I am on such a natural high as I type this blog. The past couple of weeks have literally snowballed into a whirlwind of wonderful chaos. Allow me to set the scene....
I was in the studio, head down, cutting fabric like a mad woman. There are piles of beautiful fabric stacked from one end of the cutting room to the next. Each pile of organized chaos will soon be carried into the sewing room to become my next vision. Things were really frantic because I'd pushed pause a few days earlier to shoot my Fall 2011 Pre-Fall campaign with Furonda Brasfield of ANTM. (Who by the way is a modeling beast in front of the camera.) And then BOOM I lose 3 additional days of work due to the snow.
Anyway, I get a call that my sock are about to be knocked my socks off. I was not disappointed!!!! Apparently, we'd been contacted by the publicist for WNBA star Candice Wiggins. Candice wanted to wear Romás to a Golden Globe charity event that she would be attending. Needless to say I screamed and thanked God for the mere favor of possibilities that he that he continues to bestow upon me. A day of hoping would go by before I got the green light to ship three dresses of interest to LA. Pause button, again to!!! I halted all productions and personally made sure that the dresses went out overnight. That was Friday and the Golden Globes wouldn't happen until Sunday.
For an entire weekend, I tried not to get to hopeful and I focused on getting the next line out. No, it wasn't easy but I stayed on course. By Sunday evening I was burnt out and simply crashed on the couch. Around 8:00 pm I did finally rouse from the nap that turned out to be a sleep deprived coma. I had 12 missed calls. Seriously, I want to say that half were from Monica, but who's counting. I quickly returned her call and her first words were, "Did you check your text?"
And there it was. As plain as day.....A picture of WNBA star Candice Wiggins wearing my dress!
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!" I don't have to tell you how much screaming and jumping around there was in my house that night. Awesome huh? But....here's what really got me;
Candice and I have never met. She'd only read my bio and saw pictures of my work but when asked about the dress that she was wearing, she replied "Linda Rowe Thomas is creator of the line, and she’s an inspiration to me. At a very young age, she was seriously burned in a house fire and it left her physically marred for life, but she didn’t let her injuries hold her back from achieving her dreams. I greatly admire her for that, and I feel so fortunate to be able to wear a dress that was created by such an amazing person!"
I will always adore Candice; be her biggest fan, but not because of her mad skills on the court, but because of the simple fact that someone of status could have easily chose Armani for her red carpet look, yet she chose ME.
I'm so grateful for God's favor and for the willing people that allow themselves to be vessels of blessings in my life. So, until next time, keep dreaming, keep hoping and never lose faith. When it’s time, God always steps in.
Fashionably yours,
Linda
Fashion Designer Linda Rowe Thomas
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Diffrent by Design....Eleventh Hour
Happy New Year! There are new anticipations, new deadlines, and new goals to achieve.
What's the deal with the "eleventh Hour", you ask. Well...the eleventh hour means the latest possible time. I happen to be knee deep in fashion's eleventh hour. LOL. During the holidays I did the unthinkable....Yes! I shut down the studio and packed the kids into the SUV (gifts and all) and drove home to Texas for a week with the family. I didn't want to think about a sewing machine. Ok, so I did break to work one day. I wound up droving 2 hours to Dallas to do some fabric shopping. The drive got me to thinking about the beginning, when I first stepped out on faith and produced my very first fashion show, 10 years ago.
Wow, humble beginnings and devoted family will forever keep me grounded. With 4 grand, which I borrowed from mommy,I bought fabrics, hired seamstresses and rented a ballroom at the Renaissance Hotel in Dallas, Texas. I'll never forget how nervous I was. I practically hyperventilated as I peeked through the curtains to get a glimpse of the guest. There weren't a lot of people there besides friends and family, but at the end of the night, I was prouder than a first time mom.
From there I did shows at reunions, churches, schools, or where ever I could. I was thirsty for the industry and on a mission to make it. My how I've transitioned from mom and pop to shows to celebrities, from small town fashion galas to New York Fashion Week; I've come a very long way. Thankfully, God put some great people in my path that believed in me and He paved my path with blessings.
The holidays gave me a quick and much needed break but "OH" the chaos that was awaiting when I returned. The studio was filled with swatches to order and finalize, fabrics to cut, patterns to make, pieces to sew and that doesn't even include all the business decision that I have to stamp with my approval. NOTE TO SELF: Get Interns!!!!
So here I am, Jan 4th and I'm due in New York in less than five weeks. The eleleventh hour indeed. As my week continues to fill up with photo shoots, sewing, and scheduling; the Fall 2011 collection continues to come together. Crunch time seems to be my best time but I was destined to dwell in the impossible. Until next time....
Fashionably Yours,
Linda
What's the deal with the "eleventh Hour", you ask. Well...the eleventh hour means the latest possible time. I happen to be knee deep in fashion's eleventh hour. LOL. During the holidays I did the unthinkable....Yes! I shut down the studio and packed the kids into the SUV (gifts and all) and drove home to Texas for a week with the family. I didn't want to think about a sewing machine. Ok, so I did break to work one day. I wound up droving 2 hours to Dallas to do some fabric shopping. The drive got me to thinking about the beginning, when I first stepped out on faith and produced my very first fashion show, 10 years ago.
Wow, humble beginnings and devoted family will forever keep me grounded. With 4 grand, which I borrowed from mommy,I bought fabrics, hired seamstresses and rented a ballroom at the Renaissance Hotel in Dallas, Texas. I'll never forget how nervous I was. I practically hyperventilated as I peeked through the curtains to get a glimpse of the guest. There weren't a lot of people there besides friends and family, but at the end of the night, I was prouder than a first time mom.
From there I did shows at reunions, churches, schools, or where ever I could. I was thirsty for the industry and on a mission to make it. My how I've transitioned from mom and pop to shows to celebrities, from small town fashion galas to New York Fashion Week; I've come a very long way. Thankfully, God put some great people in my path that believed in me and He paved my path with blessings.
The holidays gave me a quick and much needed break but "OH" the chaos that was awaiting when I returned. The studio was filled with swatches to order and finalize, fabrics to cut, patterns to make, pieces to sew and that doesn't even include all the business decision that I have to stamp with my approval. NOTE TO SELF: Get Interns!!!!
So here I am, Jan 4th and I'm due in New York in less than five weeks. The eleleventh hour indeed. As my week continues to fill up with photo shoots, sewing, and scheduling; the Fall 2011 collection continues to come together. Crunch time seems to be my best time but I was destined to dwell in the impossible. Until next time....
Fashionably Yours,
Linda
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)