Jennifer Aniston Is Engaged / Wedding Dress Design – Lesson In Client Study

During her five-year marriage to Brad Pitt, Jennifer Aniston sported a swirly engagement ring the size of a baby’s fist. So, how big is the sparkler currently weighing down her finger, courtesy of newly minted fiancé Justin Theroux? Life & Style says the actor-writer-director presented Jen with a “huge emerald-cut diamond” with tapered baguettes dotting the sides. The ring is estimated to be a knuckle-crunching eight carats and is, gushes one source, “beautiful.” “She was so happy and said she loves the ring,” enthuses an insider. “I think she was overwhelmed and overjoyed by the size and beauty of it!” Theroux surprised (and presumably temporarily blinded) Aniston with the rock during a quiet dinner at Manhattan eatery Blue Hill on Aug. 10, his 41st birthday, reports People.The two had jetted to New York on a private plane from North Carolina, where the actress has been shooting “We’re the Millers,” and as they sat side by side over a quiet meal, Theroux popped the question. “Jen cried,” a source tells Us Weekly. “The proposal was simple. He was surprised she said yes, but he is so happy.”
Like many fans, I adore Jennifer, have watched her movies, and love the fact that she really seems like “the girl next door”, just funnier. So when I read that Jennifer is tying the knot for the second time, my creative mind started to think up all kinds of ideas and designs. But one question stuck with me, after the dust settled,

What would a down-to-earth, comedian that has everything, ex to one of the world’s MOST gorgeous man,( I am still jealous, and they have been divorced for some years!),wear to her second wedding.

One word came to mind- FUN

I mean, look at Jennifer’s body of work in the past 10 years, she is a risk taker, but most of these roles are comical roles. Now it would not take a rocket scientist to understand that when you are at the zenith of Hollywood stardom, you can ‘pick and choose’ your projects, and she keeps picking roles that make us laugh and think. Keeping that in mind, I thought

“Color,…what color?”.

Every woman will tell you, even if she has been divorced 1000 times, each new marriage is like the first, that moment at the altar, she feels like this is her first time, and has the jitters to prove it. So I settled on a fleshy,light pink, almost flesh-tone. (it’s not white, and pink is toooooooo cliche’-ish, I would want jennifer to settle into her “new skin”, at least that was my thinking). I saw a dress that was designed by a noted bridal designer earlier this week, (who shall remain nameless), and it looked as if Princesses Diana was expected to be resurrected and RE-marry that horrid tampon of a man,Prince Charles once again. When designing ANYTHING for ANYONE you must be able to empathize with what your client will want, NOT what YOU want. I wanted to design a dress that had the personality of the Jennifer.

Fun, Versatile, and Carefree came to mind

I created a detachable gown skirt, revealing a cocktail dress. Fabrications satin and chiffon are to be used, with each fabrication cut and fashioned for different textures. The top is low-cut,and flattering with thin self fabric straps, and the skirt of the gown is a detachable,layered and ruched,draped chiffon with raw edges to give an edgy worn, but very beautiful look.  The cocktail dress is short, flirty and sexy, made to look just like the main skirt,  this time both silk ruched jersey and chiffon. The cocktail ensemble is  one piece,made to allow Jennifer to dance the night away with her new husband. I can imagine in my minds eye, after a the main ceremony is over, and after a few dirty martinis, Jennifer would simply strip the gown skirt away, revealing the cocktail dress underneath, to the amazement and laughter  of everybody at the reception. ( remember the dance sequence in “Along Came Polly”?) The looks are a pretty ,versatile and uncomplicated just like the bride, and most of all FUN for  a woman that has a gift for making us laugh,even if it is at ourselves.

