Yuletide Blahs

Okay, so I was going to upload photos of some of New York City's most fabulous Christmas windows.  Festive, right?  Then I spotted The NY Times coverage of holiday windows.  I had been scooped!  So that idea bit the dust.  Then I wondered what I would put in this space.  I grappled with different ideas, but the truth of the matter is that for the past couple of days I've been plagued with the Yuletide Blahs.  With my pockets quite empty and my phone number on heavy rotation among bill collectors, the spirit of Christmas was passing me over and the Grinch's spirit was hovering like a dark cloud.  When I groaned to my zipper guy, Rory, the owner of  Archer Zippers, he revealed that he is going through a financially challenging moment, too.  "Wilbur, we're all going through it," he bellowed from behind his desk surrounded by heaps and mounds of #5 metal teeth zippers.  This revelation was only mildly comforting.  But then as I began to go through my daily grind, I started to adjust my perspective.  And it helped, too, that when I tweeted my beleaguered gift-buying status, I received an outpouring of empathy from followers and friends who have found themselves in similar situations.

So that gold bracelet I was eyeing for my honey and those diamond earrings I'd love to purchase for my mother are going to have to wait until my salad days are over.  As my pastor says, "This is only a temporary situation."  So I have bid adieu to my Yuletide Blahs and I am embracing the JOY of the season.  It's just not worth the stress.  Besides, 2012 is going to be a monetarily rewarding year.  I can just feel it!

Peace & Fashion!

The Dealio

Sheila Rule

I am in the midst of writing my memoir.  My friends Sheila Rule and Marcia Fingal, whom I hold in incredibly high esteem, have given me such invaluable input and I've called on them on several occasions for their expertise.  After over twenty years, Sheila retired from her career as a journalist for The New York Times newspaper to begin the second chapter of her life as the owner of Resilience Multimedia, a publishing company that gives voice to the plight of  the incarcerated and formerly incarcerated.  Marcia, a  graduate of Rutgers University with a degree in journalism, is righting the wrongs of social injustice through her work as a documentary filmmaker as she continues her career as a commercial model.

Marcia Fingal & Wilbur

Although some of their comments have been tough with very little consideration paid to my delicate artist's ego, I know that they are dispensed with the purest of intentions.  My ladies want to see me write the best book  I possibly can.  And I am grateful for that.  They have challenged me to go deep and dig through some of the unpleasant memories of my past.  But I've also been able to relive so many of  the moments when I've experienced joy or felt a sense of accomplishment.

Someone asked me why did I think my memoir will be a book that people will want to read.  And while I don't think that my life is extraordinary, I believe that I have a fine way of telling a story.  Besides, my experiences speak to the experiences of many who have dreamed a different, more fulfilled life for themselves, who have mustered the courage to pursue those dreams, and who have weathered the storms - those obstacles that, in the end, strengthen our resolve so that we become better, more resilient individuals.  I would like to have the book completed by summer's end so that I can begin to see if there is interest at some of the established publishing houses.  Even if I have to self-publish, it is a story I look forward to sharing with all of you.

Peace & Fashion!

