BEAUTIFUL BRIDESMAIDS SOAKED IN CHAMPAIGNE

Champaigne... I know that just caught your attention. You were probably already thinking you too will start popping bottles since the saved Fashion Designer is now condoning alcohol-drinking. No dear, come back and renew your mind. Alcohol and Faith do not mix.  I am referring to the colour of the dresses I made for a beautiful Phumzile's (now Phumzile Ximba) bridesmaids; Mpho, Refilwe, Jabulile and Lucia. Yes I know there is non-alcoholic champaigne but it is called something else. Let us talk dresses now.

Phumzile was referred to me by my other client from where she comes from in Kwa-Thema. (My God brings people from far places to drive to and fro for my service. All glory to Him) Her husband Themba is actually the one who made the first contact via email and brought her for our first meeting. I was inspired by the love and excitement in this Godly couple. Phumzile showed the kind of dresses she wants me to make for her bridesmaids and the sample of the fabric.

It was quite  mission finding the exact colour as I had to go to a couple of fabric retailers to find it and finally found the fabric on my fourth trip. It was quite pricy and I had to buy the whole remaining fabric of the full roll so in case I have to change anything or run out I do not have to go back to the shop. Fabrics look the same from different rolls even if it is the same fbric and colour. The shade can be different. I also had to buy the chiffon for the over dress as per her design and this is well was pricy because it was not the dull-looking R30/m chiffon.

The dresses also required diamante motifs on the belts. Real diamantes were quite expensive at a cost of half the dress cost so I had to find something beautiful but not as expensive. This was another search adventure. I only got the right ones two weeks before completing the dresses.

It took me twice or thrice the time it takes me per dress to make each dress. The ladies came for their first fitting. I had to do a couple of adjustments. One of them, had just gotten married two weeks before fitting and had lost weight since the last measurements but when she came back for the second fit her dress was now small as she got her normal weight back. The other lady the top part of the dress was just not fitting like the other ladies' dresses. One could not come for her second fitting and the other one's dress looked like it was designed on her.  I changed the dresses from having zip up backs to loops and tie at the back.

I had to resize two dresses and make another top for the other dress. The ladies came back for the third fitting and only two dresses needed a last touch for a perfect fit. The last two ladies had to come back and were very happy. What I learned from  this work is that women's weight flactuate due to our hormonal changes (Phisiology Lesson 101). Another lesson is that women can be the same body and breast size but we are not shaped the same therefore the same dress will not fit the same on all of us.

Making dresses two months in advance is time consuming however the advantage is when you finish way before the wedding day you have time to do final and perfect aterations. Bridesmaids do not end up in dresses too tight or dresses in safety pins(the bridesmaids' worst nightmare). Brides must also consider different cuts or design for their bridesmaids dresses or go try on the same kind of dress they want to see if it looks good on everyone. I thank God for enabling me to get it all right with these dresses.

My thanks goes to God first and to Phumzile and her bridesmaids for being so patient, so understanding and full of peace. Their energy is remarkable as they left a godly presence and I was never tired to make and resize their dresses ever. It was a pleasure serving you ladies. May the Lord bless you all.  

FOREVERFAITH FASHION FAIRYTALE....THE FASHION GODMOTHER AND TWO TREASURES

Once upon  a Rolex in a place of people graced with style and finesse, there lived a Fashion Godmother who's skill was of fabric, pins, needles and threads. She was known to turn fabric into dreamy gowns and garments that made young girls into princesses, women into queens, young men into princes and men into kings. The Fashion Godmother did not work with any magic but worked with the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit. All she did before she touched or cut any fabric she went on her knees and spoke to her creator who gave her the powers and abilities she had.




One day the Fashion Godmother received a message from a good friend of hers from another Royal Kingdom asking the Fashion Godmother to make dresses for two beautiful Treasures. The two Treasures came with their mothers to tell the Fashion Godmother about the dresses they wanted to wear. One of the Treasures was undecided on her choice of colour so the Fashion GM took her on her dreamy chariot galloping from India to Mumbai  to find the perfect fabric which was a cost fit for a Royal Treasure. Both the Treasures dresses were made with love and the Fashion GM was fueled by the thought of the   smiles of the two treasures when they put on the dresses.


