Spring 2012 Inspiration Board

As part of my Design Process, I look at many different fabrics, from intricate laces to silky chiffon. I look at all of the beautiful textures and wonderful colors of each fabric, including ways to create my own fabrics and colors. I look at how the fabrics will fold and drape, how they will conform to a Bride's figure, how they will feel against her skin.
But, before I ever even get to this point, I always look for inspiration. It may be the detailed folds and beautiful symmetry of a flower as I did for my Fall 2010 Collection, or the incredible organic layers and structure of a Frank Gehry building for the design of the gown, as was the case for my Fall 2011 Collection. It can be the rich blue colors of a Caribbean Sea, the soft whiteness of a snowy day, or the sexy silhouette of an Italian sports car .  There is no limit to what inspires me each season and where that inspiration may come from...
My new inspiration for my Spring 2012 Collection is Miami. The beautiful turquoise hues of the ocean, the stunning colors of the sky as the sun rises over the water want to seep into my fabrics. The energy of Miami and the people, the great sense of style that fits the outdoor living, the rich unique colors, textures, and patterns that are so specific to Miami can be found no where else. The wonderful lines of the Art Deco hotels that line Ocean Drive, inspire the curves of my gowns.  The beach living, with crocheted swimsuits and sexy sheer wraps want to flow into these dresses.
These images, ideas, inspirations are so important to my Design Process, that they help to guide my vision, my passion, my creativity for each one of my Collections.  Now, stay tuned for the release...

Michelle & Chip

Michelle was referred to me by my dear friend Farrah. Michelle had been trying on gowns at many other boutiques and came to me only two months away from her wedding. Through her searches, she discovered that alencon lace was her ideal selection for the fabric of her gown. But not just any alencon lace would do, she found a scalloped lace from another Designer to be the perfect pattern for her dream gown. I designed her gown keeping in mind the lace she desired. As time was of the essence, I immediately took the challenge to find a similar lace to the one Michelle wanted. But, due to the short lead time, we kept running into delivery issues. As Michelle and I met various lace vendors, we came up with the solution to combine three different laces to create one...and so we did.

In the end, Michelle was so in love with the final gown that she simply could not believe how we took three different laces and created a beautiful dress to look like one...the one! In her words, even more beautiful than the original gown that she had first envisioned.
The wedding was captured wonderfully by Isabel Lawrence Photographers .

Congratulations Michelle & Chip...

Teresa & Brian

When I met Teresa and her mother Ingrid for the first time, I knew that Teresa was going to be a delightful bride to work with. Her search ended when she came to see me and learned that the option to design a truly couture gown was available. Once Teresa heard that, we moved forward with the design of her gown incorporating elements from a vintage one that she had seen.
Teresa's venue was not your typical location. She and Brian are avid travelers, so it was a natural choice to opt for a destination wedding... Costa Rica.
Knowing this, I designed her gown to suit this exotic location with a update to a classic style.
The bias cut crepe back satin gown with chiffon gusset had such a beautiful flow which moved gracefully with her silhouette. The plunging back neckline was framed with a beautiful floral lace applique which carried around to the front.
A perfect gown for a perfect setting...
The wedding, festivities and beautiful location were wonderfully captured by Photographer Tracy Moore.

Congratulations Teresa & Brian!

Kelley & Rob

I met my bride Kelley three years ago at a Pasadena Magazine photo shoot which was featuring some of my Collection. Kelley fell in love with the feathered chiffon ball gown that was being shot and knew that when she was to be a bride that this was the gown she wanted. So, a few years later, she and her mom, Ludie, came in for her first appointment and upon trying on the gown, her mom agreed that this was Kelley's gown. After discussing the gown and her style, I made some design changes and created a more flowing bodice to compliment the soft feathered gown. In addition, Ludie also had me design her attire for Kelley's special day, which made her so happy that she now wants me to dress her for all of her special events.
Everything about Kelley's wedding was local, as her wedding took place at husband Rob's family home which is also right here in Pasadena. Additionally, Kelley utilized the talented services of Event Planner Heather Ham, whom I have had the pleasure of working with in the past. The beautiful setting, light of the day, and joy of the event were perfectly captured by Memories by Michael.

Thank you Kelley & Ludie, my two new dear friends...and a big heart felt congratulations to Kelley & Rob!

Bohemian Photo Shoot

These latest photos come from the recent shoot that was styled by Kelly Oshiro and beautifully photographed by Kirsten Ellis of Beaux Artes Photographie. This shoot was also recently featured on greenweddingshoes.com . Both of these gowns are from one of my earlier Collections and my inspiration at the time was "vintage Hollywood modern". The first gown is a lightly hand beaded silk chiffon with a very organic flow. The second gown is satin with a open lace back and lace applique along the very sexy neckline. Both gowns are still available at the Salon.
Enjoy...

Rainbow Photo Shoot

Event Designer Kelly Oshiro, whom I work with quite frequently, contacted me a while back to see if I would be interested in another one of her photo shoots. Of course I said yes, as I know that her image and design essence really showcase my gowns beautifully. Photographer Kirsten Ellis, of Beaux Arts Photographie, has a great eye for composition and lighting and always makes my gowns come to life as well. This shoot was picked up by brides.com, but these images are the extras of one of my favorite gowns that were edited and not shown, so I wanted to share them with you now...enjoy.

The Process of Design: Final

It's been a while since Part 3 of the Design Process, but here is my Bride Tina, whose gown I have featured in documenting for my Design Process, in her final gorgeous gown. As you can see, the amount of fabric and detail that was put into the gown was worn beautifully and fit her like a glove.
In the final gown, all of the foundation, structure and support that I showed in the last blog, is completely hidden beneath the soft, silk pleated and ruffled overlay. The train was especially long as Tina requested a cathedral length which also included her veil. Many, many yards of fabric went into this creation, and each bit was methodically sewn and stitched to achieve the wonderful flow and feel of airiness that Tina had wanted.
Congratulations Tina & Nate!