Sadly, today is Vanali's last day as an intern here at Madalyn Joy Designs! I am so sad to see her go but I know she is off to do amazing things. We both answered a couple questions below recapping our summer internship experience.
Read MoreThe garden party has been my favorite fashion event to date because everyone truly enjoyed themselves. No one was stressed about falling on the runway or making sure they hit their mark, but instead the evening was what summer should be about... enjoying quality time with friends in the summer air with a glass of bubbly in hand whilst smelling the roses.
Read MoreLet me introduce you all to Vanali Phanthavong! She is a design student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison majoring in Textile and Fashion Design and to my luck, is spending the summer at home in Milwaukee before she starts her final year at school. We met because we both were in the same program at UW-Madison! Such a small world and so crazy how everything works out! Get to know Vanali more!
Read MoreWaking up this morning, it was hard to believe that today would be my last, *official* day as a Madalyn Joy Designs summer assistant. Where had the time gone?! Was it really already time for me to leave and go on to my next adventure?! The only thought keeping me from complete and utter despair was knowing that I still had one more task to complete under Madalyn Joy Designs - aiding in the BLANC COLLECTION photoshoot this coming Sunday. Seeing as that day will be beyond crazy, I thought today, my last day in the studio, would be the perfect time to reflect on what I have learned throughout my time in this role.
Read More“Giving back is always in style.”
If I had to sum up the events that took place the night of Thursday, June 1st, nothing could better describe them than this quote.
Read MoreI met Reilly through Moda Magazine at UW-Madison and knew she was a talented and hard working young woman. When she reached out to me to express her interest in the internship, I just wanted to cry happy tears! She was absolutely perfect! Get to know Reilly more!
Read MoreHappy 24th Birthday, Taylor! I hope you enjoy the amazing year that is ahead of you! The best part about a lifelong friend is that you are pretty much stuck together for life! I think if we've already made it 20 years that we can make it another 20 years for sure. I really love the flexibility of our friendship.
Read MoreSince I have a rather unique job, especially for Southeastern Wisconsin, I get asked quite frequently about what it is that I do and how it all works. I thought it would be beneficial to put together a lingerie FAQ to answer some questions about lingerie. Some of you wrote in and asked me your lingerie questions so I will answer those first then get to the questions I personally receive on a daily basis!
Read MoreWow! I simply do not even know where to begin because my experience with Unadorned Magazine has been nothing short of amazing!
Read MoreToday Styled By Madalyn Joy is giving Forever Young Photography a warm welcome to the blog! I am so thrilled to be featuring Rebekah Luedcke of Forever Young Photography. We met just about two months ago now through our mutual friend, Bonnie Neumann, and ever since we have been making fashion magic happen!
Read MoreGood Morning + Happy Monday! Today, I am sharing what I wear to work on a typical weekday when I have fittings + meetings and illustrating + sewing work to do in the studio.
Read MoreWelcome to my new studio space! I am so very excited to be sharing the new space with you today! Since it has been about 2 months since I officially moved in, I thought it would be fun to just share the story of how I found the space, how it all came together, and how much I love having a proper place to work from.
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Madalyn posing in front of the Moda step and repeat before the show with her hand lettered sign by Emma Conklin.
From left to right: Ashley Brehmer, Danika Tramburg, Dani Fessler, Miriam Hughes, and Josie Smith
Madalyn posing with models, Josie and Dani, after the show.
The fabulous models giving one last pose backstage before they walk the runway.
The fashion industry is a place where everyone is ALWAYS looking forward.
What's the newest trend? Who is the next up and coming designer? Who is the hottest new model?
While designers are showing their current collection, they already have their next collection in production and have already started designing the following collection! It is so easy to get swept up in the fast paced nature of the industry and since everyone is always looking forward to what's next, we all forget to just sit and enjoy the present.
When Kelsey and Reilly, the co-creative directors for Moda, reached out to me asking if I wanted to participate in the show, I really had to sit and think about it. Not because I didn't want to do it but primarily because I did not know if I would have the time to create a new collection, photograph it, find models, and spend the day in Madison for the show all the while starting my own design business. Ultimately, I decided to live in the present and enjoy the opportunities that were being presented to me in that moment.
