At the end of last week we hosted a fantastic event at our studio with Maggie Semple Limited.
Maggie herself is an entrepreneur of extraordinary talents who believes in equality and fairness in business. She is an advocate of networking with likeminded individuals in order to achieve a common goal and exemplifies the power of positive thinking. Our paths have crossed many times before through our mutual love of unusual projects and of course fashion!
Her latest venture explores the nature of emotional attachment to clothes, asking key figures to talk about the favourite item of clothing in their wardrobe and I was very pleased to be one of them! I immediately loved this concept as it opens up so much dialogue as to why we wear what we do, why certain garments have precedence in our hearts and minds over others and what does any chosen item say about the wearer. I have always believed that emotion and fashion go hand in hand and with certain special garments they are inextricably linked.
And so to my choices… After much agonising (can I choose an old cashmere jumper with holes in the sleeves?) I narrowed it down to two garments… No surprises for guessing they were dresses, and both in fact were vintage purchases from when I lived in Toronto.
The first is a black lace 1950s prom dress with a rose pink silk taffeta sash at the waist. I spoke of how this dress appealed to me because the colour, shape and details are so timeless. It symbolises to me the girl I often wish to be: poised and chic – a cross between Grace Kelly and Cinderella!
My second choice is also vintage but this time from the early 1980s – a black and white striped cotton shirt dress with exaggerated puff sleeves, full skirt and red piping along the collar. This dress perhaps symbolises the ‘real’ me as I have only ever worn the prom dress once whereas this shirt dress gets regular outings! It is a dress based around having fun with fashion and demands a level of confidence when wearing it as the cut and fabric are so bold.
Most of all I feel it is the unique nature of the dresses that makes me love them both so much and that is why I adore making bespoke clothes – each and every one of my clients gets to feel that special when they purchase their garment from me since each and every one is unique to them.
The evening was an absolute delight to host and the audience even participated by bringing their own ‘favourites’ along – from a 25 year old handmade silk kimono to an exquisite skirt suit it was fascinating to share stories with such a vibrant and interesting group of women.
To find out more about the Maggie Semple events please visit their website http://www.maggiesemple.com/
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