It’s not every day that you can say you made your best friends wedding dress but in 2020 with two months and a fairly random and unpredictable schedule we designed and made her dress together. It was the most special project Ive worked on in all the years I have been sewing. She looked so beautiful on her day and I was so proud of my oldest friend Georgina finally taking the next step of her life with her Soulmate Brooke. Together these girls are going to be such an amazing team!
The Wedding was held of the 5th of December at Culburra beach in front of the surfhouse with the Reception inside the surfhouse. They had amazingly perfect weather as they were photographed on the beach out the front of the surfhouse. Everything was so beautiful. Brooke and Georgina had truly surpassed all expectation of their special day held by all attendees.
Making the wedding dress we had some inspiration starting off. As it was a lesbian wedding I wanted to dye her dress all different colours of the rainbow but Georgina wanted a more traditional look. something floaty but fitted. Ivory lace but no beading. Or if there was beading quite minimal. It had to be something that accentuated her beauty without taking away or being too over the top. She looked perfect on the day.
“Today is not the start of your Partnership. Your partnership began when you met. Today is just another day where we Celebrate your Union and Lifelong committment”
Ashleigh Renee Evans The Designer Dressmaker Secret Culture
Designers and original makers are dying out. We are going extinct and being replaced with big machinery and cheap overseas labour. Not only that whenever we make something that is authentic it is copied. That I don’t mind. I just want to let people know that working with our hands and a sewing machine is an art form and the fact that you meet someone who can sketch an image, draw their own pattern, cut and sew from start to finish is rare nowadays and I’m amongst the youngest in this field in Australia that can make anything from the beginning.
When you look at a dress in a retail store that costs $350 it has went through so many hands for each piece and the fabric sourced all over the world but made in less than an hour. When an authentic creative makes you something for $350 +++ it would of taken many more hours or days to produce. The sewing of retail clothing is hardly done in Australia nowadays and is mostly done in India, Bali, China, Phillipines, Turkey etc where the dollar is cheaper. I don’t mind that but do not compare an authentic designer or creative who makes one off designs or capsule collections to the mass produced market or to something you buy from the retail store.
For 19 + years I have been slowly learning my craft. Just bits a pieces here and there picking up every piece of knowledge that I can from people, from books and just generally learning as much as I can of anything at all that I can apply to my field. It is my obsession and my dream. I am young to be running my own business as a Designer Dressmaker but I created my job because I saw a need in the market. Plus until I started calling myself The Designer Dressmaker nobody else had put those words together. The decline of dressmaking and especially dressmakers that make their own patterns is obvious in Australia adding further value to what is left. We are a dime a dozen. Help contribute to Australian dressmakers or local dressmakers if you aren’t Australian because otherwise we may just die out and who shall you buy an authentic designer dress from.
I’m going to rock this year. You should too. š¤š»
Vivienne Westwood(Dame) is a British fashion designer who has touched the rebellious hearts of almost every fashion student and designer since she barrelled into the fashion scene guns blazing with rebellious messages, political, sexual and just punk coolness.
Westwood started designing clothes with Malcolm Mclaren manager of the sex pistols after leaving her first husband for Mclaren who at the stage of meeting hadn’t started managing the band yet.
The punk style was clothing that was BDSM, dog collars, bondage gear, safety pins, chokers and this all went with total punk style Mohawks and cool hair that was just different at the time.
The hard thing about being different is when you look different everyone is watching and you get both love and hate. Westwood thrived from creating new fashion and redesigning the world we live in now as definitely she marked history by being outrageous and that is why she is still well loved and respected amongst the fashion community.
Italian born designer Alessandro Michelle is the creative director of Gucci since January 2015 and he is in charge of the global brand image of the label.
He was named on Time Magazines top 100 most influential people in the artist category for 2017 and so is really peaking in his career at this stage.
His latest collection was the 2018 cruise which was inspired by mythology and the renaissance. Although looking closely it was a mix of the ages. He’s drawn from all different eras and masterfully brought it together as a mish mash of culture and time.
Born in 1972 Alessandro studied at the Accademia di costume e Di Moda Rome. Beginning his early career designing for Fendi before being snapped up by Tom Ford in 2002 where he took on a variety of roles competing to the creative director role.
In 2015 he was awarded International fashion designer of the year (British Fashion Awards) and again in 2016.
With an international designer of the year award in 2016 from the CFDA Council of Fashion Designers of America.
Here is Alessandro being interviewed in the studio by the New York Times. Interview NYT
Born in Gibraltor and I know your like where the hell is Gibraltor or I was anyway so I looked it up. It’s a territory on the edge of Spain that is British and a part of the UK.
John Galliano is both British and Spanish and his outgoing creativity and attitude to life has made him so very successful!
Named British designer of the year four times and ran Givenchy in 1995 Christian Dior in 1996 and John Galliano 1988 to 2011 followed by Maison Margiela which he is currently running.
Juan Galliano whose mother was a Flamenco teacher actually was teased a lot in English boys grammar because of his clothes being flamboyant and interesting.