The Treasures came individually but one Treasure was brought by her mom and the other one by her aunt who is the Fshion GM's good friend. The first Treasure was wowwed and said she will come the next day to be dressed by the Fashion GM.She came all washed up, make up on and hair done. She put on the dress and indeed, like a Treasure she shined in her beautiful dreamy gown.

The second Treasure came, put on her dress. At first she was worried as someone wanted a dress similar to the one she chose but when the Fashion GM helped her put on her 3 piece dress (yes 3 pieces) she fell in love with it and looked like she fell right from the sky and shone in front of us.

Two Treasures, two Precious stones, found among rocks, were put in the hands of God's anointed hands to be dressed and styled couturegeously for their first ball. Each Treasure shined and looked beautiful according to their individuality and personality. They balled and wowwed those at the ball and they all lived happily ever after.

This is what fairytales are made of. Since I grew up reading these kind of stories I never desired to be the princess or Cinderella but I imagined myself as the Fairy Godmother who turned Cinderella's tattered clothes into a ballgown fit for a Royal Princess, put glass slippers on her shoes, turned  pumpkin into a carriage and mice into horses and carriage-men.

This is how I felt when I dressed these beautiful innocent girls. Their mothers who are not much older than me made me realize how they treasured their daughters by making sure the dresses do not steal their daughters' innocence. Because I love children and would do anything to make them happy and protect them I will do my best to maintain that.

Thanking God for His blessings and thanking my friend Vuvu Cindi who is one of my loyal clients. Thnk you girl for letting me dress your niece and her friend as I have also dressed you, your sister nd her husband on their wedding, your mom and your dad. Oh by the way I've dressed your son when he was a baby for his christening too. Wowww!!! Glory to God!!! Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

ANOTHER GOLDEN MOMENT...GOING FOR THE OSCARS

I love the Oscar Awards and The red Carpet Moments on E-entertainment just to see what the celebrities are wearing. E-entertainment is not eTV but a chanel made especially for the Hollywood entertainment industry, which shows the lives and fashion of the stars. Ok don't be offended now feeling like I am undermining you. I am just explaining for those who don't watch TV. I am not a TV person myself as I only watch TBN, Style Network,Girlfriends and I tolerate America's Next Top Model. I visit Fashion TV cos it's either I am watching it deliberately or it is making me sleepy with the music they play if it's on in the background. Okay, enough about TV this is a Fashion Designer's blog.


Well my point of the Oscars and Red Carpets was on the dressing up. I love dressing up more than just dressing other people. The one challenge is that I dislike looking like anybody or everyody else so I always think of what no one else would not think about. Unlike the young girls coming to me with pictures of celebrities hoping that I can put together the same garment forgetting that I am not a Fong Kong copy machine, I visualize then conceptualize and make a dress from my head. I miss those days when clients would just tell me they want a dress of a particular color and then I would go look for a perfect fabric and make th dress suitable for the particular client.

Ok, I did not mean to sound like I am complaining or boasting. I was just reminiscing on how life was easier without Google images. But hey there is a posive to this because it saves me sketching time and I am blessed the clients I get do not expect a "Made-in-China-replica" of an outfit. By God's grace I am empowered by God to make a dress "Designed To Fit" the client's body, personality and style.

I designed for myself this golden number with gold chains draping in front and at the back. I felt very expensive and couturageous as I arrived very fashionably late for our company's Award Evening. It was not on purpose as I missed receiving my own award. Oh, by the way I am a former Financial Advisor. I previously worked for Liberty Life for a year and went to Old Mutual for 3 years where I said good bye to focus on my passion, which is fashion.

I know, from Financial Advise to Fashion Design...well I was passing time because I never left fashion because I have been breathing fabrics and fashion since I was born as my granny was in that industry and I have been making clothes from since I knew how to hold a needle and pair of scissors.

