ABOUT Behind THE LENSE
Madeline Vargas, who is known by her pseudonym "MADAME COUTURE", is a native New Yorker. She graduated in 1996 acquiring her A.A.S. Degree in Fashion Design from the Wood - Tobe coburn school, which is famously known to have bought out the Traphagen School of fashion in the late 80's and adapted Traphagen's Haute Couture program into there innovative Fashion curriculum. Before madeline, well known Designer's like James Galanos, Geoffrey Beene , and Mary Mcfadden graduated from this fashion institution. While still attending college , Madeline held various jobs that were setting the path before her in the fashion industry.
Madeline participated as hostess of "The Fashionable Addresses" event organized by Fashion Group International in 1996 where fashion designers Adrienne Vittadini and Wolfang Joop just to name a few ; who opened their homes for the public as a fundraiser to for breast cancer. She worked as a Part-time assistant visual merchandiser for JCPenny's until 1997. Madeline founded her independent Label "Lespinasse Design Studios" which has catered to the smaller size market for the past 15 years.
Upon Graduation, Madeline Interned as a fashion stylist/ trend forecaster for Simplicity Patterns and Freelanced as a sketch artist for Children's wear designer Bernard Kay in 1998. She has had the opportunity to have worked for designers Betsy Johnson, Gianni Versace, Oscar De la Renta, Carolina Herrera, and Wolfang Joop during fashion week when it was known in the late 90's as 7TH on Sixth. She continued her education and obtained her A.A.S in Production Management at the Fashion Institute of Technology . Upon completion She continued to work within her own label and has joined with her Fashion collegue Sam Lavey , who she mentored during her years at Fashion institute of Technology from 2000 through 2004 and is now Junior Designer for "Lespinasse ".
PHILOSOPHY Designers Philosophy
"I wanted to create a sister label that can inspire as well as educate the plus size consumer in regards to silhouettes and size smartness. I created "Madame Couture" to cater mainly to sizes 14 W To 28W. Lespinasse services the Ready - To - Wear ( the off the rack ) market as I like to call it. My main Concentration is the true plus size woman . I enjoy doing made to order and that's what Haute Couture is mainly about. You create a beautiful gown that will accentuate every curve and flatters the curvy silhouette at the same time. It's made for you and you alone. Our Evening wear is divided into two categories "Elegant" and "Red Carpet". I love it when a customer tells me how special they feel in my gowns and how they haven not seen my kind of product being offered as an option to them by other brands from a lower price point of view. It makes me feel accomplished and very happy when a consumer gets to walk away with that fantasy gown and it makes her feel like a million bucks. "
"As a brand, "Madame Couture" appeals to the modern,elegant,youthful, customer whose lifestyle embodies confidence,grace,and sophistication. She is an individual that loves to be the center of attention and can take your breath away when she enters the room. she is the re-enventor of her own style and always finds a balance between that old glamourous vintage style and the innovative fashionable high end trends of today without loosing her sense of style and remains feminine at all times".
The difference between "Lespinasse Design Studios" and all the other brands out there is that you will never see a design or silhouette in a small size label that we can't recreate in plus For "Madame Couture". One of my main observations that I have foreseen for a very long time is that there is alot of fashion trends out there that we curvy women can carry way better than the size 6 or 8 LOL ! And that is part of my personal philosophy as a Fashion designer."
PRESS Press Links
The Curvy Revolution Fashion Show: Lespinasse - Madame Couture Collection
xoxonettap.com
Love this! I haven’t heard of Madame Couture before but it’s definitely something new for the plus size industry. Very cool !
http://issuu.com/skorchmagazine/docs/octmagskorch
http://issuu.com/skorchmagazine/docs/0909mag
