Leanne M.

inspiration tuesday

2012-01-24T16:34:00.000-08:00

hand dyed silk blouse available here (after 1-25)

Also, stay posted, I may have some additional standing room for my upcoming fashion show on 2-12-12. ;)

-L

holidaze

2011-12-06T08:32:00.000-08:00

new dress for the holiday season: here

The X Factor

2011-06-10T10:49:00.000-07:00

As you all know, I have been working with Paula Abdul for quite some time. For the past few months, I have had an incredible time making a whole series of custom garments for her. Tuesday, when she arrived in town for the New York/New Jersey leg of the X Factor auditions, I met her at her hotel for the final fittings. My designs were a hit and she wore one on each of the two filmed days. I can not tell you how happy I am. I have attached a whole bunch of pictures below so you can see my design. I would love to know what you think....

Today Today Today

2011-04-18T15:05:00.001-07:00

Hello Friends!

It's been a crazy past few days! I was asked to be a part of a wedding segment (along with a few other PR alumni) for the Today show which was filmed this morning. It was a "royal wedding: what shall Kate wear" kind of theme. Are you all as tired of that junk as I am? Okay, let's not talk about it anymore!

It all went really well, but leading up to was quite hectic. As in my usual fashion, I pulled an all-nighter after completely redoing my original design concept for this gown. (there was another prior all-nighter to this one, and then a 16 hour trip to and from Ohio in the middle, but that's a whole other interesting story!)

I was indeed working on the Today show gown still today, but I think the decision to return to my topography inspiration was the correct thing to do. Sometimes suffering a little in order to create something that really sings to me is worth it. And it has pockets, too. I'm happy how it turned out! She still needs a name, though.

For inquiries about this dress and others, please email at: bridal@leannemarshall.com.

Here is a link to the Today segment as well.

I'm going to sleep now!

Fall 2011

2011-03-02T08:27:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the break in posts. I've been recovering lately after the craziness of fashion week, which went well. Although, I must say it's certainly a miracle that I did most of this collection in about two weeks before the show, save for a few pieces that I did prior to that. I have already started on Spring 2012, needless to say.

Here is a great article from my makeup artist and very best friend Nathan Johnson. I will have my look book photos up here soon, too.

photo by Andrew Werner.

Paula in peach

2011-02-10T05:06:00.000-08:00

Last night on the finale of her show, Paula Abdul wore another of my dresses. She looked so good in it! I'm so happy to have her as a client. :)

I made this dress for her back in late October. I had one day notice to do it and get it to her, so I pulled an all-nighter and did it. Then I remember I had to literally sprint a mile, dress in hand, to the Fedex office to just barely make the cut-off ship time. It was well worth all the work.

paula abdul in my dress!

2011-02-03T15:25:00.000-08:00

Well, last night Paula Abdul finally wore a "Leanne Marshall" on her show. Yay!

It's this little red number below. Unfortunately, I couldn't really get any good screenshots of her in it. But you can watch the video on CBS.com. I am terrible at making screenshots of video! Sorry, Paula.

And now it's back to work for me and my fashion week collection....oh my, oh my!

Happy Friday!

2011-01-14T07:39:00.000-08:00

available here

happy new year!

2011-01-02T14:26:00.000-08:00

Happy 2011, everyone! So far, off to a great start!

Here is a sneak preview of a dress for a big celebrity client. Hint: she has a new show coming out very soon (Edit: Wednesdays 8pm, CBS) and will be wearing some of my things! :) I'm so excited to see. She's one of my idols since childhood...

May you all have a wonderful New Year and keep creative!
-L

saturday morning

2010-12-11T07:13:00.000-08:00

I don't know when I became such a morning person, but I truly love them. I'm so much more focused and productive. Maybe it's just because of the coffee? That's highly likely.

Another new little mixed media sketch. This one is going to be part of a series where I take little scraps and essentially do a paperdoll with them. So much fun!

Yes, I'll be having some more of these on my etsy page, too.

arctic blast 2010

2010-12-09T06:49:00.000-08:00

Brrrrrrrr! It's so cold outside in New York today. It's nice just staying in and working from home. Lately, I've been enjoying starting my day by sketching. I have to say, it's been awhile since I've done much sketching (other than rough, little doodles), and I'm loving it! It's quite a nice change from being hunched over a sewing machine all day.

PS Nicole: That's one of your lace swatches in the bottom! Your dress is going to be amazing! I can't wait to do it! :)

PPS to everyone else: I'm selling off some of these sketches on my Etsy page now.

online shop now up!

2010-12-07T13:04:00.000-08:00

So, it's still under construction, but it's up for now. This is a private online shop of my bridal styles. More to come next week, but I currently have a big sale going on on my most popular styles to kick it off.

The Julietta, Betty White and Helene are all on sale for today and tomorrow only. So if you're in the market for a gown, it's a deal to jump on!

lovely wedding

2010-12-03T06:09:00.000-08:00

I love it when clients send me in pictures of their weddings! It's already great to be a part of someone's big day by making the dress and it's work that I really enjoy, but it's even better when I get to see how it all turned out.

I worked with Neeve this past year, to create a customized version of my eco-friendly Helene dress. Neeve and her new husband Justin were looking to keep with having everything in their wedding made right here in Brooklyn, and were wed in a lovely spot in Carroll Gardens.

Such a lovely couple! Congrats, Neeve and Justin!

(photos by Susannah Gill)

PS. Don't you just LOVE the red shoes she wore with it?!

Moving sale!

2010-11-01T12:13:00.001-07:00

Hi guys! I know, sorry it's been FOREVER since a post! Busy busy busy lately, but I promise pretty pictures and new news soon!

I am finally moving my studio this week (today and tomorrow). And I thought I'd see if anyone in the New York area might be interested in some FREE FABRIC!!

Yes, that's right...FREE! I have a lot of it, and just need to let it go. Some are small pieces, and some have quite a bit of yardage to them, but I just know I'll never get around to using them.

