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