a blog is born

The Manhatter is an offspring of The List, a Fashion Vendor Directory -- a project conceived by Julia Gorton, a teacher at Parsons the New School for Design in New York City. The List is first and foremost a resource for students in the School of Fashion who are looking for fabric suppliers, pattern-makers, and other vendors that will help them manufacture their designs. However, The List is also a way to showcase the many wonderful businesses that are found in New York City's Garment Center, as a way of supporting and promoting this historic district.

While a directory of vendors is a valuable resource, some people (myself included) may find the options overwhelming. What better way to show what can be done with this wealth of resources than to actually make something? And that's where The Manhatter and I come in. A student of Julia's in the Fall of 2009 and a current sophomore majoring in Fashion Design at Parsons, I will be designing and producing a small collection of hats inspired by and made exclusively in New York City with the help of The List. This blog will chronicle my process and present the various vendors I will use. It will also include any experiences related to this project, from fun stories about the people I meet along the way, muslins and hats in progress, sketches, and points of inspiration and reference.

I hope you'll find The Manhatter useful, entertaining and inspiring. I also hope it will make you think about the beauty of what I consider one of the most democratic items of clothing in modern times -- the hat.