NYFW Red Dress Diary, Part II: Show Time

It's certainly possible that all the preparation in the world could have been insufficient to tackle my fitting with Carla Hall for the Go Red show. As I mentioned in my last post, my only fittings involved a dress form and someone significantly shorter than my model, so needless to say, I went into my Manhattan appointment feeling a bit beyond my depth. Then there was the issue that the dress I ended up making was somewhat different than my original design and I began to wonder if the final product would still effectively communicate my aesthetic.

Original sketch, second sketch, final gown

On the day of my fitting, I left my friend's apartment in Brooklyn early and braved the snow with my gown. Before my appointment, I made a quick visit to Manhattan Wardrobe Supply where I bought tough-as-nails double-sided tape and a few other last minute fitting essentials. My fitting was at Dani New York, a full service alterations workroom in the Garment District, coincidentally in the same building as my friend Angela Friedman's showroom. Natalia and Joe, the owners of Dani, were so welcoming. It's no secret that the New York fashion world isn't always friendly - Natalia and Joe were incredibly sweet to me, a rare, wonderful treat.

When Natalia asked me if I'd brought extra fabric, I had a moment of panic - What if the gown was too short? What if I had to add extra panels? I hadn't, in fact, brought extra fabric and began to worry that I had made a grave mistake. However, once Carla slipped on the gown, it all became clear: it was pretty damn close to perfect.

Natalia fits Carla.

There were, of course, minor adjustments that needed making, but nothing Natalia seemed to think was anything more than no big deal. It was satisfying to see that all the adjustments I'd made in San Francisco were the right moves to make. Carla is longer waisted than her measurements implied, so adjusting the bodice and yoke had definitely been the right move. The most significant change we had to make was to the length - the extra 6" Dorothy and I added were mostly lopped off in the front. When Carla told me she felt beautiful in my gown, I finally felt like I could breathe. All my hard work was paying off. Not only was Carla the perfect model, but she was gracious and sweet - such a delight to work with.

Lincoln Center, inside the fashion tents

And then the night arrived. I showed up at Lincoln Center with my heart in my throat. Navigating the fashion tents proved to be a little more complicated than expected, though I did end up getting some high fives from the gorgeous male models from the Band of Outsiders show. Once I arrived at the Go Red backstage area, I was blown away by the hustle and bustle of it all. My gown was ready for Carla and the celebrities were out in full force. From Laverne Cox to Hoda Kotb and Thalia to Ciara and Rosie O'Donnell, I was a little taken aback by all the familiar faces I'd only before seen on TV.

Carla and yours truly backstage

And before long, the other Incubator designers from Philadelphia and Chicago and I were ushered through the red carpet area, interviewed in a hurry and then sent to the front of the house to watch the show. And what can I say? It was amazing. Carla in particular had so much wonderful attitude and energy - it was a wonderful experience seeing my own work on the NYFW runway on such an amazing woman. See the whole show here on the Go Red site.

Carla on the runway

NYFW Red Dress Diary, Part I: Drape, Sew, Fit, Repeat

When the board of the San Francisco Fashion Incubator asked me to create a gown for the prestigious Go Red for Women runway show at New York Fashion Week, I initially didn't know what to say. As the only lingerie designer in a program mostly populated by womenswear designers, this amazing opportunity was quite the surprise, and, frankly, a challenge I was at once thrilled and a little nervous to take on. While Evgenia's focus is lingerie, I'm not a stranger to making dresses and gowns - in fact, my education at FIDM was in womenswear.

Initial sketches, preparing for the first drape, padding the dress form

I was asked to submit three initial designs, the first of which was my absolute favorite - a 1930's-themed bias cut gown with star lace appliqués throughout. After some celebrity changes (my first assigned celeb had to back out due to schedule conflicts), I was eventually assigned to dress celebrity chef Carla Hall, a former model who stands at an astonishingly statuesque 6' tall. I was told that she loved my first sketch, was given her measurements and got to work preparing to drape my gown. Because the mannequin I was working with was scaled for a shorter woman, I had to pad her out a bit to fit one considerably taller. With the help of FISF's resident sewing, pattern making and apparel construction expert Dorothy Yuki, I created a totally new form on which to drape.

Photos via Kelly Puleio Photography

Carla had requested that I pare down the star detailing on the dress, something I was more than happy to do. My first sketches were on the more fantastical side and after some thought I wasn't sure how they would translate to the runway. A more measured approach to embellishment seemed to be more fitting for a Fashion Week show, so I removed the center sash star and a bunch of the star appliqués throughout the top portion of the gown. Because of Carla's past runway experience, I thought adding a sweeping skirt would create a beautiful motion during the show for a confident walker.

