Not too many 19 year old girls have their very own dress designer, but Maggie does. I wrote before about Anne Marie who decided to design and make Maggie's prom dress for a project at her high school. (check out Maggie World: Designing Woman). She is designing the dress so that it will work with Maggie's wheelchair and straps, which is amazing. The straps come up between Maggie's legs making dresses pretty much impossible for Maggie to wear. When she went to her earlier proms, we had matching shorts underneath to avoid exposure. That won't be necessary with Anne Marie's clever design.
Anne Marie and her mom Clare (my college roommate) arrived on Saturday afternoon with a boatload of fabric choices for Maggie. She chose a soft pink which Anne then whipped into a lovely skirt. There is a black overlay which dresses it up quite a bit. She envisions a black camisole with a sash type piece draped over it. It's quite incredible, really.
More than that, this young woman is making it from her own drawings, not from a pattern. She is able to eyeball it and make it work for Maggie.
We put Maggie in her bed for the initial try on and Anne Marie made various measurements etc for the next phase. (Note the pink shirt is NOT part of the overall ensemble)
Then we tried it in the chair. All straps are underneath the skirt and invisible to any passer by.
Maggie also selected the fabric for the sash, which is part of Anne Marie's vision. It will be beautiful and can be the scarf over her trach for that evening and will be removable for easy care.
This girl has it all figured out.
We cannot wait for the finished product. Maggie would happily have taken it "as is" and dressed like a princess all day. Hey, if the tiara fits...
Personally, I remain flabbergasted at Anne Marie's generosity, skill and insight. I think there may be quite a niche market out there for this
More to come as things develop.
Edit: I've already been asked, so let me add that Anne Marie will turn 16 next week.
Oh Maggie is so pretty!! Ann Marie could go into business right now.
ReplyDeleteLook out Donna Karan and Vera Wang!!!
ReplyDeleteOh, my god. I really can't believe how beautiful Ann Marie is and how utterly talented. Maggie has such fine taste, too -- that color is gorgeous. I am so excited to see the final product and insanely jealous that Sophie doesn't have a prom to go to!
ReplyDeleteImpressive, all of it!
ReplyDelete