And yes, I'm totally exploiting my blog here as an alternative to craigslist! :)

On a side note, I have lots of samples that I'll be unloading in the next week also to make more room, there was just no time for it this week unfortunately. Preview below.

**Edit: Move complete!

sample sale ongoing!

2010-08-16T15:30:00.001-07:00

Woah, sorry for the very long break in posting! Life and work have been quite busy with some big changes this summer.

I'm currently moving my studio, and therefore will be getting rid of dozens of my samples in the next month. Yay! It feels nice to make space and transition.

They will all be here on my esty page. Here are a couple of them. And check back again, soon since there are sure to be more in the next weeks to come. :)

Sushi for a good cause

2010-06-03T13:47:00.000-07:00

I have been honored by having a sushi roll named after me at Portland Restaurant H50. Exciting!

For all the month of June, 50% of the sale price go to benefit my charity of choice: OCEANA, which is an ocean conservation organization that is a leading authority on ramifications of the horrible Gulf oil spill. Shame on BP for ruining the Ocean.

The chef called me up, and asked me which ingredients I like. I pretty much eat foods only according to the sauces I can dip them in or pour all over them. I'm a condiment-aholic. I like that the roll he conjured up for me has plenty of that, plus avocado!

Here is the fancy description, as per the press release:
"cabbage salad and spicy aioli sushi roll is filled with nori and seasoned rice; topped with fresh carrots, avocado and tomato; finished with togarashi and diakon radish sprouts and served with tomato coulis sauce."

So, all my friends in Portland or for anyone who is visiting, you'll have to go try it and let me know how it tastes!

behind the scenes

2010-05-25T08:18:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, I did a photoshoot with a very talented photographer and some very nice models. The whole team was great. The weather wasn't too cooperative, but luckily the rain held off for just long enough.
We went way up to St. John's Cathedral and I took a lot of candid shots with my iphone. Here are a couple. More are here on my Flickr. I'll post some of the final images from the photographer soon, too.

???

2010-05-19T13:53:00.000-07:00

My 30th birthday happens to fall on the date 10-10-10. (It equals 30!) .
Being the bad, indecisive, procrastinating Libra that I am, I have no plans for it other than knowing I'm going to go to Portland, where most of my friends are. I have realized it would fall on this date for about 7 years now. I have no excuses for being such a last-minute planner.

My question is: What the heck should I do on this magical day?! Maybe I'll make a poll. Any suggestions?

The bad thing about such a numerically significant date is that, yes, everyone in the world is planning on getting married on this day. Therefore, it'll be hard to book venue rentals. And it is now less than 5 months away. Oh my!

betty white

2010-05-10T13:31:00.000-07:00

Another pic from my shoot on Friday:

even better

2010-05-09T14:38:00.000-07:00

Well, as much fun as it was to try on my clothes and snap pictures, I have to say I much rather leave it to a professional model and take my place behind the camera instead. Here are a couple of shots from a shoot that I just did on Friday. My good friend, Nathan, did the makeup. I did the hair, and was our photographer. Most of the credit can go to our model, though. She was fantastic!

I'm really loving playing the role of photographer lately. It motivates me to make more things, simply for the enjoyment of later shooting them on a model. Perhaps the most enjoyable part of the creative process because I can step back admire the finished product. I've always had the tendency to think about how something will be photographed while I'm creating it, so it's sort of fun for me to be the one to do it sometimes.

More pictures to come!

meet the girls

2010-05-03T13:22:00.000-07:00

Two, actually three, new dresses are up on my Etsy page, but these two I made last week and am really loving right now. They are part of my Spring '11 Bridal mini-collection, but the samples are for sale up there now.

The Betty White, (because the skirt reminds me of her hair!) Is entirely eco-friendly, made up of organic cotton and small, salvaged scraps.

And the Bea Arthur, because well, she looks like a Golden Girl, too, sorta.
The one bad thing about really nice weather on the weekends is that models tend to cancel. Argh! Hence, the pictures with mostly my head chopped off here. Whenever the headless model makes an appearance, that's usually the case. She works for free at a moment's notice!

part two

2010-05-03T08:40:00.000-07:00

Here are some shots of the bridesmaids dresses that I also did. Unfortunately, I didn't really get any good shots of them on the girls because I used up all my memory card space on shots of the bride and her dress at the wedding.

This is probably the only exception to my "I don't do bridesmaids, too" rule. And it got reinforced after this time, because though even with the best of intentions to have this dress done by a place I've used before for production, too many things went wrong and they got very delayed, so that I pretty much ended up making six of these myself. That beautiful Italian satin-faced silk organza and I were not the best of friends in the beginning, but in the end I won the fight and was pretty happy with them.

I ended up ordering more of this material because I fell in love with it, so be on the lookout for some things out of it in the future. (my Etsy, later today) ;)

a labor of love

2010-04-22T10:59:00.000-07:00

Well, it should be known by now that whenever I disappear for awhile without posting so much as a peep, I'm either working on a collection and it's close to fashion week or I'm working around the clock to finish a wedding dress, and trying to out-do myself.

I recently finished the wedding gown of a friend that I have known since childhood. I have known Erica since I was probably about 10 or 11 years old. We were in all the same dance classes and pretty much inseparable during and out of class, sometimes having to be separated by our teacher for giggling too much.

Erica was a dream client to make a dress for. She trusted me completely, and let me have total freedom with just a couple of guidelines: She wanted a low back, and no rhinestones or sparkles. Imagine that! After all those years of dance where costumes could never have enough sparkle or glitter, we've both decided we've had enough rhinestones for a lifetime. Ha!

The dress that we ended up with, is my favorite wedding gown of all, I think. I'm glad it went to a good friend. I was lucky enough to come out to California and attend the wedding up in wine country on one of the most beautiful days. Such a lovely couple and a beautiful wedding!
This was the first time, that I have actually been able to see one of my wedding dresses walk down the aisle. Well, any of my dresses walk down any aisle, actually. I never have gotten to sit in the audience during one of my fashion shows either. It was so nice to be able to enjoy this rare occasion.

