I was recently asked to write about my story as a Fashion student by my fashion professor. This will be given to the University as a story of a student achieveing an extra ordinary task. I am not sure where it will be published but it may end up in an Alumni newletter ot on the Point Loma website! Thanks everyone for all of your support!
My name is Kelsey Bergstrom, I am a Junior Fashion Merchandising student at Point Loma Nazarene University. I have been sewing as a hobby since I was 12 years old. I would make pillow and small purses with my friends and just taught myself through trial and error. I would attempt to make dresses and even some pajama pants. In high school I took a sewing class for two semesters and those were my first formal sewing lessons. I learned how to use a pattern, and had the chance to create more complex garments. In those classes I made a lined trench coat, some dresses and skirts, and a quilt made up of all of my baby clothes! I had wanted to study fashion for a long time and I was already hooked with just this little taste of a sewing class. When I got to Point Loma and started taking fashion classes I immediately realized this is where I belonged. I thrived in those classes and looked forward to them every day. It was the hour or two of the day where I completely felt like I was in my element. I then heard about the annual ASB Fashion Show and found out that anyone could design for it. This was something that I had never done before, designed a collection of my own. I decided to take on the challenge and see how it went. I designed six pieces, four cocktail dresses, a casual dress and a coat. I constructed them all in my dorm room after classes every night for about two months before the show. My line was title “Glam” and it turned out better than I could have ever imagined. It was so gratifying to see what I was actually capable of and to be so affirmed by my peers! My sophomore year I decided to participate in the fashion show again. The challenge this year was to show my growth in design and my sewing skills, I had to up my game. I really enjoy designing dresses and gowns so that’s just what I did. I designed and constructed six full length gowns, my sister even ended up wearing one to Prom! This year my line was title “Grass Roots” and they were all made of earth tones. I was so happy with how they all came out and I really think I showed my growth and maturity through that line. I studied abroad in Paris over summer and got my inspiration for this year’s collection from my observations there. I can’t wait to get started!
This year I was asked by the chair of the Homecoming Coronation Committee to be the stylist for the wardrobe of the women and men chosen for court. At first I was just going to pick out all of the dresses that the princesses would be wearing on the night of the Variety show, but then I had a meeting with the chair and he offered up the idea of me designing the dresses and I just couldn’t say no to that! I knew that it was going to be a very big commitment but I felt very capable and prepared to do the job. I think doing the fashion shows for the last two years and my time spent in Paris really prepared me and reassured me that I would definitely be able to complete this job! I got to work sketching right away, I would need seven different dresses and I pumped out twenty sketched one afternoon and then narrowed them down and presented them to the committee. I was so pleased at the positive reaction they had toward my sketches! I couldn’t get to work on them right away because the court hadn’t been chosen yet so it was a waiting game for a while. This first dress I made was for the Homecoming Queen from last year because she was local and I already knew she would need a dress. Now that the court has been selected I have been sewing away at a good pace. They are coming out great so far, I can’t wait to see them on the girls! I will be making a trip to the tux shop next week to help the princes get fitted for the suits I picked out. I will also be picking out their tie colors to go with the color scheme the committee has selected. It has been such an honor and a blessing to be given this amazing opportunity. This has never been done before and I am so jazzed to be the first to break into this challenge!