Mazel tov Jennifer and Justin, I hope this union leads to much joy and laughter:)

True Blood “Fashion Pinpoint-One Look/One Story” Subject: Lilith ” Goddess of Vampires”

 

Lilith is a recurring character in the fifth season. She is played by Jessica Clark and debuts in “In the Beginning”. Lilith is also known as the Progenitor and is supposedly the “first vampire”, made in God’s image. She’s believed by many vampires to have been created before Adam and Eve, who, according to the Original Testament, were both designed to be her food and to sustain her and her offspring.
In the fifth episode of season five it is revealed that within the Authority’s chamber there is a vile of blood that many believe to have belonged to Lilith. However, Roman explains to Salome that the blood is not Lilith’s. And by allowing others to believe that the blood belongs to Lilith he boosts his own, and the Authority’s credibility. This would lend to the idea that Lilith, for whatever reason, no longer exists or possibly never existed though she could be real but vampires deem her to be a myth. Dieter and Rosalyn also seem to know the blood is not Lilith’s as they openly mock the vampire bible and deny her existence. I designed a sheath like bustier for this character with a sarong of ethereal chiffon, adorned with semi-precious stones. If I was styling this character for the show, I would make sure that each look was authentic to the Lilith’s advanced immortality, and or time period she reigned supreme (byzantine area). Fabrics like light weight linen, cotton gauze dyed blood red, and all types of treated and molded leathers for accents would dominate her wardrobe. In “True Blood” Lilith’s character is powerful in her own right. This immortal character comes from a time and place that few humans or vampires can imagine, so her looks would be simple,daring, but incredibly dazzling to look at. I have to admit, “True Blood” has “dropped the ball” when it comes to dressing this character. When Lilith does make an appearance on the screen, she should be seen as the cunning,blood-thirsty ancient goddess she is, NOT as the matted haired, blood strewn savage she is being portrayed as of yet. Being a goddess, and surviving for over 20,000 years, I am sure it would take a lot more than just mere animalistic instincts to survive and thrive for such a long period of time. As a designer, out of all the wonderful characters in the “True Blood” franchise, Lilith would be my favorite to design and style for. A designer would have to research styles, jewelry, and customs from ancient long dead civilizations,  becoming an archeologist in a sense. History of this great world has always fascinated to me as a designer, and with Lilith I would have a great opportunity to present to the world styles, fashions ,and looks that have not been seen by humans for thousands of years.

 

 

 

 

I would also like to add that this is the last character form the “True Blood” franchise that I will be designing for. I started this project to garner some awareness for my talent and small freelance design business here in New York, and I have done just that! “True Blood – Fashion Pinpoint” has been my MOST popular topic on this blog, with views from over 45 different countries world wide. It has been exciting, and look out in the coming days for what my NEXT design project will be. As many of you know,…I am a fashion designer, fashion is constantly changing, and so am I. Stay tuned for more apparel designs, illustrations,,branding done MY way.

 

 

Thanks for your support 🙂

 

 

 

 

 

True Blood “Fashion Pinpoint-One Look/One Story” Subject: Sam Merlotte & Luna Garza

Merlotte, a shapeshifter, is the owner of the bar/restaurant Merlotte’s Bar and Grill in Bon Temps, Louisiana. In his early 30’s, he is of average height and strong build, with gray eyes and shaggy brown
hair, much in line with his alternate form. While he can change into any animal (so long as there is a suitable ‘template’ animal around for him to use as a basis), Sam’s preferred alternate shape is that of
a light-colored border collie.Like all shapeshifters, Sam feels a strong urge to change shape on the nights of a full moon. The rest of the time he can do so at will. He often will go for runs in dog form
through the local woods with his canine friend. Luna Garza is Sam’s girlfriend.As of now, little of Luna’s backstory is known.

