Deborah Main Designs weighs in on Austin Fashion Week: Black & Tan Challenge

Posted on May 17, 2013 by Deborah

Wow, we at Deborah Main Designs are dizzy from all the flurry during Austin Fashion week, but like many, are glad its wrapped up so we can catch up on a few zzz’s.

We attended two fabulous shows: the Black & Tan Challenge (to see 24 designers’ design with only two fabrics!) and the Austin Fashion Week awards (to drool over fabulous designs by The Boudoir Queen, Gail Chovan, Kendra Scott, and the infamous Stephen Macmillan Moser of Made in Heaven …we LOVE his gowns!!).

Today we’re featuring the B & T show, which was as unique as they come. But there was a whole week of fashion events, so please check out event recaps, the Golden Boot winners, and see photos at Austin Fashion Week 2013. Congratulations to all the winners, participants and mash up teams!!!

I had the honor of attending the Black & Tan Challenge Friday, May 3, 2013 at an Austin club called Haven. This Challenge was one of the first Austin Fashion Week events and was extremely unique thanks to the brilliant producer, Megan Summerville. Megan, winner of 2009 Texas Next Top Designer, has sewn gorgeous bustiers and lingerie for years and she is giving back to the community in more ways than you can imagine. She put out this challenge to any designer (established or emerging) in Austin to take15 yards of combined fabric (tan lace and black fabric that she provided) to design a runway look to be worn by a professional model from Butterfly Entertainment Austin. (Full disclosure here: my 17 year old daughter entered the challenge, her very first).

What was great about the show is that anyone could enter and there were no fees for fabric or with Austin Fashion Week, so for many aspiring designers (like my daughter), this was an excellent non-pressure way to show Austin your style in a very supportive community. But once they announced the competition and had 24 designers sign up, they decided to make it a contest and crown a winner.

There were SO many gorgeous designs!!! And it was fascinating to see how these designers interpreted the tan lace and black fabric, some even pulling the tulle backing off the black fabric to use separately. But two stood out and the winner and honorable mention were announced last week. Drum roll please….

Congratulations goes to the WINNER, Amanda Yilmaz, for her gorgeous black beauty gown and the Honorable Mention, Qin Latimer, for her fashionable lace evening gown. So please scroll down and take a peek. To see even more photos visit these Austin fashion heavy hitters: Austin 360, The Chronicle, Fashionably Austin, and Keep Austin Stylish.

Photos courtesy of Juan Macias and Award-winning photographer, Gregg Cestaro.

Winner of the 2013 “Black and Tan Design Challenge.”

Congratulations to the winner, Amanda Yilmaz of Austin Texas, who designed a gorgeous black dress with incredible detail. Modeled by Dagny Paige Hines.

Deborah Main Designs, decorative pillows, design, fashion, vintage, textiles, jewelry, luxury,Luxary pillows, The Pillow Goddess

Stunning detail of the collar made by sewing pin tucks in what the designer likes to call a "sun formation".

Modeled by Dagny Paige Hines, handbag designed by Anne Marie Beard, and bracelet designed by Nancy Ferrell of Ferrell Designs.

And now for the Honorable Mention, Qin Latimer, who just happens to be my amazing daughter!! As Megan said on her post: “I’m also proud to announce the honorable mention from Black and Tan, Qin Latimer. She is an amazing talent at 17, and has a bright future in fashion!”

Honorable Mention of the 2013 “Black and Tan Design Challenge.”

Detail of lace gown and earrings designed by Qin Latimer of Austin, Texas. Modeled by Dominique Bedford of Butterfly Entertainment Austin.

We love the criss-cross styling detail in the front and back.

And this beautiful large long bow that follows the train of the dress.

All models walked with their designer at the very end. Great fun seeing Qin Latimer and Dominique Bedford with their big smiles!

Winner: Amanda Yilmaz; Honorable Mention: Qin Latimer

The Black and Tan Challenge was an amazing show and kudos to Megan Summerville for the brilliant idea. It was super cool too that we just happened to run into Amanda at the Austin Fashion Week awards show and were able to snap a wonderful photo of the two. What an honor it was to meet you Amanda!!Congratulations to you both!!!

As you can see, Deborah Main Designs had enormous fun, proud “Mom” moments, and quite the fashionable experience. I will be sharing more on Austin Fashion Week coming next week! All of us at Deborah Main Designs are tossing up our luxury decorative pillows and wishing you a terrific week. XO PG

P.S. Be sure to LIKE us on Facebook where we will continue to share our beautiful photos.

Happy Mother’s Day: Shop for Unique Gifts!

