Fashion's Night Out 2012 - A Breakdown

Suma, SK WiLBUR, and Ashanti

Last night, my sister and I painted the town a fierce shade of fabulous as we traipsed from SoHo to the Upper East Side.  Our first stop was Piperlime, a bricks and mortar outpost of the wildly popular accessories & apparel website which has just opened on Wooster Street.  It was crowded, just like everywhere else, but the line to get in moved along quickly and efficiently.  I was relieved I didn't have to feign insult and indignation questioning the men in black responsible for crowd control, "Do you know who I am?"  Inside there was a candy bar with only lime colored treats and a bar that was serving Zoe-tinis named in honor of the famously ubiquitous celebrity stylist/designer/reality show star Rachel Zoe who was scheduled to make an appearance later on in the evening.  After Ashanti and I were loaded down with candy and cocktails, we were lucky enough to find a seat.  I immediately struck up a conversation with Suma who writes her own style-savvy blog TheFashionBeautyJunkie.com.  Adorned with a nose piercing and tattoos all over, I complimented her on her dress choice.  And then I shared with Suma my joy designing for the often neglected and marginalized curvy goddess.  She volunteered to  write a little something-something about the full-figured woman, which I thought was a great idea, naturally.

SK WiLBUR with Cornelia Guest

Never one to let grass grow under my feet, Ashanti and I soon bid adieu to Suma and headed to Bloomingdale's 59th Street where my friend Cornelia Guest was appearing with her chic line of cruelty-free handbags and purses.  Hanging with Cornelia and her very cute assistant Jesse was all smiles, laughs, and good times.

I had to settle for store signage.

After photos and a remedial course in "tweeting" from Ashanti, it was "kiss-kiss goodbye" to C & J and Ashanti and I braved the crowds as we made our way to master shoe craftsman Manolo Blahnik's boutique on 54th street.  Cyndi Lauper was scheduled to perform, but the line to get in was BANANAS.   To my dismay, I soon learned, that I needed to be on the guest list to be part of the crowd inside and not part of the outside crowd.  I tried to feign the indignation and insult I did not have to summon at Piperlime, but the two causasian girls holding the clipboards and teetering in their 4 inch pumps, Blahniks probably, were not buying.  So Ashanti and I walked away stylishly defeated with our heads held high straight to the subway and headed home.  Now I just have to figure out for 2013 how I get onto these exclusive guest lists.

By the way, check out today's issue of USA Today.  Your's truly is included on page 4 of a special Full Figured Fashion Supplement. Doesn't look like I got Fashion Star, but there's always this.

Peace & Fashion!

When The Fake Fur Flies

Yes, it's true, I've been out of the blogging mix for awhile now.  And I've been quiet on purpose.  Frankly, I am just tired of writing about my money woes.  And my lack of money was heavy on my brain and my heart.  You just didn't need to read another post about it, because I know everybody's in the same proverbial boat.

Photo Courtesy of Richard Lew

I really relied on the universe to provide the pathway to eliminating my $8000 deficit for my samples.  I prayed, fasted, and meditated.  There were tears and a couple of sleepless nights.  In the end, the money came at the last minute from a resource that I have called on before.  Every door and window was shut, except this one and I am really grateful.  Just imagine if you had come to see my runway presentation and all I had to show were a couple of dresses and some really pretty drawings.  That's just not the look.

Photo Courtesy of Richard Lew

Photo Courtesy of Alec Turner



Ashanti in SK WiLBUR original
design with model
MariJo and Wilbur



Photo Courtesy of Richard Lew



Full Figured Fashion Week was an AWESOME experience.  It was validating for me as a designer and empowering to the hundreds of Curvies who descended upon NYC for the occasion.  It started with a "Meet The Press" Event for all of the designers.  All of the bloggers and people from the media got a chance to meet Ashanti and me up close and personal.  There were also PR people there from some of the cable networks.  We are looking to get more involved with TV.  There was an All White Attired Cruise around NYC, a fashion show at the Bloomingdale's flagship on 59th street, a networking party where I got to meet new people and reconnect with some of my industry friends, and then the Independent Designer's Runway Showcase where my pieces came down the runway.  It was all like a whirlwind.



