Condom Couture

I haven't been posting much lately because I've been busy working on a couple of projects.  One is a sweater which I'll post pics of in a couple of days.  The other is an evening gown for a fundraiser fashion show called Project Inform's, Evening of Hope.  I did this show last year and had a blast so I decided to create something even more challenging this year.

So far, I'm finishing up the muslin and have cut up the condoms and hand painted them (2000 condoms!). Next week, I plan to FINALLY start beading the straps and bodice.  Here's a sneak peak.

I cut up the condoms into three sizes of circles and then hand painted them with a sheer wash of watered down silver acrylic paint.  I also made a set of blue circles in three sizes.  These are all going to be used as giant sequins on my dress. Normally, I don't like a lot of sparkle but since this dress is for a runway show, it needs to be more dramatic.  

This is the dress I made last year.




I had a lot less time to work last year and was literally still hand sewing an hour before the dress hit the runway.  I learned several valuable lessons from that experience.  First, pull the all-nighters at least a week before the event so that you don't feel as stressed out the evening of the event.  Second, never assume that the photographs and written instructions you put together for hair and makeup will be followed by the stylists at the show.  I was furious when my instructions for dewey skin and smokey eyes were interpreted into a chalky, black-eyed model who somehow looked ten years older.  She's a gorgeous girl and we were both shocked when she came out of hair and makeup looking like Disco Barbie.  For all future runway presentations, I learned to make sure that I'm present during hair and makeup so that there are no mis-interpretations ; ).  Finally, in my stressed out frenzy to get out the door that night, I forgot my camera and had to rely on photos from my cell phone and the official photographs taken at the show.  The photographer managed to find all the least flattering angles for my model!  This year, I WILL bring my own camera and get good photos.

Alexander McQueen Savage Beauty exhibit

I'm not lucky enough to live anywhere near New York and unfortunately was unable to see the exhibit of Alexander McQueen's work at the Met.  Many of my friends have seen it and they've all raved about how amazing it was.  Not surprising.  Like many fashion designers, I consider McQueen to be one of the true geniuses of the fashion industry.  I was devastated when he died because I know there was so much amazing work still left in him.  He was one of the few designers who told a story with each collection.  You never knew what that story might be but you always knew it would be awe inspiring.  I loved the way he referenced historical techniques and tailoring but used them in a modern context.  If you were unable to get to New York, you may appreciate this brief tour of the exhibit narrated by Andrew Bolton.  Enjoy!

crocheted bobble stitch

I posted a video a couple of days ago about a knitwear designer who made a collection by hand using the crocheted bobble stitch.  I've just finished knitting a cardigan and had some leftover yarn.  It's such a beautiful color and yarn that I decided to use the leftovers to make myself a cowl scarf.  YouTube as always, was a great source and I found this  very clear and easy to follow demo of how to do the bobble stitch in crochet.  I have done plenty of bobbles in knitting but I find it a huge pain to knit bobbles because you have to keep turning your work back and forth as you work the bobble in rows of knit/purl/knit, etc. (because I never do just normal small bobbles, I have to make everything extra dramatic and big).  I will of course, have to put my own spin on this as I get more comfortable with the stitch and I'll post pictures of my work as I go along.  Enjoy.

Crochet texture

In my various wanderings around the internet, I found this amazing collection by an amazing designer, Helen Rodel.  The videos are in Portuguese but subtitled in English.  I have been slowly altering my opinion of crochet over the past couple of years. I used to think crochet was too crafty looking to really have a place in the world of fashion design.  Lately, I've seen some very cool work by designers who have taken crafty crochet and used it in a fresh way to create some very modern fashion.  Helen Rodel has created a gorgeous and modern collection using the crocheted popcorn stitch (in knitting it's called bobble stitch).  Enjoy the videos!

Laci's Museum of Lace and Textiles

Friday night, my friend, Bob Haven, asked me and a former classmate of mine, to join him at a lecture at Lacis in Berkeley.  Lacis is apparently known throughout the U.S. and possibly the world.  They're probably most famous for their historic collection of lace, lacemaking classes and lace making equipment and supplies.  They also seem to have a large stock of other equipment and supplies for other dying needlecrafts.  For example, I counted at least ten different types of tambour hooks and most needlework stores don't have the slightest idea what a tambour hook is!

Anyhow, this past Friday evening, Lacis had asked my friend Bob to give a lecture on the tambour embroidery technique.  Bob had asked my friend Sandra and I, to show some examples of our work and talk about our experiences with tambour embroidery since we're former students of his.  The lecture was tied to a beginning tambour embroidery class that Bob was teaching this weekend at Lacis.  The highlight for me was getting to see some examples from Lacis famous collection of historic clothing.  While the picture quality isn't terrific (sorry, I only had my cell phone with me), I think they're worth sharing anyway.

Closeup detail of a floral beaded embroidery hem on a 1920's dress.  Part of the collection of Lacis Museum of Lace and Textiles.

Beaded bodice on a 1920's dress from the historic collection at Lacis Museum of Lace and Textiles.

Metallic thread, bead and sequin embroidery on silk organza by Bob Haven.

Interesting bead embroidery technique on a 1920's dress from the collection of Lacis Museum of Lace and Textiles.  

3 dimensional bead embroidery.  2 bugle beads are threaded and the needle goes back down, right next to where it came up from the fabric.  This causes the bugles to stand up on end and creates an interesting texture

Bead embroidery on velvet 1920's evening coat with fur collar.  From the collections of Lacis Museum of Lace and Textiles.

Beaded and embroidered 1920's flapper dress from the collection of Lacis Museum of Lace and Textiles.  This dress was embroidered all over to resemble lace, but all of the texture you see is actually hand embroidered!  It was truly stunning.

This was very difficult to photograph because the metallic sequins and beads kept reflecting off the flash.  This is the hem of the dress pictured above.  From the collection of Lacis Museum of Lace and  Textiles.

Future Fashions as predicted in the 1930's

Had to share this video courtesy of YouTube.