Stella McCartney threw a once-in-a-lifetime concert & show for her pre-fall 2016 collection just a couple of weeks ago at Amoeba Music in Hollywood. There were performances by legendary artists such as Brian Wilson from the Beach Boys, Pink, Marilyn Manson and even Johnny Depp. Celebrities including Gwyneth Paltrow and Ringo Starr stopped by the store, which was decked out in neon lights to match the rainbow assortment of purses on display, and to celebrate fashion and catch a glimpse of Stella’s upcoming fall collection.

I worked on tailoring looks for some of the attendees, and once the work was done, I went on to celebrate the beautiful collection. Stella naturally wore her own amazing creation, which I altered to fit her perfectly. Other looks that I fit and tailored that night can be seen on actress Lake Bell and singer Mary J. Blige in a white hot jumpsuit. All alterations were done using my trusted Janome Jem Platinum machine, as usual!  

Sofia Vergara and Joe Manganiello tied the knot on Sunday, November 22, 2015 in Palm Beach, Florida, and I was fortunate enough not only to be one of the 400 guests in attendance, but also to help Sofia and her family bring her custom design dreams to life.

Leading up to the big day, I worked from start to finish with Sofia, her stylists Jill Lincoln and Jordan Johnson (of style team Jill & Jordan), as well as the design team from Zuhair Murad to create Sofia’s wedding gown. I worked closely on the technical side to make sure the structure of the dress would fit perfectly for Sofia’s liking and to ensure comfortability. Quite a challenge with the many thousands of miles between us in Los Angeles and the designer based in Lebanon! 350 crystals, 11 pounds of sequins, and almost 7 pounds of pearls were used to make Sofia’s design come to life, with the dress being completed just days before the wedding.

But my work didn’t stop with Sofia’s dress. I also custom made pieces for Sofia’s unofficial maid of honor, her lovely niece Claudia Daniela. Sofia, Claudia Daniela, and I designed a lace and tulle dress with Swarowski details, and then I created special custom piece. We swatched and shopped for weeks to find the perfect fabrics, and accomplish the perfect silhouette. Sofia helped me to design the 4 flower girls’ dresses that preceded Sofia’s walk down the aisle, and I custom made them. I tailored outfits for Sofia’s extended family and contributed to other wedding components like the flower girls’ baskets and the custom ring bearer’s pillow.

This wonderful opportunity will definitely remain one of my most cherished experiences (and best party!)!

Sofia Vergara attended the 2015 MET Gala in a flowy gold Marchesa gown. I built the underlying structure that this gown was draped on, and made sure that it worked with the finished design of the dress.

I was the stylist and tailor for The Bold & the Beautiful star Karla Mosley when she presented at the 2015 Daytime Emmy Awards. Karla wanted something special for this milestone appearance in her career, and even though styling is something I am less involved in, I knew a friend at Watters of Dallas who was thrilled with the idea of making something custom for her!! Having made TV history portraying the first transgender character (Maya) on daytime TV, Karla wanted to stand out.

Once we received the custom dress, we added a few details to customize it even more for Karla’s liking, including adding black Swarovski buttons up the wrist and sleeve and taking out the delicate netting to expose more skin! We also minimized the amount of lining and added some additional lace detail in parts. We managed to get all of this accomplished in the matter of one week!!

In October 2014, I was fortunate enough to be invited to the First Lady’s event to celebrate fashion design following a Fashion Education Workshop at the White House. Members of the fashion industry were invited to the event to enlighten and mentor select fashion students around the Washington, D.C. area. Of course I could only fathom wearing a custom made dress for something so special, and I decided to make my own. Picking the fabric proved to be hard enough of a task as my creativity was running wild while I shopped in New York’s bustling Garment District, and in my mind, possibilities seemed endless. Knowing my time limitations before I had to leave for the event and squeezing this in between other jobs, I eventually settled on a simple and comfortable design with a vintage-inspired look.

When I see a special fabric, I buy it, resulting in closets full of very special things. I travel a lot and love to search for fabrics and unique design elements that I can collect and then utilize when I have a fun event to go to, or need to make something unique. I had a collection of stones ranging from jasper, turquoise, citron, to Swarovski. I decided to use this special collection of treasures and embroider it along the hem of the dress. I was even sewing right up until I zipped up the dress to walk out the door–Amtrak can now be considered an extension of my studio. Designing and making a dress for myself was WAY harder than doing it for other people, but I am so happy with how it turned out, and my brother and I had a blast at the wonderful event celebrating the importance of the fashion industry, and meeting Mrs. Obama!