The Weekend, Revisited

My weekend was a pretty busy one this time around. 

I've been working seemingly non-stop on pattern drafting and preparing samples.

Since I no longer work out of a separate studio space for the time being, work has started to find itself in places throughout my apartment. That would be patterns hanging from my patio curtain rod- how chic.

And remember when I told you I'd share the less than glamorous parts of this whole situation?  This is what became of my living room this weekend. As the number of patterns hanging kept growing, and the light became more sparse. 

In a more beautiful turn of events, I went to a promo runway show- saw some Summer looks to get the creative juices flowing for my own summertime styling.

The mens looks were also great- I wish there were more guys who would step outside of their wardrobe uniforms to put together fantastic, yet practical looks like this.

The models had great shoes, too! Great attention to accessories detailing throughout the show.

Hope you had a beautiful weekend! Welcome, new week.

Business (Ad)ventures

One of the biggest struggles I've had to deal with since I started working to produce this line was figuring out the beast that is fabric sourcing.  Believe me when I say it's rough.

I'll slowly start discussing the details and such of the business and line (such a tease, I know), but let me tell you that finding fabric with just the right assortment, quality, and price that I need is asking for a small miracle from the textile gods.  I'm learning a bunch, but I don't want to make any missteps and wind up with hundreds of yards of extra fabric just lying around. Those would be some expensive remnants.

In trying to use my local resources as much as possible, I went on a little sourcing adventure with a visiting (and unsuspecting) friend from out of town.  I'm a bad friend sometimes, yes. Provider of unique adventures? Absolutely.

Ready for the challenge, dressed like Rosie the Riveter, we set out. "We Can Do It!"

We spent a few hours going through all sorts of textures and colors, assorting looks to be cohesive but offer a nice variety.  I went in with the intention of coming out with lots of swatches to figure it out later.  Somehow, I left with not a single swatch, yet bolts and yardage of some beautiful woven fabrics.

You can expect so see some of this fanciness again rather soon (hint, hint).  Mission: Complete.  For now...

The Big Announcement

Hi and welcome back! For all of those who have been asking and waiting patiently for the return of this blog, thanks and the time has come.  A lot of questions you may have are answered in the video below- just thought it may be nice to hear it all from my actual voice, not of the written variety this time around.

Also, I wanted to mention that this will exist as a series of sorts with multiple types of media content so that you can follow the journey with images, video, or whatever else I come up with.  Check back from time to time for the "From 0 to Something" series.  There is already so much that I want to catch you up to speed on, like what I did to design, my work process, and more.  And of course, the actual details of the line will be revealed to the you in good time.  It's an exciting concept that I'm looking forward to sharing!

Thanks to everyone who has been ultra supportive of my work and decisions; your words, actions, and more have been game changing.  It's time to live the dream, and do it stylishly.

New Year Resolutions

In my last post, I mentioned that with the passing of my birthday, I made some "new year" resolutions if you will. There are some really big ideas and plans I have on deck from now until next January 27, but I wanted to share the resolutions that will help get me there.

CREATE. THEN DO IT SOME MORE.

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I have so many ideas floating around upstairs, and I need to make sure I take the time I need design and get my work where I want it to be. There are so many little things that take up my free time and it seems like lately getting some solid design & do-time is getting pushed to the wayside. Now is the time to think, make, do, then do it better.

SET GOALS WEEKLY. LIVE THEM, LOVE THEM.

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I've got big ideas and lots of exciting projects and opportunities I'm working on this year. The only way to make them happen and keep me on track is to make sure I break it down into manageable steps. So I guess we can call it pacing myself; a fast pace, that is.

MAKE SMALL GESTURES. OFTEN.

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I really love when people do small things; they always seem like the biggest deal. I want to be that person who sends simple notes to people because I am thinking about them. I want to give gifts with beautifully handmade packaging. I want to cook dinner for friends. I want to let people know I notice the nice little things about them, because I always do. They are simple, inexpensive, but truly important moments and experiences I can create for others. I appreciate small gestures, so it's time to be the change I wish to see in the world.

Meet Laura

If you spend a considerable amount of time with me (or in my facebook albums), you'll see that once I find a shape that I love, it shows up in many different ways. My staple for the past few years: a cap-sleeve sheath dress... with pockets.

I've made this dress in silky black, knitted mint green, and countles

s other fabric perutations of it. Seriously, I can't stop.

Recently I picked up a great fabric by Marimekko (which I could also go on and on about). I even made a fabric rosette headband with the remnants because I loved it so much. Possibly a full mini to come as well.... but I digress.

Instead of leaving the dress as is this time around, I decided it would look great as a shorter dress, and even a tunic! So with some carefully calculated button placement:

The Laura Dress

If you are one to see me around town, get ready to see this (and lovely versions of it) all the time.