Luna is of Mexican descent on her mother’s side and Native American descent on her father’s side. Luna’s mother died giving birth to her and she was raised by her father and grandparents in a
Navajo reservation. As Luna’s mother died giving birth to her, Luna is responsible for indirectly ending her mother’s life. A shapeshifter who kills another shapeshifting member of their family
becomes a skinwalker, someone capable of turning into any animal (including humans) on Earth. The Navajo believed skinwalkers to be evil witches so Luna most likely had a difficult time growing up.
At some stage, she shapeshifted intoher dead mother. Luna deemed the experience “crazy” and “scary” but she was also happy to assume the form her own mother who she never remembered. I designed
and styled looks that were constructed of naturally derived fibers and or skins. Shapehifters, in my opinion and according to the back story, are creatures of nature. I thought at first to design and style
looks that were reminiscent of native american heritage, but that would have been to easy, and some what predictable. Instead I kept the looks simple, with details that were symbolic of these
chracters, and their special powers. Shapeshifters can take on the shape of any animal, so I designed a pair of denim jeans for same that utilized a cut and sew “patchwork” detail, with patches of linen,
and suede to symbolize the different animal and energies that these characters can take on.

The blazer is constructed from linen, a fabrication that has been utilized for over 7,000 years. Finally, Sam’s footwear is of a simple construction, single piece construction. Luna’s look is simple,
but very sexy. The top is of suede,very strappy. Added wasa simple ezymed washed mini skirt,distressed heavily. Finally, Luna’s ancestory played a large part in my design decisions.
This instance I did want to acknowledge her native american lineage. The suede boots are fridged
with a 5 inch heel.

True Blood “Fashion Pinpoint-One Look/One Story” Subject: Alcide Herveaux

Alcide Herveaux is a fictional character from the The Southern Vampire Mysteries/Sookie Stackhouse Novels by author Charlaine Harris. He is a were (a full blooded werewolf) who owns a surveying company with his father in Shreveport, LA. Alcide is depicted as a tall man with green eyes,and thick, tousled black hair. He has a younger sister named Janice. I designed a contempary sportswear look for Alcide, that would consist of natural fibers, being that Alcide is a werewolf, or a spirit/animal based human. His Two -toned jeans are made of organic hemp, raw washed. Blazer is light weight cashmere / wool with leather hatch details. The blazer has hemp denim elbow patches,same wash as denim jeans. Alcide’s look is finalized with a deep V-neck cashmere sweater,giving a glimpse of his magnificent body. The look is modern and very sporty.

True Blood “Fashion Pinpoint-One Look/One Story” Subject: Pam Swynford De Beaufort

Pamela “Pam” Swynford De Beaufort (born 1871, turned 1905) is a vampire and the progeny of Eric Northman. Born in London, her human life ended in 1905 after being turned into a vampire by Eric Northman. After a century together, Pam is fiercely loyal to her maker, and despite her relative youth as a vampire acts as his second in comma and in his duties as vampire sheriff of Area 5, Louisiana. Along with Longshadow, and later Chow, she is one of Northman’s business partners at Fangtasia. As of 2008, she is the beneficiary of Northman’s will, should he ever meet the true death. Pam was born in 1871, the daughter of a wealthy London businessman and his peerage wife who groomed her to be a respectable young lady of society which
bored Pam to no end. She spent most of her 20’s breaking engagements and young man’s hearts. When she met Eric Northman in 1905, she was only too happy to take him up on his offer of immortality.Pam is from victorian London, so I wanted to create a look that was somewhat reminiscent of a victorian look. The top is a color-blocked Bustier, coupled with a flared ruffled leaather skirt. The look is finished with thigh high stretch leather boots trimmed in satin. The final look is sexy and vey daring, just like the dark mooded Pam.

True Blood “Fashion Pinpoint-One Look/One Story” Subject: Lafayette Reynolds & Jesus Velasquez

