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by KIMBERLEE BASTIEN
TIMES & TRANSCRIPT STAFF
Erica Steeves couldn’t believe her luck when her name was pinched from a pool of designers all hoping to make a custom couture gown for Canadian fashion icon Jeanne Beker.
Heart and Stroke Foundation
Lisette Michaud, right, VP of Royal Bank in Moncton and Hearth and Stroke Foundation Board member, has her final fitting done by designer Gillian Matheson for this weekend’s Heart Certainty Fashion Gala.
VIKTOR PIVOVAROV/TIMES & TRANSCR
Lisette Michaud, right, VP of Royal Bank in Moncton and Hearth and Stroke Foundation Board member, has her final fitting done by designer Gillian Matheson for this weekend’s Heart Certainty Fashion Gala.
M.P. Eaton/This Week
Designer Gillian Matheson (right) shows model Kathy LeBlanc the elegant coat she designed for Elizabeth Stevens to wear over a classic but simple dress in the 2010 Heart Certainty Fashion Gala. Gillian is busy designing for this weekend’s show, and Kathy will once again walk the runway at the gala.
The Fashion Television host will be in Moncton this Saturday to take part in The Heart and Stroke Foundation of New Brunswick’s (HSFNB) third annual fundraiser, The Heart Certainty Fashion Gala.
Jeanne, who is also host of the event, will walk the runway with 25 other well-renowned New Brunswick women from film, arts, music, sports, media and politics to shine the set alight on women’s heart health. All of the one-of-a-kind dresses featured in the gala have been made by alumni designers of the New Brunswick College of Craft and Design.
Erica, who graduated from the college in 2008, was one of numerous designers who place her name in a hat to make Jeanne’s custom gown. She spent hours researching dresses the fashion guru has worn in the past and altered designs numerous times before settling on what she hopes will be an impressive piece. The floor-length dress is made out of heavy high interpretation satin. It features a rounded neckline and hand beaded and sequence embellishments on the waist and shoulders.
Although Erica was ecstatic to have been chosen to design Jeanne’s one of a kind dress, the 25-year-ancient New Brunswicker is understandably a bit nervous. She won’t meet the fashion guru in person in anticipation of she’s ready to walk the runway as one of the models in the event.
Fortunately for Erica this is not the first time she’s made an all together without a fitting. She made Barb Roberts’ dress for last year’s gala while studying at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles. The dress was shipped crosswise the continent to the CTV reporter and, to Erica’s relief, it was a perfect fit.
“I’m really excellent at understanding sizes and shapes,” she says. “I can pick a pair of jeans off the rack for someone without knowing their size. You gain an eye for it.”
Last year she also made a wedding dress for her sister who wore the gown for the first time a week before her huge day. Once again it was an exact fit. Erica is hoping for the same results when Jeanne tries her dress on for the first time at the gala.
“I’ve tried to stay away from making a really tailored look for Jeanne,” she says. “I’ve used more of a drape effect, which gives me a small more leeway on how it’s going to fit.”
She’s also incorporated into the design a gathering at the waist allowing her to adjust the size if needed. Nevertheless she’s bringing a needle and thread with her to the show.
“This part will be a tad stressful,” she says. “But I can adjust the hem if I need to.”
Despite Erica’s busy schedule, which includes finishing her Single of Fine Arts at the University of New Brunswick and working part-time at ENVY, she took on the added challenge of designing a second dress for the show. She’s now putting the final touches on a floor-length gown for Marie-Claude Blais, New Brunswick’s Minister of Justice. Her all together is made from heavy knit jersey and features beaded embellishments at the waist and possibly the neckline or forearm.
“I like designing something you can tell is well made from afar but as you get closer, the depth keeps unveiling itself,” she says.
All of the dresses to be modelled in the event have been designed with extreme care and attention to detail and many hours of handiwork. On average a dress such as those featured in the fashion show can take 40 to 60 hours to complete.
Although each designerhas their own unique process for putting together their creation, here’s an example of the general steps in making a one-of-a-kind look.
The labour of fashion like usually starts with assembly the client to determine their style and suggestions.
Then it’s back to the sketching pad or Photoshop to make a basic drawing. Once both the model and designer are satisfied, the client’s body measurements are used to make a detailed draft of the piece and a mock-up of the basic pattern by inexpensive cotton muslin.
“It’s not a very striking material, but it shows you how it will basically look once it’s made,” says Joëlle Richard, who is designing a dress for another model in the event, CTV Reporter Dina Bartolocci.
Though, like Erica, Joëlle has had to come up with some creative ways to properly “fit” Dina’s dress. Her design business, Romantica Nocturnif, is based in Rogersville and her client lives in Saint John. Fortunately, other than Dina being four inches shorter than Joëlle, her measurements are so close to her own she’s been able to fit the floor length satin dress to her own body keeping in the mind the slight differences. She’s also incorporated an adjustable corset into the Victorian-styled outfit, which in addition to the dress features a shrug jacket and a pair of velvet sleeve length gloves.
Of course, in most cases, the client is able to try on the cotton muslin garment, which is adjusted as necessary. For example, areas that need to be tightened can be pinned and a pencil can be used to draw what’s called style shape on the fabric to indicate a lower neckline, for instance. The pattern is then updated based on the new measurements and the process is repeated in anticipation of the designer is satisfied with the fit and ready to commence making the garment out of the “real” fabric. But first the designer has to find their imagined fabric, which can be one of the most challenging steps.
