What Adventures May Come...

My inspiration for this photo shoot was of a Barbie that I saw way back when I was probably 8 or 9 years old.  You're probably thinking, "How in the world does a Barbie inspire a photo shoot?"  

Well the Barbie that I saw was the Princess of Ireland Barbie and it was her illustration that I remembered from all these years ago.  It was a water color illustration and it had her standing with her hair blowing in the wind and there was a castle behind her.  I just remembered thinking that it looked like she was about to set on an adventure.   For some reason while I was working on the idea for this photo shoot I had that illustration stuck in my head and the idea of going off on an adventure.  It's funny that the image of the illustration has stayed with me in my head for all these years. 

The illustration below is not the exact one that I saw, but it's the only illustration that I could find of this Barbie today. 

      As for my dress, I designed and hand drafted the pattern of this dress using my own measurements. The dress was made from a printed linen fabric.  The fabric was pre-printed for a circle skirt, but I thought the pattern would make a unique dress. Each pattern piece was specifically placed on the patterned fabric.  Because the print on the fabric is so detailed I wanted to keep the dress design simple, focusing primarily on placement of the pattern and the fit of the garment.   The skirt is pleated with 2.5 inch pleats all the way round the skirt. There is an invisible zipper in the back with a placket of fabric covered buttons on top of it.  

How about you?  Do you have any childhood inspirations that you still remember?  

P.S.  The first photograph at the top was featured in my local newspaper along with the names of all the regional Scholastic Art and Writing Award winners.  

I'm now on Instagram 

Here Comes the Sun...

This is a photo shoot that I did of my lovely friend Tatum over Christmas break. Tatum and I took Latin together last year and she always made that class so much fun. This was one of the most enjoyable photo shoots that I've done all year and she made taking photos so easy. She's wearing my Vintage Inspired Yellow Coat that I made a few years back. I'm working on another coat similar to this one, but with some changes to the fit and coloring.

Special thank you to Tatum for going out in the freezing cold in a dress!

I've been sewing like a mad woman who's finally free from college applications. I have a backlog of projects and photos that I'm very excited to finally post.

Lately I've been thinking of showing a lot more of my work in progress photos. I always try to take as many as I can, because most of the time the outside of the garment is just half of the overall look. So much detail goes into creating the inside and so I always love it when people post work in progress and behind-the-scenes photos. So here are some behind-the-scene images of a dress that I'm working on right now.

^Technical starting out sketch

I hope that you all have a lovely weekend!

The Life of a Dreamer

Hello! You're probably all wondering where I've disappeared to. I'm afraid I went away into the time consuming world of college applications. It took over so much of my life, but I finished my last application about two weeks ago and it feels good to finally be done now! So far I've been accepted into The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Savannah College of Art and Design, and Parsons the New School for Design. I'm still waiting to hear back from The Fashion Institute of Technology, New York University, and Pratt Institute of Art and Design.

Ok enough college talk, this is a photo shoot of my lovely childhood friend Katie. Katie is absolutely beautiful and I had so much fun taking pictures and hanging out with her that day! It also felt really nice not having to set up my tripod for once. Lately I've really been inspired by anything that has to do with sailing. This may have something to do with watching Master and Commander and constantly looking at Arthur Rackham beach illustrations. I've been thinking of what a woman sailor would look like and how one could transfer that same nautical/sailor theme mixed with a soft feminine look. I've been playing with this idea a lot and you'll probably see many more dresses from me expanding with this same theme.

^the epaulets are made from using a hot glue gun, felt, tassels and other designed trims.

I made the dress that she's modeling from Vogue's Rebecca Taylor 1152 pattern with my own minor design adjustments. I've used this pattern multiple times and I really love how easy of a dress it is and yet it still looks really intricate. I normally draft my own sleeves for this pattern, so I don't know how the directions are when it comes to describing the sleeves, but everything else is well instructed.

I looked at other sewing reviews for this dress and most of them said that it was an intermediate in skill level. Personally, I think that you could still make this dress even if you're a beginner. Just go slow and take the steps one at a time. The thing my mom taught me when I first started sewing was that an apron (easy) pattern is no different than a jacket (more advanced) pattern. There are just more steps to a jacket than there is an apron so you might have to take it slower. Overall I'd definitely recommend this pattern if anyone has been thinking about using it.

If you've used this pattern before let me know what you thought of it and if you have photos up somewhere post a link! I'd love to check out your wonderful sewing skills!

