Fashion Show Ready

With the fabric in hand, my designs started to come to life. The show was based around the Persian New Year and my two designs need to incorporate the culture with a theme of "Now" and "Then". Having visited Iran a few times, I noticed the women are very stylish even with all of the clothing restrictions. They still show their love for fashion, style, and elegance with a drop of sexy while abiding by the rules. Women have to wear a "Manteau" when leaving their house and when they are in public. Through the years, these Manteaux (French for cloak, gown, or overcoat in plural), have gone from plain coats to sassy, fun, elegant coverings. And that is what I wanted to bring to the show for my two designs. I went through lots of samples and wasted yards of fabric until I felt it was right. All with encouragement and guidance from Mahsa Page, the creative director of the fashion show, and Sepi Bakhtiari, my business partners of my sister company SEMA Design Collection.

It was February at this point, and I had to create the designs for a March 7th show but of course, with a mid-February deadline. At one point, I started wondering why I accepted this exciting, amazing opportunity with no experience whatsoever?! I will admit there were tears that were shed with plenty of late nights, but it was all worth it in the end.

See below my designs from the show-

These pictures are from the PNY March 7th, 2020 Fashion Show, and a SEMA Photoshoot. The last four photos showcase the updated changes I made to the designs so I can wear them out and about in 2020.

The Village Chic – This design was inspired by pictures of the Kurdish Village people of Iran. It’s muted grey and burgundy fabric are modernized with an ombre grey and burgundy headpiece.

The Celestine "Gold Jacket" - Inspired by the idea of a night out in Tehran, which typically includes a "mehmooni" (Persian house party), this jacket makes a statement while following the rules of being covered Tehran-style. The Celestine "Gold Jacket"’s design was inspired by the Victorian era of the late 1800s and early 1900s.

So that is how it all started, and now here we are in November 2020. I have my own website and adding designs to Naz Calabro Designs. It has been a challenging but fulfilling year. I’ve learned so much including how difficult it is to buy fabric online without traveling but I am growing and adding to my toolbox, and having lots of fun while doing it.