Jacket Dress

This dress holds a lot of meaning for me. Created for a competition in San Francisco, it’s made from various vinyl fabrics and features a repurposed children’s jacket that I had kept from my time working on the buying team at Sears. There’s something about repurposing that feels important to me—not just in reusing materials, but in honoring the care and effort others put into creating them. I didn’t alter the jacket much; instead, I wanted it to blend seamlessly into the dress, preserving the original work while transforming it into something new. I love that it looks so effortless and a bit daring, pushing boundaries without erasing the past.

Our theme for the competition was to “sell” a specific piece of furniture provided by a design company, which challenged me to find a way for the dress to complement and highlight the chair while still standing out as a piece of wearable art. In a way, the design became about the dialogue between fashion and furniture—creating a synergy that draws viewers in.

We shot the look at Lovers' Lane in San Francisco, a place steeped in history and natural beauty. Nestled among towering eucalyptus trees, the location added a layer of intimacy and depth to the project. Lovers' Lane has this quiet, almost sacred feel that resonates with themes of memory and transformation. It felt fitting to showcase the dress—a piece that honors my past and explores new creative expressions—in a setting so closely tied to history and personal stories.

In the third image, you can see the dress paired with one of my heart vests from another project. The vest’s bold textures and colors bring out different elements in the dress, creating an interplay that feels like a natural extension of my design philosophy. It was a rewarding collaboration with the model and photographer, who helped bring the entire vision together in a way that felt authentic and true to the spirit of the competition. This project challenged me to think beyond the garment, to create something that spoke to the space around it and respected the work that came before it, while always reaching toward new ideas.