© Joan Currie

I design thinking about the kind of woman that I would be: intelligent, powerful, and eccentric. – Zac Posen

There is nothing like an old fashioned dress form to help create an innovative fashion design.

My first overly-ambitious sewing project was a gown for my grade twelve prom. I chose a sky blue velvet fabric and a Butterick pattern with an Empire waist. Since the fabric was so delicate, I decided to sew the full-length back zipper in by hand. I was terribly pleased with my creation and imagined all the lovely gowns that I would make in the future.

My date, stunningly handsome in his tuxedo, liked the dress so much, he insisted that we stop at his house to take some photographs before the event. Unfortunately, when I extended my hand to greet his parents, the zipper ripped out from the back seam and his mother and I spent a good part of the evening trying to sew it back into place. My humiliation was so great that I have no memory of the prom itself.