Summer Blues

I’ve been working on several dresses for weddings- for the Mother of the Groom- known as MOG. These are very engaging to make as they are for very important occasions and will be photographed and remembered - for years to come, hopefully. It’s usually a process of finding just the right fabric and style to suit the mother and make her feel comfortable and stylish.

Silk satin skirt and blouse - hand-painted by Eve Vaterlaus - with silk Dupioni jacket

This client knew she wanted some hand-painting after seeing Eve’s work at my studio. Since the wedding was to be in her home garden with blue Hydrangeas, we chose the colors to blend in.

Textured silk chiffon in blues and lilacs with a lilac silk lining and blue silk chiffon trim.

This wedding was also taking place at the client’s home garden. She wanted something light and romantic. A great dress to dance in. Years ago I made her wedding outfit- a fushia pink suit with navy trim.

wool jacket with silk cloquè trim and pants.

This is an altered suit for a client starting with a jacket I made many years ago. I added the silk cloquè insert and collar and we made pants to finish the outfit. The original skirt (below ) was also painted by Eve Vaterlaus

Altered wool jacket with crinkled silk chiffon skirt- hand painted with feathers by Eve Vaterlaus.

Hermes Sun silk panel and dress made with hand-dyed 4-ply silk panels.

I was just fooling around in my studio with some appliquès I have collected and some fringe I made by cutting nude chiffon - It somehow looks right at home next to the Hermes silk panel destined to become a skirt.

Away from the Blues- recent work in studio

Wool tweed embroidered suit for client with silk blouse and scarf.. Fabric from Italy-

Harlequin dress - Italian textured silk/wool with custom silk georgette trim-

I fell in love with this vibrant colored silk and happily my client did too!

jacket - in progress- made from wool scraps

me modeling dress made from Indian Block print cotton- skirt is over 7 yards wide at bottom!

Thank you for visiting❣️ Have a relaxing and peaceful. rest of summer. . .❤️. I feel lucky to do what I do every day - and also love the bike rides along the Hudson which take me to my studio and back 6 days a week-

The Tao of the Drape

Fabrics always have the upper hand. Color and pattern predominate. Each fabric has an individual nature and I like to observe it before cutting. What does it want to become?

I gave this length of pink 4-ply silk to my friend and collaborator Eve Vaterlaus. She came up with the idea to paint an Ocropus which was quite challenging both to paint and also to fashion into a dress.

As is usually the case with hand-painted fabric I drape it right on the form rather than make a pattern first.

I used a fleshy silk georgette as the lining and underskirt after much back and forth over what to choose. It was serendipitous that the tentacle lined up between the upper back bodice and skirt section.

We first pictured the Octopus eye at the top of the fabric, but it seemed to belong in the side front swirl of the skirt.

The blue background fabric was painted by my dear friend Michel Bergonne who passed away last April in Paris.

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In August 2001 we spent my 50th birthday in a castle in France with my dear Viennese friend Marieli Fröhlich and her immediate family and friends. I did the hand beading and sequinning on this net dress which was to be included in an upcoming solo gallery show.

In June of this year my friend actor and playright Anushka Paris Carter who I hadn’t heard from in many years, wrote me to ask if her daughter could wear the Jumeliere dress to her prom. I said Yes, absolutely! and we arranged a visit.

Zoe had seen pictures of her Mom wearing the dress at the Tony’s and also the Emmy Awards and had long fantasized about wearing it herself.

Anushka Paris Carter and husband Andy Paris who was nominated as one of the writers of The Laramie Project

Ballet Dancer Zoe Paris Carter on the night of her high school prom wearing the Jumeliere Dress

I am working on mother of the groom dress for an August wedding. The client wanted a shawl to go over the dress. I hand painted a piece of silk organza and was very unsure about it - until I saw a Cy Twombly painting of roses at the Flagg art Foundation in a show called A Rose Is.

silk cloqué organza with hand-painted silk organza shawl

Cy Twombly Roses at the Flagg Art Foundation

Silk Organza shawl draped

Client trying on shoes to go with mother of the groom dress

I have had this blue linen check fabric in a client’s stash for several years. I didn’t really know what to do with it as it seemed rather dull until I placed the fabric on the bias- I also lined the sleeves and hem with a burnt red linen that matched the stripe.

Blue and red check linen dress

The interfaced linen band at hem gave the dress some body without which it seems rather limp.

linen herringbone suit with white cotton trim and zip jacket

Liberty cotton dress for 1 yr old grand niece Ayla

back of Aylas dress with adjustable bow

3 yr old Charlotte in Greece wearing her birthday dress

Thank you for visiting! Let’s try and keep the world safe and beautiful and free for the children❤️