 Hello! This week on my Blog, I wanted to share with you a brief article on the topic of Alteration Services, Re-Design, and Clothing Repair! It came to my attention recently, that some of my clients were unaware that I offer these services at my in-home Design Studio! If you have a moment, I would like to share with you the importance of alterations on Off-the-Rack garments, as well as my experience, and the various services that I currently offer!  Wall of Thread, Photo: Roxanne R Rangel. Reasons to have Garments Altered by a Professional In modern times, much of the clothing that we purchase is Off-the-Rack, which is a term used to describe clothing that is mass-produced, in standard sizes. This term applies to almost all clothing found at retail establishments. Unfortunately, due to each person having a unique, one of a kind body, we rarely find Off-the-Rack garments that offer a perfect fit. One alternative to Off-the-Rack clothing, is Custom Made, or Made-to-Order Clothing, which is clothing created exclusively for one individual using their exact measurements. Because Off-the-Rack clothing is mass-produced, and often made in countries over-seas, where materials and labor costs are extremely low, clothing purchased through an apparel retailer can be considerably lower in cost to the customer than having a garment custom made within the United States. However, custom made clothing not only fits the costumer, or client, perfectly, but is usually a higher quality crafted garment.  A photo of my 2016 Ready-to-Wear Collection. All of my Ready-to-Wear Designs are Made To Order, and Custom Fitted. Photo: Jav Ran Photography. Another alternative to Custom Made clothing, is taking Off-the-Rack garments to a professional Alteration Specialist, Seamstress, or Tailor. These sewing professionals, can take any garment, and using the measurements of the client, create a custom fitted look. Common alterations on clothing include taking up, or lowering the hem of a pant, dress, or skirt, taking in, or letting out the waist of a garment, and shortening or lengthening sleeves. In some cases, a client may need a garment re-sized completely. All of this can be done, the cost will be calculated depending on the type of operations performed, and taking into consideration any unique garment details, that may take more time and skill to adjust accordingly.  Here I am working at the Nordstrom Tailor Shop! My Experience While studying Fashion Design at The International Academy of Design and Technology in Sacramento, California, I worked with the retailer, Nordstrom, within their Alteration/Tailor Shop. Nordstrom offers Alteration and Tailoring Services on clothing purchased at any of their store locations, including Nordstrom Rack, and Online. Nordstrom has onsite Alteration Specialists and Tailors at every retail location. I started my career with Nordstrom as a Customer Service Specialist in the Men's Wear Department, but then transferred to the Alteration/Tailor Shop, as an Administrative Assistant. I also completed my College Internship with Nordstrom as a Tailor Apprentice. During my years with Nordstrom, I was trained to complete fittings, and to perform a wide range of alterations. Due to my Fashion Design education, I began to specialize in Women's Wear Alterations, and Clothing Repair.
