Today is about the creative process of gowns. This process all starts with an idea, usually one that pops into my head without warning just as I am trying to close my eyes for bed. Once they are in there I write them down and go back to it later for sketching. I often peruse wedding gown catalogs and websites to make sure I am not copying something already on the market then go with modifications to really make it a custom design and be sure I am not copying a designer unfairly.
May favorite inspiration comes from classical art and walking around fabric mills when I get the chance. Letting the lace or chiffon run through my hands allows me to think about how I want to sculpt with it.
In general my work seems to have a tendency toward dropped waist and mermaid or trumpet gowns at the moment because that is the style I prefer for myself. There is a theme of heavy lace detail and minimal beading but a little touch of feminine charm in each with a simple floral cap or lace edged veil and gloves.
In the next few days I will make final choices on the fabrics to begin testing my concepts in the real world. I have the ever wonderful Fox Affect working on a design for a headband. She has an amazing eye for crystals and lace, far more skillful than I could ever hope to be with my clumsy photographer fingers. We have known each other since 2003 when we attended college together, and share a good deal of mutual weirdness. This makes communication of otherwise very strange ideas about design much more simple.
I expect that production will start fairly soon on the first elements, and we can begin to the fruits of all this effort. Until that point, I will share a few more rough sketches with my chicken scratch notes along the edges.
