Since I have been on a kick of reminiscing about the 80's lately... I have to mention Fashion Plates. They had to be one of my favorite toys in the 1980's. I played with them all through elementary school. My older sister had the original set and then later my grandmother bought me the Barbie set since we were always arguing over who would get to play with them first.
I think fashion plates were a great toy. They inspired creativity and made us feel like great designers and artists. Each set (as there were a variety) could be used interchangeably since the necks and waists from each tile lined up. Then there were textures you could apply to the clothing designs as well.
Both my sister and I loved playing with them and hanging our designs up in our room. I remember I always used one particular head the most often because I thought she looked like me... or at least we had the same hairstyle! For awhile I thought I would become a great fashion designer!
Here at metrostyle, the art directors use what we call "renderings" on the catalog layouts. These sketches are placed on the catalog layouts before a book is photographed so the creative team can refer to them during a photo shoot to recall how to shoot a product and position the models. When I first began working here-- I immediately thought these renderings looked like my childhood Fashion Plates drawings.I would love to get my hands on another set of Fashion Plates...just for nostalgia--really! But until then, I am fortunate to have a job where while doing my everyday work I am reminded of being a kid again!
by Gabby