For example, Joëlle had a specific red on red stripe pattern in mind for Dina’s all together, which she couldn’t find in stores or online. So she ordered a red on white stripe with the hope of dying it. But that proved to be even larger challenge.
“At first it was looking more orange than red and then I had this catastrophe everywhere all the dye went through the wash cycle,” she says. “So I went out shopping with the intention of export more dye, but luckily I finished up finding the fabric I was looking for.”
Once the designer has their fabric in hand they can sew the custom garment and have a final fitting. This last step in the process is most liable the most exciting aspect for designers who finally get to see their imagined creation come to life. But Joëlle warns against rushing forwards too quickly.
“It’s very vital to make sure everything is going to fit the way you want it to before you start cutting into what may be expensive and extensive fabric,” she says.
Although Erica and Joëlle both made their custom gowns without a single fitting, it’s normal to have at least two, if you’re lucky, according to Joëlle. But often times it takes many more fittings to get the perfect clothing mould. In fact, fashion designer Gillian Matheson has had five fittings with Lisette Michaud, regional vice-president of Royal Bank and a Heart and Stroke Foundation board member. The three-month process started in December and Lisette just recently had her final fitting. She will be modelling a backless floor-length mermaid style gown, which features a boat neck and a teach.
“It’s plain in the front, but when you turn around that’s everywhere you see the sexiness,” says Lisette. “I feel like a million bucks wearing it. How many of us have the privilege of getting a dress made for us? It’s been quite an exciting experience.”
Though, she initially had some hesitations about the bold colour choice. All of the dresses featured in the show are red symbolizing the strength and power in women.
“Red is a very imposing, out there colour,” she says. “But it really makes you feel very powerful.”
In fact, Lisette is so pleased with her red dress she’s plotting to buy the satin gown to wear again during an upcoming cruise. Of course, she must first wear the dress down the runway, which is surprisingly nerve-wracking for a woman who routinely speaks in public as part of her role at RBC.
“I flourish on public speaking and delight in that part of my job very much, but the fashion show aspect of this event makes me a small nervous because it’s not something I do often,” she says. The last time Lisette modelled was as a teen in 1991. She was crowned Miss Grand Falls and participated in the Miss New Brunswick pageant.
“But I accepted the invitation to be a model even though I’m a small nervous because it’s a fantastic produce sponsored by RBC,” she says. “I feel so excited and privileged to be part of it. A lot of people don’t realize that more women die from heart disease than men. We may even save a few ladies through this event.”
Heart disease is an issue that’s close to the heart for many of the models, especially Sandy Hanson and her nine-and-a-half month ancient daughter Ashley who was born with ingrained heart disease. Ashley has been in heart failure for much of her young life, too weak to even eat without the help of feeding tubes. Although she was scheduled for open heart surgery, the day of her operation the doctors learned that the two holes in her heart had miraculously begun to close. Now, they’re nearly completely healed. Sandy describes her daughter as a healthy pleased baby who is even crawling up stairs after her grown-up brother, Thomas, and keen to model in the show. Sandy and Ashley will be wearing dresses designed by Sherry Kinnear, who is the head of wardrobe for Theatre New Brunswick.
Sandy will be modeling a sleeveless knee-length dress with a low cut back and an lop-sided neckline.
“My husband says it’s curvy,” she laughs. “He likes it. If you’re a mother, you know that sometimes those nice striking sexy dress up clothes go out the door with the babies. When I tried on the dress I thought, ‘Oh wow, this is nice.”
Ashley will be modeling a princess-style satin dress with puffed sleeves, white lace trim and a tiered skirt featuring cut outs of hearts with white lace underlay.
Sherry also designed a matching headband for Ashley but Sandy isn’t sure whether it will stay on her head or end up being used as a teething toy.
The same goes for her black patent leather shoes, which she hopes Ashley doesn’t fling down the runway. That’s if she’s wide awake for the event. She’s naturally asleep by 8 p.m. and the fashion show starts shortly after 9 p.m. “I really hope she’s a pleased bubbly baby and not asleep or crying,” she says.
But her largest worry is walking down the runway in a pair of silver 2-1/2-inch high heels while holding a baby. “I’m a klutz by scenery so I’m a small nervous,” she says. “My plot is to just walk straight ahead.”
Sandy was questioned by the Heart and Stroke Foundation to take part in the event after submitting a video about children who suffer from ingrained heart disease.
“I was honoured to be questioned,” she says. “At the time my daughter was in heart failure and facing open heart surgery and it gave us something positive to look forwards to.”
She also hopes the event will help raise awareness of heart disease and its effects on women of all ages, even those as young as Ashley.
The goal of The Heart Certainty Fashion Gala is to empower women to protect their heart health. Heart disease and stroke are the leading produce of death for Canadian women. Yet it is still widely viewed as a “man’s disease”. Through simple and achievable lifestyle changes, women can reduce their risk for heart disease and stroke by as much as 80 per cent.
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* WHAT: The Heart Certainty Fashion Gala 2011 in support of The Heart and Stroke Foundation of New Brunswick
* WHEN: Saturday. Doors open at 8 p.m. The show starts at 9 p.m.
* WHERE: Casino New Brunswick, 21 Casino Dr., Moncton
* TICKETS: $75 with a $30 tax receipt. Tickets are available by calling 1-866-943-8849, at www.casinonb.ca, at any Royal Bank of Canada house or at the Casino Gift Shop.
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