After my time with Nordstrom, I began working as a Tailor Assistant to Master Tailor, Mr. Randy Rowden, at The Oxford Way Tailoring and Men's Clothing, located in Oakland. One of the things I appreciated about Mr. Rowden, was his commitment to excellence, and quality, often using hand-sewing techniques to complete tailoring tasks.  The Oxford Way Taioring and Men's Clothing: Tiendres Rowden, Randy Rowden, and Roxanne Rodriguez Rangel. Currently, I work for myself, at my in-home Design Studio, creating my own Ready-to-Wear designs, as well as creating Custom Clothing for my clients. Due to my past training and experience, I also offer Alteration Services, Re-Design Services, and Clothing Repair.  Alterations: Lowering a Waistband Alteration Services, Re-Design, & Clothing Repair Alterations Services are available with me by appointment. Simply contact me for your alteration requests, and you can either come to my Design Studio in Oakdale, California, or I can come to you! At the time of our appointment, I will give you a total of the cost, based on the work to be done. Alterations may take up to one week to be completed. In addition to Alteration Services, I also offer Re-Design and Clothing Repair. To Re-Design an existing garment can mean many different things. In general, to Re-Design clothing, means using the material and findings (small articles or tools used in making garments), found in the original garment to create something completely different. Perhaps you have an article of clothing that is outdated in style, but you love the material. I can remake that garment into a modern article of clothing. I particularly enjoy this type of work for two reasons: it allows me to use my creativity and expertise to create something unexpected, and, by re-designing existing garments, we extend the garments life, limiting fabric waste that contributes to the pollution of our world.  "The Fitting" by Viktor Schramm, 1900. Many of my clients have clothing that needs to be repaired. Jeans commonly need patches at back pockets, or at the inner thigh. Sometimes, seams need to be re-sewn, or formal gowns may need beading replaced or mended. Snags and holes can also be fixed. Whatever the case, repairing clothing may be more cost effective then throwing the item out and replacing it completely.  Photo of Roxanne Rodriguez Rangel. To see a few photos of some of my completed projects, click the links below:
Alterations & Re-Design Services Custom Formal Wear Thank you for taking the time to visit my Blog! Please contact me for all your Alteration, Re-Design, or Clothing Repair needs! For all the ways you can contact me and connect, click the link below! Contact Information
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 Pregnancy can be one of the most exciting times in an expectant mother's life. However, with the growing excitement of soon welcoming a child into the world, can come many other anxieties, such as dealing with the numerous discomforts of a quickly changing body. Recently, I myself experienced such changes, shortly after I, and my husband, Javier, found out we would be expecting our first child together. The two of us had been planning this pregnancy for some time, and although this is my first pregnancy, we do have two other children, which are Javi's biological children that he had prior to our marriage in September 2015.
I began to think about my wardrobe... I day-drempt of a stylish pregnancy... I sifted through my crowded closet, and moved items around, placing items that still fit me near the front, for easy access on work days, which hopefully would help to eliminate the frustration of choosing "the perfect outfit", only to put it on and not be able to pull the zipper all the way up. A few times, dead set on the outfit I had chosen, I forced the zipper up, only to pop it off of its tracks, or to squish my stomach causing an unbearable tightness of clothing. Of course, these outcomes led, regrettably, to changing my outfit anyway.  My closet: My Skirts, and my playful Fur Baby. The first trimester of pregnancy can be challenging for most women, because a growing belly at this stage can feel like frumpy fat, not Baby. Existing clothes just don't fit right, but again, it is still to early for full on maternity garments. For myself, I tried to wear loose fitting, or stretchy clothing, that I already owned, that was as comfortable and as stylish as possible. Here I am at 13 weeks pregnant (three months) wearing comfortable, loose fitting clothing that I already owned, that is still fashionable and fun. The loose fitting silhouette of this particular dress, made by Neiman Marcus, allowed me to wear it through my first 6 months of pregnancy. I did not feel frumpy in this outfit!  This is me, at three months pregnant, wearing Kate Spade sunglasses, a Neiman Marcus linen dress, Halogen sweater, and Nine West Wedges. My Maternity Style! Once I began approaching month six of my pregnancy, I no longer fit many of the dresses and skirts that I wore regularly prior to becoming pregnant. My feet began to swell, and I was forced to wear wider flats when I needed to maintain a professional appearance, and flip-flops on casual days. I also wanted to create a few new Maternity Dresses for myself, as opposed to purchasing already made garments online or at a clothing store. Often times, when browsing for new clothing, I find myself thinking, "I can make something like that!". I had hoped that I could arrange my time between unpacking, and redecorating our new home, and working, to sew a new dress or two for myself! Now, here are a few examples of my Maternity Style!
 Here I am, pictured to the right, at 6 months pregnant, wearing a white empire style dress by Max Factor, with the gorgeous model, Lilibeth, at Oakland Fashion Week 2017.
