, and big thanks to Collab for letting us use their space.

Threadbanger: How to Sew with Electronics

diana — Fri, 08 May 2009 22:20:49 +0000

Today I am on ThreadBanger showing how to hand sew with conductive thread and LEDs to make the Robot and Friend embroidery from my book Fashion Geek.

Download the Robot and Friend pattern from ThreadBanger.

Popular Science: A Fashion Geek Release Party

diana — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 23:17:19 +0000

Today, PopSci.com features photos from the release party for my book, Fashion Geek. Stuart Fox says, “Is that a circuit in your pocket, or are you just really into my conductive threads?”

Craftzine: Designing for Fashion Geek

diana — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 06:31:00 +0000

Today I wrote a post for Craft Magazine about designing electronic fashion for my book, Fashion Geek.

DIY Fashion Model Platforms

diana — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 06:15:32 +0000

Everyone has seen models strut down the runway, but there are actually two types of fashions shows. The runway show, and the fashion presentation. A fashion presentation involves models posing on platforms. Usually new companies will have a fashion presentation during fashion week because it is cheaper. But this fashion week, in honor of the recession, most designers had fashion presentations.

The Fashion Geek fashion show will also be a fashion presentation. Platforms are pretty simple, they are just wood boxes. I was very stressed about acquiring platforms, because they are expensive to rent. So Dave Clausen suggested that we spend a Sunday afternoon making them. Following are instructions so that you can make them too for your next fashion presentation on a budget.

Materials
4 pieces 3/4″ ply wood cut to 18″ x 18″ (if you ask nicely, they will cut all of your lumber to size at the hardware store)
8 pieces 1×6 lumber cut to 16 1/2″
8 pieces 1×6 lumber cut to 18″

Wood Glue
Vice Grips
Drill + Bits
Screws
Paint
Paint Brush
Old Paper Towels

Yield: 4 platforms 18″ x 18″ x 6 1/4″” (models are pretty tall, so I just want a little bit of height to distinguish them from the crowd)

Our total cost: $60

1. Start by building the sides of the platform out of two 16 1/2″ pieces of 1×6 lumber and two 18″ pieces of 1×6 lumber.

2. Place the pieces for your platform as picture, with the smaller 1×6 pieces between the longer 1×6 pieces (It is helpful to use another flat piece of wood to line them all up.). Drill pilot holes into the edges of the 18″ pieces. We made our holes 3/8″ in from the corner and 1 1/5″ from the top and bottom. Then glue the pieces with wood glue and screw them together. Wipe of extra glue with the old paper towel.

3. Add the 3/4″ plywood to top off the platform. Drill pilot holes 3/8″ in from the edge and 3″ from each corner. Then glue and screw down the top. Wipe away extra glue with old paper towels.

4. Paint the sides of the box. We are leaving the top wood colored, and will be stencilling “fashion geek” across it in hot pink for a deconstructed DIY look.

I had to let things dry. Stay tuned for a finished picture on Tuesday!

Model Call + MTV

diana — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 06:44:33 +0000

Words of the Day: Model Call, Casting Models

Today is the day to choose models, we have a model call to cast models for the show.

But first is the problem of location. I’m a starving fashion designer who has a hacker space in Brooklyn but no studio in Manhattan. Models are classy girls who don’t like Brooklyn, and if you want them to make the trek out there, you have to book a car service for them. What about the recession!? I can’t cast models in my tiny NoLita apartment, it’s the size of a walk-in closet. And a car service is $50+ a girl. Fortunately, my show sponsor Fashion Indie arranges for me to have the model call in the Zink Magazine offices on Park Avenue in Manhattan.

I show up, and who is there but MTV who is filming Fashion Indie for their TV show, True Lives. MTV wants to film the model call. The models arrive and I must stay camera conscious which means that you can’t look directly at the camera, but you can’t look away because nobody wants to see the back of your head. We see poses, we see strutting, and MTV says they will see me on the 19th because MTV wants to film my Fashion Geek party! Yay!

Today was a good day, so thank you Fashion Indie, thank you Zink Magazine, and thank you computer programmer bf who’s server is hosting my wordpress blog.

Fashion Geek Book Release Party Invitation

diana — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 05:30:36 +0000

I just finished up the design for the release party invitation. The release party will have circuit bending DJ’s playing music on hacked electronics, and a fashion presentation of models posing and dancing to the music in clothing from Fashion Geek: Clothes, Accessories, Tech. It’s a recession and I am on a budget, so I am designing the party invitations myself to save $500.

I wanted the invitation to be cute, and techy. So I took one of the conductive thread LED circuit patterns that is flower shaped from the book and used it in the background over graph paper. I put a sketch of the fashion geek shirt project in the front.

DIY Shoes from Fashion Geek Book

diana — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 06:28:21 +0000

Learn to make these EL wire shoes in the book, Fashion Geek: Clothes Accessories Tech from North Light Books. Fashion Geek is filled with DIY electronic fashion designs by yours truely (Diana Eng).

You can order a copy at Amazon.com.

Music – Because Of You, by BLAME feat SELAH
Dancer – Zach Hoeken
Video Production – Bre Pettis

Fashion Show Hair Styles

diana — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 06:08:08 +0000

Planning the release party is much more complicated than I thought it would be. There’s the DJ, drinks, refreshments, hair, make-up, photographers, guest list, invitations, rsvp, garments, accessories and models. This must be what it is like to plan a wedding, minus the fashion models.

I am so glad that I found Jennifer Parker and Elizabeth Owusu to do hair. I’ve been finding tear sheets, photos of hair styles that I like to send to them. My inspiration? Gossip Girl. I want romantic locks to match electronic fashions. I want things to be cute geek chic.

Fashion Geek Book

admin — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 02:13:17 +0000

I’ve just finished my first book, available on Amazon. I am preparing for a big fashion show book release party on March 19th. Stay tuned for details.

High fashion goes digital with Diana Eng! In Fashion Geek, Diana pioneers an emerging generation of tech savvy women crafters (or would-be crafters) who demand stylish yet practical designs that are electronically charged. Now you can take simple, girly items such as a hoodie or scarf and transform them into must-have techno-accessories through approachable, step-by-step directions. Full-color photos make it easy to see how every project comes to life.