Dolce, Dolce, Dolce...

If you haven't already seen it, you positively must watch the Dolce & Gabbana Fall 2012 runway show from Milan. I'm such a huge fan of costume dramas, and period clothing... anything ornate and delicate. This show was a gorgeous, opulent display of intricately detailed baroque inspired clothing and jewel encrusted accessories. Yum =) I was so inspired, I had to draw an up-close look from the collection... I hope you like!

So I realized the other day that I had no way for you to get in contact with me should you want to say hi, ask me a question, or send me a link to your blog... silly me. I finally added an 'About Me' page with all my contact info so now we're just an e-mail away! Click on my pic in the sidebar for all the ways to connect.

And I finally figured out how to create a Facebook page just for my blog. Yay! Feel free to head on over and check it out. I plan on using this space to post more behind the scenes stuff, extra sketches, and photos. We'll see how it goes...

Have a good rest of your week, make it a good one, and happy leap day =)

Blogger Inspired...

It's been awhile since my last 'Blogger Inspired' post so I decided to draw one of my favorites: Liz Cherkasova of Late Afternoon. I saw her feature on Glitter Guide awhile back and loved this look! Not only is she beyond gorgeous and always chic, I admire how she combines prints and colors.

I'm trying to get used to the idea of bold patterns and bright pops of color for spring since I kinda missed out this past fall. To test the waters I just bought a pair of bright orange skinny jeans! Even though it feels like winter never came, I think I could get used to the idea of warm weather right about now =) Have a happy and productive week!

Be Sweet...

Happy Valentine's Day! I hope everyone at least celebrates with a sweet treat... or two or three =) I love eating these little heart candies. They aren't gourmet chocolates or anything but there's something about them that brings back those childhood memories of trading Valentines in elementary school. Have a fabulous rest of your week... more sketches to come!

Color Craving...

When the weather is cold and bleak, I crave color. These sparkly stunners from Dannijo would certainly cure me of my winter doldrums. I have absolutely no place to wear them, but I wouldn't care...

It's that time of year again... Fashion Week in NYC. Do you have any favorites so far? I have to admit, I haven't been as on top of the collections as I should be. Maybe I'll head on over to Style.com and sketch a few of my favorites. I could use the practice =) Have a good night and stay warm!

Christian Louboutin / Bergdorf Goodman : The Contest, Part 3...

The night of the event finally arrived! The dress code for the party was red and I ran all over the city the weekend before trying to find the perfect dress... and shoes... and bag. I'm not a very fancy person and realized throughout all of this that I own absolutely zero fancy clothes!

At this point I was exhausted, had been working non-stop on this thing for a month, and just wanted to survive it all. I finally found a cute little shift dress, some sparkly tights, black satin bow pumps, and fun chandelier earrings. I had no idea what to expect... I imagined everyone wearing Louboutins and ball gowns!

As it turned out, not everyone was dressed to the nines and I felt completely comfortable in my little red dress. Before we all went up to the shoe salon, the models wearing all five winning designs posed for a group shot. I jumped in the pic along with another designer, Hyeyoung Kim. 

The highlight of the night was meeting Mr. Louboutin himself and having him sign my dress! He was so sweet and reserved. I also met Linda Fargo, Fashion Director of Bergdorf's. She was fabulously dressed in a sparkly 30's style flapper dress and had tattooed herself all over with sequin hearts and stars. Half way through the night, a Marilyn Monroe impersonator brought out a cake and sang 'Happy Anniversary Mr. Louboutin.' Everyone celebrated with delicious cake pops!

After eating, drinking, and dancing it was time to go home. I finished my fairy tale night with some delicious macarons that my lovely coworkers gifted me...

Well that sure was an adventure! I'm so grateful for the opportunity and am so appreciative of all the support from family and friends. And I have to thank the BF profusely for putting up with my crying/cursing/maniac self the past month. Okay, now that's done... back to reality =)

*Missed Part 1 & 2?

Christian Louboutin / Bergdorf Goodman : The Contest, Part 2...

All the 20th anniversary capsule collection shoes were published in the February issue of InStyle magazine. I ran to the store and flipped through the pages to find them: my shoe was the biggest one on the page! The pressure was on... I had three weekends / 6 full days to make it all happen. And every night after work, I'd come home and sew. Since I didn't have a dress form, I ordered an inexpensive adjustable one online and had it shipped overnight. There was a mix up with FedEx and after a mini melt down (The BF had to calm me down!) we both travelled to the middle of no where in Queens to pick up the dress form at the FedEx depot. Once I had my form, I started draping the bodice in muslin...

Next I transfered the drape to pattern paper, cut out the pieces again in muslin and sewed it up to double check that everything looked right. I had never worked on an adjustable dress form before and the knobs were a little difficult to work with... definitely not made for creating fitted garments. But I did my best and tried to work around them.

The bodice was the hardest part to get right, the lace inset was difficult and I ended up re-doing it twice. Tears... curses... hair pulling out... but finally after a trip to get more fabric, I was in a better place. I bought some fabulous faux fur at Elegant and found the perfect leather for the hot pink snakeskin embossed belt at Leather Impact.

There was a fitting at the Bergdorf PR offices on Friday before the final event. All the designers met their models and we got the chance to try our garments on an actual person. I was worried sick that it wouldn't fit at all... those dress form knobs are in the worst places... but luckily it zipped and I knew I could make it work. I did have to re-make the shorts underneath longer in the torso so they would meet up with the bodice. But my model, Ashley, looked gorgeous!



After the fitting, I finished the hem on the skirt part of the dress, hand tacked the bodice lining in place, and sewed the snaps on the belt. I was so relieved to be finished... but I still had to find something to wear! Stay tuned for party pictures...

*Missed Part 1? Don't miss part 3!

Christian Louboutin / Bergdorf Goodman : The Contest, Part 1...

Wow. This past month has been unforgettable. I want to document everything and share it all with you because I'm so relieved and happy that it was all worth it in the end! Let's start from the very beginning...

Back in November I received an e-mail from my alma mater, Parsons, alerting 2010 and 2011 graduates of a design contest collaboration with Bergdorf Goodman and Christian Louboutin. This past year marked his 20th anniversary in the business and to celebrate, he challenged recent alumni to design a look based on one of his soon-to-be-released capsule collection shoes.

There would be 5 winners in the end, all would receive $1,000 to fund the creation of their look as well as press at the launch party event and gifts from both Bergdorf Goodman and Christian Louboutin.

I jumped at the chance to participate and received an image of the shoe I would use as inspiration for my look. It was a beautifully sheer, lace stiletto boot- the Alta Dentelle. I immediately thought of an image I had saved from the November issue of Vogue Mexico... fur, lace, a pink lip and attitude. I did a bunch of rough sketches before settling on my final design then sent in my mood board and hoped for the best.

The top 20 designs were selected by Parsons faculty and sent to Linda Fargo and Christian himself to choose the top 5. Just before Christmas, I found out I had made the first cut. At this point I was half thrilled and half scared to death.. it had been over two years since I had draped anything on a form, my sewing machine was covered in dust, and I knew if I won, I'd have to actually make the thing. And that was terrifying!

Either way, I figured it could at least go on my resume that I was a finalist, so I was pretty much content with the way things were. And then after New Year's I got the congratulatory e-mail from Parsons... and couldn't believe it! The next three weekends I knew what I'd be doing. Armed with all my supplies, I got started that very weekend and worked on it every free moment I had for the next three weeks... stay tuned for pics of the dress in progress and the final reveal at Bergdorf's!

* Continue to Part 2... and 3!