First bodice mockup

I actually did two separate drapes, one for my first assigned celebrity who as 5'2" and the second for Carla Hall. In all, I sewed the bodice four separate times, three times for Carla's gown. Many of the design elements I dreamed up proved to be a bit more complicated to execute than I'd initially thought. For example, the gathering at the bust caused some issues with the waist seam (see above) which I had to allow extra ease for. The hip yoke was cut on the bias to allow for maximum fit flexibility, but as any dressmaker knows, bias is a whole different ballgame and can be quite a challenge to work with. After meeting with Dorothy to make the proper pattern adjustments following my first draft, I figured it was time to move into my final fabric with only 12 days to go until New York.

Second bodice mockup with skirt

The second draft of Carla's bodice was a million times better with some minor, easy-to-fix issues. At that point, I drafted the skirt pattern and tried it out in some extra silk I had lying around. Dorothy and I agreed that we should allow an extra 6" for the bottom hem to allow for the possibility of sky high shoes.

Star appliques and snips

Once I was happy with the final skirt shape, I began cutting in in the final fabric and adding the star appliqués one by one with the help of my intern, Lux. Each of the four panels of the skirt had between 12 - 15 stars on it, each hand-basted, appliquéd by machine and snipped by hand with sewing scissors.

Second bodice mockup (left), fitting with Michelle Byrnes, final gown before finishing

Once the skirt was finished, I was desperate to try the gown on someone with similar proportions to Carla, but I didn't know anyone 6' tall with shared similar measurements. Then a friend suggested I call up 2013 Designer in Residence and kickass designer in her own right Michelle Byrnes. She's not 6' tall, but she's pretty darn close, and pretty close to Carla's body measurements. She came by the Incubator and we tried on the gown. There remained some small fit considerations, but it was clear I was getting a lot closer to the final product! I ended up lowering the waist seam, lengthening the bias yoke and extending the shoulders which yielded…

The final gown

…the final product! Per Dorothy's recommendations, I left large seam allowances at the side seams to manage any potential fit issues that would pop up. Remember, I didn't have a chance to fit Carla in person until my arrival in New York, at which point any major alterations would be out of my hands.

Next up, my final fitting in New York and the NYFW Go Red runway show!

Sweet Nothings in Evgenia Lingerie

I'm finally coming down from all the crazy excitement of being in New York City for fashion week, but it's certainly hard to let go of the high. There's something really special about being in the US' most stylish city during the most stylish time of the year, and even a tiny San Francisco lingerie designer like myself walked away from the experience with tons of things to celebrate.

Of course, there were the expected victories: trunk shows, the NYFW runway show (more on that later), press events, etc. But there were also the amazing connections that were both forged and solidified during my stay, not the least of which was with Sweets of Sweet Nothings. If you've ever visited Sweets' blog, I don't have to tell you how incredibly gorgeous she is. Meet her in person, though, and it's a whole different ballgame. This lingerie blogger is not only physically beautiful (and commandingly tall!), but genuinely warm, friendly, charming and funny as hell. I spent some time with her during Underhaus' Completely Bare Market, where she was repping Harlow & Fox right alongside its lovely and visionary designer Leanna Williams. Leanna, Sweets, NYC lingerie designer (and equally chic and wonderful person) Angela Friedman spent much of our 3-day event in a summit of the mutual appreciation club. Chatting lingerie and fashion with these women was one of the big highlights of my trip back east.

Then Sweets came up with a great idea: why not shoot some of my pieces for her blog? How could I say no? And once I saw her in my Ribbon Corset and Deco Cami, both a perfect fit, we set a date and got down to it.

Sweets wears the Deco Cami in Moon Flower and the Sleep Mask in Black Dahlia / Moonflower

Sweets wears the Deco Cami in Moon Flower, the Ribbon Corset in Black Dahlia and the Bow Modern Knickers in Moon Flower

So, lucky me! While I was working the Fashion Incubator press event, photographer Lydia Hudgens took these gorgeous shots of Sweets, and there are tons more on the Sweet Nothings blog, so make sure to check them out. What's more, Sweets paired this set with the beautiful Celestial Truffle Cake pictured above which she made herself. She gave me an enormous slice of it after the shoot and I *may* have eaten the whole thing in one evening. It was that good! Her blog post has the full recipe along with the rest of these gorgeous pictures.

NYFW Lingerie Trunk Shows

Like a beautiful, silken storm, my 2014 collection is taking New York, and I want YOU to be there to experience it! Just in time for New York Fashion Week, join me at Verameat + in the East Village and Dabney Lee in DUMBO to update your lingerie drawers. I've been sewing up a bunch of fresh stock the past few weeks and I can't wait to share it with you.