Posted on May 10, 2013 by Deborah

It’s Friday, the end of a fabulous week and beginning of a wonderful Mother’s Day for all of you! My favorite thing is to spend time with my daughter, and my second favorite thing is my hubbie’s chocolate chip pancakes on Sunday mornings…so that’s what I look forward to. What ritual do you look forward to on Mother’s Day?

I also love to shop! And the opening of this adorable new shop in Austin, The Embellished Cottage, reminds me of all the beautiful things my mother loved. She and I always loved finding cozy little shops in small towns filled with an assortment of eclectic goodies from little note pads to antiques to pillows, of course. So in honor of my mother, who is still with me no matter how many years it’s been since she passed away, I bring to you our favorite new Austin shop that carries our one-of-a-kind pillows.

The Embellished Cottage, 3703 Kerbey Lane, Austin, Texas; Hours 10 – 6 Mon. – Sat.

Owners Charlene & Wayne Hardy have done a fabulous job “embellishing” (sorry, couldn’t resist the pun!) this adorable cottage into the quaintest and finest gift boutique. They just opened in time for a little shopping with Mom. You can grace your home with antique silver, pop art, pillows, globes, books, candelabras and more.

Cynthia Bloom's Collectible Jewelry, lamps, furniture and more at Embellished Cottage.

The shop even carries jewelry by local Austin designer Cynthia Bloom, who handcrafts gorgeous necklaces out of antique Czech beads into contemporary and stylish fashion. Perfect gifts for Mom and even you!

Love how owner Charlene Hardy tucked this antique bureau in a closet!

Modern chic graphic "Love You" sign with antique candlestick, figurine and a Deborah Main pillow featuring 1950's fabric, Parisian lace, and antique brooch.

One thing I love about the shop is how the owners mix everything all up, because we love to do that with our pillows. So the shop really speaks to us and we’re so excited that Charlene selected our pillow line, Deborah Main Designs, along with many other beautiful lines to carry in her store.

Add a pop of color with one of Deborah Main's teaser pillows from the UnZipped series, featuring 1960's quilted fabric re-purposed from a woman's robe.

Above is one our newest collections, the fun and flirty UnZipped pillows. Just being in The Embellished Cottage, with its wide array of hand-selected objects, inspires one to slip a little love note into the zipper of the pillow.

The Embellished Cottage is the new kid on the block of Kerbey Lane, but won’t be for long! This little cozy shop with tons of collectible and fun objects will inspire you for years to come! Stop by this weekend on Saturday with your Mom and friends, 10- 6 p.m. And watch here for details of their GRAND OPENING on June 6th.

The delightful owner Charlene Hardy with her beautiful daughter. Happy Mother's Day to you both!

Please take a quick peak at one of the other new gorgeous stores we’ll be blogging about in the future. And have a fantastic Mother’s Day!!! XO PG

P.s. Please check out our new Pinterest boards. We’re adding new photos every week!

Mother's Day window display at our brand new East Coast store, Be On Park, in Winter Park Florida.

Be On Park, 152 South Park Avenue, Winter Park, Florida; Hours 10 -5, Mon – Sat.. Want a gift for your mother that no one else has? This lovely one-of-a-kind pillow below comes gift boxed and ready to ship; contact the store and ask for Cheri or Janice. 407.644.1106.

A simple, elegant design of one of Deborah Main VIP pillows featuring wearable vintage brooches.

Want to learn more about Atlanta Market?

Posted on May 3, 2013 by Deborah

As y’all know, we went to AmericasMart in Atlanta in January for the very first time. It couldn’t have gone any smoother!!! We made incredible new friends and have been accepted again in the High Design juried show for July. We can’t wait to go back!! Check out our blog Monday for lots of details and select photos. In the meantime, to keep abreast of what’s been going on in our studio, check out our Pillow Talk newsletter that just went out today. If you have not received it, please email us at info@deborahmaindesigns.com and we’ll be happy to forward to you. Talk soon!! xoPG

P.S. To sign up for future issues of Pillow Talk, be sure to click here.

We adore this vintage Chanel brooch (in its original box) and cannot wait to create a one-of-a-kind design featuring this gorgeous brooch....a la Chanel!

TEXTURE TUESDAY: Style & Texture in All We See!

Posted on October 9, 2012 by Deborah

Hello Friends. This is the first day of our New Texture Tuesday blog posts by yours truly. Many thanks to Amanda Bogner, our summer intern, for creating fun and stylish Texture Tuesdays (TT). We were lucky to have her this summer and she’s moved onto a fabulous new job with local Alyson Jon…congratulations Amanda!!