Lafayette Reynolds is the short order cook at Merlotte’s Bar and Grill, cousin of Tara
Thornton and nephew of Lettie Mae Daniels. Recently find out that he is medium and
also has magical ablities.Lafayette is a flamboyant, charismatic gay man. Although
partaking in very illegal activities, he’s a good person at heart, and is careful not
to harm his customers with the drugs he deals. He takes care of his loved ones, no
matter what strange problems they have. He is suspicious and went through a lot in
his life. He is the kind of guy with a sense of black humor.
Jesús Velásquez (pronounced heh-soos) was the boyfriend of Lafayette Reynolds.
A brujo of Mexican origin, he met his partner while being employed as a medical
nurse for Lafayette’s mother Ruby Jean. He discovered that Lafayette was “powerful”
and carefully introduced him to witchcraft, magic and mediumship. Eventually he
managed to get Lafayette to join the witch coven of Marnie Stonebrook, a friend of his.
I love Lafayette and Jesus as characters, the only gay couple on “True Blood”.
Lafayette Reynolds was designed with a Keith Haring inspired velvet jacket. The jacket
is fun, with sequined Keith Haring graphics down the left arm, front and left yoke.
The denim jeans are pigment printed with a similiar graphic style. The whole look is
fun, dramatic, and colorful, just like the personality of Lafayette. Jesús Velásquez is
Lafayette’s lover , and is as wonderful as Lafayette. I designed a look that was
traditional concerning Jesús Velásquez native culture. Jesus is wearing a cotton
guayabera shirt, coupled with a tailored linen blazor , and linen drawstring pants .
The end look is casual ,elegant and reminiscent of the beautiful cuclture that
Jesus’s magick originates.

True Blood “Fashion Pinpoint-One Look/One Story” Subject: Bill Compton

King William Thomas Compton of Louisiana (born December 26, 1835, turned c. 1865), most
commonly known as Bill, is a vampire living in the small town of Bon Temps, Louisiana. Since the Great Revelation, Bill has decided to “mainstream” and co-exist peacefully with humans. He is known as Vampire Bill by some Bon Temps residents like Hoyt Fortenberry. Bill is one of few vampires to originate from America, as well as one of the youngest. He lived in the town of Bon Temps with his wife and two children when the Civil War began.In 1862, he went off to serve as First Lieutenant in the 28th Louisiana Infantry.When designing for Bill Compton , I decided to design a look that combined styles that were popular during the 19 and early 20th century. Bill is a vamparic traditionalist , but I wanted to create a look that was modern, but still traditional. supple,romantic velvets were combined with masculine pinstripe wools creating a look that is modern and very stylish.Bill Compton has proven to be a complicated character in season 5, but will always be viewed as the vampire that “called on” Sookie during their first date, a romantic moment that has continued to make women swoon.

True Blood “Fashion Pinpoint-One Look/One Story” Subject: Eric Northman

Eric Northman (born c. 870 AD, turned c. 900 AD) is the vampire sheriff of Area 5 in Louisiana which encompasses Bon Temps. He is over 1,100 years old as he was born somewhere,in Scandinavia during the Viking
age. As a child he played by the North Sea, which would mean that he grew up in Denmark or Norway (the two Scandinavian countries which border the North Sea). According to Pam, he has a farm in Öland (Sweden).
Eric speaks Swedish and refers to old Swedish music. He owns the vampire bar Fangtasia in Shreveport, Louisiana. Eric is 6’4″ tall, and has blond hair and blue eyes. Eric Northman in season is a vampire that is called an “Ancient”.
I decided to design Eric in styles that are elegant, basic black. Eric was a viking, prince of a providence. I designed accessories that were styled like the actual artifacts . The top was styled like a” kyrtill”, or outer tunic
The design for Eric’s shoulder plates mimiced the breastplates that would have been worn by Eric , will fighting as a warrior. Eric’s shoes are simple, designed after simple footwear that was popular during that time.
Shoes of that time were simple in construction, usually of made using the turnsole technique . Eric is a viking, a part of an ancient royal family, I found it curious that his character would not have tattoos, or skin markings
detailing his status , spiritual beliefs , as this was common of people during that time period and region . I decided to use the tatoos, but the only visible tattoo on Eric is the skin tattoo across his upper chest. The skin marking
I chose is very much like the skin markings of Eric’s “maker” , Godric.  Eric is what I call a “vampiric traditionalist”, or vampires that adhere to customs or ways of thinking prevalent during the time they were created.  Eric’s character is of great interest to anyone that enjoys ancient history, and how creatures such as vampires would interact with history. I know the project is one look,one story, but Eric is so interesting, I had to try a few versions of one look.

