One likes to believe in the freedom of music

If you live in the Phoenix metro area, you might have noticed an unusual building being constructed on the south side of Tempe Town Lake just west of the Mill Avenue bridge. That would be the new Tempe Center for the Arts and it is opening this year. Why am I blogging about this? Well, for one, I think the arts are incredibly important in our communities. Also, this evening I auditioned for the Tempe Symphony Orchestra and was accepted! I'll be sitting in the back like any rookie, but I'm looking forward to the challenge and excitement of performing in such a beautiful facility. Find out more about the TSO's upcoming concert season here.

The TCA is having a grand opening celebration on Sunday, September 9th. Come on down and take in free performances by Childsplay, Tempe Little Theater, Arizona Academy of the Performing Arts, Desert Dance Theatre, and others! Also, there will be an open rehearsal of the TSO Lakeside at 3PM. Look for me in the back row!

(By the way, this is not the surprise I was talking about in my previous post!)

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes

Hello to my faithful readers! (All three of you...) You have surely noticed that I have been remiss in my blogging of late. There is a valid explanation, I promise! Check back here in the next week and you'll see what I mean. I can't talk about it just yet because I don't want to jinx it, but it's very exciting!

Mysteriously Yours,
Rebecca

With a love like that you know you should be glad

You may not know it, but there is a whole industry out there that helps men (and women!) plan the perfect proposal. Although it's outside my area of expertise, I think that unique proposals can be really amazing and fun. I stumbled across this one today; I just love it!



You can read more about George and Sara's engagement at his blog here. Take note, guys! (And girls...)

Joining the world of missing persons

Quick update for those of you following the adventures of Miss W!

No, I have not forgotten about her. I've had to switch gears and work on a large bridesmaid dress project for a November wedding. Coincidentally, Miss W is one of said bridesmaids! So she and I will be getting to know each other very well over the next couple months.

But fear not, the next installment of Miss W's dress diary is not far off!

Hey little sister what have you done

There's a reason that Vh1 has about twenty different '80s nostalgia shows. We really do love the decade of big hair, bright makeup, and bad clothes. (God knows why!)

This weekend, I was lucky to be involved in an '80s wedding themed murder mystery dinner, courtesy of Two Be Wed and FireSky Resort. These are just a couple shots of me and Rhonda.


See more at The Invitation Lady's blog! We had a lot of fun and the resort was beautiful, as always. Thanks KT!

When you wish upon a star

Once upon a time, a young-ish girl heard that Disney teamed up with a wedding gown designer to create a line of wedding gowns inspired by the Disney princesses. She searched online, far and wide, but to no avail. Finally, one day, she traveled to the land of Google and found that the day had arrived. And many brides would live happily ever after.

Okay, so I have been looking forward to seeing the collection for a long time, and it's finally available. (Actually it has been for a little while now, but I've been busy blogging about Miss W!)

From designer Kirstie Kelly, the Disney Bridal collection includes gowns inspired by Cinderella, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Jasmine, Ariel, and Belle. I think it's a fun way to have that fairytale element while still having an elegant look.


I also like this idea because, as a designer, I am constantly drawing inspiration from many different sources- fashion icons, cultural ideas, fantastic textures and patterns, etc. This collection is interesting because I can see from where the inspiration came.

Anything you love can inspire a great design- even something beloved from childhood. Your only limit is your imagination!

Boy, you gotta carry that weight

I just bought a great book by the costume curator at the Kyoto Costume Institute. Check it out here- it's pretty amazing. I love fashion history; the more you study it, the more you realize that the history of clothing is really the history of the human race and all its different and diverse cultures.

What is my point? Well, this book is filled with fantastic photography and details, including this photo of a late 16th century French corset. It's made out of iron. Can you believe women used to wear stuff like this every day?

Fortunately, we have come a long way since those days. Miss W's wedding gown has a built-in support foundation but it is lightweight and flexible- much more comfortable than an iron cage! I use several pieces of plastic boning to give the bodice its structure and shape, then finish the back closure with hooks and eyes.

What this does is take a lot of stress off the dress itself. If you've ever worn a wedding gown, or certain kinds of formal gowns, you know how heavy they are. You have several yards of dress fabric, several yards of lining, several yards of underlining. You may have beads or trim. You may have a long train. All of these materials add up; some wedding dresses could weigh more than twenty pounds! The foundation is tight and secure around the torso, and supports the weight of the dress. Additionally, there will be minimal slipping, so Miss W won't have to be hitching it up all night (you girls all know how irritating that is!)