As our small studio prepares for growth in January 2013 (more on those exciting details later this month), so does the list of things to do. We must make choices, and the blog is one I’ve chosen to keep. But I really want to get to know you, and for you to get to know me and our custom studio in Austin, Texas. That’s why we’re streamlining things and going to only focus on what’s most important to YOU, our devoted readers, and what we LOVE to write about. This fall I’ve been realizing I can’t do everything and I don’t need to (Thank you FAB Twitter followers for all the great tips!). But what I do do, I want it to be of the utmost quality just like our pillow creations. Without further ado, please enjoy our new TT posts every Tuesday!

First off, I want you to know what I love about texture. In recently reviewing my photos from this summer’s events, family vacations, and misc., I noticed that ALL the photos were great inspiration. And what I loved about them most was their texture, the variety of shapes and angles, and colors. I even decided to keep some photos sideways because it just looked better….I was able to “see” something visually in it that I couldn’t see when I turned it the correct way. I think this is because I see texture everywhere…..from a textured piece of fabric, to an architectural detail….to the ordinary, a woven placemat.

For me, the above photo conjures up small, multi-colored tiles and the opposite textures of smooth, calm water on the left, soft ripples on the right. I also love all the geometric angles. Then right in the middle of all these clean lines, from the pool to the walls, pops out a very textured long seahorse and a glimmer of rough palm trees in the upper right corner. And finally, there’s a subtle reflective quality in the pool’s layers that make the tiles varying texture even more striking!

As most of you know, I’m VERY long winded, so I aim to keep our TT’s short and full of photos. So here’s a few more to get your Texture Tuesday style pumped up today! Enjoy! XOPG

Romantic & stylish textures all the rage this fall from intricate beading to sheer lace. Find these vintage handbags and hats for sale at Flashback, S. 1st, Austin, TX

Texture’s abound in these uniquely shaped vases made from different stones; antique shop in Stonington, Maine

Notice in this simple Maine window box photo, bursting with colorful cascading flowers, all the textured shapes, lines, and shading - from the brown clapboard siding to the verticle red window shudders to the angles of the wispy white curtains peeking through.

P.S. And please comment so we can learn more about you! Thx! :-
NOTE: All photos are mine except for top one. I have no source for that and found it on my camera??

Texture Tuesday – Snakeskin

Posted on August 21, 2012 by Deborah

Texture Tuesday featuring: snakeskin trends and one of our Luxe VIP pillows

Snakeskin can be worn in many different ways these days and we love it! This past spring, we saw a sudden resurgence of serpentine prints in neutral hues on all kinds of accessories, and were delighted to note even more snakeskin for fall, albeit with a twist. This time around, snake prints are available in a slew of bright hues, and can be found on everything from beautiful blazers and skintight pants to wallpaper and pillows. Of course, no matter if you’re a risk-taker or prefer a more classic look, you can always punch up your wardrobe (and home!) with some colorful snakeskin accents. We think clutches, and even jewelry, blend well with any seasonal outfit.

Used in moderation, snakeskin often adds a chic sense of style and intrigue in
both fashion and design. Because of its natural origins, snakeskin may often be
used as a textured neutral, making it an extremely versatile choice when styling fashion for your home of workspace. Depending upon its color and surroundings, snakeskin can translate as sophisticated, edgy, sleek, and confident. However…be warned…too much snakeskin inserted in the wrong context may also translate as tacky. XO PG

Golden Yellow 1950's Silk with One-of-a-Kind Vintage Brooch

Check out our wesbite at www.deborahmaindesigns.com. To place custom orders, please contact our studio at 512.447.9807 or info@deborahmaindesigns.com.

Texture Tuesday – Metallic

Posted on May 2, 2012 by Deborah

Metallics are trending this week - featuring two Deborah Main pillows

Disco balls and shiny pants are not a thing of the past anymore. Metallics continue to be a hot season’s must-have trend. From sparkly earrings all the way down to high heeled shoes, you will find metallics all over fashionistas everywhere. Adding a touch of gold or silver to your wardrobe and home will add a classic, yet futuristic feel. Try not to weigh yourself down with too many accessories though, only a few key items will make the statement you are looking for. Style your nails with some cool metallic nail polish or glitter, and while you’re at it, add a metallic-patterned wallpaper or lamp shade cover and leave that designer cutting-edge impression on visitors to your home. Just be sure that nail polish is dry before you plunge into your wallpapering adventure! XO PG

Shimmery Silver Cherry Blossoms

Spring Green and Gold Silk with Vintage Brooch

The Shimmery Silver Cherry Blossums pillow is part of Deborah Main’s Redbrick Modern Collection and can be found here. The Spring Green and Gold Silk with Vintage Brooch pillow is part of her VIP Collection and can be found here. You can view these and other metallic designs at our website. Contact us at 512.447.9807 or info@deborahmaindesigns.com anytime!