Be Still & Know

I made this dress a while ago for a photo shoot a couple of years ago. I just recently did some changes to the design to make it more modern and wearable. I changed the sleeves from loose bell sleeves to a more fitted look by gathering them between the neck and underarm using a shirring technique. I also changed it from a floor length maxi dress to an asymmetrical skirt. I think that it makes it more modern, but yet still has the 1900s inspired style.

(Press play while looking through photos).

It's been 8 months ago today since my brother died. My brother died on Memorial Day Monday, so this past weekend has been really hard since today is also a Monday. This song and it's lyrics have given me comfort today. It reminds me of Psalms 46:10 "Be still, and know that I am God..."

I hope that the song gives you comfort in anything that you're going through as well.

"Be still and know that I'm with you
Be still and know that I am here
Be still and know that I'm with you
Be still, be still, and know

When darkness comes upon you
And covers you with fear and shame
Be still and know that I'm with you
And I will say your name

If terror falls upon your bed
And sleep no longer comes
Remember all the words I said
Be still, be still, and know

And when you go through the valley
And the shadow comes down from the hill
If morning never comes to be
Be still, be still, be still

If you forget the way to go
And lose where you came from
If no one is standing beside you
Be still and know I am

Be still and know that I'm with you
Be still and know I am."

Scholastic Art Portfolio 2 - Storytelling

Here is my second Scholastic Art Portfolio. This portfolio focuses on my photography/film making and how I combined my work for storytelling. I will be posting my individual entries that received awards later this week as well.

I have many new garments and photo shoots that I worked on over Christmas break. I'll be posting them once my last college application is finished. This is my last week of deadlines for colleges and then I'll be able to take a break. It feels like I've been working and talking about them non-stop since December, and I definitely can't wait to take a breather!

Art Portfolio 2:

Category 1. Where I don't Feel Alone - film making

Where I don't Feel Alone from Esther Boller on Vimeo.

Category 2. Dreams Are Sails - film making

Dreams Are Sails from Esther Boller on Vimeo.

Category 3. Bedtime in the Forrest - Photography

Category 4. The Life of A Sailor - Photography

Category 5. In Search of Neverland - Photography

Category 6. Freezing Silence - Photography

Category 7. My Own Set Of Wings - Photography

Category 8. Baby You Can Drive My Car - Photography

Artist Statement:

I take the process of using fashion design, photography, and film making to tell narratives that are either imaginary or derive from my own personal experiences and memories. At the heart of each piece is a personal story. I take the grief, hardships, and pain that I have gone through, and I try to turn them into works that people can relate to. It is my desire to address the grief and pain that I’ve experienced, but at the same time I don’t want that to be the focus of my work. I want people to step away and feel a sense of renewed hope, not remembrance of their own suffering.

Almost all of my works are self-portraits, and because of this each image and story is very personal. I use self-portraits much like a visual diary. Diaries capture the written words explaining a memory, but I use photography and film making to capture visual memories and emotions. A lot of my pieces are inspired by childhood imaginations and playing pretend. One of my brothers, before he died, was diagnosed with Schizoaffective Disorder. The mental illness caused psychotic episodes, and during those times I had to grow up faster than I would’ve liked. I don’t regret any of the experiences and hardships that I’ve gone through, because they have helped shape who I am today, but sometimes through my artwork I like to create imaginary adventures of childhood that I feel I have missed.

I also work a lot with fashion design as well. Clothing and costume design is such a big part of both of these areas of my art. Clothing has the ability to completely transform an image or a movie into a different place in time. It helps enhance a certain mood that I try to portray and capture through an image; and I use clothing that I design and make to transform myself into different characters.

One of my sources of inspiration is characters from movies and books. I love to watch movies and think up continuing outfits for a character once the movie is over. I’ll think of a character and what they would wear next if placed in a different era of time or a changed environment. For instance, what would Luna Lovegood (a character from Harry Potter) be wearing if she was living in the West during the 1900s and then went on vacation to the East Coast to visit friends. I think of how her wardrobe would change depending on whom she was with and where she was going. While I’m making clothing for photo shoots, I’m also thinking of my surroundings; how I can use design and colors in my garments to mimic the mood that my environment creates.

My work is so interconnected that I don’t distinguish a line between fashion design and film making. They all work together cohesively to tell an imaginary or personal story. The pieces I chose for this collection best show my work as a whole; how I use fashion design and sewing craftsmanship, photography and film making for storytelling. I hope that people are able to connect with my work and relate it to their own personal situations and give them a sense of renewed hope for life.

Creating stories through fashion design and imagery is my love and passion. When I get an idea it’s something that stays in my head until I get it out by creating it. I love the entire process that goes into creating each story and work of art; and I know that this passion will continue for the rest of my life.