bridal and formal wear Irish designer. February 2015
My month at Shauna Fay's was very informative and hands on from the beginning. Shauna takes a direct approach with her designs as well as her customers, a very friendly helpful woman i felt very at ease with her and learnt quite a bit from her bank of knowledge from personal experience and hard work.
Sewing since she was 18 for designers, weddings and Irish dance costumes, she had spent years in a bridal boutique and seemed to know a vast amount about fitting, she could just look at a person and her rough sizing estimate would turn out correct.
overworked, this does not effect her beautiful designs nor her attention to detail, from bridal designs to the wedding party, a teenage formal or communion dress, she is ready to give everything a go. having worked in Irish dance dress design she had a love of embroidery, unfortunately this would take to long with her high demand, i did however help her to create beautiful beaded designs, along with lace motifs. something that an make a dress just a little bit more unique, that it;s been especially made, more high couture than high street for sure!
Her designs work with the individual, their body shape and her own ideas. materials are chosen and sometimes changed, people are fitted and alterations are done, hems and bust lines adjusted right to the end. its hard work and a bit stressful, but with the right attitude and dedication Shauna makes it all seem easy.
One day I went with her to "Craftswomen" in Carrickfergus, just outside Belfast. It was full of materials, from bridal to home wear, cross stitch, fashion patterns, accessories, patchwork etc. The range of materials was quite bountiful, with an impressive section for bridal and formal. definitely worth a visit for any fashion or textile designer, or even those with fabric orientated hobbies! it was like an Aladdin;s cave to me, I loved it!
With each day I worked i learnt something, from figuring out a quicker way to press seams, to being shown how to insert cups, every day was beneficial, and most of all enjoyable due to the work, and in particular the easy going, approachable and very friendly Shauna, always ready to answer a question or share a joke.
before i knew it my month with Shauna was over and I was headed back to China. on the bright side I should be returning to her, as I'm sure there is more i could learn from her! beautiful fantastic designs to match the designer.