I also did the bridesmaid dresses as well, and will talk about those in a following post. I took tons of pictures! Enjoy!

polaroids

2010-03-18T14:56:00.000-07:00

My favorite iphone App of the moment: ShakeIt Lite. It makes a polaroid camera out of your phone and is hours of entertainment!

Fall 2010 lookbook

2010-03-16T10:29:00.001-07:00

first look

2010-03-09T09:00:00.000-08:00

This is one of the images of my Fall 2010 lookbook, which I'm finalizing this week.
I ended up taking all of the pictures this time, because I just wanted to get it done and out of the way. I'm learning a bit more about lighting techniques, so the next photo shoot that I do will hopefully be even better. It's fun having another creative outlet and I'm excited to experiment more!

(the model is Karalyn!)

working pics

2010-03-05T13:53:00.000-08:00

I snapped a ton of pictures these past few months, but I've been too busy to go through them all until recently.

Here are a couple that I took while creating textures for my Fall 2010 collection.
And this one, which I may have posted before, but I'll post anyway because Monkey's just too cute sometimes and also a very good assistant. Actually...moments later she probably growled, hissed and stormed off. She doesn't handle constructive criticism very well, apparently.

spring cleaning

2010-03-02T09:49:00.000-08:00

(eventhough, technically not yet Spring; especially not here in NY!)

I've posted some samples up on Etsy this week, because currently my rack is pulling out of the wall because it's too heavy. And now my cutting tables are all covered with clothes to alleviate the racks, and so I've been cutting on the floor.

I do need to get more racks, but a quick solution is spring cleaning the studio of things I've been holding on to. I need to do more than just a few samples, though. It's so hard to part with some these pretty things, and I am definitely a pack rat! :)

I need to make even more room, because I'm currently having a few styles from my Spring collection produced that I'll be selling on my website and in NY.This is one of the lovelies I'm letting go of. I might have a few more throughout the week, too.
(photo by Caitlin Bellah)
This is how my racks used to look last spring, shortly after I moved in. Color organized and all! Ahh, memories....

Fashion Week Fall 2010

2010-02-16T07:43:00.000-08:00

I've been so swamped with work for the last month preparing for fashion week, that I didn't have a moment to even post my typical "sorry, for not posting in awhile" posts.

Ahh, it's so nice to have it all done and over with, and considering having an incredibly stressful past couple of weeks due to my late start on the collection, it all went pretty well and I'm quite happy with it. There's definitely more of a healthy dose of commercial pieces that I'll be able to do production on and that can be worn everyday, and then there are my artistic pieces that scratch the itch of my desire to sculpt and create.

The inspiration was topography, but done in a very feminine romantic way. Yes, an excuse to make lots of noodles and layers that I love in plenty of eco-friendly and organic materials. Basically, I made a lot of things that I enjoyed creating and would love to have in my closet.

I was so lucky in the last week to have help from not only my friend Suede from my season, but Maya from season 7 came to my studio the night before and helped me until about 2 in the morning. What a dear and a life-saver!

I think my favorite two pieces ended up being the last two that I worked on: This eco-felt topographical dress which I hammered out in the wee early hours of the morning the day of the show (The material is made from recycled plastic soda bottles), and the long teal low-back gown (which Suede and I were affixing the skirt embellishments on backstage before the show). And of course I see so many little things that I nit-pick at and will be fixing before production.

All I can say is, I will definitely be starting for next season this week. No more last minute stressstravaganzas like this. For some reason, I reverted back to bad old habits of thinking that I can do everything myself on this collection. And I did mostly, but without the help of other very talented people in the final hours none of this would be possible. I can't thank them enough, and know that things are going to change and be very different for next time.

I feel bad for anyone who talked to me after the show. At that point I hadn't slept in 3 days (or showered) I didn't make any sense at all, and I probably stunk! Haha! Oh, lesson learned my friends. ;)Photos ©Wire and Getty Images.

Here is a link to more (but not all) looks from the show:
http://www.coutorture.com/New-York-Fashion-Week-Leanne-Marshall-Fall-2010-7403123

brought to you by the letter N

2009-12-23T07:54:00.001-08:00

In order to get the organic cotton materials the colors that I wanted, I ended up hand-dyeing everything in the collection. Well, that is after the eco-friendly dye-house that was going to do it, somehow managed to ruin every fabric I gave them. Hmm, still not sure how they did that.

Thankfully, I had better results. The cotton took the peach really well, and in these folds it somehow almost glowed orange in natural lighting.

studio snapshots

2009-12-21T10:59:00.001-08:00

More shots of the work-in-progress when I was creating what I like to refer to as the monster-gown. I ended up having to cut each and every one of those petals out, and I was going to use those scraps on another dress, but they ended up as some really cool swiss cheese curtains instead! Also, yes, the machine I prefer to work on is a very cheap basic home-sewing machine. I know it's silly, but I prefer them. Mainly because if and whenever they ever break, I can usually repair them myself instead of having to call in a service guy, which is kind of nice.

Tip: I also just posted a couple of samples up on Etsy, which will probably go fast. There will likely be some more after New Years.

Go Janeane!!

2009-12-17T09:28:00.000-08:00

Hooray, it's finally been announced, and I will obviously be rooting for fellow-Portlander Janeane Marie. She is not only a very talented designer, Janeane happened to be my very first intern and helped me out last year right after I won and still lived in Portland.

I have known this secret for awhile. I actually somehow had a strange feeling when they were filming, and so I played Detective and realized that Janeane was MIA during that month, which was a huge clue that she was probably there doing it. I emailed her, and sure enough it was true! (FYI, to any designer that leaves to do the show: have a friend log into your Myspace and Facebook accounts while you're away. It helped me throw off my suspicious friends...just a little.)

