A Look Back, A Step Forward

Hello Friends!

I hope this will be the resurgence of The Bias Cut, because I sure have missed this.  I don't know how many ideas have passed through my mind since my last post, but actually sitting down and typing them out just never seemed to happen.

I was just speaking to a friend on the phone this morning who commented on all that I had accomplished in the last ten months or so.  I said to him that it's sometimes difficult to see what has happened and what you have achieved when the only way you can operate is day by day and looking forward to the next goal.  I think this is a good time as any to pause, reflect and then carry on.

Following the Grunge and Glamour show, I debuted my Spring/Summer 2012 collection at Ottawa Fashion Week.  I am trying to find the right words to describe how fantastic it felt to see it all come together, but I think the best one to sum it up would be satisfying.  I was fortunate to receive a good amount of press, with multimedia coverage and a few front page features!  I couldn't have been more thrilled with the exposure I gained.  I also met so many amazing, talented and creative people through it all who were so supportive and gracious.

Fast forwarding through a few months when I took it a bit easier and refocused on a few other things in my life that needed attention, such as relationships and health, I still worked on the business on the less glamourous end of the spectrum:  Putting in an order with my manufacturer and organizing inventory.  Making small changes to the patterns and learning all sorts of new things about yields and other things that aren't really interesting enough to write about, so I won't keep going.  Done.

This winter I was fortunate to participate once again in the Fashion for Funds charity fashion show that I had also shown in last year.  I was able to donate a swimsuit to the silent auction as well, which felt really great since the year before I didn't have professionally made garments that I felt comfortable donating for someone's use.  The show was another big success, and Kate Reeve proved once again to be a great role model to her peers and adults, despite her young age.

Over the last few months I also officially joined the team at Press the Fashion Magazine as an assistant editor.  It has in itself been such a learning experience and every time I assist on a shoot or am given an assignment, I can feel myself growing creatively.  I just am very fortunate to be given so many amazing opportunities and to work with people who teach me new things and inspire me to do greater.

And so here we are.  I am happy and proud to say I finally launched my online store this past week, which was quite the endeavour in itself.  The final product is exactly what I had in mind, and I have to thank everyone who was involved in getting it up and going, including especially the team at Shopify who supported me above and beyond expectations!  The images were shot by a talented local photographer named Maciej and I gave all creative control over to Noah, who is honestly a mind reader when it comes to knowing what I want and need.  Between makeup, styling and creative directing he just nailed it :)

Without getting into a TMI situation, because that's not exactly where I go with this blog, but just to lend personality in some way, I wanted to end this post with a bit of a personal reflection.  So much has happened in less than a year, and in many ways it's shocking to see the progress one can make when you simply set your eyes on the prize and go for it.  However, I want to say that it has not come without sacrifice.  I am fortunate to have the support of great friends and family, but I never want to feel like I'm taking it for granted...which may or may not have been the case this past summer.  I could only see after the dust had settled that I could not live with myself if I continued on the path I was, even with so much to show for all that hard work.  In recent weeks, I suffered a personal loss with the ending of my long term relationship.  It's interesting how quickly life can turn on a dime, and yet also upon reflection the change has been happening for quite some time.  Even amid my hurt and anger, I do wish him only the best, and hope that for him his successes are worth the sacrifice.

With the recent launching of my online store and several magazine features, I know I have a lot to be happy and thankful for, and I am.  I am focusing on the day to day and look to the future with hope and optimism, because, well, nobody likes a cry baby.  On that note, check out my swimwear design featured on the front of Press the Fashion Magazine:

Also, if you read this right to the very end, you're pretty awesome.

xo Amber