Everything's better when it's made to measure

I know-it should be the catch phase of the century.One of my favorite clients brought her visiting mom in to have a dress made, and said those very words today. But it's so very, very true.You can be a size two, and be wearing the "wrong thing" You can be a size two, wearing the right thing, but it doesn't fit you well, because one person's waist can be two inches higher than another's, and off the rack just doesn't cut it. If it's well thought out, it can make you look fabulous. And I'm not talking a black sheath. I have another favorite client who tells me when she wears my pants, people say she's lost weight. There are tricks of the trade. I'm not hoarding them-c'mom down! People constantly say to me "Of course you can wear that-you're so thin" or "skinny people can wear anything". It's everything in my power not to smack them upside the head. Every single person on the planet has body issues, unless they're on meds. I am not immune. I'm just keeping my problems to myself. I spend so much time working on how to playoff one asset to minimize another on all body types. And trust me, I see them all. It would be ridiculous for me to do a plus size line-it's not my angle on things, but I can do my best to present a ideas that go beyond just the uberthin, walking clothes hanger mentality, while not embracing the Ellen Tracy "just have another doughnut, it's okay" idea. I was just working on a dress today that's on bronze charmeause. Now the idea on bronze charmeause across most people's abs would send hem straight into the vomitorium to drop a few pounds. But I was thinking, if I just move it down a few inches, on the diagonal, we'd be a world of strutting glamazons. Come see the Fall show at to see what I'm talking about.

Lean Times

Wallets, wardrobes, waistlines...everywhere, people are paring down. So what works? Well, there is nothing wrong with less is more, but it's got to be right on many levels. I was working on the idea of an amazing white blouse-one that had parts that defied gravity, but then , I had a thought. It involved a salad dressing mishap, and tears. If I make something that collapses at the dry cleaners, it hurts me as well as you. If I can make something that doesn't need to visit the cleaners but a few times a season, better for all of us. And if it can stay away for months, and just have a gentle run of things in your sink, oh, joy. But man, is that hard. As someone known for their fair share of mishaps, I am all for the multi-use item. And as someone who has seen some things wrecked by cleaners, I know I have to think on the side of practicality. So somewhere between shirt as napkin and shirt as sculpture, I hope to find the answer....

More Cowbell

I keep having this dream. It's 20 minutes before the show, and I haven't mixed the show music, or done the pre and post show discs, which I swore I would do a month ahead. Yes, I have aural control issues. Why? Does it matter? Yes, whether you know it or not. And judging from the amount of "loved the music" comments I got from the last show, absolutely. So for the sixteenth time, while I rethought a collar, finished a shirt for someone, and rethought the lineup-stronger, harder beats, like the clothes-I remixed for hopefully the last time. And while I think some ideas are often best resolved while hanging from a cliff, I'm hoping for sweet dreams.

Givin' It Away

Well, not quite-It's that time again-time for a fresh start. Everything in the store, all samples, off the rack items,menswear, kids clothes EVERYTHING is 40-80% off the original price. This includes great fall coats,evening wear,skirts, sweaters-you name it-if it fits(or almost-we'll tweak it for you for an additional labor cost)it's yours for an incredible price. Because I've got a lot of ideas for Fall and they've got to have a place to hang.And don't forget-tickets for the Fall '08 show are on sale, so get them now for the best seats in the house.

How Green Was My Midriff

And crusty, too. No, I haven't fallen asleep in the dumpster behind the store. I'm working on a new gown. Supermodel Leah wants to shoot on a big black horse. How could she possibly do that without a to die for green under black chiffon and stretch silk gown with a beaded inset waist? I love green. Highly underrated. It's the relation to stomach upset, I think. "You're looking a bit green" sort of a thing. Like brown, it suffers from the intestinal relationship. Green, I'm looking to liberate you. Through tweeds. And a kooky paisley stretch knit lace. And a crusty beaded glistening midriff. All the other colors, they'll be green with envy.

Fractured Fairy Tales

Once upon a time, in a moderately sized town, a man with a camera, a woman with some clothes and...a guy with a giant Hersey kiss made from real hair and a lady with paints for faces got together and made some really cool pictures of some beautiful people. And they all lived happily ever after. Because everyone bit the apple. I'm very, very fortunate to work with some amazing people-Peter Baker behind the lens, Leslie Atiles on make-up, and Michael Burgess on hair-who don't bat an eye when "think of sculpture-like a big Calder on their head" is said. I clear my head when I run the trails behind my house, and had a Medieval fantasy of woodland nymphs and spirited female warriors running the rock walls. Since it was 98 degrees the day we shot, and I have an insatiable appetite for images, we did it all in studio, and it's the surreal dream I'd hoped for. Hope you like it, and see it all in person at the Fall show, September 4th at the Fairfield Theatre Company. Tickets go on sale today- www.fairfieldtheatre.org.

Baby, it's hot outside, and on the rack

Like Africa hot. Yet I have seen a half dozen people today pull on a coat with single minded determination. One that says "I must know what it's like to be with that coat". A friend asked me this weekend "So, Jen-what's new-what are you doing for fall". I didn't know what to say. I think because I didn't know where to begin, I don't know how I got here, and I'm sure that I'm not done yet. All I know is I wanted that "get with it now" reaction from whatever I made. I think for something to be successful design right now, you must be sucked in, it must serve a real purpose, and it can't cost a small fortune. That's a tall order. I forgot about the not making anyone look fat thing. So anyway, I started talking about texture. And using greens and blues, non traditional "fall" colors. And coats. And pants suits. And then I think I blacked out. Boooooooooorrrring-a-ding-ding. There's no "in" color, there's no absolute. There's the idea of something that's keeps you warm when it's cold, feels good when you touch it, when you pick it up off the hanger, and fits you like a glove.There's some dark clouds around.I'm looking to provide the undertow to make you forget,to beat the clouds away. Take a peek in the men's and women's sections, and see if you're distracted....