the next best thing.
i am absolutely amazed by this up and coming fashion designer, maggie tookmanian. this jersey native beauty is a recent college graduate from parsons the new school for design and is already doing BIG things. a few months ago i stumbled upon dew magazine and came across a pair of the SICKEST shoes and a futuristic bag. i immediately fell in love with her!
not only was her work featured in a magazine, but her pieces were paired with other stunning designers like alexander wang and prada! not bad for her first magazine feature, right?
the main reason why i'm obsessed with her is because of the choice of materials she uses in her work. the bag that was featured in dew magazine was also displayed in the window of saks fifth avenue in new york city (HUGE HUGE HUGE!!!!).
(photo from dew magazine -- jacket: petra ptackova; bralette: alexander wang; hot pants; prada; shoes: maggie tookmanian)
(photo from dew magazine -- top: petra ptackova; pants: topshop; bag: maggie tookmanian)
lucky me, i got a chance to chat with maggie about her vision and the materials behind her work!
maggie was inspired by the pierott and harlequin clowns of the 17th century and a contemporary sculpture artist, lisa fedon. (i love it when designers look back in time and find new ways to innovate things!)
as far as her materials go, she gravitated more towards the not so traditional materials. instead of creating a bag and shoes out of the usual ready to wear items we purchase in stores today, maggie chose to use industrial materials because she felt as though they would be more impressive. and she was right! it was fabulously smart of her to use materials like steel and styrene (a plastic that melts at a high tempurature). she chose styrene because it represents the fabric of costumes, and the steel because it truly pushes forward the idea of minimalism. she also used very little color with high contrast. seriously though, this girl has amazing talent. her work definitely screams HAUTE COUTURE!
as of now, maggie works as a designer for maiyet, but that is not stopping her from pursuing her own line. maggie will be taking custom orders on her online website that is coming soon! keep your eyes out for this amazingly talented designer, maggie tookmanian.
