A Pause

Over the past six months I have taken a little pause from fashion design, due to some very sad personal issues that have left me a bit stunned and sedated, and kind of disconnected from my creative side. However a pause is just a pause, and I do believe deep down that there is an amazing collection coming out of me very soon for 2014. Stay tuned....

Epic Tutu

A good friend, Sandy Bambi from Grateful Dreads Salon (who did the AAAAMAZING hair for my collection in Detroit Design Festival last year) commissioned me to custom make a tutu that she wanted to give as a gift for a friend who is a ballerina. Her requests were  - purple, black, and VERY big, poufy "stage ready". I was pretty excited about this one, and since i'm no stranger to making tutus, I decided to take a few photo of the process.

So, tulle is not that easy to work with. It sticks to everything (including itself) and comes with guaranteed static cling. But I like a challenge, maybe that's why I've done so many tutu variations, just to force myself to get good at something difficult. 

For this particular skirt, because Sandy asked for it to be very full and dramatic, I decided to use double the layers that I've done in the past. This one has 12 layers! 

Essentially what I did was sew 3 skirts - 4 layers each, each layer was 3 yards long of tulle, shirred together. Then sew those layers together. Now I don't claim this to be the "correct" way to make a tutu - the head costume designer for the New York City Ballet would probably jump all over the chance to tell me this is the wrong way to make a tutu. But I was trained in Fashion Design, not sewing or tailoring. Luckily FIT is one of the few schools that also requires you to take 2 sewing classes before you graduate if you are majoring in Fashion Design - but they can't possibly cover everything. So I do the best I can with the knowledge I have - but I am by no means an expert at tailoring or the "right" way to do everything. 

3 skirts!

And, the finished product. It actually looks so much prettier in person - the tulle is a beautiful plum color that has a bit of sparkle to it. It ties with a 3'' thick double faced satin black ribbon. My studio is so dark, it's hard to get a great photo of anything down there. I drop it off to Sandy tomorrow! Hopefully she loves it. 

And as a homage to my past, here are some other tutu's I've done:

Black Pancake Tutu (Spring 2011)

Gray Classical Tutu (Spring 2011)

White Swan (Spring 2011)

Black Swan (Spring 2011)

Lace Tutu (Fall 2010)

Accessories, leather, and more... for under $50??

Ahh, I've been so bad with updating! Right now I am working on adding an accessories section to my etsy site, and aiming to keep all items in this section under $50. Some of the new things to look forward to are detachable collars and peplum belts - which are perfect additions to your current wardrobe. I'm also working on many special new items using recycled leather.

Black Leather Peplum Wrap, $45

Black leather and polka dot organza collar, $35

Theatre Bizarre Costume Design

This October I had the pleasure of working on the Theatre Bizarre Costume Design team for the second year in a row, and this year was especially memorable. I met with the artist and creator behind Theatre Bizarre, Mr. John Dunivant, who showed me a few sketches for costumes he was interested in having me design for the big event. I was extremely honored and so excited to create the costumes from his vision.

The photos below are of a three piece costume I made for Amber, who was a belly dancer who was also 7 months pregnant. Her act involved some belly dancing, in which she removed layers of the costume, and some eating of a baby. It was awesome. The first three photos are John's sketches, and the last photos of the costume I made. The final photo is Amber performing at Theatre Bizarre.

The other costume I made was for the door greeter. She had a feather neck piece and belt, a corset (the first authentic corset I have ever made), a lace under shirt, and a ball gown type skirt with an open front,  (a coochie curtain, is what I think we called it, LOL.) I'm especially proud of the work that went into this one. The lace is hand sewn to the bottom of the skirt, and I made little pillows and sewed them into the hips of the skirt so it would stand out when she wore it like in the sketch.

Below is John's sketch, some shots of the costume, and then Lisa wearing it.

(The two photos below were taken by John Wiley of Photastic Images)

Definitely an incredible night. The people who run Theatre Bizarre are some of the nicest most fun and inspiring people to work with. I look forward to continuing to work with them on costuming for many many years to come, as there is no project that is nearer and dearer to my heart.

And of course I made myself something for the party....

I wish I could just live in Theatre Bizarre World forever. Sigh.....

Detroit Design Festival Closing Party

The Detroit Design Festival Closing Party "Runway Detroit, presented by Detroit by Design this past Sunday, marked the launch of my new collection. It was so much fun to finally see these looks walk down the runway. 

