“Janet Lee Rees, who is well loved and honored by her husband Richard, and her fabulous clothing collection was my inspiration for this dress. Janet was a woman who wore unique, feminine and colorful clothing. My design is a spin-off of her beautiful, yellow wedding dress that had detailed features such as princess seams, covered buttons and sheer sleeves.
By Janet wearing this dress for her wedding, it showed me that she was ushering in a new beginning and happy change in her life. I wanted to showcase that same idea in my design by creating a maternity dress. Motherhood will definitely be a new beginning and happy change in my life and the color yellow is a great way to honor those changes. What I hope to pass onto my daughter, Maya, is a love for sewing and Fashion Design. I want to teach her all the skills I’ve learned at K-State to empower her in her own life with whatever she choses to do or be. I’m grateful to Richard for donating the Janet Rees Collection which has inspired many students to create new dress designs that push our sewing and design abilities to new levels. The passing on of inspiration and life skills from generation to generation is what empowerment is all about! ”