I am very excited for her. She's so talented, and I have my fingers crossed she'll go very far. Yay Portland designers! Janeane, hold on to your hat: this is where things get crazy and every person you've ever met in your life comes from out of the woodworks. ;)

Tuxi Dress

2009-12-15T08:41:00.000-08:00

I think this was probably my favorite of the collection. A tuxedo married into a dress, brought to you by the letter M. (That's what those layered, folded things are).

lookbook

2009-12-14T10:05:00.001-08:00

Wow, multiple posts in one day! :)

Here's more from my SS10 lookbook. Enjoy!

bridal-whipped

2009-12-14T08:47:00.000-08:00

I finally finished two wedding dresses I had been working on for nearly a solid 4 weeks. This one in particular, totally consumed all of my time. I was working around the clock, consecutive 16 hour days, 3 weeks straight with a couple of all-nighters to ensure that I got done in time. Of course, my big mistake was initially grossly underestimating the time it'd take to finish. I was able to do my PR finale wedding dress in 2 days, and that somewhat misguided my estimation here.

It came out beautiful, but I have to say, it is one of the LAST custom wedding dresses I will be doing for a very very loooong time, if not ever. It killed me, kicked my ass and put me severely behind schedule for my next collection. I will likely have some ready-to-wear styles available in the future, but no more customs. I still have not fully recooperated, but it's a nice feeling to put that behind me and move on to the collection I've barely started. A collection which, after all this petal-palooza, makes me long for simple clean lines, minimalism and very light embellishments.

first look

2009-11-28T11:38:00.000-08:00

Here's the first look at my Spring 2010 lookbook, which has taken way too long for me to get wrapped up. It's finally done and off to the printers, and I'm happy with how it all turned out. Now, hopefully I'll get some sales off of 8 months of hard work and investing heavily. Sometimes this all just feels like a very expensive hobby. ;)

The photography is by the talented Anna Wolf, Makeup by Nathan Johnson, Hair by Caroline Prince. Models: Holland Stevens and Liz from Major.

PS: I'll be posting all the other looks here soon.

congrats, Irina!

2009-11-20T14:08:00.000-08:00

Well, I don't have much too much to say on the subject (okay, yeah I do) because I didn't watch this season. I watched the first episode, but I wasn't compelled enough to seek out cable or online streaming to watch more. And I used to be a die-hard fan of the show.

First of all, congrats to Irina, and I truly hope she has a lot of good come out of the experience. For me, the best of it, honestly, has been the exposure to such a big audience. The hundred grand goes too quickly (especially running a business in NY), but having world-wide exposure for my line has been the best of it. I've had some amazing opportunities, and for them I'm very grateful. The show made several of my dreams come true, and I hope it has for her too.

After seeing the show in February at Bryant park, we knew clearly that the last collection was going to win, and that possibly took the fun out of watching the process. After reading T-Lo's blog, I see I didn't miss too much. Ouch. Harsh, guys. ;)

So let's open up the critique section of this post, based upon little viewing, some word of mouth from others, and personal experience:

1. Okay, no more LA. Just...no.

2. Is there some way, any way, we can have the Magical Elves produce the show again? It's not the same without them.

3. No more easy "design pretty dresses" challenges. Come on! That's not fair to those of us who made dresses out of car parts, and it's not fair to the viewers looking for entertainment.

4. What's this business of giving the designers 6 months or so to do final collections? We had 7 or 8 weeks, and that was it. Time crunches = meltdowns. Meltdowns = entertainment.

So, I hope Season 7 is going to be better. I will be watching then, because I know someone on it that I'm rooting for. Ultimately, I feel bad for the designers of Season 6. All of us, really. The reason why a lot of us do the show is because we are struggling to make it, and in situations where we desperately need money to invest in our line (pay rent) or exposure to get our names out there. The show used to be somewhat respected, and if it loses that the designers involved lose too, whether or not they win the prize.

Oh, one more suggestion: I think they should start paying ALL of the contestants to participate. There's nothing that irks me more than the rich getting richer off of people who are struggling. I guess that's how much of the world works, but it doesn't make it right. I don't even want to know what the profits are like there because it's probably too upsetting. But really, the designers deserve a little more for their time and courage of putting themselves out there to possibly be ripped apart than just exposure, which may or may not be negatively perceived by the world and the fashion industry itself.

Those are just some of my thoughts on the matter. All things aside, let's hope it redeems itself with Season 7. (And Season 6 designers, don't feel bad. With each current season, everyone seems to complain about how much more horrible it is than the season before it. They did it to us, too. It's not your fault!)

caribbean shows

2009-11-10T10:14:00.000-08:00

I had the great opportunity in the last few weeks to do two different fashion shows in the Caribbean, which meant that as soon as the shows were done, I got to enjoy the warm sun, swim and have two little vacations in both the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas, where I just returned from yesterday.

The show in the Dominican Republic was impressive: gorgeous models and a Bryant Park-quality runway. After the show, my good friend and makeup artist, Nathan Johnson and I enjoyed one of the best meals we've ever had at Boca Marina, an amazing restaurant where we dined way out on an extended deck right over the crystal-clear water. If I had dropped my fork, I would have had to dive in to fetch it back!

The show in the Bahamas was a ton of fun, and the beaches were incredible. On the last day, Nathan and I hit the water slides and aquariums. I wish we had had more time there to cruise out to some of the many other islands that I saw from the plane. It's a pretty quick and painless flight from NY, and I'm sure I'll be back soon.

They were both amazing experiences, and much needed vacation. Now, it's back to work for me (and back to cold weather) and catching up on wedding dresses, production and Fall 2010!

Pictures

2009-10-26T14:15:00.001-07:00

I've gone app-crazy this weekend while nursing a cold. The good news is I've got more pretty photos to share from my phone, and don't have to test my patience with my slow laptop. My favorites are the fun photo filters!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

on the road

2009-10-03T12:21:00.000-07:00

Today I'm in Baltimore to do a benefit fashion show. The weather is amazing, and I'm going to slip off to go stroll the streets before the show. I lived here very briefly about 4 years ago or so. It's nice to visit, and think of all that has changed since then. I've been very fortunate in the past year, and I really do appreciate it all.

