Mel's custom order

I started writing about this dress and collar a couple weeks ago (May 9). My dear friend and loyal client Melanie asked me to design and construct a piece for her to wear to goth prom in DC. I had two weeks to complete it and send it off.

This is the text she sent me when she received it on Thursday (May 20),"GOT YOUR DRESS AND COLLAR! I AM WEARING THEM NOW THEY ARE PERFECT PERFECT PERFECT I AM SO HAPPY. THANK YOU. I LOVE IT. The skirt length is great. Cut to boobs great. Love the tag. The lace is awesome. Collar is just how I wanted. Love the material too."

I always get a little nervous when making a custom piece. Especially when the person ordering the dress is too far away to fit. I'm so happy the pieces turned out perfect and she loved it all.

And off it went.

I asked Mel to photograph herself in the dress when she got it...

The night of...

Top Seller

Everyone seems to really like these dresses.

I tend to do a lot of patchwork and hand-stitching.

Hand painted and one of a kind shirts.

Custom made for Megan

Megan's been modeling for me since my September FashionSpark show. After modeling for me again in Oct, she asked me to design a custom dress for her to wear on New Years Eve. I'm a little late on the post but needless to say she loved it! She was so excited and couldn't wait to call her mom and girlfriends. This is her on the phone telling everyone about how amazing it was. My first official custom order was perfect!

A new dress for Mel

Melanie has asked me to design and construct a dress for her to wear to an event in DC. It's gonna be wild! The event is in two weeks. Stay tuned.

Lady in Red

"Being that i have immediate family and friends who struggle with diabetes everyday, i was thrilled to find out i had the opportunity to collaborate with The Diabetes Association for Couture For A Cause. It came as a surprise to me when i realized what a challenge it was going to be to design a garment that embodied the association and still have a flare of me in it. The first thing that came to mind was blood. After speaking with the rep for The Diabetes Association i was told about an upcoming event that was going to be Mardi Gras themed. My finished piece ended up being 100% 'blood red' silk, hand sewn crystals, sequins and beads. I spent hours and hours bedazzling it for the runway and the Mardi Gras parade. I didnt feel like that was enough, so i decided to also embellish the open back with the logo for The Diabetes Association. To me this completely embodies a dress that was inspired by diabetes."

This was my artist statement. 20 designers were paired with 20 nonprofit organizations (ex:Inter-Faith Food Shuttle, Boys & Girls Club, Neuse River Foundation, Artspace etc..) for this fashion show benefit. Designers were asked to create an outfit that embodied the mission and 'spirit' of the organization they were paired with. The designer whose outfit best captures the essence of their organization according to a judge panel receives a $250 cash prize.

The winning garment was a vest that had forks and spoons on the shoulders and a skirt that was partly made up of cereal box leftovers. I don't know...you tell me. I suppose I should have made a coat of syringes and Splenda packages!

I took these first four images minutes before the show.

Dancing in custom made Domino dresses.

The winning garment.

September 2009

Blue stretch lace dress

This is one of the first dresses I ever took serious. I had been sewing for years but never sat down and attempted to construct a fitted complete garment. I cut out several different sizes of this blue stretch lace and pinned them piece by piece. I was 18 and on the floor of my bedroom. When I was done sewing the small area I had pinned, I fit it to myself and pinned another section to sew. It was a pain to get off with all those pins but it was worth it. Still a favorite.

Big Sale!!!

My good friend Kelly came to visit from Germany a few weeks ago. She requested I allow her the time to try on every single piece I had. Whether it be old or new. After a couple hours of her literally trying on everything she ended up walking out with four one of a kind pieces!

Thanks Kelly, xoxo

FashionSpark 2008

A couple of my one of a kind lace dresses

Silkscreened self portrait, hand stitched jumper

A dress for Mel