Legacy of a Lace Dress

Last November, we added a beautifully embroidered women's lace skirt to the EleStory Enchanted Lace Collection and I wrote a blog post HERE about how my mother's own beautiful lace dress inspired this collection.

Even at the age of six I asked my mom to save her lace dress for me to wear someday, and by age ten, I proudly wore it to my piano recital and felt like a little lady. There's something about wearing white lace that makes a little girl feel like she's becoming a young woman. Since Mom passed away eleven years ago, my sister and I have yet to locate this beautiful dress once worn by our mother for a special occasion - a graduation ceremony at the school that she was the principal at.

The design for this special dress has been in my head for so long, but like so many designs I take on, I was first worried that no one would like it, or that it wouldn't turn out the way I had envisioned. Fear and anxiety has a way of crippling us, making us feel powerless and ineffective. Even when I doubted this would turn out, my husband and sweet June cheered me on.

In addition, there were many technical challenges to getting this dress made just right. Because of the intricate nature of the embroidered lace and wanting to get the fit just right and flattering for most body types, this design took a lot longer than I had anticipated. The inside of the collar also required a special bridal tulle that I had sourced from New York, but took many weeks to arrive. But, drama aside, I am truly proud of how it turned out - it is a dream come true for me to be able to create something so close to my heart, honoring my mother's memories and to share this design with my little girl and all of you out there. I am cherishing these moments when she still thinks the world of me and wants to be like mommy. 

Last month, we had the privilege of meeting one of my favorite artists/photographers, Kortnee @Tumblingsparrow, for the first time. We have been pen-pals only even though Kortnee has shot just about every design I have created. Meeting her and her husband and their sweet little girl Graycen here in San Francisco was truly a magical experience -- I was so giddy even afterwards! 


Not to mention these photos turned out just as magical as well!

Also, a huge shoutout to my sweet friend Sofia @beautybysofiabee, who at the drop of a hat, came to my rescue when I mentioned to her I had a photoshoot the next day and wish I had been more prepared heh. She made herself available and made me feel like a movie star for our shoot. I will forever be grateful for these ladies. Thank you for helping me to create memories with my little girl that I will cherish forever. 

I can't wait to see you create yours! Please tag us @elestory #elestory when you do. The best part of my job is seeing you and your littles in my designs!

xoxo,
Judy