How Precious

Late last year I wrote about how I wanted to dress Gabourey Sidibe, the lead actress from the film "Precious" (http://iamfabulous-ablackfashiondudesodyssey.blogspot.com/2009/12/hold-up-santa.html), for the upcoming awards season. With her full figure, she may seem like an unlikely celebrity for me to have a fervent desire to clothe, but her spirit, confidence, and talent are an intoxicating persuasion. Besides, I embrace the curvy girl because of the beautifully robust women who populate my family and my circle of friends. So after I called the film's distributor, Lionsgate, in California and was able to procure her manager's contact info, Ashanti, my company's marketing & communications director, immediately drafted an email that included sketches and photos of my work. About a week or so passed and we heard nothing, so Ashanti began to call. When Gabourey's manager did respond, she wrote in an email that she had forwarded the images to the star's stylist. Fortunately, she included the stylist's name. Unfortunately, she did not include the stylist's contact info. After several Google searches failed to yield that information, I turned to my diva friend Josette who is a fabulous public relations pro. But even with her access to industry-specific search engines, she could not track down the stylist. But she did find an online resource that charged a nominal fee that might produce the missing morsel of information we so desperately needed. Armed with my debit card, I dutifully registered as a user of the site. As soon as I was allowed access, I typed in the stylist's name and up popped her email and her phone number. BINGO! Even her list of celebrity clients, which, of course, included Gabourey, was revealed. So Ashanti crafted another email and away it went. A week passed and we still heard nothing. Silence really is quite common, but after almost 12 years in the industry I still find it unnerving. While we waited for the stylist, Linda M., to respond to us, I discovered that Gabourey and the film's director, Lee Daniels, were to give a discussion at The New York Times event space. How serendipitous! I immediately bought 2 tickets online. I began to visualize how Gabourey and I would meet and become fast friends and how she would trust me the way my sister does to create glamorous frocks for her. And she would wear my gowns exclusively the way Renee Zellweger wears Carolina Herrera. Talk about an active imagination! But there was work to be done. Ashanti and I collectively decided that she would wear the denim gown I designed for her last year since we were proposing gown designs for Gabourey. Never mind the talk was to take place at 12 in the afternoon. It would certainly make a statement! We really didn't know if we would be given the opportunity to approach her, but we were stepping out on faith. Caught up in a crazy schedule, I forgot to actually put a package together to give her. So late Friday, the night before the discussion, I culled together sketches and fabric swatches and made plans to race and have color copies of 6 of my most elegant designs made and place them in matte boards so that they would resemble works of art. I ran to Staples and to the art supply store and hailed a cab to get back to Staples to pick up the copies. I made it to The New York Times auditorium in record time. Ashanti was already sitting in the front row resplendent in my gown. We tied the 6 works of art together in a scarlet grosgrain ribbon and anxiously awaited the arrival of Lee and Gabourey. They received a standing ovation before the lively and informative discussion began. Gabourey was every bit of the down-to-earth starlet I had watched on Oprah, Jay Leno, and Live with Regis & Kelly. And I found Lee's outlook on things similar to mine. When the discussion was opened up for questions from the audience, I quickly walked to the mic. Although I was last to speak, I feel like I brought a distinct quality to what I had to say. "Good Afternoon," I started. "My name is Wilbur. I am a fashion designer and I want to dress YOU, Gabourey." She answered with a good-natured confidence, "Yeah, you do." After I directed my question to Lee, I made my way back to my seat as his eyes followed me to my front row perch. The talk was over and after a few light bulbs flashed with star, director, and moderator being snapped in front of the New York Times signage, audience members clamored to the stage to get closer glimpses and autographs. I handed the package to Gabourey who remembered my name and thanked me. And out to a cordoned-off area she disappeared.

I am not sure what the outcome will be. I've tried every possible avenue I can think of. But if Gabourey does decide to wear something I've designed, it will be one of my life's most "precious" moments.

Peace & Fashion!

A New Diva on the Horizon

Two days ago I spoke with Elisa DeCarlo, a fellow blogger whose over-the-top alter ego goes by the name of The Mad Fashionista. Elisa is a writer, actress, and storyteller who created The Mad Fashionista as a way to match wits with the elitist androids who are at the top of the fashion food chain. Her curvy, full figure and outsize personality are the antithesis of many editors-in-chief of high fashion glossies. Anna Wintour @ Vogue eat your heart out!

I met Elisa, or was it The Mad Fashionista, at a charity event last February when she expressed her delight with the denim gown my sister, a curvy girl herself, was wearing. When she discovered that I was the creative mastermind behind the elegant frock, she wanted to know more. Unfortunately, Ashanti & I were swept up in the pop of flashbulbs and the fizz of fabulousness during the entire evening so we really did not get a chance to chat further. But after I started journaling about my odyssey, The Mad Fashionista reached out to me and offered words of encouragement and pointers about maintaining a blog. I thought, "How wonderful for this diva to be so considerate and giving." I knew then that The Mad Fashionista and I would forge a wonderful friendship. And then I discovered that although she adheres to the fringes of fashion, she's also been featured in The New York Times Styles Section. This campy character that Elisa DeCarlo has created has a lot to say. Quirky, yet fabulous and elegantly trashy, I will again come face-to-face with Elisa and her alter ego when we meet on Monday. So while I wait for Oprah and Michelle O. to get back to me, I am going to have my hands full working with Elisa by adding a little more sophistication to The Mad Fashionista's wardrobe. And who knows what opportunities lie ahead.

Peace & Fashion!

