Dresses for Dubai

Late last year a friend from Tokyo asked me to whip up some dresses for a new store he was helping with in Dubai, Valleydez. Of course it happened to be the busiest time of year at the office where I work on a casual basis, so I was working something like six days a week AND trying to get the dresses ready for shipping. They were something of a challenge as apparently the ladies in Dubai are obsessed with bling. Ironically, much of the time people say that my creations are a little bit too colourful for them (Melburnians especially, seeing as they’ve grown up on a diet of black, black and more black), so it was a novel experience having to actually add MORE colour and sparkle rather than trying to restrain myself. To be honest, the whole thing was a little overwhelming as I had to create/modify something like 12 pieces in a month, and I had to make them in sizes a lot larger than I usually do which meant I couldn’t try them on myself and parade around in front of the mirror to see how they looked. Plus, I didn’t have that much kimono or obi fabric just lying around so I had to launch a massive unpicking operation before I could start… (everything for my label, Fourth Daughter, is made from vintage kimono and obi)… just remembering it is bringing on a headache as I prefer to work more organically (artistic euphemism for being a slacker). As a result, the photos I took of the pieces before frantically wrapping them up for their long voyage don’t do them justice, but here they are anyway! Thanks must go to Suki, who offered handy sewing and styling tips as I worked and helpfully acted as a paperweight by sitting on the patterns to .. um.. prevent them being blown away by the tornado-like winds that regularly whip through my lounge room. I just hope the girls in Dubai don’t mind a bit of cat fur on their party outfits! It’s an accessory that I am never without (not always by choice though)!

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