Crawling to climbing, beach to birthday party.
For the first birthday of my granddaughter, Lisl Zhang Miller AKA MeiMei (“little sister” in Chinese) I designed and made three dresses and sent them to Bali, Indonesia, where my son Alex Miller, daughter-in-law Yan Zhang Miller, and grandchildren Dion and Lisl were living. Everyone loved the dresses so much that I decided to create a full line and have them professionally made there in Balinese cotton prints and batiks by a local dressmaker.
My first and most enthusiastic model was my granddaughter Lisl. This photo, by daughter-in-law Yan — a professional portrait and wedding photographer — was shot on her first birthday. It became the cover of the lookbook.
Four typical spreads of the lookbook, showing each dress in silhouette, on a model, on a mannequin, and with close-ups of fabric and trim samples. Black-and-white checked fabric is spiritually significant in Bali, and the text describes the cultural context.
Handmade in Bali,” as the hangtags say,” is really true. Every dress is cut and finished by hand. Especially the decorative let-down hems that grow with the child. To see the whole line and shop, please visit http://HeyBaliBaby.etsy.com