BACK TO SCHOOL, SOME IVORY LACE, AND TWEEDY WOOL

Look at me making commitments on regular posting and already breaking them the second week! I'm actually writing this from my kitchen table in Bucharest. I'm here since the day before yesterday and the last 3 days have been so crazy I couldn't even stand still and write this post. My brother had his PhD thesis dissertation today, which is also the reason why I came (and also the reason why I am so happy and proud!! <3), but I'll be back home in Milan tomorrow and production and posting will go back to normal.

The BIG news is that... It happened, readers, it really happened! I'm back to school! You might be remembering my "self taught designer and dressmaker" status which I also mentioned several times everywhere, but at some point I decided that, as cool as it may sound that I learned how to do all that I do BY MYSELF, I want to do MORE. There must be some well kept secrets of clothing construction and pattern drafting that no tutorial and no "genius inspiration" will ever be able to teach me. Which is why I decided that it's time for me to get formal training on this side, and I enroled in a professional dressmaking course at AFOL MODA in Milan. The school is half public, half private, and the public side belongs to the Province of Milan so this means 2 things, seriousness and affordable cost. The course is divided into 4 modules, it started this Monday and will end next summer. It means that from now on, I will have 2 dedicate 2 days a week to school, "homework" and stuff like this, while still managing my orders, shipping, marketing and all the rest for my online shop. Now THAT's a challenge!

On another note, I did manage to finish and ship 2 important orders before going to Bucharest, and I'll be showing you guys the pictures here.

First is an ivory taffeta and lace party dress I made for the girl in Glasgow. I'm happy with how it turned out, especially because I found this amazing ivory lace with a delicate golden shimmer on one side, and Natalie agreed to use this side and have the shimmer on the dress bodice. The sleeves are lace-only, the dress is fully lined and the closure is on the right side (invisible zipper).

The other order I completed was the outfit for Kerry back in the US. I made a pencil skirt and a top, which due to my odd shaped mannequin I had to photograph separately. You'll see the skirt photographed with another blouse I made a while ago, and I think that they work quite well together. The fabric I used for the outfit is a very fine wool/silk blend, with a bit of stretch to hug the body perfectly.

That's all for tonight, I'll come back next week with the baby blue taffeta evening dress I am making for my cousin, which is the next project I have in line for finishing. And of course, more impressions from the dressmaking course!

Love

Ela

THE DUTCH AFFAIR - COMPLETED!

I was telling you guys 2 days ago that I was working on a very special project for my first Dutch client. Well, the project (dress + petticoat) is completed and the package is on its way to Amsterdam!
The design is based on the one of this dress from my online shop. My client wanted some modifications though, a narrower collar with 2 roses placed "hanging" in the upper side, 3/4 sleeves instead of long, and a longer hem for the skirt part. There was also a request about raising the neckline and placing the roses "hanging" on the dress as well, and I'm quite happy about how this turned out. The dress is basically a shirtwaist with kimono sleeves and 5 buttons as front closure, but the placement of the flowers on the collar and dress body was a true challenge.
I'm quite in an "emergency mode" right now because I'm just a week away from my trip to Bucharest (yay genious brother getting his PhD!!) and I still have a lot of work to be done before my departure:
- the ivory party dress for the girl in Glasgow
- the 2 piece outfit for the American lady
- a light blue taffeta evening gown for my cousin
- a turquoise chiffon blazer for my mom, to be worn with the evening gown I made for her in July

Back to work now, I leave you with the pics of the Dutch dress!

Love
Ela

IT'S BEEN A WHILE... BUT I'M BACK TO BLOGGING!

Geez folks, I can't believe I created this blog exactly one year ago and I wrote nothing on it apart from my initial post! I have to admit that when I created it I had no clue of how things would turn out for Elochka, but the reality proved to be far more exciting than I had expected!
Anyways, now I'm back to documenting my journey here, with a pretty new look thanks to the awesome guys at Mlekoshi Playground (a lovely store on Etsy where I purchased the new blog template)!
So what has happened so far during this year?
I opened my online store in October 2012, and while in the beginning this was supposed to be a side activity since I was highly determined to take over the marketing job market in Milan, well, after 6 months it seemed that Fate had other plans for me. Sales in my shop started rocking in March this year and I took it as a sign that THIS is what I have to do in life.
It's true what they say, that if you treat your hobby as a hobby, it will always bring you the results of a hobby (which is a few pennies here and there). So the moment I stopped treating Elochka as a hobby and started seeing it as a business, well, results started coming! I took the first months as a "trial period" to see how it works, and I registered Elochka as a company in July this year. I am now the proud owner of an Italian VAT number, I issue invoices, I can advertise and I can have retailers selling my creations... you know, just like grown-ups do business in the real world! Ok, I (will) also pay taxes, but I prefer to not think about this yet :))
During this first year I saw my products fly to all the corners of the world, counted over 100 sold items, saw my online sales skyrocket from only 5 sales in the first 5 months, to 90 now (6 months after), and decided that if THIS is what I'm gonna do in my life, I would not spare my time and energy to make it come true! But more on this in my anniversary post which will be up on October 15 :D
Back to documenting the story now!
I have a very important project on my work table these days. My very first Dutch client contacted me about a dress she wanted to wear at the Opera, and last week we discussed on fabric choice and design, so now I'm in the process of cutting the dress. She also ordered a tulle petticoat which I made yesterday. I leave you with a sneak peak on the petticoat while still under the machine!

And because I'm really in love with these roses, here's also a sneak peak of the fabric :D

This afternoon I am also going to run to downtown Milan for a shopping session at my fabric store. Shopping list:
- pink silk/cotton blend for 5 bridesmaid dresses which I'll make for an Australian wedding
- grey wool/silk blend for a 2 piece outfit (long sleeve top and pencil skirt) for a lovely American lady
- ivory taffeta and lace for a party dress that will go to Glasgow!

So what do you think readers? Do you like the new look of the blog? (make sure you check out the new COLLECTIONS and CUSTOM WORK pages, where I uploaded pics of my favourite works from what I made this year!)

Love
Ela