Here is an unrelated sketch. Happy Saturday to everyone! Seeing the sun again and feeling warmer weather makes me happy! :)

fittings

2009-09-16T10:51:00.001-07:00

Here are a couple of pictures from the fittings. They show the details a bit better. By the way, I finally got a fancy new camera, and am discovering it's many tricks! I took so many pictures throughout creating this collection. So, expect many many more to come! Maybe, I'll become a designer/fashion photographer someday like Karl Lagerfeld. ;) For now, it's just fun to have a new hobby.

more pictures

2009-09-15T07:55:00.000-07:00

These photos are by the very talented Portland photographer, Minh Tran, who tagged along with us all day on the day of the show.

There are more, but I just wanted to show a few of my favorites:

(I think this is my favorite look of all)

fashion show video

2009-09-15T07:10:00.000-07:00

Yay! My collection is done, and the show was Saturday. I'm really happy with how everything turned out and the show went well. Well, we had one mishap on the second to last gown, but it got out there briefly and made an appearance.

I'd like to thank the lovely people who came and saw, and so so so many people who helped me put this show together: Nathan Johnson (makeup artist genius/best friend/additional PR person/saint)

Nathan McKee (for working on the music and staying up all night the night before to finish it) Faryl Robin (for the shoes) Beauty Society (makeup sponsor) Kate (Kick PR) And my interns I've been lucky to have this summer: (Ana Thompson, Kayla Cappielo, Heidi Carothers, Hilaree Hawkins). And all the lovely helpers and dressers backstage.

I'm already excited for the next one, and determined to make it bigger and better than ever.

Leanne Marshall Runway Mercedes Benz Fashion Week NY 2010 @ Yahoo! Video

spring 2010

2009-08-21T07:15:00.000-07:00

Oh, wow. I apologize for my very long absence! I've been working solid non-stop on my Spring 2010 collection, which I'm showing during fashion week very very soon.

I did take a break to watch the marathon of new Project Runway shows last night. I won't go into too much detail, but I was shocked and appalled that Korto did not win. It's unbelievable. Her clothes were not only the most beautiful and well-made, but her restaurant challenge dress was so amazing and, I thought, surely sealed the deal for her win. I got pretty disheartened after that. Yet again, I realized that it's all for shock and surprise and you can never tell what the judges/producers will do. It makes me sick. These new shows seem especially unpredictable so far. I guess that makes for interesting TV, but sadly it is at the expense of injustice to the designers.

I'm not sure if I'll be watching too regularly. At least not until fashion week is over with, and I can take a breather from my Spring 2010-mania.

I'm doing my own runway show, and have aimed for a high goal of creating 25 looks. I'm currently working on #16 and #17 today, and am so happy I didn't procrastinate this time. Well, not as much. I could've started sooner, but it's hard to teach an old dog new tricks. I'm getting better about it.

Here is a very quick sneak peek. Some of them may be in the collection and some may not. ;)

so happy together

2009-07-12T10:36:00.000-07:00

Today, I reunited with a good old friend. A friend that I had been missing for quite awhile, and didn't realize just how much. We parted ways when I left Portland, and I'd assumed that that was just our fate. Until now.

Stumptown, how could I ever forget you or try to replace you?! I even gave up coffee after a few months in NY, because even at it's best, it would never measure up to you. Today, when I saw that the cafe down the street was displaying their "Now proudly serving" sign in the window, my heart skipped a beat.

I'd heard rumors and even read that Stumptown was opening a roastery here, but being the purist and skeptic that I am, I just somehow never thought it would be like the good stuff I know and love. Boy was I wrong.I don't even remember because I am still on a magical 3 hour buzz, but it is quite possible that I skipped and danced all the way to the office today.

Stumptown, you are not even coffee; you are pure liquid magic. You make me feel like superwoman, a creative visionary genius, and a hummingbird all at once. You practically design all my clothes for me. Stumptown, you complete me.

I know I probably sound like I've got a problem here, but I know to keep it under control and promise not to overdo it. And I know that likely in an hour, I will be found curled up in a pile of bamboo jersey when I crash big time.

But, sweeeeeeet joy, I am one happy, happy, dancey girl right now!!!

P.S. Portland human-friends, there is no replacement for you guys, so you will also need to relocate here as well.

(Photo credit: www.pinballpublishing.com)

Season 6 designers

2009-07-09T07:15:00.000-07:00

Yay! It's so exciting to see the new crop of designers for the next season. I really hope they have a great experience with it. (Though I know it's completely done filming). I'm excited for them, and excited to watch! I need to order cable now, I suppose.

I'm gonna go ahead and give my early favorites (even though I'm having trouble viewing the portfolios on the site, and many of their websites are under construction). I'll have to

investigate a little more, but just based of of quick first impressions and limited research, I think ones to watch will be:

Gordana and Shirin (I love their very feminine aesthetics)

Louise Black (I remember her from her Etsy shop, and think that she has a really cool and unique point of view. And yay for Etsy designers!)

And Rodney: (I think he's got an edgy, never know what to expect thing going on, which could be fun to watch)

These are just very early impressions, and I'm sure I'm bound to develop other favorites. Good luck to all of them and I hope they enjoy every minute of it.

This is a very un-related ball of mess on my floor, but I thought it kind of looked like an art installation, so I took a picture.

today in my studio

2009-06-27T08:18:00.000-07:00

In a fairly clean state. (That's unusual; I make big messes when I work!)

advice

2009-06-24T14:58:00.000-07:00

Edited 6/27/09. My main intention in this post was to inform and help others in similar situations.