My Maternity Creations! In all honesty, I had dreams of creating several Maternity outfits. However, as I began to prepare for the arrival of our new baby, and as my body began to grow, I found I did not have as much energy to create numerous garments as I was hoping to! I ended up making only one dress! The Maternity Dress that I made, is this Lace and Jersey Knit Maternity Dress, that I wore to my second Baby Shower. I loved the ease and comfort of the design! Check out a few pictures from that lovely day!
After my Baby Showers, it wasn't long after that it was time for labor and delivery! Nine months goes by fast in hind-sight! After a few weeks of our baby being born, I began to fit into many of my prior- to-pregnancy clothing. But then came another dilemma: Nursing! I found myself only able to wear dresses that have center front buttons or closures, blouses that easily pull up, or neck lines that easily pull down! But the best thing was, after one month the swelling of my feet disappeared, and I can wear my heels again! Our baby, SkyLynne Ellie Noir, and I! Here she is 5 weeks old!  Here is myself and my lovely 5 Week Old Baby Girl! I am wearing a Newport News Dress, with a Vintage Necklace, and Black Bongo Heels.  This is the beautiful Thank You Card, my husband drew and painted! He is so talented! Thank you for reading my Blog Article about my pregnancy experience! Feel free to contact me if you would like me to create custom clothing for any of your special occasions in life! Related Links:
My Whirlwind Wedding Engagement: From The Cliff House to Las Vegas, In 4 Months and 3 Dresses!2/2/2016  All photos featured in this blog article are the sole property of Roxanne Rodriguez, if not cited otherwise. Dress #1. May 2015, The Proposal. This past spring, in the spring of 2015, when I was finishing up my senior year of Fashion Design College, I came across some yellow and green fabric in a fabric donation bin, and I used this fabric to create a day dress as one of my final projects for my Pattern Drafting II class. I absolutely love this dress and happily received a high grade on the assignment. The bodice of the dress features a lapel collar, and is made in a yellow and green floral printed fabric. I then used a solid yellow linen fabric for the skirt. The skirt has an exposed lining at the hemline, showing the bright green lining beneath. The dress fits me perfect.  Roxanne Rodriguez Day Dress with Lapel Collar As May approached, and my final day of college arrived, Javier and I planned to enjoy a lovely weekend trip to the city of Napa. The two of us left immediately from my last class at my college campus in Sacramento. We enjoyed a delicious lunch and then headed North West to Napa! Javier had already suggested that we would be dressing up that Sunday, so I brought a few dresses, including my new yellow and green dress, in addition to skirts and blouses.  Javier and I enjoying a lovely weekend in Napa, California. Wine tasting, bike riding, and dinning! Then as Sunday approached, you can imagine my surprise when Javi told me that he would be taking me to The Cliff House in San Francisco! We left Napa dressed in our finest for an early champagne brunch in San Francisco! The Cliff House, San Francisco  An amazing panoramic view, taken by Javier Rangel: myself gazing upon The Cliff House and the Pacific Ocean. I had never been to The Cliff House before this day, nor had I been to this particular area of San Francisco's Land's End before. If you have not visited this area yourself, I highly recommend that you do! If you have been here before, it may be time to visit again!
Interestingly, The Cliff House is rich in history. The original Cliff House building was built at this location in the year of 1863. Tragedy soon struck this dwelling, causing it to become severely damaged in 1887, then becoming destroyed completely due to a chimney fire in 1894. The Cliff House was re-built and became the beautiful massive structure shown in the illustration pictured above. Unfortunately, this building too was soon destroyed by fire in 1907. The Cliff House was re-built, yet again, this time in 1909, and in a similar style to that of the simple original Cliff House building. Today it stands as a very beautiful neo-classical building, situated next to the ancient and decaying Sutro Bath Ruins. Now, back to the romance at hand... Javier and I had been dating for a little over three years at this point, and things were quite serious. I had a feeling that he might propose marriage to me during this particular romantically planned weekend, but I was still very surprised when he actually did! The food at The Cliff House brunch was amazing! The champagne was really good too! A harpist played music while the waves of the Pacific Ocean crashed around just outside the windows overlooking the sea. We had an amazing time... which we always do when with each other... I was feeling the champagne...I think Javi was too... But the endless seafood, water, and coffee was helping dull the effect slightly to a sensation just beyond utter contentment. I excused myself to the restroom, and giggled out of sight. When I returned, Javi proposed! He had the ring placed in the bottom of my champagne glass, and when I noticed, he asked. My solitaire black sapphire ring was so pretty. How could I say or think anything other than yes! We drank more champagne, talked endlessly, and ate more food & desserts, and then we headed happily together down to the Sutro Bath Ruins, and then to the beach!
