If you haven’t heard, it’s my honor to tell you that I have been invited to show a collection at Midwest Fashion Week 2011. Midwest Fashion Week (MFW) began in 2006 when Catou Couture fashion designer Berny Martin, discovered a need for an outlet to allow local, national, and international designers, models, stylists, and photographers to showcase their talents. I’ve designed a new collection for the season and this is an amazing opportunity for me to share it.

I’m looking forward to showing a re-imagined, evolution of my Signature Collection with some smart and highly functional handbags. A handful of entirely new pieces  will round out the showing.

Summer has gone, no time to be sad.

The fall air is also bringing me closer to nature, natural (bold) colors and materials, these things inspire me lately. Structured shapes and refined finishes put a feeling of luxe and lasting quality to the natural materials. While I may find myself going back to the tried and true classics of fall fashion for a look, it’s always a good time for a ‘statement piece’ accessory, especially a handbag.

I’m REALLY excited that I get to show this new season in my hometown of Indianapolis. It means a lot after living outside of Chicago for the last ten years to get to come home and be part of this years show (extra butterflies). I really hope to get a group of friends and relatives to attend (hint, hint). Alas, these next four weeks (and sadly the show as well) will be gone in a flash, so I am going to make this one to remember, I hope you all enjoy it!

When just another dress won’t do…Angela Johnson has the answer.

Her stunning creations are comprised completely of thrift store tees, remixed into avant gaurde evening wear.

Angela Johnson is an award winning indie fashion designer and fashion design instructor in Scottsdale, Arizona. I became familiar with her work in 2000 while completing my Bachelor’s Degree in Tempe

 and was immediately struck my her stunning designs. 

While eco-chic fashion is notably on the rise, it is evident why her “T-Shirt Ballgowns” are in a class all their own. What I love most is the sense of humor she brings to each custom piece as I can only imagine the careful thought that is put into the selection of the materials.

She offers a range of styles from full length ball gowns, corsets, ruffled mini-dresses, bubble dresses and party dresses. You can purchase her designs directly from her site, as well as a select group of boutiques and online retailers. The buyer can customize their one of a kind dress by choosing a color palate or providing their own selection of recycled tees to use.

T-Shirt Ruffle Dresses

In addition to her playful frocks, Angela’s online portfolio is brimming with innovative designs from past collections and fun photos from her shows. It’s hard for me to pinpoint exactly what I find most fabulous about her clothes, perhaps it’s the candy coated carnival of color, the witty humor or the fact that she’s just genius!

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Bubble Hem Coat by Yellowcake

This adorable and unique piece shows a ton of imagination and beautiful attention to detail. I love the vintage buttons, those are always a favorite for me. The three-quarter sleeves gives the bubble hem the perfect balance.

Not only is this style something close to my heart but Valerie is currently working out of Cleveland, Ohio (my birthplace).  I see other parallels in our lives if only that she, like me, is an illustrator and art lover, and that passion seemed to surface first in our lives for whatever reason but have ultimately led to expression through a wearable medium.

You can see clearly from a sample of Ms. Mayen’s art work (prints for sale on Etsy.com) that she is inspired by pop-culture but her fashions are not limited by it.

Cupid Valentine Indie Red and Black Striped Sexy Bubble Dress with Yellow Posh lining

Her dresses are what I would call “fairy-tale American” in the way the cut and fabric choices give the Cupid Valentine dress an Almost in Wonderland aesthetic. This super fun dress, that I would wear to just about any formal event, has that sexy but comfortably charming appeal. Again with this piece her very high level of craftsmanship shows in this detail of the sewn in accent of a vintage hair comb at the seem.

Her exceptional attention to detail goes into each custom made item she sells and for that warrants the higher end of the average budget for her coats and dresses. That said, I could see her beautiful “The Animal Collective” prints easily translating into some more accessible screened items (if she has so desired) to add to her fashion collection.

Though her current offering is limited, I will certainly keep a trained eye in her direction, as I know it’s only a matter of time before we see more of her brilliance through artistic fashion expression. Keep up the outstanding work Ms. Mayen, I look forward to seeing your next amazing creation!