the Watercolor Garden Gown (One of a kind)
“The flower is made of non-flower elements. We can describe the flower as being full of everything. There is nothing that is not present in the flower. We see sunshine, we see the rain, we see clouds, we see the earth, and we also see time and space in the flower.
A flower, like everything else, is made entirely of non-flower elements. The whole cosmos has come together" Thich Naht Hahn
This WATERCOLOR GARDEN gown was sourced and designed by me (Leanne Mai-ly Hilgart), working with the amazing NYC couturier Mika Inatome to bring it to LIFE.
This design is made of vegan chiffon from 100% post-consumer recycled fibers with trim that is a combination of handmade crocheted and painted flowers from female artists in America, and some select vintage trim.
Handmade flowers from female artists:
- Handknit flowers designed and created by an amazing woman, Jen, in Oklahoma City whose flower sales support her weekend service of creating care packages for homeless individuals and shut in senior citizens. You can support her work here.
- Handpainted lace flowers from a wonderful woman Cheryl in Vermont, who started painting lace flowers to add dimension to her quilting. She found the way the color moved along the thread lines fascinating, it feels like nature.
Vintage deadstock trim:
- The butterfly and heart pieces are deadstock, made decades ago from a factory that has since shut down so they may never be made exactly like this again.
Vegan chiffon is made of 100% post-consumer recycled fibers:
- Our silk-free chiffon is created by an award winning Asian female founded textile house in Australia and Asia, with factories that are certified to OEKO-TEX 100 and bluesign (no harmful chemicals in the dye), recycled fibers certified GRS and GOTS, with fabric machines run by skilled engineers paid much higher than traditional textile production wages. Each gown recycles around 20+ plastic bottles in a mechanical process.
- The chiffon is then custom pleated by the best pleating house in the country, Toms Son's using the stunning sunburst pleat, which combines my two favorite design elements: math and flow. Tom's Sons is a three generation family business since 1931 based in the NYC garment district. The father and son who currently run Toms Son's are Leon and George, who recently published a labor of love: the first ever book published on the sole topic of pleating. Their rescued retired racing greyhound Rags can be seen kissing strangers in the studio (of which maybe I have been lucky enough to have been) and blocking the entrance.
xo Leanne
- PLEASE NOTE: the gold sash belt shown in a few of the images is sold separately (and is soldout!)
ZERO WASTE GOWN DROPS
Is a dream come true! It means I get to create art often, slowly with my hands, using amazing vintage and deadstock materials I find, along with featuring handmade art by artists that inspire me. Making things with my hands, and finding unique things a home create a lot of joy for me.
I also design with comfort in mind, the comfort not only to move, but to feel beautiful doing whatever you want that day - eating, dancing, sitting - running through a field of daisies with your three rescued pups, ya know the usual!
xo Leanne
with Japanese Couturier, Mika
Wedding gowns are maybe the most complex type of apparel to build. They must be constructed at the highest quality, and a couturier must be a true problem solver and inventor to be able to translate a vision into reality over a spectrum of designs, cuts, and materials.
After meeting with another couturier, something didn't feel right. I checked my email again to see if Mika had responded and realized I had missed hers.
When we met - with her fervent love for her dogs, her parents, anime covering her walls, and her contagious enthusiasm for problem solving and overwhelming kindness - I knew it would be WAY more fun to work with her on these. We spent almost every day for months working on these designs, and I'm so happy for you to see them incarnated, waiting to find the right person to celebrate with.
celebrate a {human you love} including details made by {humans we love} of which their sales support {humans they love}
From Julia in Kiev supporting her family with her embroidered animals to Jen using the sales of her hand crocheted flowers to make care packages for shut in seniors and homeless individuals - each gown is the result of art I've had the JOY of bringing together by many wonderful people.
xo Leanne