A bridal collection inspired by memories of playing in Grandfather's garden and the beauty of the French countryside. The gowns reflect the relaxed and romantic feel of the countryside with easy silhouettes and floating fabrics of lace and tulle. Le Jardin is the perfect fit for the bride looking to focus on the love between her and her groom on their wedding.
While 2020 and the rather scary time of the COVID-19 pandemic kept us house bound with new found free time, I got to work creating some fresh new pieces for myself. I was staying positive, hopeful and creative, making the most out of every tiny scrap of fabric! I finally got to use the fabrics I had purchased from Liberty of London for myself and family members as well as some leftover fabrics from my college days, making dresses for the warm summer weather I so look forward to and some winter pieces. These dresses, top and skirt for me evoked that happiness and lightness that comes with the spring and summer time or bring joy to a cold winter day. They all of course have matching masks for a whimsical take on a now staple piece in all of our wardrobes!
Designing couture collections featuring evening wear as well as creating custom pieces for clients calls for extensive amounts of detailed beading and embroidery. By communicating daily with several skilled beading companies overseas as well as by working directly with an in-house beader, I assisted in designing pieces for private clients and collections alike. In my current role, I continue to design embroidery layouts for a market accessible to all.
While working for an established couture designer, I have been exposed to extensive custom design for private clients. One particular client, country singer Blake Shelton, presented me with many new experiences. This was one of my first opportunities designing menswear as well as my first celebrity client. The countless shirts created for him featured design details I created as well fabrics, snaps and buttons I sourced for the finishing touches on these unique shirts.
This custom bridal piece, which I call the Tina Jacket, was an absolute dream come true to work on. I have been close family friends with the bride’s family for over twenty years, so when the bride asked me to make something for her wedding, I could not say no. Inspired by her grandmother’s heirloom wedding veil, I created a custom lace jacket with vintage lace trim for the bride to wear during her ceremony.
Wild Things is a collection inspired by the children's book Where the Wild Things Are. Drawing from the story, the clothes have a playful sophistication that allows the wearer to appear grown up, but maintain a sense of childlike wonder and whimsy in her wardrobe. The textures, fabrics, colors and shapes are drawn from the Wild Things themselves, featuring feathers, metallics and delicate prints.
Inspired by the elegance and romance of the classic New England seaside, La Mer combines tradition with playness to create a fresh bridal look. With a nod to dawn of beach holidays and the bathing suit, the collection brings something new, much like the bathing suit brought something new the Victorian and Edwardian eras.
The delight of fresh spring flowers reflected in the constant rushing of water inspired this collection of evening looks. Establishing a sense of romantic mystery, the reflections influenced the delicate pleated chiffons mixed with the lace and appliqués. The dresses give the wearer a floating look of elegance and grace, like the swirling ripples of water.
A dream vacation to London provided inspiration for this project after a literal pursuit of prints during a shopping trip to the Liberty store for beautiful fabrics. Much like the city of London, there is a contrast of old and new with the iconic prints and fresh new silhouettes. Fun, feminine and classic, the collection provides a excellent frame to feature the delicate florals.