Blogger Gaelle-Vanessa Prudencio
in a custom
SK WiLBUR look and Wilbur



But work is never-ending.  And I love it!  If you haven't heard, we're trying to get all of our friends on facebook to vote for SK WiLBUR at http://www.missionsmallbusiness.com/ so that we can become eligible for a $250,000 business grant from Chase.  If you haven't voted yet, please vote now.  And if you have friends on facebook, please urge them to vote for us, too. We're pretty close to the goal.

I have already begun work on my Spring 2013 collection.  The working title is "CLANDESTINY".  It's all about looking chic from day to evening, of course.  But I wanted my muse to be a little more vampy, sexier,  for that lunch break tryst.  Sounds scandalous, right?!  A lady's got to be prepared, no matter the circumstance.  If she's wearing SK WiLBUR, she always is.

That's it for now!  Don't forget to VOTE.  We'll chat soon.  I promise.

Peace & Fashion!

What's Hapenning?!

So it's been awhile.  I've been busy.  And now I am trying to play catch up.

Gabourey Sidibe at the
premiere of
TOWER HEIST

I've been trying to dress Oscar nominee, Gabourey Sidibe, since she first stepped in the limelight for her portrayal of the title character in the film Precious. Two Thursdays ago, in the afternoon, I got a voice message from her Los Angeles based stylist.  She requested a dress for Gabourey's red carpet appearance for the premiere of her latest movie Tower Heist.  The only problem was that she needed the dress for the following Monday.  That only gave me 3 full days!  Unfortunately, I had nothing in my arsenal of fabulous dresses that was suitable for the curvy star.  DARN!  I was disappointed about missing out on this big break, but only very briefly.  Because now I know I am, at least, on her glam squad's radar.  Another opportunity will most certainly present itself - I'm sure of it!  I think she could use a little SK WiLBUR in her life, don't you?



This Monday past, on my birthday, my business partners and I launched the online POP-Up Shop at http://www.skwilbur.com/.  You are now able to purchase some of your favorite looks from the runway and they will be delivered to you in time for your spring fling.  As an added bonus, we are extending a 10% courtesy off each shopper's entire order.  AND you can buy some of your favorite handbags from the runway, too!  Sounds like a curvy girl's dream to me.  I'm just sayin'!

In the meantime, I've been clawing and scratching to build retail distribution online through established retailers like Bloomingdale's and Nordstrom.  That's never a picnic, but I am up for the challenge.  In addition, I am busy working on the next collection for Fall 2012.  I've already completed the sketches and now it's time to turn the sketches into actual garments.  Whewww!  My journey continues. . .  And that's what's happening with me.

Peace & Fashion!

A Fashion Genius

On this past Tuesday afternoon I eased up Fifth Avenue to see the exciting new exhibit at The Metropolitan Museum of Art called Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty.  If you love fashion, the way I do, this retrospective is a must-see event.

Following the sudden suicide death of the fashion wunderkind last year, the designer's friends, as well as the entire fashion world, mourned his loss.  His talent was truly beyond measure.  Alexander McQueen's artistry and technique is woven throughout the exhibit evident in each of the ensembles on display.

While I was making my way through the maze-like corridors, I bumped into an industry friend who is a personal shopper at the Bloomingdale's flagship on 59th street.  We both agreed that Alexander McQueen had a boundless imagination.  But he also had access to a seemingly unlimited cash resource to indulge his magnificent imagination.  I couldn't help but feel pangs of envy as I thought about the arduous task that lies ahead as I prepare to frantically search high and low for financing to produce samples for my Spring 2012 collection, "Out Of The Dark".  But I also felt extreme gratitude for the gifts that Alexander McQueen left us.  His work inspires me to be a more creative designer.

Peace & Fashion!

