Spats?

At first, I thought it ridiculous, but then, my wheels started turning. I could think of some pretty cool applications for this. Could spats be the next new fashion trend?

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What is old can be new again...

This 1890's ensemble, bought at an auction, cried out to be refashioned for this millenium. This creative bride's personality was a perfect match for this dress. Here are the original three pieces, before we began:





and what we created:




Sometimes the vintage dream just won't conform to the woman's body. That is what extreme alterations are for! The addition of a shaped back panel of matching black silk gave this vintage store find a new life.



Check out this great little 1950's dress on the bridesmaid...


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Blushing (pink) bride...

I love it when a bride knows what she likes. This particular bride knows that she loves pink, was having a very conservative wedding, is very young, and wanted to look like herself on her wedding day. Using her favorite dress as a model, we developed a very basic design, and found a very soft, pink silk to create the look.



I was so happy to be a part of her day.



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Happy moments...

I often forget to stop and share what projects made me feel proud, all warm and fuzzy inside, and truly happy to be in such a great profession. Although this first photo is really far from doing this dress justice, let me just share the idea with you.

This lovely bride (and even lovlier person) came to me with an idea for a dress to suit her very petite frame. For her outdoor, summer wedding, she chose this lovely silk gauze (you can see the texture in subsequent photos) and hand crocheted her own flowers to be used as appliques on the dress. She indicated how they should form an assymetric trail up the skirt and over one shoulder of the dress, and then chose a selection of antique buttons from her grandmother's collection to adorn the back of the dress.




The result was a true collaboration that thrilled us both. Here are her impeccable flowers, sewn on the bodice...



One shoulder (blurry, but you get the idea)



The skirt portion of the dress:



I really love this kind of project, and hope to do many more in the future.

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The modern wedding... a seismic shift?

This lovely little vintage 50's number has been drastically altered to fit the "best woman" in anupcoming wedding. Isn't it a BEAUT?!

So...Is it the economy that is driving this movement towards really beautiful, useful, personal clothing?

I am seeing a sweeping change in attitudes from brides lately. The actual wedding, and by that I mean the actual getting married of it all, is taking precedence over the long held "princess for a day" notion. And boy, is it about time, or what?

I am meeting the woman who wants to look beautiful and special in a family heirloom, in a custom dress that suits her figure and the mood of the wedding, and the bride who would feel wildly out-of-place in one of those wildly expensive heavily-corseted or beaded suits of armour that pass for gowns these days. They are understanding that they will be photographed, and want to look like the best version of themselves on their wedding day.

Now, this is a movement I can get behind!

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Organic SEO (Search Engine Optimization)

If you own a website, you are probably being solicited by companies offering you top placement in the search engines. While not a complete crock, the value of "more eyeballs" versus carefully targeted traffic is often overlooked. If you are able to come up with your own keywords, you can help yourself get better placement very easily.

For example, let's say you are a plumber in Garland, Texas. Well, when someone looks for you, what will they type? "Plumber" without a doubt. But hey, they probably want to find a listing of plumbers from which they may choose right? So, quite possibly, they will type "Plumbers". Not only that, only the ones near them are likely candidates for the job, so they may type in "Plumbers near Garland, Texas" Yes, use the whole phrase. They may type "plumbers in Garland, TX" They might forget just how global the web is, and type "Plumbers in Garland". You wouldn't believe how much these little things can help you to get found.

You'll also want to make sure that whatever you mention in your keywords is also blatantly apparent on your site. There is no reason to include Garland, TX in your keywords if you never mention it on the site.

Keep in mind that top placement might not be what you want if there is a limit to the number of people you can effectively serve. If you have a unique specialty, use it in your keywords or tags. The only plumber who knows how to install that yellow-bellied spigot from 1718 is a precious individual if you happen to own one. You might want top placement for "yellow-bellied spigot", though.

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A new year!

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Starting a fresh new year, with more time to take on clients, I have added a new video to my personal website, and updated the membership of www.Findadressmaker.com. So, whether you are looking for someone like me or a local dressmaker in your area, feel free to visit either www.mimijackson.com or the www.findadressmaker.com site to find your professional.