Ok, so this is not a photo of Anne. As I write this, she is debuting her newest Made for Movement gown at the American Classic showcase tonight. And she came through for me with a photo from the event as requested!
When we began work on this gown, her ideas were "rock and roll" and "Spanish influence." Because she dances in formation with Karen, who owns a black gown, she wanted her dress to work with Karen's as well. We chose the pink addition to the black because it is very important to be visible on the floor and all the men are already wearing black, so black gowns must either be super sparkly, or have a color accent. That hot pink and black combo seems very "rocker" to me as well. The sparkle is achieved with black sequin cloth and will be supported by jet Swarovski crystals on the lace, which Anne will do for herself, (with my guidance, but she's had lots of experience on several previous gowns and does a great job!) keeping the cost of her look more resonable.The lace gave us a subtle Spanish feeling and Karen's black gown is primarily lace, so it's an additional tie-in for formation dancing. Do you see her ideas reflected here?
I enjoy working with all of my clients, but Anne is a special favorite. She is very trusting and collaborative and enters into our process with gentle ideas about what she wants, while allowing me lots of space in which to work as well. I think that is part of the success we have together. We met twice to design this gown, the first time got us close and the second meeting changed placement of components around to better serve the fabric use, The bow and lace godet developed as we worked together through fittings. Her relaxed trust and self confidence really allow us to stay fluid and try ideas as we go.
I am thinking she needs a pink rose for her hair!
For me, the best thing about this gown is the trendy skirt hem. I am seeing lots of beautiful, curly edge details this year in ballgown hems, and I am really pleased with this one. I kept spinning the dress form and being HUGELY pleased with the movement at the bottom. The pink organza underskirt is 4 times more full than the black satin chiffon over skirt, and the look is amazingly eye-catching. Fortunately, I think Anne uses her feet well as a dancer, so when the focus is on them, as it will be in this gown, the results will be flattering.
I'm also really pleased with Anne's necklace. This is the first demi-choker I've done for her, and it really works beautifully on her neck, and adds a touch of elegance to the look.
According to my records, this is the 8th custom gown I have created for Anne, and I am going to decorate this post with a few shots of some of our earlier projects.
That's Tom, Anne's partner and husband, and I also made (or to be more accurate, my partner Michele made) the suit he has on. The genesis of this gown was a shirt Anne owned and liked. And this one (below) was a personal favorite!
And here is one last gown, a more recent collaboration, with some details I really love!
This beautiful blue gown should be for sale soon, so if you are interested, give me a call and I'll see if I can have it ready for you to try on!