To any young designer, or any person running their own business, make ABSOLUTE certain of one thing: At the end, know EXACTLY how much you will be making in the deal. Never assume. Never estimate. And don't be afraid to say NO early in the beginning. Don't be afraid of making others unhappy. Definitely, get everything in writing (as one commenter mentioned). Just make careful decisions.

People probably think that fashion designers make a ton of money. But in reality, for the majority of us, that couldn't be farther from the truth. (even if we're one of the lucky ones that "makes it" so to speak.) We spend more than we bring in. We're lucky when we break even. And we're one of the select few if and when we turn a profit. I'm still not there yet.

Long Live Etsy: I'm a huge proponent of marketplaces where you can buy directly from the designer. It ensures the designer actually gets compensated for their work. I still realize I have so much to learn about this industry. And I'm learning, one mistake at a time.

summer

2009-06-09T06:42:00.000-07:00

Ah, it's been such a busy past month, with no time to post! I've been hard at work on the Bluefly collection, which should be launching at the end of the month (fingers crossed that nothing else can go wrong and hold it up at this point). I think every possible production problem that could have happened has already, but every time I say that a new crisis or fabric shortage pops up. Yikes!

It was my first hand at doing production, and it has been quite a valuable learning experience. Next time will go much more smoothly! Still, even with the frustrations, it's so nice to be able to hire someone else to make my clothes and to do it here domestically in New York so I can check up on everything and smooth out the kinks. It sure beats staying up all hours of the night trying to do everything myself!

Additionally, I have a few things currently on my Etsy page available and a dress on my website, with hopefully more to come soon! I'm ridding myself of some past samples on Etsy every now and then for ridiculously cheap, too.

Yesterday, marked one year from when I flew out to start filming the show. It's insane how fast this past year flew by! It seems like it was literally just weeks ago.

Photo by Nicholas LaClair (yes, that's Karalyn!)

Fall09

2009-04-26T21:12:00.000-07:00

I spent the warmest day of the year so far editing photos and finally completing my lookbook for Fall. My computer is overheated, and so am I sitting in our toasty top-floor apartment, but I'm happy with how it turned out.

Ahhhmazing!

2009-04-20T18:25:00.000-07:00

I just received some of the photos from the shoot last Friday. Caitlin Bellah, is so talented and a prodigy photographer and only twenty years old. I love the way she captures emotion in her photographs. Simply amazing beyond words.

This was a shoot that I had not really planned too much for originally, but welcomed Caitlin to come and shoot around my studio while she was visiting from San Francisco. She undoubtedly has such an incredibly bright future ahead of her. I look forward to seeing her work in Italian Vogue someday!

This is the short, eco-friendly wedding dress that I created recently.

Spring

2009-04-19T09:05:00.001-07:00

It is finally here! Well, for at least the past couple of days. I think it will probably go away tomorrow.

I had the great opportunity to work with the incredibly talented photographer, Caitlin Bellah, who hung out with me at my studio on Friday while I worked and finished up a dress. I will post a couple of the end-resulting photos as soon as I get them in.

This was just one that I snapped with my phone. The day couldn't have been any nicer, and the sunset on the side of the building was breathtaking. Days like these make me really love New York.

More pictures to come. I can hardly wait to see them myself!

bridal scan

2009-04-14T10:04:00.000-07:00

I was invited to be part of a panel discussion on Green Weddings, which was last night. I quickly whipped up a short green (hemp, organic cotton and silk) wedding dress to bring along.

One of my goals for this year is to develop a line of mostly sustainable ready to wear bridal gowns and bridesmaid dresses. Originally, I never really saw myself as a bridal designer, but lately I've been working on a lot of wedding gowns and it turns out, that it's something I really enjoy designing. I'm creating a bridal section to my website, which will hopefully be up in the next day or so.

Today, while scanning some forms and documents, I got the idea to scan the dress I made. Still, no fancy, new camera (or fixed), but maybe I don't need one afterall. I love the effect, without any editing whatsoever. I think I'll scan more of my designs in the future!

On another note, the blossoms have FINALLY began to bloom in the trees outside the windows, providing for a great April-backdrop.

Update: I just put up a webpage: leannemarshall.com/bridal

Working

2009-04-10T08:39:00.000-07:00

I've finally gotten myself a nice, bright and big workspace that I've been in for a couple of weeks, which has enabled me to be so much more productive than trying to work from the apartment. Mainly, it may be that my computer isn't there, and I'm not as distracted by emails and internet surfing. All I want to do is work when I'm there, and then I can call it a day and go home and leave my work behind.

The space is great, and in an amazing location right on the water in DUMBO, but my view is of the building adjacent. The view from the other side (and bathroom as pictured) is AMAZING. Maybe after awhile, I'll promote myself and move to the other side and get that Manhattan skyline and river view. I must say, that river certainly stinks, though! Or maybe it's the nuclear energy plant that's across the street. I don't know what it is. For now, I'm happy peeking into the windows of the people across the way, and catching a tiny glimpse of the Manhattan and Brooklyn bridges.

I've been hard at work on the Bluefly collection, and have been doing a gown here and there to satisfy my creative itches. I dropped a big box of pins yesterday, and kind of loved the pattern it made. I didn't even pick them up either. They always end up on the floor anyway!

Still no camera. I need to get it fixed. These were taken by my phone.

I miss Portland

2009-03-12T14:57:00.000-07:00

so much! I am homesick. I miss bike-riding, warmer weather, good friends and good coffee. Oh, and cheaper rent!

Long-time no writey because I broke my camera so I have no new interesting pictures to share. Also, I'm working on production which is the non-fun part of the creative process. It's a drastic and overwhelming change from doing everything myself and making one of a kinds to doing multiples, perfecting patterns and finding the right sewing contractors, etc. It's a bit of a headache figuring all these things out. I miss the one of a kind dress days!

I'm looking forward to a vacation in the Spring!

show pictures!

2009-02-24T07:31:00.000-08:00

These photos were taken by the lovely and talented Anna Thiessen. She really did a fantastic job! The beautiful Karalyn, Amanda and Nicole from PR were a few of my models.

free at last!

