BPR Visits Austin Scarlett's Studio, Continued

Jennifer Mara and Austin Scarlett at Austin's studio

Austin Scarlett is the epitome of glamorous fashion. I felt great knowing that I could show up in nearly anything I felt like wearing - as long as it was deemed fabulous, my outfit would be considered appropriate...so I went with my seemingly appropriate ‘something blue’-leather boots.

Austin's assistant cuts the fabric for a new gown!

‘Hangin’ out in the Austin Scarlett workspace I learned a lot about the process of wedding gown creation, Austin’s creative process and all of his newest endeavors but the cherry on top was that I actually got to try on an Austin Scarlett original...more on that later.

All dresses designed by Austin begin in this studio and the first design of each style begins here.  Any and all beads and embroidery are hand designed then created. If you are buying an Austin Scarlett gown it is 100% made in New York City.

Dress forms ready for draping and fitting in Austin's studio.

First, I met a professional fabric cutter. She cuts every piece of fabric by hand on a huge cutting table where fabrics can flutter up to hundreds of dollars per yard. Next to the cutting table there is a huge rack with hangers especially made to hold ‘patterns’ made from paper. Sheets and sheets of paper are hanging on these hangers and there is one person on staff that catalogs and digitizes these ‘cuts.’ Then every paper dress is itemized by name but also by number and kept in permanent inventory. It is clear that everyone working in the Austin Scarlett studio understands what weddings are about and will truly go above and beyond to accommodate their bride.

Austin's sketches and half-size dress form

All of Scarlett's designs are gorgeous!

This is a work space filled with multitalented people who are passionate about working with and for Austin Scarlett supporting his work, and a huge plus...all of them sew! Their environment was filled with very great energy- light and clean. Realizing while I was there that cleanliness is extremely important when dealing with floor length white pieces of art. This work space is very well organized and impeccably structured...would you expect anything less from Austin Scarlett? So, after seeing all this organization and my recent findings this week at a bridal event-(that wedding gowns get named) I asked Austin if he named any of his dresses.

He says; “Each dress has a name which is not necessarily a female name, usually a celestial names- we’ve had Aurora, Constellation; things like that.” I told him I was just curious. I asked, "Who is your bride/customer?" Austin says his bride is “a woman who really wants to be glamorous but also elegant. I think an Austin Scarlett bride is traditional but fresh. Contemporary but at the same time, she is classic.”

 Standout items in the studio include a full size dress form Tim Gunn gave to AS during Season 1. A mini dress form that Austin does a lot of his draping on. “I drape my mini-form, I think it’s easier to wrap my mind around it when it’s small and if you double the measurements it will equal a life-size measurement, so actually it’s extremely helpful,” Austin says. Also, four industrial size sewing machines line the wall; one of those machines being Austin’s personal machine from home. Of course I wanted to know if Austin was watching “Under the Gunn”... he said he is planning on playing catch up this week. 

Did you know that Austin was offered a position to appear as a mentor on the show!?  He wishes he could but he just didn’t have the time. So I asked him, “what do you do in your spare time?”

“I like to attend the opera. I think it is just a beautiful art form and it’s important. Sometimes I go to nightclubs. I enjoy the philharmonic.” Currently Austin is working on costumes for the Fort Worth Opera’s “With Blood, With Ink.” It's a story about a brilliant poet in the 17th century who wanted to pursue a literary education and the only way in that time was to become a nun. So she becomes one of the first feminists of the new world.

 I felt so lucky watching Austin unpack the newly delivered boxes pinned and primped for alterations and final review.

BPR hearts AS

We all want to know how is your mother? “I love that you always ask me this. My mother is starting a new collaboration with a contracting company to broaden knowledge and further awareness about ‘going green.’ She is doing wonderfully. Thank you for asking." 

I asked Austin about his next collection, due to debut in mid-April. Do you have any dresses made yet? He replies, “I don’t haven’t anything yet but it will be a quick creation process because I have been thinking quite a bit, I think if you were to come back in two weeks, you would see many new things."

 

Highlights of the day include Austin’s laugh and trying on my first wedding dress- the bubble gum ball gown which walked around the Armory as the eleven o’clock number two collections ago. I feel so honored to have had an Austin Scarlett original dress on, I may just show up in two weeks.

Thank you for a beautiful Wednesday Austin Scarlett and crew. Happy Belated Birthday!