Love the back draped with Gold chains

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I wore my gold and chain drape dess with gold chain bracelet and gold earrings. Yep, I even had a gold ring and added with glittery gold nails. I really was a typical Gauteng-Place of Gold girl who looked like she was touched by King Midas himself and turned me into gold. But truly speaking I had received the Golden Touch of the one and only King of Kings who owns all the gold in the world. I was dressed by God and covered in His glory as always for Him to shine though me. Umm...what colour were my shoes? Not gold this time but broze with gold diamantes. If I remember well I think I had a gold clutch bag. If I had a chice I would not carry a bag but hey I can't be holding my mobile phone and keys in my hands so I need a bag that fits into the ooutfit,  Are you on overkill again? No don't worry if it was I would have opted for another colour. Ok tell me what colour bag goes with a head-to-toe Golden everything?

Draped in Gold

I just had to have another pic

I missed the pic with the whole team and my Distinguished gentlemen colleagues posed with me

BALLING BEAUTY IN WHITE...FAITHFOREVER COUTURE ALL DRESSED AND BRIGHT

White and Silver Dress

Making an outfit for myself is always such a challenge because I never want to look like over the top or look way too simple. It was not even easy finding the fabric that spoke to me because I got the idea of the dress when I saw it.



I wore this white gown to our church's End of the Year Gala Event. I trully felt like I was getting married to Christ that evening. For someone who understands spiritual cleansing and preparation, I felt like I was a bride in waiting as this was just after a long time in God's presence and white seemed the perfect color for me to wear that night. I am not much of a white clothes fan but this was an exception.

Chain Detail Dress

The dress as you can see had silver motifs in it and silver accessories were the perfect fit for this gown. For the love I have for chains my dress was accessorized with silver chains and so since the dress had its own accesories in it all I needed was silver earrings, silver watch as a bracelet and a silver clutch bag. Oh you might think this was a silver overkill but believe me silver shoes were the best option.

Faith and a friend from Church

I love these pictures because even my skin glowed like a bride's skin on her wedding day. All that was missing was a Prince Charming holding my hand but I had Jesus Christ embracing me through out the whole night.

THE TUTU TORTURE TO TIMELESS TRENDY TREASURE

I remember my English grammar teacher asking what is the reason of using the same letter as the first letter in every word in one sentence, I answered that it was for emphasis. This is called alleteration of the the letter T. well I used that in order to emphasis the transformation and outcome of a time consuming  process into a beautiful tutu dress for a beautiful teenager.

Tiisetso wanted a a royal blue with red corset-tutu dress for her matric ball. We had a mutual understanding that I would call her once I am done for her to do her first fitting. Surprisingly as she heard me that I had other orders I was working on and I will get to her order once I am done.

To tell the truth I had never made a corset (Lady Marmalade) top before so this would take me a while as I had to work on a mock one first. Then Tiisetso started calling me. At first her sister had not yet paid the deposit  then she brought it late one evening which caused me to go buy the fabric late. I then went to buy the fabric. Tiisetso could somehow not understand the words: "I will call you." She got her sister and her dad calling me. I could no longer take this torture and was adamant to refund them their deposit which is not good business.

I finally got to make and complete the dress. Tisetso came, put on the dress and fell inlove with it. Even her dad texted me to thank me.


At the end of all the panicking and the calls a young girl was happy.

ANOTHER BALLING BEAUTY IN BLUE...TURQUOISE

This time of the year is a season for Matric Dance Balls or should I say Senior Year Ball in South Africa. Fashion designers like get very busy with teenage girls coming through to get their dresses designed and made. Thank God for Google images one does not really have to deal with sketches drawn as if by a kindargarten kid or having to draw what a young girl percieves in her mind as possible to put on paper and transform into a dream dress. I did not study Fashion Designing formerly remember (Please refer to my first post on this blog). However the challenge is some of them expect you to create an exact duplicate of some celebrity's dress and you have to explain how different the fabrics are and that you are not a copy machine. Every designer's touch is different.

