Step into a realm where creativity knows no bounds. Our brand is a symphony of design, technique and meticulous attention to detail. Each piece I create is a unique masterpiece tailored to your individual style.

Designs from Brooks LTD in Denver, Colorado set you apart from the crowd.

For this reason, I created several showstopping looks for a Bastille Day fashion show in Denver, Colorado.   Vintage textiles combining with modern fabrics to create these breezy, one-of-a-kinds frocks.  Here you see where creativity knows no bounds.  Seriously, think table napkins!  Elegant, pristine and very rare from collectors of fine linens.

Photo:  Bahar Samani

Currently I am using tabletop textiles: exquisite napkins and tablecloths from vintage collectors. The quality of these materials is unmatched in today’s marketplace of fast fashion.

Sometimes I create the accessories that go with the designs, completing the looks.

Fast Fashion

You may wonder, “What is fast fashion?”.   It’s a business model that mass-produces cheap, poor-quality items meant to replicate recent high-end trends and designs. It’s considered ‘fast’ fashion because the production is fast and the life spans of the items are fast.  Consumers quickly discard the low cost made items for whatever the next season offers.

Fast fashion also has devastating consequences on the environment and the people who make the items.

Because of this, workers’ rights are eroded during the production process and the discarded clothing ends up in landfills.

Slow Fashion

In contrast we proudly embrace the concept of slow fashion. Slow fashion honors craftsmanship and quality materials. Our pieces are meant to be treasured and enjoyed, then passing down from generation to generation.  I like to call them wearable art work.

Experience personalized consultations

Finally, experience the luxury of a personalized consultation and our bespoke pieces that speak to your soul. Embrace the unexpected and infuse playfulness into your wardrobe with our timeless creations that promise to bring joy into your life. Celebrate the art of dressing authentically in a wearable art dress.

Discover the perfect artisian piece to elevate your style. Shop now

Reach out to schedule a one on one zoom call here.

Photo:  Bahar Samani

The post Creativity knows no bounds appeared first on Brooks Ltd.

Details Matter

This beautiful one-shoulder design has a see-through waistline and embossed details on the skirt. Hand-stitching is a feature of slow fashion adding a unique, artisanal quality to clothing. The layered see-though skirt has a horsehair hem that creates incredible movement as it appears to float around your body.

Compact for travel

The Morgan dress is a beauty, in addition, she’s also tough.  Thanks to the unique materials this dress can be rolled up and packed away for traveling. Just pop it out upon arrival and you’re ready for a glass of champagne!  Moreover, the color and design are perfect for summer garden parties, guest cocktail wear, social occasions, or even as a youthful Mother-of-the-Bride.

Watch for new neoprene pieces in the fall season. This material is taking off as a great option for everyday wear like dresses and jackets.  Exciting designs await the arrival of the new fabric.

Check out this find along with other unique pieces, looking for their forever homes.  As a matter of fact these are special, marked-down prices found at From The Vault.

Model:  @dorotka777

Photographer:  @Hardysphotos

The post Neoprene Dress appeared first on Brooks Ltd.

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.

In the fashion industry, we thrive off of working one-on-one with women who let us go all out with our imagination to design dresses, tops and other outfits that are like nothing else out there. Give us creative freedom and we can make your dream day come true. They aren’t bought off the rack or made for just anyone; they’re created purely to give you joy and suit your lifestyle.

Today I wanted to highlight a recent styled shoot we participated in at The Dove Inn, a cute boutique bed and breakfast in Golden, Colorado. To create this piece, I’ve incorporated silk charmeuse, beaded lace and a casual shape to create this haltered gown. You can be the belle of the ball with this short and sassy look. 

Lounging on this lovely couch at the Inn, Dorotka looks chic in this ensemble. Add some fun socks and pearls and this handcrafted piece will scream “artful living.”

We designed this three-piece ensemble to go with a French alencon lace pant. Our model showed it as a separate piece worn with a bustier.  The choices can be endless!

