Design Inspiration
The Bride 2007
Materials: Polyester and Cotton
Techniques: Shirring and Rouching
I chose Marie Antoinette as my bride, in part, because of its irony. Being a bride at age fifteen is not typical for our society and culture. Instead of her marriage uniting two people as one, I felt like her marriage redefined who she was and gave her an entirely new identity.
This 16th century corset was chosen because of its youthful silhouette, and the colors and techniques I chose to use were inspired by portraits of Marie.
Her hat was created by hand stitching buckram and wire, and then covering it with flannel. Lastly, the fashion fabric was glued and hand stitched.
http://anthonygainesphotography.com/
The Executive 2007
Materials: Polyester and Cotton
Gabrielle Chanel, otherwise known as Coco Chanel,
was a powerful and extremely driven woman, which inspired me to create this ensemble.
I picked a pin stripe to represent her business side and used a slightly altered 19th century silhouette. I also chose to use a contrasting color for binding the corset and wired skirt hem because of the prominent edgework seen in several of Chanel’s designs.
I accompanied this piece with a felt hat, which I shaped into a 1920’s cloche style.
Divine Beauty 2006
Richness and Divinity were the thoughts I aspired to instill within this piece. Inspired from the drape of my daughter's bed skirt, I decided to use a luxurious home décor fabric to complete this voluminous silhouette.
Purple Majesty
This was inspired from historic Chinese dress. Through high craft techniques and use of the royal color purple, it is meant to portray power and strength. The collar detail is pin tucking alternated with embroidery, and the two tones of the fabric were created by using an iridescent purple sheer organza over a burgandy polyester.
The Mother 2007
Materials: Cotton and polyester
Techniques: Pin tucking
This corset's silhouette is from the 19th century and was made out of my husband's military uniform. I used lace over the camouflage, combining it with pin tucking, to create this textured surface. I used myself as inspiration for this piece, because having an army husband that was away for 18 months redefined my role as a mother.
The Temptress 2007
This piece was inspired by Cleopatra. I was drawn to the colors and geometric shapes of Egypt, as well as Cleopatra's many talents and love interests. The silhouette is from the 19th century, which in combinatin with the angular golden line around the waist, gives it a slimming hourglass shape.
The Ballerina 2007
Materials: Silk, Cotton and polyester
Techniques: Origami and Pleating
This piece was inspired by Cleopatra. I was drawn to the colors and geometric shapes of Egypt, as well as Cleopatra's many talents and love interests. The silhouette is from the 19th century, which in combinatin with the angular golden line around the waist, gives it a slimming hourglass shape.
The Warrior 2007
Materials: Leather, Cotton and polyester
This piece was inspired by Joan of Arc because of her amazing, yet short-lived, life. She was the daughter of a poor peasant farmer, and she believed herself to be a messenger from God. Although she was wounded from a crossbow in the shoulder during battle, she did not die until later, when she was burned at the stake for heresy. I chose to use a 19th century silhouette, and it is the only piece in the collection which is asymmetric.
The Poet 2007
Materials: Leather, Cotton and polyester
This ensemble was inspired by Veronica Franco, who was an Italian courtesan and brilliant poet from the 16th century. The richness of colors from the Italian Renaissance led to my fabric choices. I then chose to use the most contemporary corset style from the early 20th century because I felt Veronica was a woman born before her time.
Bustle Nouveau 2006
The structure and concept were developed through my research about 19th century bustles. With the use of contemporary colors and fabrics, I was able to bring this historic design into the 21st century.
Golden Origami
This design was an exploration of origami craft. Through the use of geometric shapes and a golden silhouette I designed my piece to be reminiscent of ancient Egypt.
Mod Swimsuit 2005
Winner of the 2009 Project Runway
Condom Fashion Show
Peoples Choice Award
Neckware 2006
These pieces are untitled and were a study of neckware seen in the late 18th and early 19th century. The piece on the left is made from paper towels and was a prototype for the piece on the right which is made mostly of leather.
