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Vivat Veritas

Custom Wedding Dress & Kimono Upcycled Clothes | オーダーメイドウェディングドレス&着物ドレス

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2011 Spring Collection Lookbook

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❤ Vivat Veritas 2011 Spring Collection Lookbook❤

Credit:
Photographer: Jason Weddington
Models: Sarah Feinerman and Ayumi Ikeda
Jewelry Designer: Knap (Keiko Okamoto)
Makeup and Hair: Naoko Kadota (Sarah Hair), Mayuko Nakamura (Sarah Makeup), Miyuki Kazama (Ayumi Hair), Natsuko Kurosawa (Ayumi Makeup) from K-two make&nail School

Yay!  The Spring collection lookbook is here! I’m so happy with the result. I can’t add these images to my main website until early March, since my main website is under construction but here are the finished photos!

My husband and I worked hard for this…many late nights sewing and pattern-making, coordinating for the shoot with photographer, models, jewelry designer and make up artists but it was a great experience. I want to send special thanks to everyone who made this possible, Jason for amazing photos and fast turn-around, Sarah and Ayumi for modeling in cold February weather, Keiko for making lovely jewelry to match my clothes and last but not least, the makeup and hair artists for doing their magic!

An added point of interest for this shoot came because of my collaboration with a local jewelry designer, Knap. I have been a fan of her dainty, glass jewelry for quite a while first spotting  her on etsy. She kindly let me use her jewelry for the shoot, and designed some new earrings to match some of my clothes.
Unfortunately, only one out of two models had ear pierced (my fault for not checking ahead of time..) and we could not shoot as many photos emphasizing the earrings as I initially planned. Also in terms of photo shot prep, I planned for clothes, not for jewlery. In other words, I was at a loss when Jason asked me what kind of shots I wanted for the jewelry. This I want to improve for future collaborative efforts.

Beside being freezing cold on the day of the shoot, we had a difficulty finding a place to shoot that was security guard free. The first couple of photos were taken near a government building in Shinjuku. I had no idea we needed permission for this. Thankfully, we had some nice shots completed by the time the security guard kicked us out. We then moved to a park in Shinjuku, but again, some security guards bothered us. I assumed shooting at a park would be fine since it’s  public property… I was mistaken 🙁

In the end, everything came together nicely.  I learned a lot for future shots and will be well prepared for a “Secret Garden” fantasy shoot I have coming up in a few weeks.  Take a look at the video and tell me what you think!  I’d love to hear about any experiences you may have had with a similar project or recommendations you have for the future.


Weekend recap

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Hello! Hope everyone had a nice weekend:)
Mine was a lot of fun, busy and as always went too quick. Here is my highlight of the weekend:

1. I worked on some bride’s maid dresses order –  I love sewing bride’s maid dresses! I usually don’t like making same things over and over again, but for some reasons, I really don’t mind the repetition for making bride’s maid dresses. Perhaps it’s the excitement of someone getting married.

2. Wrapped up Valentine’s day gift for my husband♪　I have a ton of scrap fabrics that I can use to make gift wrapping pretty. I cut out a piece of left over fabric in a heart shape, glued it on top of gift box and tie the boxwith yarn.

3. My husband and I had a pregnancy/maternity photo session with our photographer friend, Will Robb. Will shot my A/W2010 lookbook in the past and is an amazing photographer! Can you believe he is a self-taught photographer?!
The photo session lasted five hours, but it felt like it was only half an hour. I can’t wait to show you the finished photos soon!

4. Finally I started working on Casey‘s 1940’s swing dress sew-along. I’m soo behind! I printed out the patterns, and will be assembling them tomorrow, whereas Casey and others already made muslin, and about to cut the fashion fabric. I really need to catch up!

How was your weekend?

By the way to celebrate Valentine’s day, I am offering 15% off for blog readers and twitter followers at my shop! Please use a coupon code “Valentine15″ at check-out. The coupon code is valid only for today and tomorrow!

30 weeks – The Daddy Chronicles Part I

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The Daddy Chronicles

A letter to my unborn child:

Any hip hop fan will note the reference in this blog posts title to a song by the same name by Tupac Shakur. It may seem odd to reference a Tupac song in this instance but, as chance would have it, the song recently turned up on my MP3 player while I was working out.  The song lyrics got me thinking about the my baby’s coming birth. What do I want to tell my daughter now If am not able in the future?  What are some things I want her to understand  about the time of her birth and her fathers thoughts on the matter? It is in that vein that I write this letter.

To My first child Sophia Kiko Duncan
On the day of your birth, I plan God wiling, to be in the front row holding your mothers hand welcoming you into the world. What my initial reaction will be, I do not yet know. What will go through my mind as I first lay eyes on you I cannot yet conceive. Yet, as I sit in this rocking chair penning this letter, I can think of three things that I would like you to understand.

First, as your father, I must say now on the day of your birth that I make no excuses for the many failures I will commit. I will not be the father I should be because I am not the husband nor man I should be. For this you have my sincerest apologies. Your daddy is a sinful man and deserves more criticism than he receives in regards to how he lives, what he does and what he does not do. I see perfection and know all too well my own short comings. It is my duty to to be perfect and as God as my witness I will look to be be the perfect father, husband and man I should be. Yet, as you read this, you know I will never have been able to meet this standard. Nonetheless, from the day of your birth, it is your job to hold me accountable as your father, to show me how to love, serve and honor you in the ways I should.

Secondly I do not want, for one second of your precious life, for you to believe that I have ever worried about you. There is no fear in this man in regards to you. Doubt, concern, trepidation all vanish from this man when you enter his mind. You were conceived in love and given as a part of this family at the perfect time and in the perfect way. The timing and plan of our Almighty Father continues to awe me. The grace I have received and the love you conjure completely outshine any darkness that otherwise haunts me. Although, I should be concerned with the many things that will come with being your father, I am not. I have no fear for you or about you. You are a gift entrusted to your mother and I for a time. As I think about you how could I have any feeling but love, confidence and hope.

What I do need to express before this letter comes to completion is utter joy in the present and tremendous anticipation for your arrival. I have nothing but hope for you.  Sophia, your mother and myself as a family are a family. Only thoughts of appreciation and gratefulness enter my prayers of thanksgiving to our Heavenly Father.  Christ is the leader, head and base of this family.  Because of that I can wait expectantly on you birth and life.   In all, your mother and I, feel ever expanding fulfillment as you enter our lives. You Sophia Kiko Duncan are loved more than you know. Your father and mother eagerly look ahead and imagine who you are and what you will become.

Every year on your birthday you will receive a letter. I pray that they will remind you of the love we share, and the hope.  Let these letters spur you forward for a life of glory.  A life in which you glorify Him and are glorified in Him.

Your Father
Andrew William Duncan