Along side designers Fotoula Lambros, Anastasia Chatzka, Emily Thornhill of Homeslice and Angela McBride of Peace Love Spandex, and an excellent student show from AIDT, it really made for a great showcase of Detroit's talent. Below are some behind the scenes photos from the event. Special thanks to Chastity Tappen from Blank Canvas Detroit and her assistant Brandi Myree for the beautiful make up and Sandy Bambi from Grateful Dreads for her wicked hair styles. Also couldn't have done it without Rebecca Voigt's styling assistance, and obviously, all 11 of my beautiful models. Thank you everyone who helped make this show amazing. It was an honor to be a part of this. 

September Events

The new collection is going to be shown all over the Detroit Design Festival in the month. September is truly the month for fashion. See a preview, at this great fundraising event hosted by Workroom at Eastern Market After Dark.

Sent all the event details and RSVP for Haute After Dark here!

If you are a model and interested in being a part of this great show, the open model call is this Saturday, Sept 8th. Details below: 

***RUNWAY MODEL CALL***
 Open call for industry standard female models ( 5’7”+, Sizes 2-4 )
 MUST BE Age 18+, No escorts please.
 OPEN CASTING: Saturday, September 8th @ 2:00PM - 4:00PM
Whip Hand Cosmetics (615 N Mill Rd, Plymouth)
EVENT DATE: Thursday, September 20th Runway 10:30PM
LOCATION: Hair & Makeup will be done in Corktown, Detroit
---- Event is at Eastern Market After Dark –
 WORKROOM NIGHT OUT Fashion Runway Showcase

 Please arrive at casting with black heels, form-fitting clothing, natural and clean hair & makeup.
Must be available for date of event from hair & makeup call time (est. 6PM) until end of show. A great selection of local designers will be showcasing their designs for this runway event. This event will also be a benefit to raise money for a local children's sports group charity fund. Hair is sponsored by Alex Emilio Salon, Makeup by Whip Hand Cosmetiques.

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And lastly, I will be showing my new collection in it's entirety at the Detroit Design Festival Closing Party, which takes place at 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, September 23rd. I am so excited about this - these clothes have been waiting months to walk down a runway.

  Event details can be found here.

You must RSVP and purchase a ticket to attend the event, and don't delay, limited availability!

Trashion Art Exhibit

I'm very excited to be a part of this upcoming show at the Whitdel Arts Gallery. I have been working all summer on my piece and am very satisfied with how it turned out. See the event information and my artist's statement below for more information. The opening ceremony is Friday, August 10th, from 6-9 p.m. The exhibit runs through September 1st. You can find more information also on the facebook event page.

Styleline Magazine, August Issue 2012

A few months ago, I was included in a photoshoot feature for Styleline Magazine, featuring "Detroit's Hottest Designers" - 7 of us and our models gathered in one of my own personal favorite bars, The Oakland - for the photoshoot. We were told that in addition to the feature, in which each designer was photographed with our model - we all also had a shot at the cover, and the best photo would win. I woke up Friday morning to discover a post on facebook from the model who wore my look, Kelly Kirstein, announcing that we had gotten the cover look. So exciting! Here are the photos, and definitely check out the entire spread here at Styleline Mag dot com (starts on pg. 62) , and it's also in stores now. Congrats also to my fellow designers Luke Song, Emily Thornhill, Anna Tyler, Fotoula Lambros, Jolie Altman, and Julie Lindsay for such a beautiful spread. I felt so lucky to be included among such talent.

(Details on purchasing this cover look from my Fall 2012 Collection, are inside the magazine, along with a nice little write up on me. Thanks Styleline!)

Loooooook Book P R E V I E W

I am working on a big project this summer with my creative family. The finished product isn't done yet, but when it is, I promise it's going to blow minds. We are doing something extra special with these images, but since we needed them anyway, I'm using the photos for my lookbook this year in addition to what we're doing to "transform" them. I wish so bad I could tell more, but it's a surprise. ;) I got two previews back, and WOW. I'm super stoked over how amazing they are. I'd expect nothing less from this team though -

Photography: Michelle Matiyow Hair: Kristina Marra Make up: Andrea Duchesneau Model: Maeve Styling: Rebecca Voigt Design: Kelly Lynne

My dress is in the July Issue of Styleline

Check out this month's (July) issue of Styleline Magazine for a gorgeous spread by photographer Lians Jadan and Rebecca Voigt Fashion Styling. My dress is paired with an Alexander McQueen Scarf and Christian Louboutin Shoes on page 64 of the Magazine. Check it out now online!