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!

Modern Love Editorial by Antonette Streeter

With Valentine's Day just around the corner, what better way to plan a special date night for the one you love? Just in time for the most romantic time of year, photographer Antonette Streeter followed around models Laura and Devon (a super sweet couple in real life too!) for a date night out in San Francisco's North Beach. Laura wears Evgenia Lingerie paired with vintage pieces from her own collection. Lipstick by Elizabeth Street Cosmetics and styling by Michelle Byrnes.

Night Garden Bralette, Ribbon Corset, Modern Bow Knicker

Night Garden Bralette, Tap Short

Night Garden Bralette, Deco Romper

Night Garden Bralette, Deco Romper

Night Garden Bralette, Deco Romper

Night Garden Bralette, Tap Short

Night Garden Bralette, Tap Short

Night Garden Bralette, Ribbon Corset

Night Garden Bralette, Ribbon Corset

Night Garden Deco Cami

Night Garden Deco Cami

Night Garden Deco Tee

The FiSF pOpUp for Charity is TOMORROW!

One of the big benefits of being a Designer in Residence at the Fashion Incubator of San Francisco is the opportunity to host a big pop-up with your fellow designers. And for me, that time is tomorrow!

The annual FiSF pOpUp is tomorrow at the Incubator, 50 O'Farrell Street, from 12 - 6pm. Now's the perfect time to visit Union Square, as the entire area has been transformed into a beautiful park. All the construction is gone and benches and food trucks have been brought in for the holidays.

At the pOpUp, shop current collections with many pieces discounted for the occasion. Pre-sales on spring pieces will also be occurring - it's a wonderful opportunity to stock up for the holidays! My one-of-a-kind lingerie pieces will all be on super sale, and the current collection will also be discounted.

Participating designers include yours truly, Mansoor Scott, Michelle Byrnes, Min Edition, Sounthavong, Lia Larrea, WHICHKIM, Scarlett Smith and Sarah Liller. A portion of the day's proceeds will go to charity - all the more reason to do your holiday shopping with us!

RSVP here!

Macy's Fall Fashion Fest - Photography by George Liao

The FiSF whirlwind continues! Just last month, Fashion Incubator Designers in Residence past and present were invited to show current and upcoming collections at Macy's Fall Fashion Fest and photographer George Liao was there to capture every moment.

Designers Tony Sananikone (Sounthavong), Michelle Byrnes and Nathan Johnson (Artful Gentleman)

Sounthavong, Evgenia, Vermeulen & Co

Min Edition, Artful Gentleman, Evgenia

Artful Gentleman, Evgenia, Whichkim

Artful Gentleman, Evgenia, Whichkim

Selfies!

DIRs past and present: Bethany Meuleners, Stephanie Bodnar, Michelle Byrnes, Tony Sananikone, Jake Wall, Amanda Scarlett Smith, Lia Larrea, Anna Min, Dahae Kim, Bree Hylkema, Kyra

Evgenia at Dreamforce!

Dreamforce has arrived in San Francisco once again! While Dreamforce is primarily tech-focused and described as "the Superbowl of Cloud computing", this year, fashion is making quite the impression.

Just today, Jake of The Artful Gentleman and Bethany of Mansoor Scott participated in a panel discussing technology, community and fashion. Tomorrow, the FiSF presence at Dreamforce grows as The Artful Gentleman, Mansoor Scott, Michelle Byrnes and Evgenia open up our very own pop-up on the Campground floor. As a ramp-up to our pop-up, we shot a pretty incredible video with Major Diamond Productions which will be broadcast throughout the Dreamforce conference. Check it out below and come shop our collections at the Campground this week. See you there!

Fight2Breathe Benefit at Redford - Photography by George Liao

This past Sunday was Sunday Side Up, a brunch event with Redford, The Social Beauty Company, Michelle Byrnes and Motown Mondays, all to benefit Fight2Breathe. It was a magnificent day, all for an excellent cause!

Caleigh Haber of Fight2Breathe is battling cystic fibrosis and documents her struggles and triumphs on her website and social media - she's not only a fighter, but a sweet, beautiful woman and we were all so delighted to help out her cause. Her site is in place to help offset the cost of the double lung transplant she's waiting for.

Photographer George Liao graciously documented the day in photographs, capturing the behind-the-scenes action as Social Beauty Company made our models runway ready, and the runway shows themselves. Check them out and visit Fight2Breathe to do your part to help Caleigh Haber!

The Cure for the Common Brunch

We all know that San Franciscans love their brunch. Make this Sunday's midday meal extra special and join Redford, The Social Beauty Company, Michelle Byrnes and yours truly for a truly unique brunch experience this Sunday July 13th.

Not only will Redford be debuting an exciting new brunch series, but you'll see enticing runway shows featuring Michelle Byrnes swimwear and Honey Cooler Handmade lingerie. Grab a cocktail and rock out to some amazing DJs - better still, it's all for a good cause! By joining us, you'll be supporting Caleigh of Fight2Breathe as she battles cystic fibrosis and waits for a double lung transplant.

I'm so excited to participate in this event and I hope to see you there. For more information, visit the Sunday Side Up Facebook event page. To make a brunch reservation, please email lora@redfordsf.com.