reality check

And so here it is, the new Star Trek clothing category shop banner! It's been a long process and as always interesting to see what comes out after all the work. Post conception, make up, hair styling and shoot, pictures are cropped and graphics are added. And suddenly there it is, gracing the shop! It is a great experience for a designer to see their clothing on a real person, far away from the mannequin that it's been fitted on, not to mention the impression of an initial sketch. A picture teaches you a lot about a garment and its fit and purpose and a final photo shoot definitely belongs to the process of fashion making. To see your clothing on models moving over the runway is an equally satisfying and eye opening experience for a designer. One that makes you better in your craft over time. Because you'll start to design with the end picture in mind, you are concerning yourself with the 'big picture" early on. You may even already think about pairing it with other garments and all this preoccupation will undoubtedly lead to a better end result and concept, if you will.

...Jessica Calle wearing the Mr. Spock Peplum Skirt by IdilViceFashionRocks, photo by Carl Posey...

We have to keep in mind that photos communicate. Pictures can sell something for example, but not only that, they can be helpful to a designer in many other ways too. Once a piece of clothing is worn by a model it says a lot more about itself then if it would be on a hanger or laying flat. You can see proportions and fit and the visual even gives you ideas about how to wear a certain piece. So yeah, definitely go ahead and take lots of pictures... my advice is to have a professional photographer take them (you've got plenty of other things to worry about during a shoot), because they have an understanding of light and proportion as well as location and concept, trust me: you do want that taken care of. After all,these photos are also going to serve you as an incredible souvenir from the past.

hippie summer fashion

Yes, I said I was real busy lately and had no time to write... je m'excuse! Nowadays in this economy it's no joke and if one wants to survive he or she better invests a damn large amount of time and sweat into the business. This blog is part of that business, but I admit: it's not priority. I just really love to write and talk about my business so I do want to continue posting when the time allows...

So, right now 2 of my main Bernina sewing machines are in for a tune up (as always in Spring, but one of them has an issue most likely bigger than a regular service can take care of, so I am just hoping my mechanic can take care of it sooner rather than later :/ and weirdly still today, after all these years, I am shocked to see empty tables when I walk by the sewing work space. I am simply not complete without these incredible tools. Well, hopefully there won't be any pressing fashion matters before Memorial Day... But, it's not all bad, because I do have some time to blog now!

I wanted to show you some of the images from our new Spring photo shoot. You'll see, my hippie inspiration continues... Jimi Hendrix on a fringed kaftan and a super hippie Madonna on a woven jacket! O.K. here we go: a couple new pictures from our Spring campaign:

NYC model Jessica Calle in the Madonna (Celebration) Woven Jacket, photo by Carl Posey.

Jess with guitar rockin' out in our purple Jimi Hendrix Kaftan Dress, photo Carl Posey.

So all you really have to do is slip on one of these, turn on the music and relax. Enjoy Summer time! If you are more into skirts, you'll digg our One-Of-A-Kind pleated minis or our fabulous floor length hippie patch work skirts... their all in our New Arrivals category.
O.K. guys and girls, stay tuned for more hippie treats this Season!


And "pssst", I 'm not really supposed to tell you yet, but in one of the next posts, I'll put the spot light on Zimmermann & de Perrot, a Swiss theater troupe which is really good. They had their US premier here in NYC earlier this month. Because Zimi (Martin Zimmermann) and Dimi (Dimitri de Perrot) are both friends and we were roommates in Zürich more than 20 years ago, I was invited. So you'll get the inside scoop and you'll see some images (with ballet dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov) from their NYC photo shoot with photographer Carl Posey.