Galliano graduated from Saint Martins school of art in 1984 with first collection “les Incroyables” being inspired by the French Revolution. Which was a great success and was sold at Browns the retailer.
After some time with his own label John Galliano went bankrupt in 1990 and even though he was financially at wits end he knew what he wanted and he didn’t give up! He moved to Paris and began again with financial backing from Moroccan designer Faycal Amor.
His first show hit the runway in 1989 as a part of Paris Fashion Week.
1. Sara Sampaio- in a world where the majority of people only care about how they look. Sara makes fun of the superficial.
2. Heidi Klum- dressing as an old woman takes preps.
3. Rita Ora as poison Ivy. Honestly one of my my favourite costume ideas of all time.
4. Shanina Shaik goes space girl. Always hot especially when there is a platinum body suit involved!
5. Kim Kardashian & good friend Jonathan Cheban as Sony and Cher. Kimmy has absolutely rocked it showing her fit waist.
Image from Vital
Mindfulness has developed over the last couple of years. It is the lifestyle of living in the now. The term mindfulness is broadly what professionals are trying to teach people through such techniques as meditation and cognitive behaviour therapy.
It’s basically teaching your mind to be present in the now when your body and mind is wanting to wander to whatever else you have to do.
Mindfulness is where you are aware. In the moment you are aware about what you are doing and whatever it may be that you are doing you are fully present.
Training your brain to be fully aware in the moment is a technique that anyone can use to relax the brains reaction to the harsh realities of social expectation and stress caused from day to day living.
Slowing down your reaction to the world by taking things one thing at a time and pausing to breathe can really relax any person with heightened stress levels.
If you slow down and control your reaction it will in the long term cause you much less stress. For instance if you miss the train instead of over reacting and stressing about what you can’t control. No problem, just catch the next train and don’t stress. If you have to get somewhere but want to be early but also don’t want to pay tolls to drive the fast way. Just relax and take the non toll way and take the extra ten minutes to get where you need to go. These are pretty simplified examples but in a full of stress world reacting badly or being quick to act can actually cause more problems in the future.
Productivity is the accountability of yourself on what you get done. Being productive isn’t just what you can achieve in your business. It’s how you can be productive at home as well as in your studies.
For years I have procrastinated before completing massive projects. Once the massive project is finished I always look back and think omg I could of completed that project weeks ago but for some reason I work myself up. I think about every single aspect from what could go wrong to what could go right and meanwhile my house and washing becomes very clean as I procrastinate with other jobs.
I actually think productivity is very important so have invested in a guide called “being more productive” HBR guide to. Focus on the right work, stop procrastinating, and get more done. Harvard business review press. This guide is written by numerous business specialists who can I say know exactly what they are talking about.
Within reading the first 3 chapters I have already increased my productivity and am looking forward to the following chapters to help me get through the piles of work I have at home to complete.
So just a short blog in dedication but I’ll drop a hint from the book. Firstly figure out how stressed you are. A little bit of stress is good to get you going but I was something like triple extra stressed. So then when you become extra stressed your productivity actually goes down. So for me it was as simple as organising my work area and getting a cup of coffee and not concentrating on all the work I had to get done. Just concentrating on one thing at a time off my list of work to do. So if you concentrate too much on everything at once your productivity is going to come to a screeching halt. You need to take one thing at a time. Be calm and relaxed and convince your brain you have less to do in order to do more.
If you are a plus size you need to make sure you choose the right thickness and quality of fabric to suit your body. You can’t just buy a thin shiny satin. It just won’t look right on a plus size. Always go with matte and do not risk on an especially shiny fabric. A thin silk might drape lovely on a size 10 model but on a plus size will drag on your hips and lumps and bumps excentuating all the parts of your body that you do not want excentuated. You need to purchase heavier fabrics or fabrics that are stiffer that can create more panelled garments that draw attention to your face or bust if you want to draw attention away from stomach and hips. Also if you insist on a certain thin fabric buy a light interfacing that is the same thickness as your garment fabric that will move with your body. the thinner the fabric and the interfacing on a fitted garment the more attention will be drawn to your shape where the fabric clings to your body. Better to choose a heavier silk or rayon or even a thick taffeta rather than a light draped fabric. Remember that a dressmaker cannot improve on your figure if you are plus sized. They can’t magically transform you into a size you are not. Be realistic in fabric choice and in choosing the style you are after. A line always compliments a plus sized woman. Taking the dress in skin tight will never make you look better. It will only make you look worse if your body is plus sized. Choose something fitted but not tight on your body. Tight makes bulges move to other areas that do not compliment you. If you want a light fabric use a nice chiffon to go over the top of the main fabric. That means you get the softer look you are after but also your body has the heavier fabric offering structure to your bust. Without structure your bust will not be held in place.
Designers and original makers are dying out. We are going extinct and being replaced with big machinery and cheap overseas labour. Not only that whenever we make something that is authentic it is copied. That I don’t mind. I just want to let people know that working with our hands and a sewing machine is an art form and the fact that you meet someone who can sketch an image, draw their own pattern, cut and sew from start to finish is rare nowadays and I’m amongst the youngest in this field in Australia that can make anything from the beginning.
Secret Culture 