My Name Is Victory

On Monday I got a call from Abe who has his own showroom on 35th street in the garment district. I had spoken with him briefly on Thursday. He told me he would call once he got a chance to review our online look book. During our phone conversation yesterday afternoon, he told me my dresses were lovely. But he also ran down a laundry list of issues he had with the collection which included everything from its fabrication (cotton) to the small number of looks in the line (7). But in the end, his biggest problem was with its price point. He thought that they were worth the asking price with all the handwork and finishes, but he felt that stores like Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus would definitely have some resistance to the prices. He suggested that my associates and I try to sell the line to the stores ourselves because after a showroom gets its fee and commission, we will have very little cash-on-hand to show for all our efforts. He recommended that we contact the buying offices at a couple of local posh department stores and the buyers at high end specialty stores and schedule appointments for them to see the line. It makes perfect sense! But since we gave up our Manhattan showroom space on 8th avenue a few years ago, we really have nowhere to meet with these buyers. And I am sorry, but Starbucks is out of the question! And since none of us involved in this business venture have connections with buyers, it may prove a little difficult to get them to respond to our requests for a meeting. But I believe in making a way out of no way. Defeat has got to be staring me in the face and kicking me in my butt before I will give up. So what if we hire a seasoned sales professional who has the contacts? Maybe they'll give us a whirl on a commission-only basis? I mean, it's worth a try. Isn't it? And maybe, if we put our heads together, we can come up with a couple of people we know who are city dwellers with lovely living quarters who would not mind letting us use their homes to conduct these meetings. After all, a wonderfully talented new designer named Prabal Gurung did it and he has opened a few accounts with some reputable stores. Why can't I? I am a fashion industry survivor hell bent on making a success out of Sorta Kinda Enterprises. And if it means climbing through the window to accomplishment instead of walking through the door, then I better find a ladder. After all, my name is Victory.

Peace & Fashion!

What's That About?!

Remember when Jonathan Franzen, the author of The Corrections, made disparaging remarks about Oprah Winfrey's literary taste? Somehow he felt that Oprah's choosing of his novel for her book club would commercialize his appeal and devalue his elitist leanings. According to the October 29, 2001 edition of The New York Times, Mr. Franzen suggested "that appearing on her show was out of keeping with his place in ''the high-art literary tradition'' and might turn off some readers." Subsequently, Ms. Oprah quickly rescinded her invitation for him to be a guest on her hit daytime television talk show. Well, I recently had a similar Oprah-ish moment. No, she did not call me to do a televised runway presentation, but if ever asked I would certainly jump at the chance.

Over a year ago I spotted the cutest accessory on the pages of New York and Teen Vogue magazines. It is a flower pin, but very unique. Since I am working on a new collection of denim cocktail dresses (see breaking news from the Diva-at-Large), I imagined this flower pin to be the perfect embellishment for one of my designs. I was so excited to contact the designer and immediately went rummaging through my back issues of Teen Vogue. Once I spotted it, I promptly googled her name and found her website. I discovered that Kate C. is wonderfully creative. In addition to the flower pins, she designs necklaces, bracelets, and costumes as well. She is awesomely talented. I was so psyched that I typed her an email which read like this:

Hello Kate!

My name is Wilbur. I am a fashion designer based in New York. I fell in love with your pins when I saw them last year in Teen Vogue and New York magazines. I am designing a one shouldered denim cocktail dress and immediately thought that your creations would be a lovely touch. I checked out your website, and, unfortunately, you don't offer any in the shade of blue that I would need. Would you consider doing 3 in 2 sizes to adorn my sample? Please let me know. My contact info is listed below. Thank you in advance for your time and consideration.

I anxiously awaited her reply, but by 3 the next afternoon I had heard nothing. Maybe she had not received my email. So I called her. I was thrilled when Kate C. answered the phone. I introduced myself and relayed the story of how I found her and explained how great it would be to collaborate on this project. After all, Murakami worked with Marc Jacobs at Louis Vuitton on handbags and they had a best seller! The possibilities for me and Kate C. were endless. But I soon learned that she was less than thrilled or impressed with my offer. In fact, she informed me that she had indeed received my email, but was still mulling it over. She confessed that since the flower pins were all handmade she was overwhelmed by the idea of mass production. Silly girl, once you get orders there are factories that can manufacture in large quantities! She continued, "I checked out your website, but there is nothing that resembles a cocktail dress." After I told her that this was a new endeavor, a launch in fact, she asked me to email her images. And I obliged. But my bubble had burst. Her cool reception caused me to recoil. I am no longer interested in working with Kate C. I will employ somebody else who is interested in working with me to create that perfect accessory. I am not sure if she was having a Jonathan Franzen moment or if she was scared of the potential income that this could bring her. All I want to know is, "What's that about?!"

Peace & Fashion!