First my sister is an interior designer. I always feel a need to defend her profession. Not because it is dumb. Because it is actually really cool. But because people are dumb about it. It is not interior decorating. A lot of people who are interior decorators call themselves designers because I think they think it makes them sound more hard core or edgy or something, but actually it is just wrong — as in incorrect not as in funky. A decorate decides where furniture should go and picks out drapes and pillows.
Jay likes to give Erin endless crap about this. Conversations between the two of them generally go something like this: Jay: “Hey Erin, did you get your hair cut?” Translation: “Hey Erin, what’s up?” Erin: “No. So this project I’m working on is really coming along” Translation: “Shove it, Dork. I’ve been working hard this week.” Jay: “So then you got all the pillows and curtains picked out?” Erin: “Shove it, Dork.” Translation: “Shove it, Dork.” There is an R rated version of that translation as well, but my grandparents read this.
An interior designer usually has a 4-year interior design degree, which often comes from an architecture college where they learn about lighting and codes and electricity and construction and safety and yes finishes like carpet and wall coverings and counter tops. Then they have to work in their field for a certain length of time and pass a rigorous licensing exam and portfolio review. I think recently by law only people who have completed these requirements can represent themselves as designers. Everyone else is a decorator. It is a skilled profession that takes creative talent and analytical skills and wraps them all into one job. She meets with clients. She oversees budgets and installations. She meets with contractors and works with architects. She gets to call herself a designer because she is hard core and edgy. And that is your primer in interior design.
The Dress
So Friday my hard core and edgy interior design sister had a fashion show. Yes a fashion show. Her professional organization each year has this fashion show as a benefit for Positive Tomorrows a non-profit that helps homeless kids stay in school. Interior designers and architects are teamed up and given a finishing productt (wall covering, tile, carpet, etc) and a color from the newest Sherwin Williams releases and then are set free to design an original couture piece.
My sister and three other people made a dress out of carpet. And their Sherwin Williams color was Alchemy. So they made a yellow dress out of carpet. Yellow. Carpet.
I’m not the greatest photographer so you can’t see from this picture all the carpet shredding, cutting and sewing that was done to this thing. My sister sewed darts into that skirt. Darts. It was a dress one might actually wear to some really swanky posh shindig if one were into that kind of thing.
The Team: Bill Lovell, Amber Shrewsbury, Katie Sanchez and Erin Rosas
And the event itself was so super cool it made me feel all hip and chic even though I’m not especially either. I don’t even shave my legs on a regular basis. But I got to sit right along the edge of a runway witnessing one of kind couture pieces being revealed to the world for the first time made out of interior finishing products like glass tile and carpet. Also the people who paid for the $100 seats got waiters with white gloves who brought them drinks right to their runway side seats. I only paid $25 for mine, still managed to snag a runway seat and Keyton and Mario brought me drinks to my seat.
Plus they served an appetizer buffet and there were really good meatballs and chicken skewers and since I was running a marathon two days later I fully exploited the buffet’s offerings. It was hosted by Quail Creek Golf Course and Country Club who donated their venue for the cause. The food was so good, I’ve been considering trying to become a member just so I could go and eat meatballs more often. Also they had a pretty cool looking swimming pool.
The whole night was so cool, it almost made me wish I was more fashionista. I think that requires more shaving than I’m willing to commit to though. I was so amazed by my sister and her team and all their hard work. It was quite impressive to say the least.
Thanks, and you are edgy too!!!
you’re a good sister
I kind of realized my lack of “style” when it doesn’t bother me to go out without makeup or really even matching/clean clothes. It’s so exhausting to care about what’s staring back at you. My mom said to me the other day, “I look so old.” And I said, “Then don’t look.” I think that’s, in general, my philosophy. But every once in a while it is nice to shave our legs and get all fancied up. That always stands out more anyways, I suppose.
That is so cool!! I have been wanting to make a dress out of red carpet (maybe shag) as a literal interpretation of
the phrase “red carpet dress.” How did your sister make hers and do you think she’d be willing to work with me on designing my own? Thanks so much!!
I am betting my sister would think that would be fun. Email me your contact info at linzwriter[at]gmail[dot]com.