SXSW Texture Tuesday

Posted on March 13, 2012 by Deborah

Hello everyone, hope you are all beginning to enjoy the spring weather. We are excited to bring you our very first post for Texture Tuesday. We will be posting our favorite trends every week including all things fashion, home decor and fabulous! For this week, we are featuring trendy clothing, home decor and clubs for South By Southwest (aka: SouthBy and SXSW).

Whether you’re a Tech-savvy geek, huge film buff or music connoisseur, you are in store for an amazing week. Kicking off this week in Austin, the SouthBy conference is bringing folks from all over the country for what is sure to be an incredible event. SXSW includes several days of interactive talks, musical performances early in the afternoon that last until the wee hours of the morning( for those who can last), great films with Q and A panels, and not to mention amazing food to keep SXSW goers fueled throughout the week. Here’s a few websites to help you keep up with all that’s going on:

Web site with list of SXSW parties, events: http://do512.com/c/sx2011/events/all-interactive-parties/2011/03/11/?time

Official SXSW schedule: http://schedule.sxsw.com/2012/

List of Fashion related events : http://schedule.sxsw.com/2012/search?q=fashion

Fashion StyleX run way show information: http://schedule.sxsw.com/2012/events/event_OE01245

Aside from the zillions of SXSW activities, the fashion is something not to be missed. Although it poured last week in Austin, the sun has finally shown its true colors to welcome everyone from all across the world. Austin is known for its fantastic vintage shops…here’s just a few to check out and see what you can find: Amelia’s Retro-Vogue & Relics, on S. First, Buffalo Exchange and Cream Vintage, both on the “Drag” (aka: Guadalupe St.).

And in case you grow weary of all the hoopla, take a nice break on the outdoor patio or inside this one-of-a-kind wine bar and home decor shop: Aviary Lounge &Home Decor.

Aviary Decor & Lounge, 2110 S. Lamar Blvd.

Some of the most amazing wines, beers, and Charcuterie in town! You can also check out our whimsical new line of pillows…the first collection under the powers of The Pillow Goddess (aka: Deborah Main). These fun and funky pillows feature vintage fabrics and a peek-a-boo zipper; all priced under $75. You’ve got to take away a “Made in Austin, TX USA” souvenir back to your family and friends, so be sure to add a pop of color to your digs back home and collect one for yourself.

We hope you have a fantastic time at SouthBy!! Eat, drink and be merry with the best music, film, and shopping around. Please check out the textures for Texture Tuesday with the fabrics used in these one-of-a-kind pillows below. Cheers! xoPG

New Pillow Goddess line (under $75) at Aviary Lounge

1940's floral fabric with checked fabric peaking through the zipper on back of pillow

Handcrafted from 1960's patio dress fabric ; back is orange/blacked checked textural fabric.

Love the texture of the back of this pillow above...heavy weave and vintage.

Fashion to Fashion: Stepping outside the pillow box!

Posted on February 1, 2012 by Deborah

Happy New Year everyone! Can’t believe January is already over!?! The year is zooming forward. What are YOU going to do this year to step outside your comfort zone? Why not take a look at your own creativity and design sensibility through other people’s lenses? Well, we did just that during the last 4 months of 2011 and it was a curious adventure indeed.

We decided to step away from all the hoopla of our in-store events and into the world of fashion from a different angle. Literally! We styled our very first fashion shoot for the talented photographer Farid Zarrinabadi AND walked the runway for the very first time as a mother-of-the-bride model for Butterfly Entertainment at Engaged Austin. Talk about stepping outside our comfort zone!!! All great fun, amazing talent and a twist on life. Enjoy! We wish you many bold steps in 2012! xoPG

1940′s Fashion Shoot at Howl Interiors for Photographer Farid Zarrinabadi. Featuring our one-of-a-kind pillows with models: Brianna Fleet, Britany Walker and Vladislava Bainton. Hair by Kadia Kamara; makeup by Ana Brooks.

Brianna Fleet in 1940′s black and white satin/chiffon gown (from Deborah’s personal collection) with one-of-a-kind pillow from our Rococo Ribbon Collection, featuring vintage French trim and contemporary ribbon.

Britany Walker in a cream 1940′s lace nightgown with pillows from our Tie-That-Knot! Bridal Collection, featuring ring pillows and gifts for bridesmaids and mother-of-the-bride.

