Gift from Ruta and Jenny

What a delightful first of the year program we had at City-Wide Couture!

Ruta's granddaughter Alexandra model's the dress Ruta made for Alexandra's mother (Ruta's daughter)

Jenny interviewed Ruta with powerpoint slides containing special photos from Ruta's sewing journey, starting at age 14, samples of some of her extraordinary garments, and stories of some of her sewing adventures.

Ruta has demonstrated excellence in many forms of clothing construction, from theater wear to couture gowns. We got just a taste of her vision, skill, and enthusiasm for garment creation.

Iconic Beene jacket OOP Vogue

Jenny interviewing

Ruta answering questions

Sassoon gown

Sketches prepared for costume design

Ruta told us that she learned something from everything she made and something from every mistake.

The original art you see here provided us with a glimpse into the organizational skills and artistic vision required to make costumes for live productions. Ruta interviewed the actors, researched the story and setting, and created garments that made the stories come alive.

We also saw pictures of her half-scale creation as part of the Vionnet Identique exhibit for the 2009 Association of Sewing and Design Professionals conference. And we were able to touch the very tricky fabric used in its construction. These garments will be on display at a museum in LA later this year.

We saw the gorgeous wedding gown she designed and made for her daughter 25 years ago. Her granddaughter was the lovely model for it today.

Ruta's advice to us:

• Keep sewing.
• Make muslins.
• Mentally deconstruct interesting garments when you see them.