Why I do what I do..........?

The first thing I must say is that I love fashion, every phase of it. The beauty of a well finished dress, the accessories that goes with it, watching the models strolling back and forth on the runway, the list could be interminable. As a Fashion Designer I focus on the technical aspect of a garment and all that comes with it, the fittings, corrections, pinching myself with the needles (I don’t really like this part but it comes with the job). Oh those fitting sessions, when you try to make a garment look appealing to the eye and at the same time comfortable and wearable, sometimes becomes a challenge. It is exciting to see a piece that you have worked on in a store window or in the pages of a magazine.

It all started on the summer of 1987, when I went to Bogota, Colombia to visit my aunt with one of my sisters and my cousin. I had just finished high school and was not so sure what to do about college. This trip was a chance for me to explore another culture and at the same time think about a career, because for my parents it was a big deal that I had a college education. Well, I knew it had to be related to the arts, I was just thinking maybe Architecture, why not? I was very good with ruler and pencil. A month passed by, we enjoy our time overseas, made new friends, visited lots of museums, ate a lot, seriously a lot, everywhere we went it was about food and enjoy the fact that we were in a strange city with no parents, but that is another story.  Like I said, a month passed by and we were back in Dominican Republic and guess what, I was already enrolled in Fashion School. Yes, enrolled and ready to start in about three weeks, HA! For a moment I thought, who told my parents I wanted to study fashion, but then I remember having the conversation about me owning my business and how easy was for me to create new pieces when I wanted to go out with friends Friday night, my father made it clear that's what I was good for.

The same day I was told about my professional future I found myself having a flashback… an event came to my mind. When I was about 9 years old, Barbie era for me and my friends, I used to make my dolls dresses from the left over fabrics my mom saved from the beautiful outfits she made for me and my sisters. I remember my friends loving them and wanting some for their Barbies. After all, mine were a lot cheaper than the label version, so I decided to create a small line of Barbie dolls clothing using the left over fabrics I told you before. I made about 15 or 20 dresses and opened a store, yes a store on the front porch of my house using my mom's coffee table as the display stand, HA! Just the memory of it is hilarious to me. This was a whole production, because I created shopping bags as well out of the brown paper bags, which makes me think the idea of the Big Brown Bag came from me, but no Bloomingdale was already open for business, oh if I only knew. Back to my story, the sale was a success and all my friends purchased dresses that at the end I wanted to keep because I just loved them all. Hey! I was only 9 and I just wanted to play designer.

The fun part of the story is that when I see one of my childhood friends that's the memory they bring to the conversation. In conclusion, why I do what I do? It was meant to be. I love and enjoy fashion, all the great Designers that have emerged throughout history are an inspiration to me, touching and feeling the texture of a piece of fabric, the shows and the trends each season. I wish I have one of those tiny dresses I used to create with my little hands. As a replacement I am sharing with you the dress I did for my daughter's doll....It did brought memories and I enjoyed sharing the moment with her. By the way….she is 9. 

Until next time......Always,
Margaret