I just bought this WAY FABULOUS mannequin on ebay.fr. Now I know it's rare to find something so cool, so I went for it. She was expensive. I don't care!!!!!! The reason I love her is that she has shoulders. One of the most essential fitting tools for a mannnequin is the arm, and she has the best part of the arm!

When you fit a jacket or a dress, you have a perfect point of reference for the fall of the sleeve and shoulder. I consulted with a client recently who sewed beautifully, better than I. Her choice of fabric was perfection, her fitting was clearly less than knowledgable because she had no mannequin. The lovely piece she created was lost in the ill-fitting end product.


When I came to Paris to go to Ecole de la Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture Parisiennne, I had no idea where it would take me. I let the experience dictate the future of my work. I didn't realize it but I fell in love with using a mannequin. I fell in love with draping, I fell in love with shape, movement, form, all of which I knew a bit before but then understood when I finished my experience at the school.

My father was a musician. He played jazz and classical guitar and violin. I felt honored when he allowed me to graduate from being an onlooker to polishing his gorgeous black wing tips that he wore to go out on a job to play. My older sister had graduated from the shoe polishing to ironing his shirt. A job requiring much more finess. She's always been better at finess than I. My dad was an artist. A true artist. He did his work only for himself. He played and honored his guitar only for it's beauty, and the appreciation he had for the sound it made.

I attended Ecole de la Chambre Sydicale de La Haute Couture Parisienne, but I was taught by an artist. Music and clothing have the same movement, shape and sound. Those elements synchronistically achieved, often completely by chance, carry you away to a place of great respect and appreciation. It's all of that which I hope to share with you.