2009-02-21T10:23:00.000-08:00

Oh joy, sweet joy it is finally over! The long nightmarish days and nights of sewing and trying to make a collection in such a short amount of time are over. And I feel a newfound sense of freedom and relief of stress in my life that has never felt so good!

In the end I completed only nine looks versus the twelve that I had hoped for. But as the date got closer and I knew that I would have to greatly compromise several looks in order to get 12 done, I decided that it would be far worse to show quantity over quality and decided to cut some.

Having done this feels like an impossible accomplishment. Still having said that, this is not my best work. I am very happy with what I did in this time, but I know that I am capable of so much more. Lesson learned: don't try to do so much in a short time frame. I will be starting on the next Spring 2010 collection in the next few days (hopefully), and I will aim to blow people's minds with it.

I have to thank the numerous, incredibly wonderful people who made this possible and without would not have happened: John Vitale for planning out and helping with the design of the venue, Ana for renting us her wonderful showroom Coolture and being so helpful, Nathan Johnson my favorite makeup artist from Project runway who is the best and nicest guy in theworld! The beautiful models and hair and makeup team. My fantastic interns (especially Jillian Krieger) who helped me cut out those city-scape shapes over and over again and went out and got the shoes the night before the show. Suede, for helping me get interns from Kent State University. Kate Sullivan for all her hard PR work she did for this show and for me in the past. And lastly, and most of all my boyfriend/personal assistant/music composer /event-planner/casting director whom without absolutely none of this would've been possible. There are more probably that I'm forgetting and I am forever grateful for their assistance.

I'm working on getting some good pictures up soon, but in the meanwhile here's some more of the work in progress and a link of a great review and photos of the show.

www.stylewhipped.com

the home stretch

2009-02-17T05:33:00.000-08:00

In the midst of my 'round the clock-sewathon, I was able to attend a couple of shows last weekend at Bryant Park. This was my first time attending a show there and being able to watch in the audience. I have seen very few fashion shows live as an audience member. It was thrilling and beyond inspirational to watch one in the tents. It made me want to become a fashion designer all over again!

The most impressive show that I saw was the Academy of Art (SF). Not only did they have top-notch models (Anja, Chanel Iman), the designs themselves were very interesting and well-executed. It was a great show, and made me long badly for a tent show myself in the future.

Next time I will at least have a runway show instead of a presentation. Seeing the clothes move is mesmerizing.

Now, back to sewing my heart out!

aaagh!

2009-02-11T09:11:00.000-08:00

One week to go, and I'm nearly halfway done. This is insanity. We're doing the castings today for models, and then I will sew around the clock in a marathon style to complete this collection. Note to self: never try to complete a collection and put together a show in 3 weeks EVER again.

another challenge

2009-01-31T06:23:00.000-08:00

Moving to New York was certainly the toughest move ever. While I flew out here and have been here for almost 4 weeks, my stuff from Portland that was shipped freight, never decided to show up until this week. It's a long, frustrating story.

Alas, I've been without tools, machines, specific fabrics and needless to say, I have lost a lot of time. I've decided to do a static presentation during fashion week and it is about 3 weeks away. I have 2.5 things done at this moment. I want 12 looks. It's going to be hellish these next few weeks, but I'm going to do whatever it takes. And I want it to be good. This is the challenge of challenges and I'm going to try to document it as much as possible.

To add on top of that, I'm having to work out of our apt for the time being, which I've done for years, so no biggie. The catch is Monkey, Nathan's cat. Well, Monkey has impeccable taste when it comes to choosing a spot to sleep on. Monkey prefers to lie on the most expensive of silks, and scratch her claws on only the finest of wools. Monkey has now been banned from this room, but she always tries to go where she's not allowed. I love Monkey, but she is mischievous!

This is going to be tough, but I'm excited to be back to work again and I'm excited for the task at hand. I am not well when I'm not creating, and I fall into a bad rut. It's exhilarating to sit down and sew and drape after having not. It's also reassuring to know that I haven't forgotten a thing, despite silly doubts that enter my mind sometimes. I made some really great boobie-cups yesterday! :)

Hideous

2009-01-20T07:37:00.001-08:00

I am steaming-mad over this. FIDM (my alma-mater) purchased all of the clothes from my final collection on the auction. That's fine, and theoretically they have the rights to do with them whatever they would like.

This is when I start get mad: They put on a show in DC a few days ago, making it sound like I was having a fashion show there and used the PR collection to do so. They never invited me, and I had nothing to do with it at all. For anyone who attended, it probably was made to sound like I was a no-show or flaked out, for all I know.

Here is the absolute worst of it all: they completely mixed and re-matched up the separates in the worst way possible. It is atrocious. This is no longer my collection or vision at all. They might as well have put on everything backwards and inside out while they were at it.

Look below. FIDM, I am utterly disgusted.

Photo by Chris Leaman

I just had to vent my frustrations here. This makes me mad, but I just want everyone to know that I was NOT behind this show. I'm curious to know who in the hell "styled" these looks?

new new yorkers

2009-01-08T16:23:00.000-08:00

We've been here only a few days, and Nathan already has a new freelance job working for his friend's production company. They do a lot of fancy work for their fancy clients. Nathan got to help set up for a big party for Louis Vuitton and Stephen Sprouse tonight at the Bowery.

When I came to check it out, I found Nathan sitting on a ladder that was straddling the Subway stairwell. He was plastering posters all over the Subway, which I didn't think would be legal. But I guess when you're Louis Vuitton and are dropping millions and millions on one party, you have enough money to do what ever you want.