I had the most dresses to design for Matric balls in this year as compared to previous years. I already made two dresses, one for Kealeboga and another for Benni (see previous posts). I also made one for a gorgeous young girl called Tiisetso whom I will share the experience of making her dress later. I just 

DRESSING THEM TO BALL AND DANCE

This year I had one of my desires come to pass through my love and passion of making clothes and dressing people. I always desired to make a young woman or women happy by designing and making a dress or dresses for them. I once emailed a huge email list/group I was in, that if they would contribute R10 or R20 each or buy fabric, we can look for young maticulant girls and I would design and make dresses for them at no profit to me but just out of love. Not even one of those people agreed with me. I guess they thougt I was looking to make a name or money for myself. But I believe that is not how God wanted it to be done. Or maybe it was not perfect timing.

We might take this gesture for granted or bring Romans 12:2 into perspective saying matric balls are things of the world forgettting that Jesus in John 17:15 said: "My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one." There is nothing evil about young people celebrating a passage in their lives at the final year of their secondary schooling by having a formal function or ball where they dress up to it. The only evil comes when sin becomes part of the ball. Remember there was The Great Banquet in Luke 14 where people who knew how to dress up were the initial invited guests to the celebration.

Ok now that I put the Word into perspective as my life is governed by the Word of God I wanted to share in my appreciation of God allowing me an opportunity to make dresses for two of His own daughters, Benni and Kealeboga.

Shy and Beautiful Benni

An Epitome of Beauty

I was asked by my fellow Children's Church Ministry teacher, Thobeka Gonxeka to make a dress for one of the girls at a shelter where she volunteers. The girl's name is Benni. A very humble and beautiful young girl. Thobeka had found people who paid for Benni's hair, nails and bought her shoes and one lady bought her fabric for the dress. A beatiful navy blue crushed tafetta and a white and silver sequened fabric. Benni came for measurements and showed me what kind of a dress she wanted and by the help of God I managed to make the dress  she wanted.

It was so fulfilling making the dress and seeing Benni put it on and it fitted like it was made on her body. The feeling I had made me want to do more of that for other young girls. How I pray people can just be willing to do what Thobeka and her friends do every year. I heard God say: "It is just the beginning".

Shawl for Comfort to keep eyes off

Not one but Two Happy Faces

A week later I went to give a Motivational Speech for Best Man and Woman I Can Be Forum Seminar (under directorship of Lonwabo Maseko), in Daveyton. I met a mother and her son and daughter who came for the seminar. The mother, Linda told me she googled me the night before and she the asked me to make a dress for her daughter Kealeboga, The Word of God says: "Ask it shall be given." Without going into detail why Mama Linda asked me for that I agreed willingly and God reminded me of a brand new pair of shoes I never wore. How God-incidental that Kealeboga is the same size shoes as me.

What else to ask for than a Happy Teenager

I made Kea (Kealeboga) a black short dress with draping chains at the back and a kind of sequened front. She had requested me to make her a mini dress. She came with her mom to get he dress and she was so excited at how it really was what she wanted and the shoes fitted her as well. I was so overjoyed and bubbly inside by the excitement and joy on the mother and daughter's faces. Mama Linda also brought me a bucket of cookies specially baked for me, my fiance Paul and our families. Like she knew I am a sucker for home-baked cookies.

The Face of JOY

Kea could not stop Posing for pictures

I know the Word that says:""Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven. 2 Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men." Matthew 6:1-2
I am not boasting about my charitable deeds but I am sharing the experience of God-given joy I felt by doing something I was not getting paid for. I enjoyed it more than a thousand rands or more I would have received from a client. The thought of a lifetime happy moment in the girls' memories and those related to them felt like a needed continuous dose of joy for my survival. I write this with the hope that you too will do something for no cost for somebody else. Above all, All this glory goes to God.

Two strangers' memories of God coming to their moment of need and my memory of happy faces through God using me as a vessel of His answers.

                                                           ForeverFaith Couture
                                                             "Designed To Fit You"