I was delighted when The Huffington Post contacted me about their new Style Section and I'm so excited that I can be a part of the launch. I thought I would kick off my first blog post with a little introduction to my studio and let you know what we have been working hard on these past few months.
Earlier this year I announced that Julien Macdonald (the brand) was launching a private client, made-to-measure service in house at my studio, keeping the whole Made in Britain theme alive, especially in this Jubilee year!
Plus I did get to meet the Queen last week, so I can't help but be a little patriotic. I'm thrilled to say we are officially in business and the atelier which is housed just off Saville Row is looking great. It is a fabulous new concept for the brand and allows me to have seamstresses in house creating stunning, one off beautiful gowns and styles for my clients.
Today we bring this new collection of bespoke styles to life on the set of my look book shoot of the atelier collection, launching for autumn winter 2012. The dresses are looking incredible and it has been worth the many painstaking hours in the studio over the past few weeks. I can't thank my team enough for all pulling together to complete this. We did have some fun along the way, throwing an in house celebration when the incredible embroidery and beading arrived.
After hours of hand beading, sewing, cutting and numerous debates over silhouettes, colours and fabrications I have finished the collection and it's a gorgeous mixture of my signature styles along with some brand new embroidery techniques, with even more Swarovski crystals than ever before, all made in Britain.
Now I don't want to give too much away but I know you are all dying for a sneak peek at the collection so for those of you who haven't been following the progress on my Facebook dairy - here is a look into the world of my Bespoke collection.
Julien MacDonald Bespoke Collection
Inspired by the Chrysler building, and one of the best cities in the world, New York, the collection that we have playfully called Baroque-n-roll looks at the architecture of the big apple - a touch of art deco with a dash of modernity. For a collection, that on the exterior looks tough, almost armour like, a closer inspection reveals a complexity in the embroidery and movement in the beading and feathers which is soft and feminine. Wait until you see the final shots!
Anyway, better get back to it! Our gorgeous model has just come out of hair and make-up and we are ready to 'Baroque-n-roll' on set. Keep following me here for the next installment and a sneak peek at one of our key looks for the season.