In The Studio With Designer Ryan Moore

When I first met designer Ryan Moore, I was running around, haphazardly dressed and perfectly panicked in the bowels of the Boo Cat Club. It was the day of Pins & Needles, the annual local designer challenge put on by Brainchild Events. We ended up speaking about his music selection during the hours before the show, and we clicked over his choice of Glitch Mob. I was able to mix in a song of my own suggestion to his pick, and thus our collaboration friendship was born! I had already decided to have something custom-made this year for Saint Louis Fashion Week, and Ryan seemed like just the person to do it. 

We met initially over coffee, chatted about my vision, and went from there! I stopped by one day a few weeks ago to check out the progress, get a final fitting completely, and see where all the magic happens.

Ryan loves working with leather, and he allowed me to borrow a few of his pieces to take to NYFW with me! See this snapshot here of a handbag he stained and painted, as well as a stunning cuff he crafted. Above, he demonstrated how he softens and thins leather to make it more supple and wearable.

I donned my muslin, or mock-up, and Ryan checked the fit. A few trims here, a couple tweaks there, and voila! We were in business. He made the mock-up of a denim material so that it had weight and would lay more like the final piece, which is made of silk. Instead of a solid color, Ryan and I had agreed on a paint splatter pattern, done by hand, to make the piece truly one of a kind. 

I picked up the final piece on Monday night, and it fits like a dream. Here's a quick shot of it in action last night at the first night of STLFW, complete with a leather bag and leather/rabbit fur cuff also by Ryan.

Stay tuned for better images of the dress soon!

Black and white photos by Abby Gillardi. 
Runway snapshot graciously taken by Yasmin of Bangles & Bungalows.