Javier and I enjoy our "Engagement Day" at The Cliff House. Dress #2: July 2015, Our Garlic Love Story. Javier and I began to discuss the date we would plan our wedding to be on. One day, as I was reading some Northern California event news, I came across an advertisement for the Gilroy Garlic Festival Dream Wedding Give-A-Way Contest. The contest advertised a “Dream Wedding Give-A-Way”, in which a winning couple would be chosen to win an all-expense paid wedding ceremony, along with cake, Gilroy Garden tickets, and a year supply of garlic! This contest sounded great, and since we were planning to be married soon, this contest seamed made for us! Javier and I looked up the entry form, and began to get together the requirements needed for our submittal. Although not required, a video was recommended to tell our “Garlic Love Story” to the judges. As we thought about our love story, I thought about making a garlic inspired dress, perhaps for the wedding! Then one of my friends suggested that I make a garlic themed dress for the video filming instead! Why, that’s genius! So that’s what I did!
You can watch our “Garlic Love Story” by clicking on this link: Enjoy!
Roxanne and Javi during the filming of "The Garlic Love Story". Much to our dismay, it was announced that Javier and I were not even contestants for the Gilroy Garlic Dream Wedding Give-A-Way contest! It was very surprising! We stopped eating garlic for a while, picked our wedding date, and began booking our venue and reservations for a wedding in fabulous Las Vegas, Nevada!  Dress #3: September 2015, Our Perfect Las Vegas Wedding. Dress #3, is not a dress at all, but a Formal Ball Skirt that I created especially for my wedding. When Javier proposed to me, I knew I would design and create my own wedding dress. As I started brain storming ideas, I continually was drawn to the concept of a formal ball skirt, paired with a charming blouse. Completely untraditional, I selected a gold satin fabric, and then I layered grey netting, for a truly unique look. The skirt features a hand beaded design, all designed, constructed, and sewn by me! However, time began to run out as our wedding day quickly approached. Instead of making my wedding blouse (as planned), I happily found a blouse, beyond perfect, on the sale rack at Wet Seal, just days before our wedding, while in Las Vegas!
Getting ready for our big day, at the Wynn Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada.  My family and I on our way to the chapel, we pause to take a photo in the lovely lobby garden of the Wynn Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.
 The Rangel Wedding, A Special Memory Wedding Chapel, Las Vegas, Nevada. Bride's hair and make-up by Stevee Danielle Hair and Make Up Salon, Las Vegas, Nevada. Our Wedding Day experience was truly perfect! Everything planned went accordingly. The ceremony was held at the Our Special Memory Wedding Chapel, in Las Vegas, followed by a dinner reception at The Fremont Hotel's Paradise Buffet. We then enjoyed a wonderful honeymoon night at the Wynn Hotel and Casino, before departing to The Grand Canyon! I loved being able to design and create the three outfits that I wore for my wedding and pre-wedding occasions! Creating my own bridal wear allowed me to be the unique, fashionable bride that I wanted to be! If you have any of your own special occasions in the future, contact me regarding your custom outfit! Related Links:
 Minoan Inspired Illustration by Roxanne Rodriguez, 2013. While studying Art History in college, I was continually inspired by art works of the past to create fashion of the future. Today, fashion influenced by art is a familiar concept. The examples of art and fashion in Fashion's Modern History is plentiful. Looking back, Elsa Schiaparelli collaborated with Salvador Dali in 1939, creating several Haute Couture pieces, including her famous Lobster Dress, worn by Wallace Simpson (The Duchess of Windsor). In 1965, Yves St. Laurent created a couture collection inspired by the fine-art work of Piet Mondrian. Recently, popular clothing e-commerce retailer, ModCloth, has created dresses inspired by Vincent VanGogh, with his famous Starry Night Painting printed on the fabric.