True Blood – A Study In Character, Fashion,and Blood

Like millions, I am a fan of True Blood. I love the story lines, the fantasy based characters, and the hot “eye candy” that graces my screen every week. From Eric Northman’s ice cold sex appeal, to Sookie’s “blonde but lovable” endearing habit of skirting death, True Blood is a great show. As a designer, and a native from Louisiana,could not help but think,” what if I could style of dress the characters of True Blood?”. Being a freelance designer, I have the freedom to do just that. I have styled and designed a few key looks for some of this show’s most memorable characters. This is going to be fun!  The mission concerning this project is to design and style each character based on his or her personality . 

Sookie Stackhouse is a human-fairy hybrid, introduced in the first season of True Blood. Sookie is the most prominent main character on the show and is played by Academy Award-winning Canadian Kiwi actress, Anna Paquin, in her Golden Globe-winning television role. Sookie also appears in the The Sookie Stackhouse Novels as the titular character and narrator of the stories. As a designer, I wanted to design looks that were sexy, but

playful”, just like Sookie’s personality.

Tara Mae Thornton has been Sookie Stackhouse’s best friend since childhood. Tara is the daughter of Lettie Mae Thornton, the cousin of Lafayette Reynolds and the Progeny of Pam. Tara is a strong-willed person who has had to deal with a multitude of abuses in her life. She was made a vampire as a last resort to save her life after she took a bullet.

According to Alan Ball, Tara is the smartest person in Bon Temps, but her cynical nature, born of her abusive background, has made her extremely blunt and often confrontational with others. She is however, fiercely protective of her loved ones (including her best friend Sookie) to a fault, often hating those whom she sees could cause harm to them, including vampires. Since Tara is now a vampire, I thought I would invest in her new status as an immortal with looks that would be appropriate for her new job/home, Fangtasia.

Close up of board A. Screenshots of show, with Tara in a sequined half sleeve blazer and distressed leather skirt with chrome buckle trims. I designed these looks to reflect Tara’s new personage as a vampire, working at Fangtasia, and being Pam’s “child”. One detail, the chrome buckles are added, and I would make them to look like silver. Silver is poisonous to all vampires, and though the buckles are perfectly harmless, they would say a lot about Tara’s view of herself, as a vampire, as well as her other vampire brethren.

Eric Northman (born c. 870 AD, turned c. 900 AD) is the vampiresheriff of Area 5 in Louisiana which encompasses Bon Temps. He is over 1,100 years old as he was born somewhere in Scandinavia during the Viking age. As a child he played by the North Sea, which would mean that he grew up in Denmark or Norway (the two Scandinavian countries which border the North Sea). According to Pam, he has a farm in Öland (Sweden). Eric speaks Swedish and refers to old Swedish music. He owns the vampire bar Fangtasia in Shreveport, Louisiana. Eric is 6’4″ tall, and has blond hair and blue eyes.

For this nordic gorgeous undead stunner, I decided to stay within the frame of his personality. Very dark colors, usually back and greasy, colors that mimic Eric’s ancient, but cynical outlook of the world. I was liberal with fabrication, using luxurious,exotic skins such as crocodile leather, ostrich leather, cashmeres, silks and tropical wools. The end result is a collections that is dark in mood, but  with a very masculine sensuality.

I thought leather as a fabrication is perfect for Eric.So in keeping with the “ancient theme” of Eric’s age, I used distressed, aged fabrications as well. Some of the fabrications I utilized in this small collection are washed, and or distressed in some way, to give an “aged look”, and or hand feel, giving an “ancient theme” referring back to Eric’s extraordinary age.

