One of Leksi’s most challenging pieces, as she hand stitched on every sequin, shows true dedication to her craft.
If you didn’t really get to know Leksi Kolanko, you might not know that some of the clothes she wears are her own. Leksi, a sophomore Studio Art major at Vassar, holds a great passion for design. Sewing since the fifth grade, Leksi is completely self-taught, with only a few classes under her belt. This considered, her talent is unbelievable.
Leksi hopes to further her formal fashion education either the fall of her Junior year in London, or in a graduate program after Vassar, and has recently put together a portfolio of her work to apply for fashion and design programs abroad. With this she hopes to further her techniques and gain invaluable experience. The portfolio consists of countless dresses, leotards, shorts, jackets, blouses and accessories, all modeled and photographed by Leksi herself.
For Leksi, her garment making is highly based on function. Possessing a vastly creative mind as an artist, Leksi feels as if her art and her clothes are very separate from one another at this point, while hoping to harmonizing the two eventually. One thing her painting and design have in common is that they both intricately involve the self. Leksi’s paintings are largely self-portraits, and her clothing is all tailored to her own body and aesthetic.
In this self-portrait, Leksi combines her passion for painting and her design, displaying two of her hand-sewn bows, which you can see her wearing on a daily basis.
She describes her own style as feminine and simple. Drawing inspiration from favorite designer Marc Jacobs, Leksi revels in Jacob’s creative and daring mixture of color and pattern. As far as inspiration for individual garments, Leksi says, “A lot of times I go into a store not knowing what I’m going to make, and get ideas from the patterns and textures of the fabrics.” Leksi finds this inspiration mainly from the Project Runway famed fabric store Mood, in New York City. Leksi favors a very specific silhouette in her work and in her personal wardrobe. All efforts must be made to flatter the bottom half of the body (“I HATE flares,”) while the top half might sport a more flouncy, looser shape. Besides her own work, Leksi wears clothes from Urban Outfitters, American Apparel, and occasionally eBay or her mother’s closet.
Leksi’s favorite garment she has ever made is one of her most recent designs, made for her portfolio over the winter recess. This green plaid jacket holds such a place in Leksi’s heart due to its precise tailoring resulting from a whole month’s worth of practice. Other favorites include the accessories, mostly bows and headbands, and her leotards, largely inspired by Leksi’s experience with ballet.
Leksi’s favorite garment, this plaid jacket, was the culmination of all the work she put into her portfolio this winter. In this ensemble, her love for playing with patterns and color is clearly displayed.
It’s clear that there is a lot in store for Leksi as a designer. In the near future, she plans on applying her garment making to her sculpture class, as a part of her studio art major education at Vassar. A recent assignment requires students to consider the weight of a sculpture. Leksi plans to expand her garment making to a more avant-garde style for this project with an emotionally charged design playing off the idea of body image and female issues of weight, an innovative take on the assignment. This semester Leksi is also participating in an independent study with the costume department, learning about the preservation of garments.
This piece, what Leksi feels is one of her more avant garde pieces, is most of her friends’ favorite, “Everyone always loves this one.”
Other than these experiences, Leksi has been frustrated that there has been no real outlet for her passion for sewing directly integrated with her Vassar education. She admits, “I don’t really know who else does,” calling out for other designers on campus, “I wish there was a club or something.”
When asked if she sees a career in fashion in her future, Leksi divulges that, “I don’t like anything else, [fashion] has been the one constant for years.” Hearing her speak about design, Leksi’s excitement and passion for both art and fashion become readily apparent.
A modest and calm creative force, Leksi Kolanko has much in store for herself. Keep an eye out for her on campus; we may have an icon in the making.