Anyway, going back to the start of this post, the next time you have to wear pasties or Spanx, think about how much worse it could be, and be thankful. I know I am!

You're so vain

Tag, I'm it! Evidently there's a viral chain letter of sorts circling the blogosphere. Cicely tagged me, so I'm supposed to post eight interesting things about myself and then tag eight more people to do the same. Sadly, I'm so new to blogging that everyone I know has already gotten this! If you read this and want to get in on the Eight Levels of Narcissism, let me know and I'll update this post with a link to your blog.

Eight interesting (sort of) things about me:

1. I am an Arizona native
2. I play the viola (that's the one that's bigger than a violin, smaller than a cello)
3. My first job was working in the pro shop at a small golf course in Mesa when I was fifteen
4. I'm currently growing a second head. (Seriously- this pimple is unbelievable!)
5. I lived in New York City during 9/11
6. The weirdest thing in my house is a pinata shaped like a pirate wearing a tiara.
7. I'm half Chinese
8. The first thing I ever sewed was a nightgown when I was eight years old

Okay, so this is the part that I list the eight people I'm passing this along to. Which right now, is no one. Help!

Oh, and by the way, no one else send this to me, please! It took me forever to come up with just these eight things!

Pretty woman give your smile to me

Success! The first fitting with Miss W has come and gone without a hitch. Only a minor adjustment in the bodice needed. The next step is to take apart and recut so the pieces can be used to mark and cut the dress fabric. I'll also be adding boning to the foundation to make it nice and stiff and secure.


The next fitting should be a lot more fun; the dress will actually look like a dress! I know Miss W is looking forward to it, and so am I!

Many times I've wondered how much there is to know

A quick note for those who are interested- the Jewel Couture website has been updated with new photos from previous clients' weddings as well as the January bridal show. (More photos here, courtesy of Rhonda Lewis Photography) A special thanks to Will at Highrise Creative for his fantastic work and creativity! Will, I would be lost without you!

Another note of interest: on Friday I had my lovely assistant Anna going through my sketch file. These are all the sketches I've done for clients over the last four years. I was struck by how many there were- a couple hundred! We had them spread over my cutting table, trying to get them organized, and this funny, unfamiliar feeling sprung up inside me. I think it might have been pride. Ha ha.

For those of you who know me, you know how unusual it is for me to feel that- I just kind of go along, doing my thing, without really stopping to look back at what I've accomplished. But it just struck me that this sketch file not only represents everything I've done, but how much I've learned and grown, both as a designer and a business owner. It's kind of cool!

You can never get enough of this stuff; it's Friday, I'm in love

Miss W's fabric arrived yesterday! The yummy satin and delicate organza will have to wait though, until the bride comes in to try on the foundation and lining. Below are the pieces of lining, cut and ready to put together. (My mischievous little girl Ophelia wanted to help, so I let her do some measuring!)



I usually will go ahead and cut and stitch the lining for the first fitting, then I can mark any necessary changes, take it apart, and use the adjusted pieces as patterns for the "real" fabric. This process is traditionally called making a muslin, since muslin fabric is inexpensive and a good choice to use for a mock-up. This way, the more expensive fashion fabric can be saved from any errors.


At this point, I'm ready to have the bride come in and get fitted. I may or may not take pictures of the fitting; it depends on Miss W's comfort level. But either way, I'll be back soon with an update!

Girls just wanna have fun

Have to give another shout out to Cicely at Life Design Event Planning for putting together another opportunity to share green wedding tips with Valley brides. This morning we were on Fox 10 News; you can read more about it on Cicely's blog, and see the spot here (video).

Thanks again, Cic! You have fantastic style!

We've only just begun

I have a confession to make. I don't have any formal training in patternmaking. When I was at FIT, I was a styling major, not a fashion design major, so I didn't have the opportunity to take any drafting classes. Luckily, when I worked for ASU's theater department making costumes, I had the chance to learn a lot about garment construction. Additionally, I learned a lot about working with many different body types.

Today, while I don't draft all my patterns from scratch, I do have the ability to take existing patterns and alter them to my specifications. That's going to be my approach with Miss W's dress. I'm using a pattern from my library and making changes to it, so that it not only corresponds to our final design, but also fits her body perfectly. I'm still waiting for the fabric to come in, but when it does, I'll be ready to proceed.