Lafayette Reynolds is the short order cook at Merlotte’s Bar and Grill, cousin of Tara Thornton, nephew of Lettie Mae Daniels,medium, and also a witch. In these looks, I wanted dress  Lafayette a tad conservatively, but still with a very “cross-over” flair that he is known for in the show. Utilizing eye-catching patterns, sumptuous velvets, corduroys, and wools. I still kept his signature head scarf style, this time in  beautiful patterns in raw silk. The styles are comfortable, very casual, but very chic.

 

Lafayette was a joy to design for, as his style is very much like my own, (though I am a tad “butch”),this aspect of the product line was really fun.

Jason Stackhouse is the older brother of Sookie Stackhouse. Now, I have to admit something,…I hate “jocks”. Individuals like this made my highshool years miserable, (till i discovered the wonderful use of nun-chucks and pepperspray), but Jason is a wonderful character on the show, and I had to include him. Jason Stackhouse is known for his beautiful body and sincere love for his sister and friends.While Jason did not inherit any powers as his sister did, he does carry the blood of his fae ancestors, which makes him more attractive to straight women and gay men. As a former football star Quarterback, Jason is very athletic and keeps up his fitness through an intense workout regimen.ason was born to Mr. andMrs. Stackhouse a few years earlier than his sisterfae ancestors, which makes him more attractive to straight women and gay men. As a former football star Quarterback, Jason is very athletic and keeps up his fitness through an intense workout regimen. The looks that I designed for Jason are a mix of casual and formal, a contemporary sportswear. Jason is a hunk in True Blood, and looks great in just about anything, though much of the time he is naked. Jason wears denim gear most of the time, with an assortment of casual knit and woven shirts. These looks are derived, but slightly more sophisticated, with of soft lambskin leather , accents and brass buckle trims.

I wanted to use techniques,graphics, and fabrications that I feel Jason would not wear normally,but because he is a “ladies man”, he could be convinced to explore.

I wanted Jason’s looks to be reminiscent of his personality, sexy, carefree, but confident. The graphic printed tux is a silk/wool pigment printed two piece tux. The graphic is of a orchid and blood splatter, appropriate for a night out at Fangtasia,…not that Jason would ever be caught dead ( pun intended ) in such an establishment , unless to rescue Sookie.

Overall, this was a fun project, and will be continued, as True Blood continues to add more and more interesting characters to this “visual cocktail of sex and fantasy”.
Stay Tuned

Fashion In Technicolor / A Study Of Color , Design, and Luxury

Since a little boy, like many of us that were artistically inclined, I loved color. No REALLY, I ADORED color, big gobs of bright and wonderful colors  that stimulated my young  imagination. Being a designer in NYC, color was always a “bad word”. You could use color for “pop” to accent garments,  and maybe as ground color for some designs concerning  the warmer seasons, but I was always told to be safe. “Never use bright colors, people don’t like bright colors”, is what I was often told by my career mentors. “Bright colors are cheap, it is a designer’s job to know when less is more”, another word of advice that I have built my design career on. As a freelancer, I design for many clients, and each client has  specific needs. This recession has hit my business, as well as many of my other freelance brethren hard, having me to redefine what I value as a designer, my views and thoughts on “design fundamentals” that I have been taught. This collection is for ME, in celebration of that little 7 year old boy that would look at his magic marker for hours, amazed at the rich hues that appeared on my paper. I will use color in abandon, wreaking havoc concerning the spectrum, and REALLY utilizing my Pantone book, not just for the socially accepted hues, but for colors that simply make me happy to look at. These looks are also experimenting with luxury based fabrics, skins, and precious metal trims, combining the absurd with the sublime. In this project, I am a child again, my magic markers have been replaced with my trusty mac, But I WILL find a joy that I have long lost. I hope viewing this collection has made you as happy as it has made me, cause this is DAMN FUN!

I would like to add that this project is dedicated to Patrick Kelly, a man that I never met, but his work and talent has always been a source of inspiration.

Check back as often as you like, this will be an on-going project for the next few months!