When I was a young boy, my mother designed evening gowns on our dining room table. Her mother was a highly acclaimed seamstress in Cairo, Egypt in the 1920's. My earliest days of patternmaking started when I'd drape cuttings of velvet and satin on my 'Bert and Ernie dolls' or if I had a large enough cutting, on myself!
The real epiphany came at around age 3: I stood in front of the television staring mesmerized at The Sonny & Cher Show. I was convinced Cher was an angel from another world as she slinked around in a stunning Bob Mackie wardrobe and nonchalantly tossed her long luxurious hair. (more...)