project designer, which is back (yay!), can be found here!: [link]

Name of Topic: "Black Magic"
Fabric(s): Silk and elastic for the dress, with black metal clasps at the waist. Leather for the boots, satin for the shoes.
Model: Hana
Description: A gathered dress styled to look almost like a jacket, made from a matte 100% silk to be ultra soft and just a little special. Scattered around the dress are laces, with silk cords, to add interest and texture. The "day" look is finished with an ornate thick black bangle, beaded dangle earrings, thigh-high sheer stockings with lace at the top and a flower and vine pattern, and finally a knee-high, high-heeled pair of leather boots. The "night" look is completed with black metal hoop earrings, a series of skinny bangles and ring, and strappy black high-heeled sandals.

This design had a lot of different incarnations. The traditional way to take something from day to night is to make it more skimpy, so being the oddball that I am who needs to be different, i decided to try to take a day look to night by adding pieces. That didn't work so well.

Next I thought that most people would be designing dresses, so i would try to design a pant look. I really think there's nothing sexier than a small flared slack...so i came up with this little thing: [link] and well, it was okay. That illustration is pretty cartoony so I guess you cant see the whole effect, but I thought that ensemble for night, and with a cropped jacket for day.

Then, I saw 'Marc Jacobs and Louis Vuitton'. It's a documentary about, of course, Marc Jacobs. It's amazing; an unbelievable look into the design process and the creative processes behind it. If you haven't seen it, I recommend that you do.

After I saw it, I went up to my room with a sketchbook and a box of markers and designed a line I call "Old Hat Lady in the Flower Garden". This piece comes from that line, although in there its a slate grey instead of black.

I don't care that it's a short dress like everyone else will do. It might not stand out, but I think when you're dressed in all black, it's good to be subtle. The fact is, this piece is perfect. It's conservative enough for the office, which is where I'm sure most women spend their days, but it's definitely stylish enough to go out clubbing with your girlfriends afterwards. It's sexy on its own, and doesn't require the person wearing it to be a size 0 and 5'4''. It also fits in with a lot of wardrobes-young to old.

I'm in love with this dress. Thank you Marc Jacobs for the inspiration. Couldn't have done it without you.




intuous tablet. open canvas 4.03. "Síðasti bærinn 5" by Kjartan Sveinsson. Pigeon costumes, mountains of flaming ice cream, mexico.