Design Process

At EssenciallyYou, the collaborative design process is central to the goal of creating clothing that perfectly reflects your Essential Self. It begins with a concept or desire in your mind for a garment you want to wear, and ends with the manifestation of that dream, as you stand before the mirror in your new original design.

As we enter into the creative process together, our first step is to meet, and talk about what you have in mind, how you want to look and feel in your new clothes, and what styles and fabrics will best create that outcome for you. We may pay a visit to your existing wardrobe, to get an idea of styles you naturally choose. Or we may begin with pencil sketches to help visualize the finished product.

Once I have a clear vision of what you want to create, I will invite you to my studio, where I will take the measurements I need to assist me in achieving the perfect fit. To do this, I use a combination of specialized tools, including charts that can record even the slightest differences in your form from the left side to the right. Alternatively, if you have a garment that fits you exactly the way you like, just bring it along, and I will collect the measurements I need from that. With these measurements, I can make fine adjustments to existing patterns, or create entirely new ones from scratch.

The selection of fabrics and patterns is the next step in our process. I will assist you in choosing the fabrics best suited to your coloring, the design, and the essential feeling you want your new garment to express. We may take a field trip to area fabric stores, shop together on line, or you may have fabric of your own that you've been waiting for the right opportunity to use. Likewise, the perfect pattern may be one that we find in a catalog, or one that is already hanging in your closet. It may be a garment you've seen in a clothing store, or I may create it for you as an original just for this occasion.

When everything is ready, I will begin by creating a copy of your garment in muslin or other fabric that will reproduce the feel and draping of the fabric you have chosen. This process allows me to work out in advance any fitting or garment construction issues I may encounter before cutting into the fabric for the final design. This stage, which I call the muslin stage, is when we will also conduct the first fitting. I will make the final adjustments to the fit, and then the creation of your essence garment can begin.

During the final stage of creation, I will contact you as needed. There may be questions that arise about your original vision, or I may have new ideas I want to discuss with you. There will also be two or three times when I need to do fittings as I go, in order to ensure you are completely happy with the way you look and feel in your new clothes. This process can take anywhere from weeks to months, depending on the complexity of the design. With this in mind, I encourage you to allow plenty of lead time when you first contact me. And if this is an exceptionally special occasion for you, allow all the more time for us to feel expansive with our creativity, and savor each step of the way.