Terani Cocktail Dress

While I had the pleasure of working at Oz Boutique on Austin Street in Forest Hills, Queens New York in 2013, every day I was surrounded by gorgeous gowns and fabulous fashion. My love of fashion continued to grow as I became more familiar with the designers: Mac Duggal designs are always gorgeous and regal, La Femme designs are typically more affordable yet still lovely and glamorous, MNM Couture designs are usually intricate and artistic and some of Tarik Ediz designs are straight out of a fairytale, with most of their designs having a timeless elegance in their details and silhouettes. 

Dramatic gowns are always mesmerizing but cocktail dresses are more fun! The first minute I laid eyes on this ice blue and cream Terani cocktail dress, I knew I had to have it. I have never been totally into doing drag, even though I don't limit myself to only men's clothing, I usually like to walk the line between masculine and feminine with androgyny. However, this dress was just so beautiful to behold, I knew that I had to make it mine. 

Originally priced at a little over $300.00, the boutique had slashed the price to half so it was clearly a done deal for me. I snatched it up before anyone else could take it. What was I going to do with it?  Well, model it and photograph it- that's what artists do with something that visually stimulates them.

One of my best friends, fabulous makeup artist and hair stylist Lorraine Radcliffe agreed to model the Terani dress for me. Against her rich cocoa skin tone, the cream and ice blue of this garment pops out even more; the luminescence of the layered tulle intensifying to a dazzling depth against the jet black backdrop we shot on.

 

                                        Caught in motion, the skirt flares for dramatic effect.

What really elevates this design is the intricate mix of silver sequins with the cream and blue beads. The way these small palettes shimmer and are arranged around the bodice to drip down onto the skirt give the garment a glittering and bewitching element of fantasy. 

Paired with an adorable bubblegum pink faux fur vest, the element of fairytale fantasy is heightened still. 

Even on the dress form, the garment seems to have a life of its own. The ethereal colors, the shimmering details, the sweetheart neckline and the classic cocktail shape combine to create a beautiful dress that is one fine example of fashion that also works as a piece of art. 

Africa

From the conception to the incarnation of a design is a remarkable journey. It's a journey that I've dreamed about having for a long time and only recently experienced it for the first time.

The fact that I chose the 'Africa Dress' design to first have constructed is really more chance than anything else, as I had selected twelve different designs from twelve different collections to first create a variety collection to show the range of my designs. The 'Africa Dress' is part of the 'Global Destination' collection which included other designs like 'Scandinavia Dress', 'Tokyo Dress', 'Australia Dress', 'Bolivia Dress', 'Puerto Rico Dress', 'Germany Dress', 'Ireland Dress', and the 'Egypt Dress'.

What I love most about how the Africa dress translated from design to finished product was the tear-away skirt.

The underskirt/miniskirt is actually a really soft brown suede skort; it can be dressed up or down and is glammed up with the darker sheer animal print outer skirt.

Here you can see my lovely model and one of my best friends Natalie demonstrating the effect of tearaway skirt. Having two looks in one piece allows for more fun and versatility in styling and practical use in one's wardrobe. 

On this gorgeous late summer September day, we hopped all over town to shoot this look; going from the regal steps and interior of the Metropolitan Museum of Art to the urban oasis of Central Park.

The yellow/orange bodice was designed to represent the sun setting in Africa, over the wild savannah; contrasting with the animal print and earth tones of the skirts that represent the wild/rugged nature of Africa.

The process of designing, creating, styling and shooting my first garment was very fun and enlightening. It began to show me how a design has tendency to change from what is envisioned to what is physically created; fabrics, textures and colors can shift and even major design elements can change completely, particularly when a design on paper is more artistic than practical. It will be interesting to see how this realization will inform my future fashion designs.

2015 / Manhattan, New York City