Fashion Trials

It has been 11 days since I posted something new. And I hope that there are people out there still interested in traveling with me as I navigate the road to fashion superstardom.

This was a trying week that ended in triumph. No, I did not win Lotto. But I did start Monday in panic mode when I had to dismiss yet another tailor. When they say that good help is hard to find, they aren't kidding. My tailor, apparently, entered into a subcontract with a woman who was to sew my pieces. And initially, everything was fine. She created the muslin (a version of the dress in a cotton fabric that is used for fitting purposes before rendering it in the actual material) for two of the looks and we had a first fitting with my model, Valencia. But then two weeks passed without further progress. In fact, she was supposed to be on site to have more fittings and discuss any issues about the design details, but she never showed up. So when I met with my tailor and the seamstress at 1 p.m. this Monday past, I was not a happy camper. Long story short, after a nasty confrontation, I left panic-stricken with all my fabric, my $300 deposit, and nothing to show for that month of work. I scrambled to a nearby internet cafe struggling to carry the bolts of fabric so I could log onto my email. I had the forethought to place an ad on craigslist for a freelance tailor/seamstress when things started going downhill with my longtime dressmaker. Having already received responses from the posting, it was imperative to parcel the work out immediately. After all, I am on a deadline. What ensued that Monday afternoon was sheer craziness. I was shuttled by NYC taxis and subways from 57th street and 8th avenue down to 11th street and 2nd avenue back up to 37th street and 8th avenue and back down to 11th street and 2nd avenue and onto the theatre at 59th street between Park & Madison avenues in time for a 6 o'clock dramatic reading. Wheww! You know it's hard out here for a pimp! On Wednesday afternoon, I met with Evan, who hails from Louisville, KY, at the Starbucks at Atlantic Avenue mall in downtown Brooklyn. He will be completing the last look for me. He is the fourth and final clothier in my menagerie of freelance seamstresses and tailors. At least, that is what I hope.

On Thursday afternoon during a 4 hour period, Valencia and I raced from 37th street and 8th avenue to 11th and 2nd avenue and then up to 135th street off Lenox Avenue in Harlem. Each stop consisted of a quick strip down of her clothes and a slip on of my pieces where she was pinned, marked, and ordered to sashay in sky-high platform sandals. And I am pleased so far with the workmanship and the look of each piece and each muslin. I know this collection is going to knock 'em dead. I am triumphant.

Peace & Fashion!