AdDRESSing Fashion



Spring 2012 Preview



I am doing what I do, as my 5-year old nephew says, by diligently working on the sketches of the collection for Spring 2012.  I know it seems really far away, but time is swiftly moving.  And this coming season I need to be ready.



My nephew NILE



I've named this collection Out Of The Dark because it reflects triumph over disappointment.  It's about my emergence from my blue period and how I am beginning to see the light of promise.  The silhouettes are crisp, yet easy and the colors (onyx, cocoa, dove grey, cream, and tomato) are fairly subdued.  There's not a whole lot of embellishment, but an interesting mix of textures and fabrics.

I am standing on the universe's promises that I will obtain all that I need to translate this collection from paper to reality and that the stores will finally be ready to embrace my aesthetic.  That is my prayer and that is what gives me the vitality and the spirit to press on.  So stay tuned. . .

Peace & Fashion!

It's All Me!

I lost track of time and before I knew it a month had passed and I hadn't posted anything to my online journal.  Truth be told, I've had a lot of things on my plate and the blog took a backseat to all my stuff.  So I am just going to have to take this moment to fill you in on all the behind-the-scenes fashion drama. 

Maryellen & Wilbur at November to Remember Event

Having nothing at all to do with fashion and just on a personal note, on October 31 I celebrated another birthday.  I am officially 43 and FANTASTIC!  It was all very low-key with the family and then I was among the thousands of people at the Halloween Day Parade down in the Village with my close friend, Chris.  There were lots of half-naked people masquerading as something ghoulish or sexy (I'm not sure which?) and I know they were cold.  In NYC, you can use any occasion to show off your stuff.  But pneumonia as a side effect is so not cool.  I'm just sayin'!  I've shunned big blowouts and costumes for awhile, but I think when I turn 45 I am going to have to reconsider. I am just happy to have reached this age in good health, loved, and pushing forward.

So you already know about my trials with Bloomingdale's and the less-than-positive meeting I had with the buyer for Special Size Dresses.  Well, it seems that all the powers-that-be are on the same page and are not interested in opening accounts with any new vendors.  This information comes directly from my favorite salesperson in the women's department at the 59th Street flagship, Scheffie, who met with the regional director and general manager.  I guess, all's well that ends well.  Next season I will perhaps have a different story to tell.  Nordstrom and Saks Fifth Avenue also did not take the bait, so Ashanti and I have been chugging ahead and contacting the specialty boutiques.  We've heard some positive things from a couple of the stores.  So we're in talks to see what we can do to seal the deal.  I promise to keep you all in the loop.

Having written this blog for over a year now, it became apparent to many, especially my sister-in-law, that I have a voice.  And I was urged to write my book.  So I have begun.  I settled on writing my memoir and started early in the summer.  I asked certain people whose input I trust, like my friend Sheila Rule, a former New York Times journalist, to tell me if I was headed in the right direction.  Sheila assured me that I was a good writer and had an interesting enough story to tell.  But, she said, I was leaving out the meat and only providing the bones of the story.  I needed to give a full picture of my life.  I've had to re-live some parts of my life that I had forgotten or that I found painful.  But the process has been surprisingly very cathartic.  And I really like how I've been able to craft a visual by using words on a paper.  I am shooting to finish it by sometime in 2011.  And then I will have to tackle the whole publishing monster.  But right now I am just taking it one step at a time and enjoying the process.

I've also been busy supporting some of my colleagues in the curvy community.  Two Saturdays ago, On November 13, I attended my friends Jeannie Ferguson and Tasha Hill's presentation of their Big Girls United (BGU) Chameleon Collection..  And this Saturday past, my friend Dhylles Waight-Davis presented her Katwalk Katerers' November to Remember charity runway show.  I am always happy to support my friends in their endeavors and happier to be a part of the audience instead of the one running around frantic and crazy making sure everything is running smoothly.  The curvy community is tight knit and many times I see some of the same players.  But that's okay with me.  When I was creating fashions for the less ample, I always felt like an outsider and it is this sense of community that makes me feel like I am home.

