I AM BACK!!!

Hi guys. I am so sorry that I have been missing in action. Leaving Munich, Germany and returning to NYC has been a huge step in every area of my life. I packed up my flat, sold all my stuff, left my job as a Senior Designer at ESCADA, left all my friends and left a very different lifestyle that I was actually starting to get used to living. I left rather quickly to return to NYC starting a new job as the Design Director for BADGLEY MISCHKA PLATINUM SPORTSWEAR, moving back into my house, dealing with personal stuff, reuniting with my partner and resuming relationships with friends and family.

I really hit the ground running in every area with no break, no true transition time, no rest. It has been nonstop but wholly satisfying!!! I still have a ton of boxes that I haven't opened - I am trying my damnedest to ignore them, but they just aren't going away!!! The good news is - I LOVE my new job. I have a great boss and a really great team that is very supportive. It has been intense and demanding, seeing that I started the season 2 months late, but it turned out great. I am a true creative spirit and I honor art and creativity, but now we are just waiting to see the orders come rolling in!!! At the end of the day, this is a business and the buck is the bottom line. The great challenge is striking that balance between commerce and art to satisfy my yin and my yang!

Here is the link to watch our show...I hope you enjoy it.

Runway Video

Just click the button that says "click here to watch the runway video" or on the little green video camera.

The two guys on the page are Mark and James - they are Badgley and Mischka, respectively. They are superstar designers known for their intensely glamorous evening and red carpet gowns. My area at the brand is to work on day/sportswear. It is my job to translate their message of glamour, luxury, celebrity and the high life to the daywear collection. Mark and James are great guys. They have an amazing understanding and love for their customers and are amazing to work with and for. Their vision is so defined that it gives me an amazing starting point to develop the daywear. In addition to day clothes, the guys have diversified into swimwear, eyewear, outerwear, furs, shoes, fine jewelry, costume jewelry and other categories as well. They are creating a world in which their 'ladies' can live wholly. I am sooooo glad to be a part of their vision!

Here is a link to Style.com where you can see all the runway shots. We got very good reviews for the show and we are all energized to move on to the next season - Resort 2008/9!!!

Runway Pics

Here are a couple of shots of the Sportswear looks starring 2 of my fave girls:

Chanel Iman

__________________________________________

Tanya Dziahileva

Now, outside of work, life is also moving right along. Weezie is trying to get acclimated to NYC. She absolutely misses Munich and her runs along the Isar River, Brian and Christian (her surrogate Munich dads), Larissa (her surrogate Munich mama), the ESCADA team who spoiled her rotten and all of the Bavarian folks who cooed all over her but wouldn't give me the time of day! She has been in doggy daycare but will start going with me occasionally to my new job. She had been a little under the weather suffering from some stomach issues, but seems to be better. I took her to the vet and am waiting on lab results to come in tomorrow. She is one tough cookie, so I am sure she will be fine.

My NYC friends are all well and I am getting back in my exercise groove. The NYC weather doesn't make me feel all toasty at 5am in the morning, but I gotta get in the groove and combat those winter lbs. I cannot wait until the summer time to get where I need to be. I am looking forward to sunshine, cargo shorts (yes, they are pedestrian and passe', but they are comfortable and practical), flip flops, BBQs, beaches, sun kissed skin, in-season fruit and ice cream cones melting in the heat.

I am truly learning that life is all about weights and balances. Weighing all the good, the bad, the ugly and everything in between, I am thankful to God for everything that I have and for all of His blessings. I could be homeless, crazy, disabled, or anything else. But, I am not. I am blessed - walking, talking, sketching, taping things on Tivo, downloading music, eating Sunday brunches with people I love. So, I thank God for my life and for his blessings.