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...

It already exists...

Ever hear the expression "There is nothing new under the sun"? I often feel that way, but am also occasionally struck by the idea...

no, the REVELATION,

that, no matter what you conceive of, dream up, or create... it already existed before you created it. You are simply the vessel, the hands, the voice, or the tool that carries it out.

I was moved by a thought this morning, as I heard Steve Winwood's "Back in the High Life", followed by Coldplay's "Viva la Vida". I thought about how complicated and beautiful it all sounds, layers of instruments and voices... and then I thought about how it all existed in the head of the artist who communicated it to us. That person/group was the vessel. Every note has already been heard before, every instrument used before, just not in that combination.

And when we design, we are always finding new combinations of things we have already seen. So, when we make things, we are channeling this creative force. You can call it God or whatever you believe it to be, but it looks for minds, hearts and hands who are receptive to it. And frankly, what an honor that is.

For more exploration of this topic, see

God, NASA, and textile artists

OR

If You Held the Microphone

As this endless double-helix of concepts I want to express on this blog wind tighter and tighter, I find that my posts explode from of one another, constantly expanding, yet simultaneously contracting into a narrower and narrower group of the same main ideas. I hope you are enjoying the ride.

Quality

"The things we make have one supreme quality; they live longer than us. We perish, they survive. We have one life, they have many lives. And in each life, they can mean different things; which means that while we all have one biography, they have many."

-Niel MacGregor, Director of the British Museum

*For the complete talk, visit the TED website, where he presents a fascinating talk on one particular 2600 year old piece of art.

I invite you to chime in to tell me if I'm alone on this one, but I love to visit fashion and clothing exhibits here in New York City, and have spent many hours over the years, gazing at the lovely, carefully crafted creations of many designers and needle-smiths. One thing I have often wondered, especially when looking at something old and beautifully simple, is "How did the creator of this piece trust his/her own talent enough to know that they needed to work with such high quality materials?" I have often found myself paralyzed with fear before cutting into my never-find-anything-like-this-again fabrics, worrying that one wrong move can send hundreds of dollars worth of fabric to the back of my closet, or bottom of my trash can. How do you know it is worth the effort?

As I wander through exhibits, more often than not, the materials lists on the description placards include words like "silk tulle", or "silk velvet", fabrics with real staying power, and the ability to hold beautifully vibrant colors for years beyond the lifespan of the person for whom they were made. These fabrics are pricier than the rest.

Are they worth it? Well, they sure can be. Who cares? You do... and although I can't promise anyone else will value it as much, a lesser fabric will certainly shorten its lifespan.

Recent experiences with clients are telling me that there is a sincere appreciation for quality. In my dressmaking life, I am seeing more and more brides who want to redesign their own mothers' or grandmothers' gowns, based on the quality, age, and tactile experience of the fabric. Often sewn by hands you have neither met not heard of, these garments resonate, and they still hold a magic that reaches into the future.

So, I say all of this to say, there is enormous value in shopping at the stores where the staff is knowledgeable about the quality, origin and description of the goods they have to offer.

When the occasion is very special, and the budget permits, consider the following stores for wonderful quality...

B&J Fabrics (chiffons, silks, and so much more)



(a fabulous whisper-light metallic sequined fabric from B&J)


(and the top that fabric eventually became)

Rosen & Chadick (also, check out their 126" wide silk tulle! and many other wonderful specialty fabrics)


(a wonderful silk from Rosen and Chadick)


(silk organza from Rosen and Chadick - raw edges)

NY Elegant (silks)


(above fabric - lovely 4 ply silk from NY Elegant)

Lace Star (laces and more - see previous post)


Solstiss (French laces - by appointment only - only for the VERY serious...)

Now, I don't expect my pieces to end up in museums anywhere... but a girl can dream, can't she?