Next round, coming up - this time with finesse!

Hi folks!

I know I've been very slow to post and report lately, but there's been movement on the Cabiria front, I promise.

As you saw before, dear readers, I hit a bit of a snag with my plans in Bangkok. When I came back to New York, the extraordinarily talented Michael David Bevins extended technical help my way through his company 4 Seasons Fashion. I'm diligently working away on patterns now, with a real class act providing the art of finesse. Such heartening news!

In the meantime, I leave you with this image from "Mad Men", returning to television in a few weeks. I am obsessed with border prints and the magic that they can do for any figure, slim or plus. Discuss.

Here's to new updates faster, sooner, and with more new dresses!

-Eden

Moving forward, one step at a time

Hello friends!

I'm going to be leaving for Thailand in about a week, so I'll be the errant blogger again. However, I am definitely having patterns and first samples made in Bangkok, and I'm extremely thrilled about that. Finally!

I've also been getting extraordinary tips and guidance from wonderful folks who've been in fashion longer than I have. The talented Michael Bevins has been kind enough to steer me towards his team of patternmakers and production facilities here in New York, and both Carl Goldberg of Cego Custom Shirts and Carelli Costumes have also chipped in brain power and resources. I'm a lucky designer indeed!

I'm still trying to figure out how to format a MailChimp newsletter, which they SAY is easy, but it's not my great skill. If anyone wants to help me with that, I'd be ever so grateful. Let me know!

One other great boon about doing all the samples and patterns now is that I'll be putting together both the Spring/Summer samples and Fall/Winter samples, so there's no lag time. Thinking ahead!

Plus, I get to wear pretty dresses this winter, too, like this one:

Everything is coming together, slowly, slowly, then BOOM! It all happens!

-Eden

Heads and Tails

Hello all,

This past few weeks has been interesting, for certain. I found out that I'm a pretty good patternmaker in my own right, but unfortunately I had to learn that by reviewing the work of the professionals I'd contracted to make some of the patterns and realized they'd been done all wrong. Please note! Werkstatt did NOT end up doing my patterns - they are far more professional and couture for me to have been able to handle, and I am in no way implying that they messed up. I have not worked with them - merely met them in their immaculate studio.

I sprained my wrist pretty badly, which has been making drafting the patterns challenging, and working on the financials, which I definitely could use a hand on, but I am trucking along. I'm the little engine that could.

One thing to remember in the face of all this, though, is that trouble comes and goes, but you can rely on yourself to pull on through in the end. I believe in me, and I am very fortunate to have a lot of others who do too.

Have a glorious few weeks until I post again. I know - I really need to be more diligent with that! In the meantime, I leave you with an image that seems to explain my life a lot lately:

At the patternmaker now!

Hi all,

After the crazy week with hurricanes and earthquakes, I finally got everything together and now have the Spring Summer 2012 line at the patternmaker's studio. That's right, those were dates you just heard.

The pattern maker is this cool woman named Tina Schenk who owns Werkstatt NY in the garment district. I worked on all my notes to translate to flats, and am now looking to book the samplemaker too. Tangible clothing! After that, the next steps will be finding gorgeous models, a photographer, shooting the lookbook, and pre-selling the production line. Awesome, right?

Here's a little bit about Werkstatt in the meanwhile. Updates soon!

Werkstatt NY

-Eden

New progress on patterns!

Hello friends!

I've been working diligently on getting my patterns flattened out and spec'ed, courtesy of my friend Luci and Adobe Illustrator. Next week I will have a meeting with the patternmaker, and we'll be moving forward! I'm really happy with moving into this next step, especially after all the madness of the last few months.

Fingers crossed!

-Eden

Getting it together in New Yawk...

Hello all!

I know I've been horribly delinquent in posting how things are going for Cabiria. I am officially hand slapped. What I've been up to has been administrative, mostly - establishing the new LLC in New York State, talking to New york based patternmakers and samplemakers, and hunting for new workroom furniture, including an enormous cutting table. So much whirlwind activity, blogging ended up slipping to the side. Mea culpa!

The upshot is that dresses like this one:

will be coming together here in New York soon!

Stay tuned, folks. Stay tuned.

-Eden

the next set for your enjoyment

Greetings from sunny Orlando, Florida!

I wouldn't let you guys go without new dresses just because I'm on the road. This week's dress composite is the AIMEE (last week's was the SOFIA, if I forgot to mention it). All of my dresses are currently named after actresses or character names in Fellini movies, however I have a special perk. One of my donation incentives, albeit at the $5,000 level, is that you get to name the dress styles. It could be your own name, it could be someone you'd like to honor, it could be your superhero name! If you look at lifetime costs of having a child or a pet, it's really a bargain...

So onto the new dresses! Again, please let me know your opinions, comments, and constructive criticisms. The Aimee has an elasticized waist, a flyaway wrap skirt, pockets, and adjustable 1/2" straps on metal sliders. It's made of silk knit jersey, which can be hand washed in cold water and laid flat to dry, or dry cleaned.

Again, please be constructive in your criticisms and opinions! You can dislike something, but not telling me why doesn't help me change it for the better!

-Eden

Speaking of feathers...

Hi guys!

My fabrics have started coming in!! It's an incredibly complex formula because I'm buying job lots from wholesalers, which means I can only buy however many yards exist. Sometimes it's a few 100 yards, and sometimes, like in the case of this amazing Italian cotton feather print, it's only about 5 yards - enough for 1, maybe 2 dresses.

Isn't it gorgeous? I love how organic the pattern is; how it looks like both anemone and a George Grosz pen and ink drawing at the same time. Swoon!

What that means for Cabiria and my customers is unique and special - some of the pieces we'll create will be only a few of a kind, or maybe one of a kind. The style and size will be standardized for the line, but the fabrics - oh, the gorgeous fabrics - will be very rare indeed. How cool is that?

-Eden

First patterns and fittings!

Hey all!

I came back a few days ago from a VERY exciting fabric buying trip in NYC, and today I had the first fitting of a block with the patternmaker. Very exciting to see it moving forward, inch by inch, and know what beautiful fabrics I have in store for you all!

Now I know it looks a hot mess right now, but it's kind of like jazz; a little science, a little invention, and a little arbitrary detail zhuzhing. Please don't ask me how to spell that one right. But it's the basic shape of a big girl with many, many curves, and it's the building block for everything else to come. More to come!!

-Eden

Help Wanted: size 14 fit model in Atlanta

Hey friends!

We're inching closer and closer to having our collection together, having the patterns made, the fabric sourced, the accounts readied, and all the other madness that goes into making a business take flight. Now I'm hoping to find the elusive Fit Model in a size 14. I know that the size 20 and size 24 fit models are covered (essentially that would make a Small, Medium and Large), but it's more difficult than you'd think. So if you know anyone (or you ARE anyone) who measures 46-41-50, is a D cup - DD cup, and is between 5'5 - 5'8, and has a bit of a belly (bottom is fine too, but I need someone with belly), PLEASE get in touch with me at eden@cabiriastyle.com. Thanks for your help!