Lucy Stemmler '24 Studies Fashion, Design in Paris

Michelle H. Daino
Mount Saint Mary Academy junior, Lucy Stemmler '24 studied fashion and design from July 1st to July 23rd with Parsons the New School in Paris, France.

“Over the course of three weeks, me and my peers were given the assignment to create a piece based off a Parisian designer. Throughout the experience I learned how to have more confidence in myself as a designer and to learn to push myself further,” she said.

"On our last days, our teacher told us how the best designers are never fully content with their work and that there is always room for more improvement,” added Lucy, “but to always embrace the beauty and originality of what you created." 

“Since I was very young, I had dreams and aspirations of designing either through FIT (the Fashion Institute of Technology) or Parsons. I’ve been sewing for around eight years and, even before that, I would make my mom dresses out of paper because I wasn't able to take a sewing class,” she explained.

“The Parsons the New School program was very special and sentimental to me because it’s been everything I've ever wanted since I could remember,” added Lucy. “The piece I created was a tribute to Madame Gres, a designer from the time of World War II. She strictly created dresses using silk, wool, and sometimes cotton. She used many techniques like pleasing and draping to show appreciation for the woman's body. A lot of her pieces looked almost sculpted in a way due to her background as a sculptor.”

“I took what a knew and decided to take those techniques and combine them all into a more casual, but elegant blouse. The process took the full three weeks, but that included the color palette, the mood board, the sketches, selecting the fabric, and the overall construction of my piece. By the end, my piece was modeled by a woman who had previously modeled for Jean Paul Gautier. This experience was something incredibly special to me because I had been working toward it for so long,” she said.

“I hope to have a chance to go back to Paris with Parsons as a full-time student and get to talk to my professor and show him more of my progress after I graduate from the Mount,” said Lucy. 

Vanessa Emanuele, Mount Saint Mary Academy Department of Art Chairperson, stated, “This past school year, I witnessed Lucy’s drawing and painting skills blossom in our Mount art studio. Encouraging and supporting her was without question, for her innate talent is emerging as she hones her fine art skills. As she furthers her studies of fine art at the Mount in our Painting course this year, I look forward to seeing her exploration and incorporation of her interests in fashion.”

At Mount Saint Mary Academy, Lucy is a member of the Junior Varsity Tennis team, and she was the Manager for the Softball team.
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