Fittings of The Gold Herringbone Dress

We're getting closer to the final stages of this dress. In the previous post, I showed the process of how this dress came about. I'm not a couturier by any means, but I am a designer, and I express this part of me by making things in a very organic way. What I mean is,  though I need some technical background to understand the pattern and have some sewing ability, I don't make my dresses the standard way. Normally when I make a collection, yes. I start with inspiration, sketch tons of designs, then continue by working with a patternmaker. However, since the dresses shown here that are for myself... I drape and sew. I like the organic process by visually watching this dress change over time, and it is one of a kind.

The inner structure is in tact so now I just need to make more adjustments to the dress, sew in the zipper, add final touches, and finish the hem. The hardest thing to do is to do fittings on myself!

Phases of the Gold Herringbone Dress

 I stopped the Basquiat project b/c I decided to make a dress for a wedding I am going to. I was inspired by the fabric itself. It's a beautiful, brown fabric with gold in it. I love it. So... here are the phases of the dress.

By the way, a master pattern maker would have a heart attack if he/she saw the way I draped and did the pattern. However, that's why designers usually hire them. However, a master designer would... actually, I don't care what a master designer would think because I really like my design. Ha! 

Finding Inspiration : Basquiat Week 2

I dug into my pile of scraps and found leftover silk georgette from a customer's cocktail dress. She ordered the "Nadja" in this taupe color (click here if you're curious which dress this is). I ripped the scraps into strips and voila. Criss cross basketweave something or rather design, all done by hand. I can't tell you why I did it, since it was just based on how I felt. As for where the inspiration came from, you can read it here or just go to the previous post. More updates next week on this dress.

Finding Inspiration : Basquiat

"He died right here", RGS said, as he leaned on the door of Jean-Michel Basquiat's studio in Soho. He began to cry. I bowed my head in silence and allowed this moment to be between the two friends. After a few minutes, RGS began to tell me about the artist's story. He loved this man. My ears were perked because I wanted to know at least 0.00001% of Basquiat's 27 years. To know something about him during his window of life was fascinating to me. One point struck me and it stayed in my memory. This was in Spring 2009, so my memory may have convoluted our conversation. To keep to the truth but remain vague, Basquiat had a set schedule. Although he was a heroin addict, he had a definitive regime, and gave himself vacation time. 

RGS also said that he was at Basquiat's grave when an elderly woman said to him that she saw him as nothing but a drug addict. I don't remember RGS' response. Perhaps one day I could email him and ask.  In my opinion, yes. He was. So was Cobain, McQueen, YSL, some of the all time greatest artists in the world. I was perplexed and asked my friend Jonny why genius creators overdose on drugs. He said that every artist has to have some form of depression to create such beautiful things. He said that most artists have it. I related that to myself. Yes, I have it too although I never took it to that extreme. So maybe I'm not a true artist, although I have to say my mood fluctuates quite a bit. Instead of drugs I just beat the crap out of a heavy bag or run until I feel like throwing up. Then I feel better. 

Anyway, here's my point to this post. After watching the Haute Couture shows, I felt a cloud ride over my head. I set an expectation and was searching for a spark that didn't ignite. Well, what does inspire me? Basquiat for one. When I walked into the Brooklyn Museum of Art in 2005, I was blown away. Ever since then, he stayed in a small compartment in my mind and my heart. I don't know if I can base it on his work ethic but I'll try. However, I will create a design on how I felt that day when I first saw his works of art up close. Emotion is like water. There is no pattern or rhyme or reason to when it moves. A Tsunami will just hit without any notice. Only the animals can sense it. I'll check back in a week with an update.

Jean-Michel Basquiat, 1985. Photograph © Lizzie Himmel

Haute Couture Shows for Fall 2011

I've been out of the loop lately, concentrating on other things, however, I couldn't miss all the Couture shows. I mean, come on. It's what I live for. So after I teared up at the Alexander McQueen show at The Met, I felt as if I wanted to make pieces that come from the heart. My head is filled with beadwork, silks, repurposed fabric, etc. Let's see what I come up with.

In the meantime, nymag.com has a few of the Haute Couture videos - Chanel, Elie Saab, Givenchy, Gaultier, Dior and Armani. Out of all the shows that I saw for Fall 2011, Armani is my favorite. It's only an opinion, but I feel inspiration is lacking for this season.

Armani Privé Fall 2011 (Photography : Go Runway) 

Sustainable Fashion Meets Sustainable Communities

I've been working on this repurposed dress for a charity auction being held May 20th. The purpose of this auction is to give proceeds to CAAAV, Committee Against Anti Asian Violence. For more info, click here. All is welcome! 

I'm going to miss you dress. I feel like a proud mother who is watching her child go off to college...

This repurposed gown is made up of 1970's silk scarves found at Artists and Fleas in Williamsburg. The pink solid silk fabric are scraps of lining from an evening wear dress. The belt was found at Brooklyn Flea in Fort Greene. The tie is faux suede, as I didn't want to use real suede. I also minimized the machine work and did as much as I could by hand. FINISHED! Now I can have my week ends back but this dress was made with LOVE

Haute Couture Harper's Bazaar Español May 2011

See article from FashionIndie. You better bet I'm buying this.

Maxime Simoëns