BEGINNINGS: COOPER GAGE

My friendship with Wes began when we went to high together in Atlanta, Georgia. At Lovett, he was a breath of fresh air, and I was very excited when I got to room with him after high school. I shared a flat with Wes while he studied womens' wear at Central St Martins. I realized while living with him that Wes was probably the most extraordinary boy I have ever met in my life. He is passionate, caring, disciplined, playful, insightful and original. In addition to having a beautiful personality, Wes has impeccable taste and his brain is always a step ahead. I could complement him for days, but that would be of very little use to this blog, not to mention the size of Wes's head. So now I will tell you about the fantastic dress that he made for me.

When I was 19, Wes designed a debutante dress for me. It is a tradition in my family that all of the young ladies make their debut. When the time came for me to make my debut, I decided not to buy my dress from a boutique, instead I asked Wes to design a dress for me. Wes was immediately excited - he asked me what my fashion inspirations were and what kind of impression I wanted the dress to make. And then we both sketched and brainstormed to come up with something perfect. He showed me his final sketch for the dress and it was striking (yes) gorgeous (yes) elegant (yes) but more importantly, it was me. Wes understood my own idea of beauty and made a dress that suited it. I think that Wes's most formidable talent is his ability to envision a woman's ideal, to dream up something fantastic for her, and then to deliver that dream to her in the form of clothing.

My dress was made of 15 yards of the highest quality white silk. The two seamstresses who made the corset and skirt of the dress were highly skilled women that Wes worked with every step of the way. The dress was made personally for me; it fit me like a glove. When I wore the dress for my debut I felt like I was wearing a cloud. The yards of fabric layered and folded into a long, voluminous skirt and train. It was fun, it was luxurious, it felt good and I never wanted to take it off. I have never felt so perfect as I did in Wes's gown. Other clothing simply doesn't compare. Before wearing Wes's dress I did not know that clothing could be so beautiful, so unique, and I certainly did not know that I could ever feel so exceptionally lovely.

BEGINNINGS

As you know, I grew up in Atlanta and attended The Lovett School. Obviously, fashion design was not a traditional career path for a Lovett guy and, for that reason, I had to do some swimming against the current. I found a Russian couturiere who had fled the USSR and settled in Atlanta, setting up a small alterations business. After much persuasion, I convinced her to give me lessons in pattern cutting and sewing. I would leave school and drive straight to her studio, spending the next 3-4 hours cutting patterns.

When I received my acceptance letter from Central Saint Martins, I packed my bags and headed to London. My time there was fantastic and I worked tirelessly, consistently earning the highest marks on projects. I spent two summers as the studio intern at Oscar de la Renta and, for six months, the studio intern at TOM FORD. Simultaneously, I spent three years taking tailoring lessons from a Savile Row tailor to complement my CSM training. While working beside Mr. de la Renta was an absolutely incredible experience, my time at TOM FORD and the Savile Row training really helped nurture my fascination with a well-cut jacket.

The culmination of 4 years at CSM is the graduation show. Out of all the students from all the courses (Womenswear, Menswear, Knit, Print, etc.), they choose only the top few to participate in the Saint Martins Press Show—a big honor and the goal of everyone there. I went a bit wild with my collection, deciding to throw caution to the wind and to do something bold, fun, and completely dramatic. Each outfit consisted of dozens of meters of fabric (sponsored by Taroni) and huge hand-blown glass adornments in the style of Chihuly. The colors were bright and the cuts inspired by the ripples and waves of blown glass. In addition to being chosen for the Press Show, I was selected to be the finale.

AT THE STUDIO

My team and I are currently working on a small debut collection for February. I’m really focusing on great tailoring and beautiful fabrics. While this will be expressed through day dresses, skirts, and outerwear, the centerpiece of the collection will be our family of jackets. Designed to be worn over any of our dresses or with any of the skirts, these jackets are created for the modern professional woman who is interested in quality above quantity and is focused on items that work in a variety of combinations and situations. Always open to fun and adventure, she’ll accept an offer to meet friends for a drink after work. This drink can often lead to dinner and beyond without time to do more than swap her shoes. Each of the jackets is named after one of the amazing women I have met in my life, in Atlanta, New York, London, and beyond. My hope is that the piece will carry a bit of its namesake’s personality.

On all the garments, lines run across her body, playing with proportion and working to make everything as flattering as possible. If anything, I would say the collection is about flattering lines. I’ve drawn much inspiration from the master tailors of Paris (Alaia, Mugler, Saint Laurent, Lagerfeld, etc.) and really am striving to create pieces that will remain beautiful and relevant for many, many years to come. My goal is to create clothes that will one day be borrowed/stolen by my clients’ future daughters and granddaughters.