I wonder if Nathan can find me a place to hide so that I can crash the party. I have an evening gown, but no invite to the party. Hmmph!

so sad

2008-12-29T19:04:00.000-08:00

These are my last few days in Portland. I'm dismantling my work studio and have been going through 3 years worth of saved remnants and fabric scraps. I still have so much to do, and so much to get rid of. Everything in my studio is for sale or up for grabs, and it's so hard to let go. I am excited about living in NY, but I'm really going to miss Portland.

cabin fever

2008-12-22T10:58:00.000-08:00

I made myself a ski-mask!

never in my wildest snow-dreams...

2008-12-21T10:30:00.001-08:00

did I ever imagine we'd get this much snow! We got dumped on, for lack of a better way of putting it! Portland is shut down. There are no cars on the streets, just people occupying the lanes of traffic because it's easier to walk on. I went sledding three times yesterday. This is crazy and inconvenient as hell, but I absolutely love it.

Edit: I love how I'm now seeing several people walking down the deserted streets drinking beers and booze. Because when it snows, there are no laws and anything goes apparently!

Snow creatures. The monster in the middle was spotted late at night on Burnside.

two miracles

2008-12-18T10:00:00.000-08:00

Not only is it snowing, and I'm here to enjoy it (after getting my orders out and work done first), the biggest check in the world finally came today! Aaaaaaaaggh!! I can't believe it! I am going to cry.

All the days of sacrificing and putting my personal needs last, not being able to pay bills, making do with very little, all in order to just buy fabrics or repair my sewing machines are over. I can buy whatever fabric I want! I can run a real business where I don't have to make every single thing myself because I can't afford to do otherwise. I'm not going to be homeless at the end of the month, like I feared. All that incredibly hard work and years of struggling but never giving up has just paid off. It is all real now. It really happened, and it's just really hitting me now.

And it's beautiful outside.

NYCya real soon

2008-12-15T16:09:00.000-08:00

I'm in NYC again for a quick business trip, and will back again, permanently in less than 3 weeks! I was very hesitant and nervous about coming for this trip, but things went well, and I'm thankful I did. Though, I was devastated having to miss rare Portland snow. Enough snow to go sledding at Laurelhurst Park. Portland, I'm gonna miss you a little. I'll be back tomorrow, so bring some more snow for me!

wow

2008-12-11T10:28:00.001-08:00

What can I say? I'm very flattered. My dress on someone's body....permanently!

Oh, and I love how there's a giant ant checking it out! :)

craziest week ever

2008-12-10T17:48:00.001-08:00

Oh Dear Jerell,

I've had the most insanely busy few weeks, yet you kept calling me pretty much everyday, talking me into getting you dresses for your boutique opening tonight. Yeah, EVERY day. More than a bill collector, even! They call too, but not as much as you. Well, I cranked out a few beauties quickly, ran to the post office and got them on the right truck just barely in time.

Only for you, Jerell, because I love you. I hope your boutique opening tonight is a huge success! And send this brotha a check once they sell because I am hurtin' for one!

Here's a sneak peek at a blinding hot-pink cocktail dress that I had a hard time parting with. It's only a peek, but you'll see more of it later. I know...me and hot pink? Wha...?? The others were all gray, though, to compensate.

Update: I can't find a website for it, but here's a link with the address. Go visit!

rumors, rumors, rumors

2008-12-08T18:15:00.000-08:00

Two people mentioned to me in the last 24 hours that they had heard that I was hired my Michael Kors. Hmm, not to my knowledge. If he hired me without telling me, then I apologize for being a total no-show.

Strange. I can't help but wonder where this is coming from. Perhaps he was just thinking aloud that his collections were in need of a hefty helping of some noodles.

Yummmm....

in my studio today

2008-11-21T13:25:00.000-08:00

Okay, yeah, there's usually not a bouquet of flowers sitting randomly in the midst of the threads like that. You caught me.

updated site

2008-11-18T14:38:00.000-08:00

Goodbye old, poopy website that I quickly made myself, hello shiny new site designed by the hardworking Transport team! And a new online shop to follow shortly. Finally!

Yay, Obama!!!

2008-11-05T09:50:00.000-08:00

This is a sketch that I did which was supposed to run in Radar magazine, but they just folded and have hopes another magazine might pick this feature up. Me and a few other PR designers were asked to sketch an inaugural ball gown for the future first lady, but keeping the first lady generic. I ignored that, and did a sketch of Michelle Obama! What an exciting new time for change!

Update: Here's the link to the Daily Beast which did pick it up along with the other designers' sketches.

www.thedailybeast.com

bridal tsunami

2008-11-04T11:52:00.000-08:00

When I had to remake that wedding dress in about 2.5 days, my apartment floor was completely covered in wave panels. I had to lay them all out and pin every one together and make sure every angle and spacing was exact. A huge task done in a short time all made possible by lots of coffee!

illustrations

2008-10-26T10:42:00.001-07:00

I've been out of the habit of sketching lately, but it's a habit that I want to get back into. I'm going to try to do a sketch a day for the next month. And I'll be selling them off on my Etsy site:leanimal.etsy.com

lonely hotel california

2008-10-23T16:12:00.000-07:00

I was flown out to LA on Monday night to do the Craig Ferguson show on Tuesday. It was a quick 24 hour trip, but it was fairly enjoyable. When I checked in, the nice guy at the front desk happened to be a fan of the show, and he very kindly upgraded me to the most beautiful room I've ever stayed in. It was a shame to be by myself, but I said I'd take pictures (which don't do it justice). It was kind of a lonely trip, in comparison to being in NY last week, but the show was fun.

Craig Ferguson is as kind as he is hilarious. He even gave me a little gift tote bag which had M&M's that were printed with his face! How do you even get those made?! I'm truly enjoying all of this, and don't take it for granted for one second.

Time for me to stop procrastinating and get back to sewing!

creating the collection

2008-10-23T15:49:00.000-07:00

A big part of my working process is pure experimentation. I puzzle together the pieces, and then I play around with them by holding them up on the dress form or on myself and snapping a picture. I prefer taking snapshots because so many times I have done something awesome once, only to completely forget how I did it or what it was like!

I have plenty more of these photos, and I'll post them up later!