Musings on Life by Roselle Kovitz

Not long ago a bridal boutique, specializing in reconstructed bridal gowns, moved in across the street from me.

After Twice Blushed opened, I thought about popping over to see the gowns, designed by owner Amanda Vernell. It wasn’t until I realized I had a dress she might be interested in that I contacted her. The 1930’s champagne-colored satin number belonged to one of my grandmothers. (Which grandmother, I’m not sure—perhaps my maternal grandmother who owned a dress store and frequented New York on buying trips.) I’d found it in my mother’s dresser drawer when cleaning out my parents’ house years ago.

My Grandmother's Dress

I tried the dress on, but the cut and color made me look frumpy, old, and…boxy—clearly not a flattering combination. I thought of keeping it, holding on to a piece of family history. But why? If Amanda could put her design skills to work, if someone could get some enjoyment out of it, and if it could mean a little profit for Twice Blushed—it would be a great success, and help declutter my closet!

Lots of artists, designers, and entrepreneurs, like Amanda, are creatively using others’ castoffs. In this economy, it’s again becoming mainstream and even chic to reuse and recycle.

My friend, Phyllis, who I joined many a Saturday afternoon for an art studio of sorts, taught me the value of recycling to the artistic process. I often dug through her large, flat cardboard box of imperfect art projects to find a painting I could tear into for my collage. Instead of a pristine swatch of colored paper, the recycled painting provided depth, movement, and interest to the shapes I put together.

Building a wedding gown, collage, or other artistic creation from recycled materials might seem too confining for some, but I find I do some of my most creative work when I’m painted into a corner, so to speak. Limiting options can actually engage my creative muscle more than a seeming expanse of possibilities.

Contemplating the history of the recycled material gives the process even more depth. Who made this, wore this, used this, and what worlds and events did it navigate to get here? Transforming dresses, paintings, furniture, homes, trash, or all manner of items into something new, something creative, something else is similar to our own growth and changes in life—using the raw material of our experiences to make new ones is what we do.

Amanda has created a great business, built on hopes, dreams, the first (second, third, or fourth) blush of love, that speaks to the economic times, preservation of the environment, and the spirit of creativity. Seeing the transformation of dresses that have lost their luster, don’t quite fit the era or the bride is thrilling in itself. Bravo, Amanda!