My three Art in Motion looks began in very different places. The Upcycling look grew from secondhand curtains, while the Signature look required new patterns drafted for a friend. The Celebrity Couture look returns to a jacket I previously made for my husband - one with both runway presence and a meaningful fabric story.

The jacket's luminous blue floral fabric, black satin shawl collar, and formal tailoring already give it a strong red-carpet presence.

The fabric came from Promenade Fine Fabrics in New Orleans and was the last textile I purchased there with the store's founder, Mr. Herbert Halpern, before he passed away. Mr. Halpern opened Promenade Fine Fabrics with his father, Max, in 1968. More than fifty years later, the business remains family owned and operated. It is a fabric destination worthy of its own trip to New Orleans.

That history gives the jacket significance beyond its runway impact. The memory attached to the fabric makes it personally meaningful, while the deep blue floral and black satin details make it entirely at home in the Celebrity Couture category.

The pattern began with a Hickey Freeman jacket. During a sit-and-sew with Kenneth D. King and Susan Khalje, Kenneth helped me recreate the pattern from the existing garment. This allowed me to study its proportions and construction without taking the original apart.

I had been struggling to draft a jacket pattern that fit my husband properly, while the Hickey Freeman jacket already fit him exceptionally well. Recreating that proven shape taught me that I do not always need to begin with a completely new draft. Using a well-fitting garment as a reference became another way to study proportion, balance, and fit.

I tested the pattern first in a deep blue corduroy before using it for the formal floral jacket. It has since become a foundation I can continue developing. My next version will be a Neapolitan-style jacket in a jungle-inspired linen, also purchased from Promenade Fine Fabrics.

The floral fabric is balanced with black satin details. The shawl collar and facings provide a formal frame, while satin-covered buttons and black satin-bound buttonholes reinforce the tuxedo influence. Inside, silver piping between the facing and lining carries the cool metallic tones of the outer fabric into the interior.

My husband will model the jacket with a tuxedo shirt, formal trousers, and dress shoes. I may add a bow tie, cummerbund, or another traditional tuxedo accessory, depending on what supports the jacket without competing with it. The styling decision is partly about knowing when a look needs another element and when the focal garment should speak for itself.

Art in Motion  A Runway for Creativity will take place on Friday, October 9, 2026, as part of Artspiration Frederick in Frederick, Maryland. The event combines a fashion competition, live auction, and fundraiser. Visit the Art in Motion event website for current information.

Coming next: the Signature look, drafted for my friend Fatara and detailed with African print from her own fabric collection.