i just finished this piece for miss Karyn, a painter & jewelry maker in France.. it’s to be her wedding dress~

made entirely from reclaimed vintage & antique materials..

60′s stripes, black velvet, cursive ramblings from long ago..

black ribbons cut in angles, tattered white lace & delicate hand-stitches

the back closes with hook & eyes stolen from antique bras and corsets

my favorite is the black spiderweb lace from the 1800′s..

it’s always hard for me to believe they start out like this..

*s

it was one of the odd pieces that get started
and then sit for awhile, waiting for me to get back them..
this princesss had been waiting, staring at me for about 4 years!

one of the lovely parts about studio visits,
is these half finished creations sometimes catch a client’s fancy, and they ask me to complete the piece for them in particular.
the dress then jumps to the front of the line,
and happily escapes from my studio & the doom of procrastination.

guilty as i sometimes feel about the half-garments waiting,
it can take many months or years before i finally understand..
the right finishing touches, or the person they’ll be worn by.
then it seems quite easy. it’s all a game of time & chance. *s

just started this piece yesterday..
a custom wedding dress for Karyn in France.
already falling in love with it. :) *s

it’s been pretty torturous.. quite an awful vacation!
& at last, the pain is finally retreating, & my health returning.
it felt amazing to get back to the studio. i missed my work so much.
my cats were glad too.. they really like it when the fabric’s flying :)
they were quite the sweet healers, and stayed close to me through the whole ordeal

my first project was these custom fancies for miss Pamela;

the red persia on me;

& the chartreuse on miss Violet

.*s

this dress was custom made for my lovely friend Mary Garasa..
a gorgeous, inspiring lady musician & muse.. & Emit’s other half :)

she brought me pictures of the Greek goddess Athena,
and we brainstormed together on a design that felt ancient, fierce, elegant & beautiful.
i was a little bit nervous at first, it was quite different than any dress i’ve made before.

but about half-way through, i fell in love with it.
at the best times, it feels like the materials are telling me what to do.
that definitely happened with this dress.. it was like something else was directing it.
i would just make sure to be there, and listen, and the way would unfold.

i love the way it turned out.. it feels like it could have been made 100, or even 1,000 years ago.
her full ensemble featured a fierce roman style warrior helmet-headdress with gold chains (made by Malakai) & a golden spear.
she looked gorgeous, timeless and powerful.

all the gold in the dress is of a metallic thread filigree..
salvaged from an ancient velvet tapestry someone kindly gifted me a few years ago.
it was falling to pieces and i felt so happy to reincarnate it into this gown..

it felt quite perfect, and brought just the element i was seeking into the dress;
rich celestial symbols & shapes, trailing gold vines, and rows of tiny pyramids.
sometimes i don’t really see the essence in textiles until i am taking them apart.
the unravelling reveals so much.

the rest of the dress is made of black silk & decadent silk velvet, fit for a queen.
there are antique black jet beads stitched at the decollette`, black webs,
& precious gold buttons from the victorian era.

it brought tears to my eyes to see these two coming through the forest, in full regalia..
all alight with love & reverence for one another.. this is the first wedding i’ve done for friends,
and the first wedding i worked on, & actually attended. it was truly stunning to see my work
come to life in this ritual, on two people i love & admire. i felt so blessed. *s

for the last couple months i have been working on a very special wedding..
the union of two dear friends, each of whom are inspiring & magickal musicians.

this dress was made for Emit Idy, aka Nezzy Idy
he was my first Oakland friend.. we met 7+ years ago, back when i lived in Portland.

he has modeled for gibbous quite a few times since then, and i was quite gleeful when
asked to make his wedding gown.. see, i have Always wanted to make dresses for boys..
it was lovely to finally have the opportunity, especially on this scale.

i couldn’t fit the entire dress in pictures..
the back has a forked train that measures about 5 feet long.
at the wedding it was carried by two beautiful ladies, through the forest.

tis a Raven patchwork.. made entirely from reclaimed antique & vintage fabrics.
the decollette is stitched with tiny victorian jet beads, & black silk cording.

the train was fascinating to work on. it started as just a base of fabric,
and everyday more ruffles & foliage would grow over it.. slowly, slowly covering til it had
become another being entirely. one of cascades & tiers & tatters; someone i hadn’t met before.
i love the moment when a creation transcends materials & maker..
and transforms into it’s own creature. *s

i love this shot from Tracy & Mike’s wedding in Maine.. they are such a beautiful couple!
it’s a treat for me, to see where the clothes go.. if any of you have pictures of yourselves
in gibbous garments, please send them my way~ :) *s

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there’s quite a stash of pictures to share here..
i’ve been working non-stop for months, on many custom treasures.

this dress was a makeover project for the lovely author Kami Garcia

originally from all saints, it’s a lovely silk concoction..

but was quite matronly & unflattering in the fit. i rearranged it to be more feminine & elegant.

it looks beautiful on her now. :) *s

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i finished this ensemble last week.. a custom wedding dress for Tracy.

she loves the 1920′s-30′s, vintage carnival,
the Ziegfeld Follies, and burlesque costumes.
i worked at channeling that style into the dress.

made from reclaimed, antique & vintage fabrics..

cotton, silk, eyelet, linen, tattered precious lace..

gold metal thread in filigree, burgundy silk velvet, victorian mourning lace.

the cape closes with a tiny victorian button.

the decollette is stitched with silver beads saved from a 1920′s dress
& black jet beads from the 1800′s, scattered amongst gold metal vines.

here’s a shot of it in the beginning.. with my little muse Toby.

*s

*s

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