Examples of Minoan Frescoes As I learned about the ancient Minoan Culture, which was located on the island of Crete, now in modern day Greece, I became inspired by the lovely Minoan Frescoes that were depicted in my history book. The beautiful hues of blue, brown, and gold, alongside stark black and red, were striking and distinctive...  A Map of Ancient Greece during the Bronze Age. The word fresco, is an Italian word that means 'fresh'. The term fresco refers to an art work where the artist has used water based pigment applied to the plaster on a wall while the plaster is still wet. As the plaster dries, the paint that has penetrated the plaster becomes fixed, or bonded to the wall. Frescoes were popular in the ancient world, and were quite common for painting large murals during the Renaissance. Leonardo da Vinci, used this method while creating The Last Supper, as did Michelangelo while painting the Sistine Chapel. Here are a few examples of Minoan Frescoes that I found to be quite beautiful, and inspiring:  Minoan Fresco  Minoan Bull Leaping Fresco. Conceptualization
Creating a Minoan Inspired Hand-Painted Skirt Later on, in my college career, I decided to create an article of clothing inspired by the Minoan Fresco of the women, for my final project in Art History Class. For this project we were asked to create something inspired by the Art History we had learned about during the semester. The options were endless. Some students who were working towards a degree in Graphic Design decided to recreate historical artworks through their use of photography, while I myself wanted to re-create an artwork using my education in fashion. I decided instead of creating the Minoan Inspired Swimsuit I had illustrated previously, I would create a Hand-Painted Minoan Inspired Skirt. To create this look, I first assembled the front panels of the skirt, made of canvas, and then, laying the fabric flat, I Hand-Painted the Minoan Inspired design using Fabric Paint. I then layered a sheer aqua blue Organza over the painted canvas to create dynamic dimension. I wanted the final look of the skirt to be just as striking as the Minoan Fresco that had inspired me. Check out the photos I took as I Hand-Painted, free-handedly, my rendition of the Minoan Woman:  Creating a Minoan Inspired Hand-Painted Skirt! Hand-Painted by Roxanne Rodriguez.  Creating a Minoan Inspired Hand-Painted Skirt! Hand-Painted by Roxanne Rodriguez.  Creating a Minoan Inspired Hand-Painted Skirt! Hand-Painted by Roxanne Rodriguez. Here I am wearing the finished skirt during a Student Showcase at my college:  Designer, Roxanne Rodriguez (pictured Left), wearing Minoan Inpired Hand-Painted Skirt, with her models, at the IADT 2014 Student Showcase. Here is a photo of the lovely model, Marisa Johnson wearing my skirt on her trip to Greece!  Photo of the lovely model, Marisa Johnson, wearing Minoan Inspired Hand-Painted Skirt by Roxanne Rodriguez, on location in Greece! I hope that you enjoyed this Blog Post about my fashion inspiration, and creating a Hand-Painted Minoan Inspired Skirt! I was very pleased with the final result, and have since used the technique of hand-painting motifs on other outfits I have created. I would love to hear your feedback, on my Blog Post, my skirt, or what historical art has inspired you. Leave me a comment below!  Designer, Roxanne Rodriguez wearing Minoan Inspired Hand-Painted Skirt. I look forward to sharing with you more adventures of fashion creation, in my upcoming Blog Articles! Until then... Have a extraordinary day! Related Links:
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AuthorHello Readers! Welcome to my Blog! I am Roxanne Rodriguez Rangel, a Fashion Designer from Northern California. I love all things Fashion, particularly historical fashion! Join me, as I take you around Northern California, covering fashion events and related topics! 
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