i shop at thrift stores. i shop at ross. i'm not above buying clothes off the sale rack at walmart. i do, however, have a deeply-rooted appreciation for and admiration of couture fashion. i'm slowly learning about the artistry behind it and i recently made a discovery that is straight cray cray (urban dictionary. look it up)! one word: HAND CUT SEQUINS. (okay three words).
hand cut, hand sewn sequins
what the what! while most of us are wearing clothes from department stores and 'ready to wear' lines, one designer is keeping the art of hand sewn, custom fashion alive. zang toi is the remarkable man responsible for the most amazing clothes i have ever seen in my whole life. i hesitate to call them clothes, so i will be referring to them as the pieces of art they truly are.
isn't this a rad neckline?!
each piece of zang toi art is hand sewn. each and every stitch. the handmade sequins are actually attached to the garments by hand. the label, or signature rather, is delicately applied with minimal hand stitching. zang is understandably proud of his craftsmanship and lit up as he presented and talked about each piece. his energy and love of fashion were so contagious that i accidentally jumped up and down and hugged him while telling him how much i LOVE his work. he was thrilled with the compliments and very gracious and appreciative. his humility and genuine response were impressive and endeared him to me. here is a man who is making gowns for saudi princesses and he was thankful for a compliment from a northwest girl who shops at the salvation army.
this necklace was crafted with sapphires for a saudi princess...
this is the $10,000 non-precious stone version.
zang is small only in stature. he is full of personality and has a sweet demeanor that is seemingly untouched by his burgeoning fame. he was wearing black velvet pants and velvet slippers when i met him. his short hair was heavily gelled, swept to the side, and held in place with a single bejeweled bobby pin. his thick malaysian accent is difficult to understand, but i heard him loud and clear when he paused his phone conversation to holler at me, "you have it upside down... sweetheart!!!!" i had put a shawl/shrug thingy on wrong, but zang was extremely kind and not the least bit perturbed by my lack of polish and culture.
30 yards of lace. thirty yards of lace!
zang's designs are outta this world aaaaaaaaamazzzzzzzzzing (insert oprah accent)! each piece is literally a work of art. each outfit is literally tens of thousands of dollars. go buy yourself something today! oh, and by the way, these clothes are not sold in stores. each piece is handmade to perfectly fit the wearer...er, uh art collector.
(check out the video from the zang toi fashion week runway show. hang in there until the end to watch him jump for joy backstage like a little child when the crowd goes wild and honors him with a standing ovation. it's pretty cute. http://vimeo.com/20606439)
too bad there's no place to wear an evening gown in portland.
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