Start with an idea, then tailor it to your specific needs

Welcome to my blog! I hope to share with you some of the amazing custom couture projects I've been fortunate enough to work on, and invite you to share with me your thoughts, ideas, and projects of your own!  I've been making a living as a dress designer/dessmaker/women's tailor for longer than I want to say but am just now getting around to sharing the joys ( and, ok, sometimes frustrations) of custom sewing.

My clientele list consists of women at various stages of their social and professional lives; each are different in their tastes, means, body types, and goals. I try to meet them where they are comfortable, usually in their own home, for our consultations and fittings.   Together we create garments that are sometimes for specific occasion, sometimes something that is to be a wardrobe workhorse, and sometimes something that is just for the sheer joy of utilizing a must-have fabric.   There is always a special joy in making a garment in a style that a woman thought she couldn't wear - until she sees it done in her own proportions!  Fit is the key to it all, and nothing makes a woman feel more beautiful than wearing a garment made expressly for her.

Let's start with a little red silk fitted jacket.  ( See our work-in-progress sheets below.)  The inspiration came from the client herself, a jacket she had seen on Ralph Lauren's website. She had a formal speaking engagement and wanted to wear evening wear but slacks.  We made a few design changes, like raising the lapel depth, but stuck to the same overall silhouette.  The client is often in NYC, so took the photo to B&J Fabrics in NYC( http://www.bandjfabrics.com) and came back with the beautiful cardinal red silk ottoman for the jacket, black silk and lycra satin for the skinny pants, and an alencon lace for the blouse.  I picked up the great black jet buttons at Joann - go figure. The jacket is very tailored to her tiny waist (no, I do not expect all clients to be tiny! )and has a super-pointed winged lapel that was absolute mayhem to create in that ravelly ottoman, but the end product is spectacular.

If you need something special for an upcoming engagement, or would simply like your everyday wear to be in richer fabrics and more innovative in design, contact me at LyndaDePompei@aol.com.

And stick around for more lovely designs!  I have years of projects available to discuss - let me know what you'd like to hear about.