Our Designer
In lieu of photos of our designer, here are two of her fashion icons. The great Diana Vreeland, famed editor of Vogue Magazine during its glory days, and heiress, “Doris Duke”, not only a woman of legendary style but a great patron of the arts.
Whirling Turban is an intimate designer’s atelier. “The Countess” remains nameless due to contractual obligations, espionage or the witness protection program; we are not quite sure. Nonetheless, her origins date back to Glam Rock when she become a Dedicate Follower (and Creator) of Fashion. [Refer to this song by, “The Kinks”]
With experience gleaned from Manhattan’s fashion industry and Hollywood’s entertainment industry (and, whoa! does she have some names to drop!), The Countess opened the Whirling Turban “Dream Workshop” 16 years ago where she could make custom dresses with level of service that she provided to Hollywood clients.
“My first fashion job, at 20, was assisting Clifford Olson, a designer who supplied swingin’ boutiques and their celebrity clientele (Tina Turner, Aretha Franklin, etc.). I learned to loved the excellence of craftsmanship and creativity possible in a small studio setting. I then worked in Manhattan for eight years. I ran the design and custom-made studio for North Beach Leather on Madison Avenue, in the heart of the Upper East Side amidst the world’s most famous designer shops, where shoppers included a parade of celebrities (Andy Warhol… oh, don’t get me started!) I also worked for couture fashion legends like Geoffrey Beene and Bill Blass.
Next, I moved to L. A. and opened another small workshop. For ten years, I made garments and costumes exclusively for Hollywood’s entertainment industry. The creations that came from my studio appeared on a diverse spectrum; from actresses such as Uma Thurman, Salma Hayek and Halle Berry (just to name a few of the more delicious ones), bands like the Foo Fighters and U2, commercial clients from Intel to Chiquita Banana to Apple Computers, movies such as Steven Spielberg’s Amistad [costumes nominated for an Academy Award, and T.V., including a Bette Midler HBO Special which won the Emmy Award for Best Costumes.
“When I went on vacation to Bali, I fell completely in love- as a craftsperson- with Bali’s limitless creative resources. For three years I went back and forth, L.A. to Bali, creating fashions which I then I sold to Hollywood while concurrently learning to conduct business in Asia. I then said goodbye to my workshop in Hollywood and opened another workshop in this beautiful tropical garden studio.
I’ve always been a vintage clothing fan and a student of fashion past and present. Hollywood’s exacting standards helped me refine my eye for the finer points of authenticity as well as helping me to see how attention to detail, proportion and fit, is what turns mere mortals into stars.”
What I have discovered while creating vintage inspired clothing and accessories is that there are so few companies using the techniques and materials that gave vintage clothing its impact (outside of a few very high-end and famous couture studios). It is expensive and requires a great deal of knowledge to capture the true nature of fine vintage clothing and haute couture. Nowadays the couture is rarely for sale and is created only for publicity in order to sell bags and perfumes.
If you a lover of fine vintage fashion, what you will find “out there” can be disappointing. I want all the details and materials that attracted me to the magic of vintage to begin with, so that’s what I love to create.
The charm of the vintage greats is achieved by *all* the details, not just a few of them. The price we can offer, since we have a workshop in Bali and not Paris or New York, makes these details accessible to a wider range of customers. (Although I still create dresses for the occasional, well-known celeb such as Katy Perry.)”
