** Due to hard-drive failure, I am resurrecting an old blog post today, following a conversation I have had with my Husband. Fear not regular readers! Mr Apple Store has it all in hand and this be a minor glitch. Ill be back soon 
*
I am very pleased to report that the my darling boy is turning his hand back to his one true passion~ creating beautiful dresses.
My Husband graduated in fashion design from Northumbria University in 1999, and had his own Princes Trust and Arts Council funded business for 2 years, designing and producing high-fashion and bespoke ladies wear, for private clients and exclusive boutiques. The images below are from his last collection…
His dresses were always so feminine and elegant and timeless in design. He attended a 6-month long placement/internship with bespoke shoe-maker (then located in Scotland) Paul Harnden, and was hugely inspired by Charles James when it came to designing his graduate collection.
He had orders as far and wide as Italy and Hong Kong.Prior to this, he was the right-hand to Scott Henshall (I was at that London Fashion Week catwalk show thats in that video and went back stage with Hubby to see Scott, it was all rather busy!). The lovely boy later designed for Mulberry (which was rather fabulous, as I got free Mulberry cashmere on a regular basis!). Unfortunately however, for a number of reasons largely related to getting involved with a bad business partner and a lack of inexpensive opportunities available to help promote the business, my talented Husband had to depart from his dream and move on to different things. It was a different time, when Etsy and all the other wonderful online social networking fantasticness that make it easy to connect with potential buyers and network with like minded creative folk, like Facebook and didnt exist.
It was a horribly unpleasant thing for him to have to do, following 8 years of study into fashion and the level of commitment he had thrown into making the business work. It was especially hard as the business had been his lifes dream, and because he is a very talented creative type.
However, sad times no more people. Callings for this talented Fashion Designers skills to be put to the test again are being heard once more…
Aside from a recent flurry of design commissions, he has recently been asked to design 3 beautiful Bridesmaids dresses, to compliment a Bride wearing Jenny Packham no less.Now thats a tall order indeed! But were talking abouta man totally obsessed with only the very finest offabrics, with a passion for pattern-cutting, andan obsession for producing only the most meticulously crafted of garments.
Back in the pre-Motherhood days, when I was a good 20lbs lighter than I am now (ouch!!), I recall standing like a statue for hours, whilst he fit a toile of his latest creation on me. He would beknelt down in front of me, pin between his teeth,snipping away at the fabric here and there whilst he pinned me to within an inch of my life. A week or two later, there would be the most stunning and beautifully constructed bias cut dresshanging on the rails in a sumptuous french silk or something. What a clever boy indeed. He and his lovely Chilean seamstress, Maria, are one creative force to be reckoned with.
So, the spare room, whose walls are awash with inspirational images ripped out of magazines, and which has been equipped, for the past 5 years, with pattern cutting table, Kennet & Lindsall Tailors Dummy, reels (and I mean, reels!) ofexquisite fabric, industrial over-locker, industrial and domestic sewing machine and all manner of haber-dash goodieslined up neatly (in an OCD kind of way – my Husband is like that…) in plastic boxes in drawers, isgoing to come to come alive again soon, as the working design studio!
Even more excitingly, The Hubby and I had a chat last night and Im positively encouraging him to consider starting making one off pieces and selling them on Etsy. He has only very recently ventured out of the world of luddite and started exploring the phenomenon that is MAC computer (the 20″ screened beauty sits in pride of place in the previously mentioned design studio) and is getting his head around how fabulous the world wide web can be for putting creative people like himself in touch with like minded folk, and potential customers. I dont think he gets the whole Facebook and thing just yet, but theres plenty of time yet.
Exciting times in the Love My Dress household indeed…
It is lovely being married to a Fashion Designer. I love the creative insight, the eye for finer detail and the sense for caring (I mean, properly caring) for each individual garment my Husband has helped me to develop.
Have a lovely Friday afternoon folks
See more Musings here….
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