May 24 2012
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Think about it.

Refreshed Blog Design, and more

As I prepare to take a short break in Charleston SC over Memorial Day weekend, I want to announce a few things before I leave so that everyone will know what to anticipate.

  • First, I have refreshed my blog to complement my upcoming collection, Jungle Flora 2013. The new header photo is a rainforest flower courtesy of Jeremy Vandel, found through flickr’s Creative Commons collection.
  • Second, the designs sketches for Jungle Flora 2013 are taking shape, and I am very excited to release them — hopefully by next weekend or June 3.
  • Third, I am closing the T-shirt design poll this weekend, so if you haven’t yet voted on which drawing you like best, please do!  I will announce the most popular designs next week, as well as plans for the shirts.
  • Finally: For the handful of you who were following my menswear pieces, I did indeed finish the pants (click photos below to enlarge). My attention has obviously been consumed by my women’s wear collection and thus, somewhat regretfully, I will be removing the Menswear category from my menu for now. Posts on menswear will of course still be available in the archives.

More soon.

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May 22 2012
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Think about it.

Help me prune!

I am considering making screen-printed T-shirts for purchase to help fund my new collection, Jungle Flora 2013. I need help deciding which drawings to use. Please vote on the 5 candidates you like best (click once on an image to enlarge). The poll is at bottom; it is anonymous. Thanks for helping!

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May 19 2012
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Fabrics

Swatches! Jungle Flora 2013

Rather than generically referring to my new collection as “Spring/Summer 2013,” I have decided to give it a name. The word “jungle” implies adventure, possibly even a little danger. The word “flora” is appropriate because this collection is inspired by the endless variety of jungle plant life, in all its sultry green and vibrant accessory hues of reds, yellows, and blues. Above are the fabric swatches. I will be working with sheer cottons (mainly voile), sheer silks (georgette), and silk satin, also known as silk charmeuse. The bold color palette, combined with these notoriously difficult fabrics, promises a real challenge ahead. I’ll release the design sketches soon after my Memorial Day break. Don’t go far.

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May 17 2012
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Spring 2012

Cocktail Anyone? I’m done!

Wow. When I announced this collection in late January, it was with some trepidation. I thought: What am I getting myself into — will I actually be able to finish this? — this is a little bit crazy! But here I am, about a week before my self-imposed deadline of Memorial Day weekend, wearing the final garment, the cocktail dress.

Seven garments over three months wasn’t easy, but it also wasn’t nearly as hard as I’d imagined it would be. My blog, and especially my fans, (family and friends), and my handful of valued followers kept me motivated. If you have been tracking me from the beginning, you may recall that the original inspiration for this collection was Charleston, SC; specifically Rainbow Row, the delightful parade of candy-colored Georgian townhouses. This charming place is my destination for Memorial Day weekend and I have plenty of new things to wear.

Please stop back by after the holiday to see a photo montage of all the Spring 2012 pieces mixed and matched together. In the meantime, I will slowly be revealing plans for my new Spring/Summer collection, which will be a sharp departure from southern charm as I delve into the heat and vibrancy of the lush tropical forest of Costa Rica for my inspiration. Fabric choices and initial design sketches will be revealed soon. I hope you are as excited as I am for a new adventure.

 

Back:

Detail:

Cheers!

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May 10 2012
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Jungle Flora 2013

Color Palette for Spring/Summer 2013

Here is a preview of the color palette for my next collection, Spring/Summer 2013. It is bold and intense, much like my experience of the tropical forest in Costa Rica, from where I plan to draw my inspiration (see April 16 post). Watch out! Spring/Summer 2013 will be very different from Spring 2012. Think heat, humidity, and understated drama.

 

In the next few days I will display an array of fabric swatches showcasing these colors. The final fabric selections will be narrowed down and chosen once the garment design sketches are complete.

For a little more intrigue, here is an image taken outside of the entrance to the base of the forest path that eventually leads up to the biological station at Volcán Cacao where I spent many hours cataloging and drawing exotic plant species. More soon.