I've already drafted, cut, and stitched the pieces for the bodice foundation, as you can see. It's kind of like a built-in corset, and it gives the dress the proper structure and stability needed in such a heavy garment. I think I've gone as far as I can for now; I'll have to wait for the fabric before I can do anything else.

Shine down on me satin queen

I am always excited at the beginning of a project (as opposed to the end, when I've been looking at it for months and just want to get it out of my studio!)

Fortunately, I am ready to start working on Miss W's wedding gown! Fabric has been selected and ordered. We went with a beautiful creamy duchess satin as the main dress fabric. It's 100% silk, which I always recommend for bridal gowns, and has a wonderful hand and luster. The shrug will be a delicate silk organza, crisp enough to hold its shape but soft and sheer enough to move and breathe. Finally, the lace is a unique silver floral motif, heavier than typical bridal laces. I think the contrast will be gorgeous.

In the meantime, I'll be drafting the patterns so they're ready to go when the fabrics arrive. Check back soon for more!

Did you ever have to make up your mind

One of the things I love about what I do is seeing my ideas become reality. Going from the flat illustration and fabric swatch to a real, three-dimensional gown that someone is going to wear on the most important day of her life is a real treat. And now, you will get to experience it too, as today kicks off Diary of a Dress.

One of my lovely brides, Miss W, has graciously agreed to the project, so over the next six months, we'll be posting notes and photos of her wedding gown throughout the process.

Miss W and I first met to discuss design ideas. Some of the photos she brought to show me are pictured here:



Left to right, these are designs from Anne Barge, Monique Lhuillier, and Lazaro. Miss W liked the ruching element in the bodice of Anne Barge's gown, as well as the metallic embellishment under the bust. The Monique Lhuillier gown was the perfect example of a delicate wrap that she was envisioning- something to cover her shoulders and upper arms, but still with that bare feeling- very soft and sexy! Finally, the waistband from Lazaro's gown showed the heavy, densely patterned applique style that attracted Miss W's interest. Other design elements she was interested in were the wrapped or crossover bodice, an A-line skirt, and a possible applique or embroidery around the hem.

Keeping these ideas in mind, I worked on some drawings for Miss W. Following are some of the designs I proposed:

I included a sheer shrug or bolero in each design, knowing how important that was to Miss W. I showed a variety of ways to use lace or appliques, whether allover, or just in some places. I also included some variations on the ruching and the wrapped look.

Miss W liked all the designs but one was clearly the frontrunner. We made a couple of adjustments, and ended up with the final design:

Working from the original design, we added the metallic lace applique to the dropped waist and to the hem to complete Miss W's wedding gown design. We were done with the first step (whew!)

Next up: fabric!

It's the new Mother Nature taking over

Thanks in part to activists like former VP Al Gore, this country is finally starting to pay attention to the environment and the damage that we cause it on a daily basis. You may have noticed the terms "green" and "eco-friendly" being attached to everything from filmmaking to transportation.

Well, the good news is, you can have a green wedding too! My friend and colleague Cicely Rocha Miller of Life Design Event Planning recently appeared on local news Channel 12 to share ideas for making your special day an environmentally friendly one.

The spot also featured a dress from Jewel Couture. The information on this dress did not make it into the spot, but it also is green. The fabric and lining are both 100% silk, a natural fiber, and are undyed. Dyed fabric requires much more processing, both chemical and mechanical, so a natural undyed fiber is great for the environmentally conscious. Also, the gown is handmade. No factories or industrial machines were used in its manufacture.

I'm no expert, but I'm sure it's almost impossible to have a true, 100% green wedding. However, it is possible to limit the damage by using alternatives such as the ones Cicely talks about here (video).

Props to Cic for a creative and insightful look at how we can design our most important events to be compatible with Mother Earth!

Welcome back my friends, to the show that never ends

After much poking and prodding, I am on the blog bandwagon! I hope to update at least once or twice a week with new fashion trends or interesting wedding info. I'll also post any news about Jewel Couture and the projects that we have going.

How did I get into this? After deciding to sew my own prom dress in high school (a not-entirely-ill-fated project), I found out that A.) you should practice a little before diving right into formalwear, and B.) secondhand metal zippers are not the best choice for a satin evening gown.

Fortunately, I recovered from that experience and went on to make veils and bridesmaid dresses for friends who were getting married. Four years later, here I am, self-employed and helping the Valley's brides complete their dream weddings with custom gowns and accessories.

Check back periodically to see what's going on! I know I will...