I can even see the lace pant with an oversized cotton shirt for evening wear as another ensemble option. I constantly encourage women to wear their pieces creatively after the event: it’s a lifestyle statement and sustainable fashion.  

We couldn’t have done it without the magical team that made this happen! Thank you to all these great vendors! It takes a village and I am appreciative of everyone.

Model: Dorotka T.

Photoshoot team:

John Oh Photography

Kai Davis Visuals

Joel Serrano Photo

Concept, styling and MUAH: Dorotka T.

Love this look? Check out other fashion designs by Brooks LTD!

View some of our other favorite styles for special occasions and lifestyle wear online! Reach out to Brooks today to create a custom ensemble with your lifestyle and personality in mind.

The post Dare to Be Different: Find Your Unique Style appeared first on Brooks Ltd.

Pretty (and Funky) in Pink

The model’s dark hair and ivory skin was just crying out for something fun, flirty and feminine, so I decided that this pretty, pink chiffon number was just the thing. Created from 100% pure silk chiffon, the delicate pink shade and halter style perfectly complemented and contrasted with the model’s long, dark hair.

Fuchsia gloves, tights, and a pair of kinky boots in black patent leather added a little edge to the style for the photoshoot. Finally, the outfit was crowned — literally — with a sparkling tiara for a glamorous fairy-princess-meets-rock-chick look. Fun, but elegant, the dress features frayed edges and hand-stitched details and can be dressed up or down depending on the occasion, making it perfect for a glamorous night at the opera or a formal fundraiser.

I chose chiffon for this design because of its feminine look, versatility, and strength. Despite their fragile look, chiffon and voile are surprisingly hard-wearing, and can be used for a number of different looks. I love to create beautiful and unique pieces for my collection, but not at the expense of our environment and I’m passionate about only using sustainable materials which don’t diminish our planet’s resources.

After the initial design and creation of the pink chiffon dress, I visited with the model to make some last minute adjustments to make sure that the dress fit perfectly — something which is incredibly important with a figure-hugging piece such as this one — particularly as the dress is designed to be worn without a bra. I think Kari Geha‘s photography work is also genius.

The overall effect of this outfit is feminine without being overly girly, and our model loved the dress so much, she didn’t want to take it off once the shoot was over.

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Meet Jessica, a power house woman who I had the pleasure of dressing a few months prior for a Cancer League Breast Cancer Awareness Fashion show.

During our first consultation, we picked out the perfect fabric for her summer frock, took measurements and I sketched a design appropriate for the Kentucky Derby.  Fast forward to look at the fabric draped on my mannequin to see the grainlines:

Jessica had picked out several hat options and we chose one in particular that would be a subtle contrast to the color of the dress. I chose silk organza in that color for the lining which would show because of the high low hem and would be a subtle design detail.

The first fitting was a muslin to get the bust point and neckline in the exact place necessary.  The muslin was a bit small and needed adjustments, which is always the case and it’s why we start with a prototype.  

After the corrections are made and a new muslin is cut, I use that as my pattern to cut the fashion fabric out and then the sewing begins.

At the second fitting I tweak the fashion fabric on Jessica’s body. You can see from the photo below that in order for the dress to fit snuggly at the waist I have to take it in and insert structures so that when she moves the dress stays taut.  

At the final fitting we have a good time documenting the final garment. It was most important to me that the bodice fit perfectly, that no bra lines are showing and that the décolleté is correctly exposed.

The hat needed some decoration to set the dress apart so I added white feathers which went with the whimsy style of the dress.

As I mentioned above, relationships are often formed during the dress design process. Jessica and I have a lot of future plans together. Both of us being breast cancer survivors, we are passionate about empowering women for early detection and self-examination. Jessica has started an organization to help educate women, called Night Out with “The Girls”. She has creative ways to make the educational process effective and fun. Definitely check it out!

Thank you, Jessica, for choosing me as your couturier for this project. Can’t wait to see what’s in store for our next venture! 