Wilbur & Ashanti show some love to Jeannie of Big Birls United



P. Crawford, Wilbur, and Renee J congratulate Dhylles on her Novemeber to Remember Event



Ashanti and Wilbur meet face-to-face with Renee Jennings 

I am busy working on the next collection which my team and I will present here in New York City in March.  I've already started fittings!  We've got a full plate already for 2011 including a trip to Los Angeles to participate in a runway show for a fashion initiative called Kiss The Curves.  I feel like there are just not enough hours in the day.  For real!  But I promise to be more diligent about documenting my odyssey.  I'll be back after the holiday.  But until then, Happy Thanksgiving everybody!

Peace & Fashion!

The Bridge Is Out

Yesterday I noticed that there is a serious divide going on in fashion.  I think I've always known it, but it became more evident as my day progressed.  Plus size is still fashion's ignored stepchild.  Despite the 62% of women who are a size 14 and above, it seems like the chasm may be permanent.  My fashion mogul friend and founder of Full-Figured Fashion Week, Gwen DeVoe, pretty much tried to convince me while we were laughing and chatting over cocktails a few weeks ago. "Wilbur, the big boys still have not invited me to the table," she said explaining that high fashion is an exclusive club reserved for the fabulously skinny.  Sporting my rose-colored glasses, I really didn't want to believe her.  After all, I have received so much attention for my creative efforts concerning the curvy woman.  Just to name a few recent gains by the curvy community - -  during New York Fashion Week this past September, One Stop Plus staged the first runway show dedicated solely to contemporary fashions for the curvy woman.  Clingy and sexy dress designer, Monif C. recently celebrated her fifth year in business.  And big girls continue to make "special" appearances in mainstream magazines.  But so many people don't want to embrace the curvy.  A couple of weeks ago when I was in Re/dress, the Brooklyn-based destination emporium for all things vintage for the curvy woman, I met a lovely young lady named Jessica.  Jessica and I fell into a deep conversation like we'd been forever friends when she confessed to me that she had recently gone down to a size 14 from a size 24.  And she shared something with me that has stayed on my mind since.  Jessica thinks clothing manufacturers do not put a lot of effort or style into plus fashions because most women consider the weight temporary and are always striving to become a more socially acceptable size 6 or 8.  Hello Oprah!  I immediately disagreed with her because if that is the case then my career choice is a big mistake.  But maybe there is a little truth to it?  Yesterday afternoon I met with the buyer at Bloomingdale's.  I felt empowered by the many women whom I have met online and in person who have asked me when and where they'll be able to buy my dresses.  So I carefully pulled out each of my confections explaining how we could accommodate her customer by adding sleeves or changing colors and fabrication.  I explained to her that the customer wants to celebrate her curves and is looking for pieces that caress her curves, not tent-like frocks that do nothing for her shape.  "She wants more fashion," I added.  I informed her that I have over 500 followers on facebook.  I write a blog that goes out to about 250 readers.  And we maintain a website as well. When she calculated the retail price of one of my dresses, she thought it was a bit pricey for the Bloomingdale's customer.  I assured her that the Bloomingdale's customer is not resistant to price if she is getting value and fashion.  She told me that she'd never seen a line like mine before - a statement I found a little ambiguous to be sure. When I left that meeting, the buyer said that she was unwilling to change the status quo and add a new designer to her mix of vendors for now.  I was disappointed as I walked to Bloomingdale's to inform the sales team who had been so supportive over the last couple of months.  As I rode the escalator up to the 3rd floor, I saw a lot of fashion happening in other departments that were bustling.  In the women's department it was quiet and overflowing with a lot of the same clothes by the same vendors like Jones New York that are found in other stores such as Lord & Taylor and Macy's.  So although I am on the front lines talking to the customer doing my best to accommodate her fashion and style needs, she's losing in the long run. The message that is being conveyed is that because she's bigger, her access to more fashionable items should and will be limited.

