Various custom projects (part 2)

A beloved dad (Larry or "Lah", as he was called) passed away, and as a gift to each of his children, teddy bears were commissioned, using his old, beloved sweatshirts to create each one.

See more examples of my work here...

Wedding projects

*This is an ever-growing post.  I will just add more photos as time marches on.  Click on any photo to enlarge.

This is an organza bolero I made for a bride who was wearing a sleek, strapless dress for a southern wedding.

Above, a silk gauze dress with the bride's own hand-crocheted flowers, for an outdoor wedding.

Above, a RTW bridal gown I altered to fit, and then made the peplum zip-off for the reception. Two dresses in one!

And another zip-off peplum, for a dancer bride, below:

Before (above) and after (below) - just a hidden heavy-duty zipper separating the two parts!

Below, a hybrid dress, made for a client who wanted to use some elements of her Mom's 1960's gown (the skirt), plus a sari fabric wrap top, to marry her Sri Lankan groom.  An American fairytale.

Not everyone gets married in white these days (below)... and, as all true New Yorkers understand, there's no quicker way to get to your event than the subway!

This bride bought an 1890's ensemble at auction, and we turned it into a wedding ensemble that matched her personality!

This bride stood a mere 4'9", and needed a dress for her extremely petite frame (below).

See more projects in the next post...

Various custom projects

*This is an ever-growing post.  I will just add more photos as time marches on.  Click on any photo to enlarge.

Threadbare, permanently soiled and with dry rotting elastic, my client was faced with the prospect of having to lose a cherished piece of his youth forever. Above, this car enthusiast's beloved racing jacket from the 1960's. (Orginal)

I was able to recreate the jacket, after finding a color similar enough to that French racing blue he loved so much, in a fabric made for home decor use.  The jacket had a pretty unique closure, which I was able to duplicate. (Shots of my copy, above and below)

A duster, style jacket with a dramatic, feather collar, for a dinner club/restaurant owner.  A "ringmaster" type of garment, just right for her role as host!

Sometimes, for religious reasons, shoulders and arms need to be covered.  When you've got a strapless dress, you might have to get creative by adding other fabrics and creating more dress where there previously was just... skin.  For the bridesmaid on the left, I gave her (previously) strapless dress some coverage! See below:

For the more creative client, I sometimes work from a sketch...

I found the appropriate fabrics within the client's budget, and created it.

Below, a reception dress for a Manhattan bride who traveled to Utah for a wintertime wedding afterparty. (Note: Actual client is bigger than dress form, which accounts for droopiness at left waist.)

Sometimes, you just need to add some interest to something very plain.  An organza ruffle trim rolled into a rose gave this strapless bridesmaid dress a "lift" for future wear.

Below, a hand sewn (yup, no machine), bias chiffon bridesmaid dress, for a wedding in Bali.

And, speaking of sewing things together by hand, this sequined top, made for a wedding in Puerto Rico, was hand draped, and completely handmade for my client.

Sometimes a client wants a beloved dress copied in a new fabric.  There are no exact copies, since the fabric and machines and methods I use are never exactly the same, but here is the result.  Which one is the RTW original?  Which one is my copy? Hmmm... (I'm not sure I remember... seriously)

Continued in this post...

Personal projects

*This is an ever-growing post.  I will just add more photos as time marches on.  Click on any photo to enlarge.

My own skirt... for hot summer days.  There is a story behind this one.

Above, my own warm, wool/cashmere coat.  As close as one can get to wearing a blanket.

Above, my own shirt, affectionately named the ridicu-shirt.  No one else has to like it.  So there...

Recent projects

Recently made a few tops for a performer, who needed some hot weather clothes for the stage, inspired by Emily, from "Metric"'s cool bias striped top, seen belown, I developed some others...

I love this color combo - really hard to do grey, black and gold together well, no? The trim makes it kinda rock n' roll...