Photo credit: Erin Lassahn Photography

The wedding was this summer and I had the pleasure of dressing them and their mom for the festivities. Today I will concentrate on Erin, Megan’s sister who stood in for the bride as the only bridesmaid. I had a blast working with all three of them, and since we started several months ago, it helped to make the design process more relaxing and all about pure fun. That’s something I strive for when creating dresses of women’s dreams.

The color choice was based on the bride’s desires. Fun, happy colors that will look festive and bright in the urban industrial wedding venue: Moss Denver. Once you’ve chosen your wedding venue, picking colors for your bridal party is always important, too!

Photo credit: Erin Lassahn Photography

Erin fell in love with some lace pants at my atelier, so with that in mind and the turquoise color choice, I searched for the perfect fabric that would create a pant to go underneath a silk skirt in the same color. I tied all of the elements together in a hand-stitched decorated waistline of her wrap skirt. Note the touches of red to pull out the color of her shoes. No detail is left undone.

Photo credit: Erin Lassahn Photography

I believe that the back is just as important as the front. That is why I chose to decorate the center back with an exposed zipper. The sleeve detail is also visible front and back.

Here is a snippet from the actual fitting. I use Erin as the fit model to change up the original idea of a dolman sleeve to a set in sleeve. Things change as we go along. Yes, it’s me who does the designing, fitting, sewing, and cutting. One of a kind ensembles need that one-on-one special attention; why not work directly with a local designer you can trust?

One of the details I always prefer is to look toward the future. I wanted Erin to be able to wear these pieces again, not just for the wedding. I suggested she wear the skirt with other tops, maybe a tight fitting sweater with leggings when the weather gets colder. The lace pant would look great with a tailored white shirt and the lace bodice works well with a dark colored pant and jacket for a day into evening look. The choices are endless and makes this a sustainable ensemble that she will wear many years from now. For other fun, sustainable fashion designs, check out my lifestyle ensembles online!

Photo credit: Erin Lassahn Photography

Congratulations to everyone! I loved working with these creative ladies. Thank you for the opportunity.

And did I mention how much fun we all had during the process?

Contact Brooks LTD for a Custom Ensemble Designed Just for You!

Whether you’re attending a wedding as a bridesmaid or mother of the bride, or you’re celebrating your own wedding or other major milestone event, you deserve to feel stylish in a unique piece made with your personality and body type in mind. Reach out to me for a custom dress that fits you perfectly.

The post A Custom Bridesmaid Ensemble for Erin appeared first on Brooks Ltd.

I started sketching some creative ideas one winter day. I paid close attention to the rounded sides and triangular windows of the conservatory, and was intrigued by the window panels of the gallery where the exhibit was going to take place.

As I began the sketches, I had a specific fabric in mind that I was going to incorporate into this project.  Based on the instructions for the Doors Open Denver exhibit and my fabric choice, I began to think of a dress design.  You will see that these sketches are only the beginning of the final result.

The most difficult part of my wanting to emulate the building was trying to get the sleeve to shape like the peaked windows at the top of the conservatory.  It took a lot of patience, wiring, tulle, stretching, ironing and more patience! I used wiring around the inside edge to help maintain its shape and several draping experiments to get the two layers just right. 

I also was inspired by the blossoms in bloom that spring when I started researching the project, which is how I came up with the name Snow Blossom. There was still white snow on the ground outside even with the first few flowers blooming, and the idea took off from there!

I love to create three-dimensional silk flowers that set my designs apart from the masses. I twist and turn, place them, replace them and stitch them down, then press them so they float on the fabric and are not flat. Here is only one of many flower photos next to the hem of the dress.

The sleeves are representational of the diamond shaped glass windows, peaked, and triangular.  The black mesh is an interpretation of the windows. The black lined details at the midriff is inspired by the outside of the building’s interesting window panes.  The shape of the skirt (especially the side seam) represents the rounded edge of where conservatory windows come together. The hem of the dress is indicative of flowers blossoming inside the building, each flower is twisted, turned and stitched in silk organza and tulle.

The neck accessory was the last detail and so much fun to make. I’ve created similar neck accessories for daywear and think it is an unusual item to add to one’s wardrobe to pair with a tee shirt or a silk blouse. Snow blossom was a perfect design to incorporate this similar idea. I think it ties the entire look together. Here is the real snow blossom on display at the exhibit:

And of course, at the opening exhibit of Doors Open Denver I got to pose with Snow Blossom.

Lifestyle Clothing for Fashionable Women

Brooks LTD is based in Denver, CO and designs lifestyle clothing for women, including artistic tops, unique dresses to wear around town, and more. Contact me online or call 303-573-3801 to learn more about our atelier and custom clothing design process!

The post Snow Blossom Dress Inspired by Denver Botanic Gardens appeared first on Brooks Ltd.

Between outfits for your travel days, work meetings and late-night parties or events, it can be hard to find the right clothes that can accommodate more than one outing. One possible solution? Mesh tunics!

Recently, Brooks LTD had a great opportunity to collaborate with one of Denver’s finest new hotels — The Maven in LoDo for a styled photoshoot, featuring some of my favorite designs!

Not only was it a fun location for a photoshoot, but the name of the hotel is also perfect for describing my lifestyle clothing: “maven” means someone who is skilled in a particular field, often crafting handmade items. The Maven Hotel in LoDo wanted a name like this to promote Colorado artists, so it suited our fashion photoshoot pretty well!

For this styled session, I imagined two of my clients traveling to downtown Denver for a business conference, and discovered they share the same philosophy on clothing design.

First, they walk into the hotel, check in and head up the elevator. They love the coincidence of wearing similar mesh tunics, and start a conversation about how great they are for traveling, since they don’t wrinkle, they pack well and can be dressed up or down.

They decide to have a late afternoon drink in the Kachina Restaurant, and the outfits they’ve brought are perfect for going from a day outfit into a casual evening out on the town.

Our Team:

Photographer:  JJ Constantine
Models: Judith Boyd, Mallory High
Coordinator: Mary Spicer
Hair: Stephanie Fugazzi
Makeup: Tiaja Pierre

You can now see some of Brooks LTD’s latest tunic and blouse designs in the online shop!

The post The Maven Hotel Lifestyle Fashion Photoshoot with Brooks LTD appeared first on Brooks Ltd.