Later in the evening, I had the opportunity to attend the book signing of WWD@100 at Bergdorf Goodman.  Populated by fashion industry superstars, my model Dee Dee and I along with Ashanti were a breath of plus size freshness.  And we did get snapped by one of the evening's photographers.  But Dee Dee commented that the atmosphere was very "clique-ish".  I am not sure how to infiltrate the fashion cognoscenti's sphere of fabulousness, but I am looking to build a bridge so that plus-size fashion is no longer an oxymoron.

Peace & Fashion!

The Chosen

Last year I was selected by a panel of judges to participate in the inaugural runway design competition sponsored by Supima cotton. My mission was to create a dazzling evening look utilizing the world's finest cotton. It was such a validating experience. Until then I relied on my family and friends, who may have felt obligated, to assuage my anxieties about my designs. Was I really good enough to call myself a fashion designer? But when complete strangers and colleagues recognized my talent, my journey was legitimized. And I was proud to be one of the handpicked 25 whose frocks graced the runway that very warm evening during the summer of 2008.

Fast forward several months and Supima is readying for their 3rd runway competition. When I first caught wind of the announcement, it landed in my email box via the Mad Fashionista. At first, I was quick to dismiss it. Been there, done that, blogged about it! But then I looked over the information and noticed that there was a new component. Apparently, the winning designer will have their garment featured in Bloomingdale's and promoted by Supima. Jackpot! I am diligently working to get my collection into stores. My business partners and I hired a salesperson specifically for that purpose. Unfortunately, the person in charge of designer collections at Bloomingdale's declined to place an order for this spring. Maybe this would be a way to begin a dialogue with the powers-that-be and see if I can turn that no into a yes? I felt the universe beckoning to me. My first Supima experience provided the impetus to change direction and launch a more sophisticated, luxurious line. Who knows what possibilities lie ahead for me and Sorta Kinda Enterprises? So I had to answer the call.

My model, Vanessa, and I met up at the plantation where she changed into one of my denim cocktail confections. And we walked over to Bloomingdale's where we found camera men and sound guys with boom mikes recording the interviews that the judges were conducting with each candidate. It was amazing! I saw the team responsible for public relations with whom I worked when I was a Supima cotton virgin and greeted them warmly. And I was filmed as Topaz, the camera operator who is a west coast transplant, asked me questions about my past experiences with the Supima brand. When he questioned if I was nervous, I replied boldly, "Do I look like I am nervous?" I laugh at myself now, but it seems that all you have to do is turn a camera on me and I perk right up. And on top of that, the judges seemed to really appreciate my aesthetic. All I can say is that I really enjoyed today's excitement and pray that I am again one of the chosen.

Peace & Fashion!

That's What's Up!

On Monday I visited an associate of mine, Sandy C. She is a personal shopper in the At Your Service department at the Bloomingdale's 59th street store. Personal shoppers have become increasingly more influential because of their one-on-one association with the client. Consequently, they are able to advise buyers on which pieces the consumer is craving for the coming season. Several weeks ago when I was having buttons and snaps added to a couple of pieces, I had a serendipitous encounter with Sandy C. who thought the dresses looked quite saleable. She'd even said that she wanted to see the final outcome. I was encouraged by her interest in my inaugural collection. So I made a mental note to contact her once the look book photos had been enhanced. (Besides being an awesome photographer, my sister-in-law is a whiz with photoshop.) On Monday, at Sandy's request, I carried 4 of the strongest looks in the stretch white cotton fabrication into Manhattan where I presented them in her elegantly appointed jewel box sized office on the fourth floor. I held my breath as she rattled off words like inventive, fresh, and well executed to describe my creations which were hanging before her on the polished silver rack. She assured me that she would sing my praises when passing my info along to the department buyer, who happens to be a newbie to the designer floor like me. She also strongly recommended that I quickly find a showroom who will get the dresses on store racks for next spring. I am diligently working on it, Sandy. But as a retail veteran, it was her reverence that made me believe that this time out the gate I may just be a winner. Now that's what's up!

Peace & Fashion!