You can also read more about this project on Denver Post’s Your Hub!  

Looking for a custom designed dress for a special occasion?

Whether you’re looking for a truly unique wedding dress, an elegant mother of the bride dress, a creative gala or party dress, or other artful ensemble creations, reach out to Brooks LTD for a design that suits you and fits perfectly! Contact me online or call 303-573-3801.  

The post Kentucky Derby Dress appeared first on Brooks Ltd.

She came to me after looking around for her perfect gown and not finding quite the look she dreamed of elsewhere. She wanted something special that radiated her personality and flattered her figure. The dress would be a short cocktail dress in a decorative tulle fabric with three-dimensional flowers. My vision of this dress could also be worn for a mother of the bride, gala event, cocktail party or any other black-tie social occasion.

When she decided to have me make a custom handmade dress, Jody and her fiancé came to visit to see how the process works. Since they had done their research, they had a vision of some design elements that would work on her figure. We draped several different fabrics over her street wear and she tried on several sample elements in my atelier in downtown Denver. Jody had also ordered two pairs of shoes that she loved, so we had a color palette to start with. It’s funny to see what sparks a dress design – shoes in this case!

After the first consultation, I had ideas of what would work for her wedding. They came back to look at the drawings and the fabrics I found that might work for the dress. Together we narrowed down the fabric choices to a grey beaded tulle or a pink beaded tulle with three-dimensional flowers. We chose the pink and I was off and running.

While I waited for the fabric to arrive, I prepared the first fitting of a muslin. We had two fittings of the muslin to get it perfect before I cut into the gorgeous special fabric. Placement of the flowers were very important, so there wasn’t any room for error and required special focus and attention to detail to get it right.

I cut apart the carefully executed muslin and used it as the final pattern. In fact, I saved this muslin as Jody and I talked about other dresses for more upcoming events this summer. Fabric and design will change the muslin fit, but we have a start for more options.

Below you will see various photos and views of Jody in her dress at her wedding day. The extended family included many children and young adults, you can see everything was thought out even down to the pink converse shoes. The flowers designed by Newberry Brothers were also exquisite. Everything was soft in pinks, with touches of red roses. Thank you to Joe and Joyce at Studio JK Photography for these great photos.

Congratulations to Jody and Don for their recent marriage! I am honored to have been your couturier for the festive event. You both looked radiant.

Looking for a unique, handmade wedding dress that’s unlike any other?

Sometimes your vision for the big day requires a wedding dress no one else has – one of a kind.  Reach out to me for a custom wedding dress that fits you and suits your personality perfectly.

The post A Unique Handmade Wedding Dress for a Second-Time Bride appeared first on Brooks Ltd.

This collection was black and red, with pops of pink to go with the theme, “Cityscape to Countryside.” Brooks LTD clothing is all about your attitude and style, no matter the shape of your body or your age. My design aesthetic is diverse and multigenerational, not just for one group of women. And this collection was made to bring this idea to life.

The art of custom making clothes takes patience, perseverance, dedication and skill. The original consultation is where ideas are discussed to determine the silhouette and the fit. A muslin is made based on these discussions.

Meet Keri, a beautiful woman who loves fashion as much as I do. I had a vision of creating the perfect sassy version of a stretch ensemble that was somewhat revealing, but tasteful at the same time. To carry out the theme of the entire collection I added a beautiful lace skirt that made the otherwise casual garment appropriate for the runway, or even a special event in your future.

My vision began with a muslin, a dress form and an idea.

After those adjustments I was ready to perfect the garment with the right zipper, elastic trimming and the adjustable neckline finish. This design has so many possibilities, as the lace skirt is removable and can be worn different seasons with the right leggings and sweater for winter or camisole for summer. The one piece romper would be a great summer party ensemble with or without the skirt.

Once the adjustments were done, we met at a coffee shop to evaluate the design. Of course I couldn’t help myself and asked her to take a fun practice walk in the hallway. We love bathroom meetings!

