It’s Toronto Metropolitan University, but we’ll discuss the name choice on another day.

My passion for fashion is a decade-long love affair, so it ultimately made sense for me to pursue my studies. I remember driving up to God knows where with my mother in the passenger seat and the casual topic of sewing came up. After a thoughtful conversation, she encouraged me to spread my wings and dip my toes into the creative arts. I was filled with excitement and hesitation. For one, it meant another four years of essays, homework, and commuting. It also drove a colloquial axe into my future savings, in hopes of renting my own place. But, she convinced me that it was more of a once-in-a-lifetime investment. Would I regret it? It only took me a few seconds to say yes.

It was relatively easy picking my top three.

During the time, COVID was still a rampant issue, so I decided that international studies were not the most feasible option. Inevitably, I chose Ryerson, George Brown, and Humber as my top-tier contenders. I knew that Ryerson had the best program since I was already exposed to the fashion curriculum there. Ironically enough, the application itself was trickier to fill out compared to the portfolio itself. I’ll spare you the details, but basically, it was a bunch of hopping back and forth about completing the right forms and submitting the correct documents.

The portfolio consisted of an essay and three creative works. I knew I had the write-up in the bag, so I decided to focus a majority of my time on the projects themselves. I chose to create my own outfit from scratch, which proved to be quite expensive. I wanted to show off my passion for fashion history, as well as demonstrate my sewing skills as well. I came up with a bejeweled corset and a slim turtleneck dress underneath. I also wanted to include a French hood for a bit of sophistication. It wasn’t integral to the look, but I needed to balance out the glitz showcased on the top. 

I won’t go into the specifics about how I constructed this outfit, but let me tell you—I was definitely self-conscious about my own sewing skills and pattern-making abilities. The fit wasn’t exactly perfect, but my mom gently reminded me that every fashion school candidate applies with some sort of detriment. At the end of the day, it didn’t look so bad. Thank god for angles and the nuance of black fabric. 

If you happen to chance upon this article looking for tips and tricks, I’d be more than happy to share my own experience. The best advice that I can ever give is to proceed without insecurity. It’s normal to have imposter syndrome, which is why it’s important to remind yourself that school exists to improve your abilities. Other tips include starting early, making sure you have enough fabric, and try on the garment as much as you can. 

After months of nervously waiting, I’m happy to report: I GOT IN! I was waiting for that offer of admission to come in before uploading the post. Of course, I would’ve published this article regardless of the result, but the tone of the write-up would’ve been more somber if it was a deafening negative. 

Before I end this post, here are a few concept sketches I illustrated for other outfits. They’re a bit more complicated in design, so you can see why I opted for the corset/turtleneck look to help save some time.