the making of… kaloni

Kaloni, Kaloni, Kaloni... a Hawaiian name. I knew straight after I finished making this piece that it needed a name that drummed up feelings of sun, sea and bliss...and that's what I think of whenever I think of Hawaii. I've never been but it's definitely on my list. 

One of my more recent pieces, but definitely a long one in-the-making. I started it around 2016! Sometimes I just don't have the fabrics or trims for something and if I am not 'feeling' it, then it comes off the stand and I start on another. I have a rail of a lot of unfinished projects because of this. 

I became very interested in combining different colours together, the orange, peach, pink lace and the shot of spearmint just worked so well. I hand dyed the cotton lace trim myself and love the ombré effect to it.

A couple of weeks before it was sold to a boutique in New Orleans, I was lucky enough to have been approached by a photographer looking for some clothes to shoot with. I sent him photos of the styles I had available to borrow and he loved Kaloni, and I adored the final photos. I also thought it would be quite fun to show how a 'technical' fashion drawing would look like, had I designed this dress in my head, this is how I would showcase it on paper for someone to make for me.