This Thursday September 4th, join me at Verameat + (305 E 9th Street, Manhattan) from 12 - 4pm. Verameat's jewelry is flat-out incredible and they have a beautiful collection of new rings which will be taking the stage alongside this season's collection, including Honey Cooler Handmade Ribbon Corsets, Deco Camis, Knickers and more!

Is Brooklyn more your style? Then join me the following evening at Dabney Lee (45 Washington Street, Brooklyn) from 5 - 9pm. Along with Dabney's gorgeous paper goods, check out the newest pieces from Chloe & Isabel jewelry. We'll have bubbly and treats galore, so be sure to mark your calendars.

Flapper Fashion for Autumn/Winter 2013 - Part II

The Art Deco influence was a consistent presence in many of the Autumn/Winter 2013 fashion shows. From simple shifts to short and kicky pleats, there was a neo flapper around virtually every corner. If you're in doubt that The Great Gatsby was an aesthetic influence for US and European designers, just check out the movie logo and the geometrically patterned looks below. Coincidence? I think not.

The Gates of Gatsby: J Mendel, Herve Leger, Temperley London, Manish Arora

Glitz and Glamour: Monique Lhuillier, Prada, Julien MacDonald, Gucci

Shimmering Flapper: Just Cavalli, Naeem Khan, Monique Lhuillier

But Deco wasn't the only vintage aesthetic choice on the runways; There was an element of Edwardian to Deco transition in some presentations that was decidedly Downton Abbey-inspired. Lace, embroidery and feminine cuts are the perfect homage to a lovely show. Can't you just see a modern Lady Mary rocking all of these dresses?

Downton Devotee: Alberta Ferretti, Blugirl, Alberta Ferretti, Paola Frani, Blugirl

Flapper Fashion for Autumn/Winter 2013 - Part I

The Great Gatsby is coming out in May and it's sure to be on Netflix by the time fall fashion collections crop up in stores, but that it doesn't mean that Deco will be dead come September. The runways of New York, Paris, Milan and London prove a lingering crush on all things Art Deco, from silhouettes to design elements and patterns. The 1920's-inspired looks run the gamut from simple, boyish cuts to glitzy sheaths that will have the most dedicated vintage aficionado saving their pennies.

Sleek and Simple: J Mendel, Narcisco Rodriguez, Yeohlee, Temperley London

Flapper LBD: Alberta Ferretti, Marco de Vincenzo, Roberto Cavalli

Structured Deco: Alexander Wang, Georgio Armani, Emanno Scervino, Jasper Conran

Time Machine: Blugirl, Zac Posen, Temperley London, Nina Ricci

Flapper Fashion at PFW, LFW, MFW | Autumn/Winter 2012

I couldn't help but swoon over New York Fashion Week's neo-flapper offerings for Fall 2012. Each covetable dress felt like the embodiment of la vraie garçonne, and I wanted each piece to miraculously land in my closet on the double. That being said, Paris, Milan and London Fashion Weeks' shows boasted something a little different different: diversity. Think impossibly feminine chiffon columns contrasted with heavy fabric gowns, angular cutaways, sheer chevrons and corseted leather (!) flapper dresses. Simply jaw-droppingly different.

I'm going to take a moment to set aside my vintage fashion purism and tip my hat to the anything-but-customary Europeans. Check out some of my favorite looks from London, Paris and Milan Fashion Weeks below and prepare to fall in love with Deco in a totally different way!

Tall, Dark, and Handsome: Pucci, Kenzo, John Galliano

Pops of Color: Versus, John Galliano, Givenchy, Jil Sander, Holly Fulton

Ghostly Flapper: Nina Ricci, John Galliano, Nina Ricci

Flapper Fashion at NYFW | Autumn/Winter 2012

The runways of New York Fashion Week were bursting with achingly chic, sometimes unapproachable and always forward-thinking looks. While that's great for the trend setters of the world, I found myself a little bummed at the lack of nostalgia exhibited this season. Never fear, though. NYFW wasn't a total bust for me because some awesome Deco-inspired looks still graced the runways.

Silent Film Star: Badgely Mischka, Bora Aksu, L'Wren Scott

La Garconne: L'Wren Scott, Kaelen, Vera Wang, Proenza Schouler

Sheer Joy: Derek Lam, J. Mendel, Honor, Marchesa

Beaded Empire: Dennis Basso, Ralph Lauren, Ralph Lauren, Naeem Khan

Doubtless, much of the 1920's throwback has a lot to do with the upcoming Christmas 2012 release of The Great Gatsby. Regardless of the reason, let this be a reminder that "old-fashioned" is something that never falls out of fashion!