This is just one piece of the collection I made for all of the models to wear for the fashion show. Each design was made to fit these women according to their body type and style, and I loved seeing the whole collection come together for the big event! Here’s one of my favorite pictures of all of us:

All Runway Photos:  Hardy Klahold Photography

The post Behind the Scenes: Design Process for Breast Cancer Awareness Fashion Show appeared first on Brooks Ltd.

Special Events Call for a One-of-a-Kind Ensemble

Some of the most important events in your life should be celebrated in a way that makes the occasion truly memorable and completely unlike your average day. And your wedding isn’t the only celebration that calls for a custom dress, either!

Whether you are a mother of the bride, an honored guest at a red-carpet style event, or hosting an elegant gala or party, hiring a custom fashion designer can be one of the best ways to dress to impress!

Custom Dresses Are Made to Fit You

Rather than a handful of sizes that are made to fit a wide range of people, custom-made clothing is exactly that: custom-made for you and no one else. A custom-made dress can be made to suit your height, body type, and/or skin tone in a way no store-bought dress ever will.

Working with a Designer is Fun!

It’s a fun experience to collaborate with a designer who can create a vision with your ideas in mind and bring a unique ensemble to life. Although the process to work with a designer is longer than your typical shopping experience, it can be far more exciting, especially when you know the end product will be like nothing else out there!

More Personality

Hiring a designer also means you can talk about ideas that add more character, flair, and uniqueness in the design that is specifically suited to your individual personality and style. After your initial consultation, we can begin to sketch out a few ideas for your dress or ensemble’s design. 

Whether you are someone who absolutely loves all things shimmer and shine, or you dream of a more modern and minimalist design, you can brainstorm with a designer to create an ensemble just for you! You can even talk about specific fabrics and colors that go perfectly with the type of event you’ll be hosting or attending. 

Contact a Custom Dress Designer in Denver, CO

Whether you’re looking for a truly unique wedding dress, an elegant mother of the bride dress, a creative gala or party dress, or other artful ensemble creations, reach out to Brooks LTD for a design that suits you and fits perfectly! Contact me online or call 303-573-3801.

The post Reasons to Hire a Custom Dress Designer appeared first on Brooks Ltd.

Some colors, fabrics and gown shapes can look drastically different under various circumstances. Here are a few tips to help you determine what to wear that will suit the occasion and flatter your body shape.

Choosing the Right Style

Are you attending a black-and-white tie affair with an upscale vibe? This type of event may be better suited for tea- and floor-length gowns. You might also consider using fabrics that speak to the theme or style of the event, such as sequins, satin, or tulle.

For more lively and creative events, such as art gallery showings, parties and wedding celebrations, a more unique dress style may be in order! Your ensemble could include a fun combination of fabrics and colors to make you feel excited and confident as you enter the room.

The key is to find the right balance between wearing an outfit that works with the event itself while also catering to your individuality!

Dress Shapes

As much as we all would love to think we can pull off any dress shape, some body types are simply perfect for certain dresses and ensembles than others.

For example, hourglass or curvy shaped bodies can work well with fitted dresses that show off your silhouette. Or for those more triangle or pear shaped — with a waist wider than the bust — an A-line style with a hemline below your knees will look beautiful and will make your hips appear slender.

Have a more athletic build without a lot of curves? Play up those defined shoulders or show off your waistline! Gowns with halter or racerback necklines can look absolutely amazing on those with more athletic figures.

As for apple shapes with broader shoulders, A-lines, maxi styles, and darker colors are all great for you!

Hire a Custom Dress Designer in Denver, CO

What better way to find something perfect to wear for the occasion than trusting a designer to make a dress with your specific event, personality and body in mind?

Whether you’re looking for a truly unique wedding dress, an elegant mother of the bride dress, a creative gala or party dress, or other artful ensemble creations, reach out to Brooks LTD for a design that suits you and fits perfectly! Contact me online or call 303-573-3801.

The post Gown Styles and Shapes: Which is Right for You? appeared first on Brooks Ltd.