Making up my mind - how to start

I get so many ideas, that's it's really hard to keep track of them, much less to do anything with them like make them up!  So I thought it would be fun to travel along with me while I do a design for myself for this special event the end of the month.  OK, I'm known for not being ahead of time! Nothing like a little added pressure to move the creative process along.

Actually, I've pretty much decided what I'm going to do.  There are a few places that are my favorites to start  firstview.com and neimanmarcus.com are great places to peruse to see if anything strikes me.

A few words about fashion -  it's fleeting at best.  Low rise or hip huggers, boot cut or bell bottoms, what goes around comes around, but there are some styles that are classic, and for me this is where the real art is.  It's easy to be a fad, but to year in and year out, create classic beautiful clothes is the sign of a true artist.  Year after year, Givenchy, Dior, St. Laurent, Lagerfeld, all create beautiful innovative gorgeous clothes that last because they are classic.  So when I'm thinking about creating something for an event, I'm also thinking how I can wear this after the event.  This is the highest part of my art.

Sometimes a design doesn't start with the line or cut, it starts with the fabric.  I was in a local (and very, very fine) upholstery shop in town (they have a plethora of silk), and they had a fabric I literally bonded with.  I had no use for it at the time, or so I thought, but now I have....my friends' daughter's wedding.

So this particular design will start with the fabric.   It has a spectacular geometric design, in black with circular peacock-esque shimmer over a ground of dark green verdigris colored organza that flows like chiffon, but keeps it's shape.  Yeah - me too!  I went nuts.  Naturally the first thing is to put black under in in an Audrey Hepburn sort of look, but not one to do the first thing, I'm leaning toward a muted yellow, or very very light celery green under the dress to allow the black design to show through.

Not so fast....unfortunately simply because there's one design doesn't mean I'm finished....to confuse matters, have sampled a myriad of trims for a client, and just so happens two work really well with the celery silk.  The one on the left even looks gorgeous on this fabulous organza....so back to the drawing board.

These are some preliminary ideas on the organza jacket.  I've done the one on the left and it works, but I'm sorta "been there done that" on that design.  The other two are a little more exciting. The "must haves" for the jacket are that

1. Must flow and have a high "sashay factor"
2. Must come close to the body when I'm standing still (OK, I have this thing about looking more up and down than side to side)
3. Must be original, without orbiting Mars (see the part about classic design above)

This is still sort of fluid, but I'm really leaning toward that middle design...I need a killer closure, but will work on this later.  As so often happens, I usually run into something that works here.  This will probably be the "creative" part of this outfit.

Next is the dress.  I have enough fabric to make a jacket too, which fits into my lifestyle.  I need a dressy suit for weddings and other events in my life, but I do love this beading, so do I have two jackets?.....do I have one, and do the beading on the dress and have two tops.  Am definitely leaning toward the skirt/top route rather than a dress.

When I get confused about a dress design, I always go to Geoffrey Beene.  This guy had a real knack for making something really beautiful out of something so classic.  I went to his boutique at the Ritz in NYC, and tried on the clothes and the amazing thing is that those "inset" seams actually are darts.  The guy was a genius that way.  I love this design.  Maybe this is getting a little too confusing.  I've already drawn up this design in a pattern, it's just making it.  I need to think about the side inserts - OK - forget this....back to the other outfit....or is this the creative process.  I'm getting hit with too much right now.

Maybe I need to rethink the organza top to make it something a la Renee Fleming:

I'm so confused....need to stop and go back to the start!