Fashion Dreams

When I was young, I wanted to be a model. I'm not sure why, except that maybe it came from watching the model competition on Star Search. Or maybe it was my infatuation with the models in the JcPenny's catalog, or the young girls in my favorite teen magazines. Perhaps it goes as far back as my first and only runway show at Sax Fifth Avenue at the ripe old age of seven.

(That's me in the middle, wearing the purple outfit. Apparently it was too preppy for me at the time, since when asked if I wanted to keep it, I stubbornly said, "No.")

What I do know is that for as long as I can remember I loved fashion, dressing up, and strutting my stuff. But, when I realized that my small 5' 4 1/2" frame would keep me from walking down the runway, I figured instead I could design the clothes that walked down the runway . I tried my hand at fashion design, drawing what I thought were pretty unique clothes. Unfortunately, all they were were drawings. I didn't quite know how to execute them -- aka, I didn't know how to sew. But coming up with the ideas were fun, and it got my creative juices flowing.

(My attempts at fashion design.)

But, life goes on, and childhood dreams tend to go to the wayside for more practical ones. As an adult now, I unfortunately don't work in fashion, but my love of fashion is always evolving, and I'm glad I have the outlet of this blog to share my ideas.

And, so, this post is dedicated to my dream of working in the fashion biz. Although I never could have been a model and didn't really have the skills to be a fashion designer, what would have been awesome is to be a stylist like Rachel Zoe. It seems like that would be so much fun -- going to fashion shows looking at beautiful clothes, making friends with the designers and then playing dress up with the rich and famous.

So, in honor of my fashion dreams, and the upcoming dress-up dream called the Oscars, here are my picks for the gowns that I would love to see grace the red carpet. These are all from last week's Fall 2011 RTW fashion week in NYC. (All photos are from style.com.)