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May 06 2012
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Spring 2012

Finished! Spring 2012 Day Dress

Finally, the day dress is complete! This particular piece was a lot of work, much more than expected. But I think the end result was worth the sweat, because as it turns out, this is a very easy dress to wear — very comfortable, well made, and effortlessly fun. If you saw the last post, you’ve already seen the inside details. Here’s a look at how it all came together, against a Brooklyn-grunge backdrop:

Back:

Front:

Front/side:

Just for fun:

That’s all folks!

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May 03 2012
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Think about it.

The Day Dress: An Inside Look

I think that clothes should feel just as good as they look. I also think that a garment, if cared for correctly, should last for generations.  The inner construction of a garment is just as important as the outward appearance. Careful construction is what makes a garment wearable — and durable. Finished seams and the addition of linings enhance comfort and ensure that the material doesn’t literally ravel away. Unfortunately, in our era of mass-produced “fast fashion,” a finely tailored garment is a rare species verging on extinction — unless you have enough money to create your own sanctuary. Pictured below is a sneak peak at how the details of the day dress are coming along. As I do with all of my garments, I’ve taken a few extra steps with the inner construction to ensure that this piece is an asset for years to come, and a pleasure to wear.

Here’s an overview shot:

Here is a close look at the finished seams, with a tailor edge:

View of the lining, slip-stitched in place:

Enclosed dart, with rayon seam binding:

A close up of the hand-overlocked waist seam, to protect against fraying:

Finally, here is a look at a hand-overlocked dart with a view of an additional layer of underlining at the back waist. This layer of underlining will provide support as well as keep the seam allowance from showing through on the right side of the back dress, which is made entirely from sheer organza. You can also see the invisible zipper here, basted in place; this will be removed later. 

Stand by for photos of the finished dress this weekend.

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Apr 30 2012
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Spring 2012

Labels!

Here are the labels for the Spring 2012 mini-collection, which is nearing completion. Look out for photos of the completed day-dress by the weekend. I’ll wrap up the collection with the final garment, the cocktail dress, about one week after that.

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Apr 24 2012
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Spring 2012

Finished! Spring, er… Shorts!

When a design doesn’t turn out as planned, really there’s nothing to do but “make it work” as Tim Gunn would say. It’s either that or throw away all that time and energy, not to mention materials, which translates into money. Originally I had planned to make knickers, but the buttons and vent on the lower leg refused to lie correctly. Since I had already sewn the buttonholes, there was no way to turn back. So, I cut off the lower 4 inches of the leg. And what did I end up with but a fairly decent looking pair of knee-length shorts! You know what? They’ll work.

Next up: The first dress for Spring 2012. Don’t go away.

Front view, close up:

Side view:

Back view:

Back, close up:

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Apr 16 2012
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Jungle Flora 2013

Rare Species: A New Inspiration

I found inspiration from an unexpected place during my spring break trip to my home state of Colorado that has prompted a re-imagining of my next steps. As planned, I will finish my Spring 2012 collection next month. But instead of turning to Fall 2012, I have decided to produce a Spring/Summer 2013 collection for release this September, which will bring me apace of New York Fashion Week. This is exciting news. The new cycle will make it easier to be seen by the fashion world, should they choose to take notice; and it will force me to keep the rigorous editorial eye of high fashion in mind as I work.

The clue to my inspiration for Spring/Summer 2013 is in the photos below. In going through boxes of old belongings at my mother’s house in Colorado, I found my sketchbook of drawings from an independent study I conducted in Costa Rica during my senior year of college abroad. I was stationed in a little known tract of forest, called the sub-montane tropical moist forest, near the biological station at Volcan Cacao in the Guanacaste region. The goal of my path of study, which allowed me to combine my three favorite subjects of biology, art, and writing, was to draw and document unfamiliar plant species and ultimately produce a visitor’s guidebook to the forest flora. I produced a total of 42 original drawings of plant species, some of which as far as we knew had never been identified. Although I don’t yet know whether I will use the drawings as prints, or simply use the lines and shapes to inform the silhouettes of the collection, I am very excited to have found this work, which I thought was probably lost. It will be the perfect inspiration and motivation to keep me working this summer.

Apocynaceae Tabernaemontana longipes

Olacaceae Heisteria acuminata

Rubiaceae Psychotria elata

Sabiaceae Meliosma idiopoda

Rubiaceae Psychotria valeriana

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