So a year ago I did an interview with a fellow Selena fan http://fashiondiva1984.blogspot.com/2011/03/interview-wfashion-designer-candace.html and talked about how Selena inspired me. So now I'm doing a follow up interview and here it is!
Q: Candace, it's been a little less than a year, since I've last interviewed you, and I just wanted to know... Does Selena still continue to influence your designs? If so, how?
A: Yes the lovely Selena still does and probably always will There are times when I imagine what Selena would be wearing today, I know that she would be a BIG fan of Louboutin shoes and I could see her rockin' Chanel, Prada, and some Versace. I think her style would be similar to J.Lo's style. Onstage and off stage. They both have the same taste in clothing.
Q: There is videos of you on YouTube, documenting your trip to Corpus Christi, back in 2009... What was your experience like that day?
A: I love and miss it. I went to Corpus twice that year and both times were heartbreaking. I didn't want to leave! I LOVE Texas so much, and I will be moving there soon, so for me to leave was just depressing. The 1st trip was just for Selena. I heard that her boutique would be closing in early May so I had to go. And it was surreal. I kept waiting for Selena to drive up in her Porsche. Her presence was there, because that boutique was her baby, both of them were, and I just felt like she was behind me and wanting to say, "Hi I'm Selena, thanks for coming to my store." And when I would look around she wasn't there. I was only there for 4 hours. I spent $150.00 in her store. I still have the receipt saved in my Selena collection. I called 2 weeks later and there was no answer and then I saw on the news that it had closed. A part of me cried on the inside. She inspired me to be a designer and I even wore one of my designs to her boutique for the first and last time.
Q: Which one of Selena's outfits, has left the biggest impression on you, and why?
A: Oh talk about a hard question! Geez that's hard! I don't know. There are too freakin many! Maybe...no wait, no...hold on, okay I got it, it would be the what I call "Fairy Princess" dress. It's the beautiful ivory brocade dress that she wore to her fashion show. I love the big pearls on the neckline, the way it flows when she walked, her hair was awesome, and the bows in the front were so cute. It's girly, feminine, sexy, and classy all into one. When I first saw that, my mouth dropped to the floor. At that moment, that dress told me what Selena was about; girly, feminine, sexy, and classy. I had seen many pictures of her before and this was around the time the movie was being made and I was still getting into her, and that dress told me who she was. She did a great job designing and I hope one day I can find someone that has it (she made copies and sold it in her boutique) and wants to give it away for whatever reason because I would so treasure that. I actually have something similar designed in mind.
Q: Are there any other artists, besides Selena, that influence your designs? If so, who?
A: Artists: J.Lo first and foremost. I love that woman, she's beyond amazing, and Celine Dion, a true classy lady to the fullest, and Janet Jackson, I would love to design for her, but I would probably be so intimidated that I wouldn't be able to think of anything!
Q:In closing, what advice, if any, can you offer to aspiring fashion designers?
A: Take classes! There is so much I didn't know that I know now because I'm taking classes, but also if there is someone in the business work with them and go for it. If Michael Kors called me to work with him, I'd drop out of school and work with him. You would get SO much more from him then you would in a classroom. If going to school is what you want to do, do that, take classes if you don't want to go to school for 4 years, you don't have to go to school to take classes. I've work with people in the industry and they taught me a lot more than what I've learned so far. Oh and don't listen to negative naysayers, block them out and surround yourself with people that are positive and support you.