Brianna Fleet relaxing in a full draped 1940′s classic gown alongside a one-of-a-kind vintage leopard pillow from our newest collection of vintage fur pillows coming soon!

Britany Walker featuring one of our bridal pillows: Vintage Floral Bouquet.

An adorable photo of Vladislava Bainton, against the backdrop of one of Barry Jelinski’s large shell mirrors, in a dark Navy 1940′s dress with a fun pink & blue hat and large multi-colored asymetrical brooch.

Britany Walker nestled in a cozy chair with an array of one-of-a-kind pillows, some with vintage brooches. The top one is handcrafted from a Golden Yellow 1950′s Silk cocktail dress and its original bow, then paired with a faux snakeskin ribbon and a unique artisan’s brooch.

The lovely Vladislava Bainton is modeling a beautiful 1940′s lace dress and the Peacock Silk Ribbon pillow from our LUXE VIP Collection featuring vintage designer brooches you can take off and wear. Jewelry for her. Jewelry for the home.

Britany Walker is about to take a cruise in a 1940′s chocolate brown velvet suit along with a vintage traveling case and some St. Louis, New York and Hawaii pillows from our DizzyHappySummerFun Collection featuring original souvenir scarves from the 1940′s and 1950′s. (Note: We carry many vintage souvenir scarves from any state…take your pick!)

Brianna Fleet sporting a 1940′s dark navy crepe dress with one of my favorite VIP pillows: Midnight Blue Silk, featuring wearable and removable vintage Marquis brooch perched hand-dyed silk ribbon.

Okay, I admit, this is one of my absolute fave LUXE VIP pillows: .Black Chanticleer (Rooser) feathers with Starburst Brooch. I love how the gold in the silk brocade complements the gold in the brooch!

Vladislava Bainton in a navy 1940′s dress with a metal studded draped back. She’s wearing a gorgeous Hattie Carnegie green brooch/earring set that matches her green eyes. In the background is a LUXE VIP pillow made from Raspberry 1930′s lace with a huge mulit-pronged purple brooch.

This isn’t the only photo Ms. Brianna Fleet is holding a dagger…possibly about to pierce this one-of-a-kind pillow from our Rococo Ribbon Collection.

Britany Walker in 1940′s cream lace nightgown holding one-of-a-kind pillow with vintage flower centerpiece from our Rococo Ribbon collection.

Farid and I met a couple years ago at one of Fashionably Austin’s Fashionably Connected social networking events. Jewelry designer Cynthia Bloom and I saw him taking photographs of some of the guests posing as models, so we decided to join in on the fun. Since that day, Farid has always wanted to combine his love for Hitchcock films with my love for vintage. So at his invitation I was thrust into all of sudden being the stylist for the entire photo shoot! A pretty daunting task for a novice, but my interest was piqued. Howl Interiors provided the perfect offbeat backdrop for the dark images Farid had in mind. I was thrilled to be assigned to find 1940′s outfits for 3 models, but its when he asked me if I also had on hand an oversized pair of scissors, dagger and needle that I began to panic. (Oh, not really, but I was kind of nervous). I learned so much of what to do, what not to do that I can’t wait for another opportunity to really hone my styling skills. It was an honor to work with Farid and all the models. My naivete was put to the test: a photo shoot I thought would last a couple hours turned into an all night affair! Many thanks to the models, stylists, clothing & furs from Victoria Closet (Austin Antique Mall), hats from Amelia’s Retro-Vogue & Relics. A special thank you to our patient host, Aaron Jelinski, manager of Howl Interiors. All furnishings, and owner Barry Jelinski’s large artistic mirrors and more of his fine work, available at Howl Interiors. All vintage jewelry from our private collection at Deborah Main Designs.To see more fantastic photos click here.

Leopard pillow from a vintage leopard coat modeled by Kadia Kamara.

Chevron mink pillow handcrafted from vintage mink coat, modeled by Britany Walker.

Our hair & makeup stylists: Kadia Kamara & Ana Brooks

In closing, here are a few photos from my fashion model debut as mother-of-the-bride. Thankfully, my children are NOT yet of marrying age! Great fun and I didn’t trip or fall off the platform! Yeah!!! Many thanks to Brianna Fleet with Butterfly Entertainment for a fun and entertaining Sunday afternoon at Engaged Austin! Photography by Peter Tung; Jewelry provided by Leonardo D’Almagro.

The "Mother-of-the-Bride" gang of four!

Pillow Goddess

Pillow Talk with Deborah Main : Fashion, Design, Art & More!

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