I previously shared a blog post talking about my inspiration for this collection so I won't go into too much detail regarding that but in short, the collection was inspired by 1920's Paris and the Moulin Rouge. I used the rich colors of black, red, and gold to give the collection the luxurious feel of that time.
The looks read really well on the runway and the satin and chiffon skirts glided beautifully on the runway. Adding a flowy fabric as a skirt, cape, or sleeve really helps the lingerie pieces come to life. It gives them that extra bit of movement they need for the runway.
I had mentioned in my Instagram post yesterday that you always have to expect the unexpected especially when it comes to fashion. That was very true for the show on Friday because one of my models ended up getting sick a couple of hours before the show... the kind of sick that doesn't really let you get out of bed. Thankfully, the day before, Josie, a friend who had modeled for me in the past, sent me a message saying she would be in town and could model if I needed her to! Long story short, Josie arrived just as the show was starting, we got her dressed and ready, and she strutted her stuff on the runway to close the show!
Thank you SO much to everyone who helped out in anyway to make this show possible! I don't know what I would do without the support from my amazing family and friends. You all seriously amaze me every day and I love you all so very much!
Thank you to Moda for hosting such a great event and for including me in the show. Thank you to Kelsey and Reilly for putting on an amazing show and for asking me to be a part of it. Thank you to my family for coming to the show and for always being so supportive. Thank you to my good friend, Anna, for coming to the show and helping out backstage with all the finishing touches. Thank you to Ben for coming to the show aka your very first fashion show but definitely not your last! Thank you to my fabulous models-Ashley, Danika, Josie, Dani, and Miriam-you all made my designs come to life on the runway!
Stay tuned for the runway shots from the photographers! I'll be getting them over the next couple of days and sharing the more professional shots with you all as well. :)
Also, the amazing Alexa Carlson interviewed me for the show and wrote a great article about the collection. You can check out my designer profile HERE.
xoxo
Madalyn Joy
Reilly Koch wearing the Madalyn Joy "Reilly" slip dress photographed by Kelsey Daykin in Madison, WI. 2017.
I was so excited when Reilly reached out to me inquiring about working together and creating a piece of custom lingerie for her! It is just so fun to be able to work one on one with a client and go through each step of the design process together. The designer to client relationship is truly my favorite thing about being a bespoke fashion designer. :)
As always, to get things started I asked Reilly to create a Pinterest board with inspirational images. Most of the lingerie was black (which I can totally relate to! haha) and very versatile. Why limit your beautiful lingerie to just your home!? So we opted to design a satin slip dress with lace details. That way Reilly could wear it during the day styled with a jean jacket and boots and in the evening throw on a pair of heels and a clutch and be ready for a girls night out. Perfect for busy ladies on the go!
However, I did have two requests of Reilly when designing her slip dress: that I could name the slip dress after her and share a blog post of her modeling her new design. I'd say those are some pretty fun perks! One of the things I love about starting and growing a small business is that there is a lot of room to carve out your own path and add signature touches. The women who wear and model the lingerie are truly more important than the lingerie because they are the ones who bring it to life and are the inspiration behind all the designs. I definitely want to start naming more new styles after the amazing women who order and/or model them. How fun to have a style named after you!? So excited to have the brand new Reilly slip dress be a part of the Madalyn Joy family. :)
Reilly, thank you for collaborating and for being one of the best clients I have ever worked with! You look absolutely beautiful! I can't wait for you to celebrate your birthday in your new Reilly slip dress! Cheers!
xoxo
Madalyn Joy
Madalyn Manzeck photographed in her now old studio by Cassie Sterwald in 2016. Since these photos were taken, Madalyn has moved into a new studio and plans to share photos of the space at the end of March.
Life has kind of been a magical whirlwind lately and I've been savoring every single moment. I recently moved into a brand new studio space located on the marina in downtown Port Washington, Wisconsin. I absolutely, positively love and adore my new studio.
I had been struggling with finding a work life balance and the studio has already tremendously helped. Having a designated space where I "go to work" has restored some of the balance I was lacking in my life. I've been struggling with some issues in my personal life i.e. quarter life crisis issues and I have truly been finding solace in my work. I wake up excited to go to my studio and design new looks and create garments and converse with clients and source fabrics and type up estimates and search for inspiration on a daily basis.
I think I have found what wholly makes me happy... simply doing what I LOVE each and every day. Truly every day because I am currently sitting in my studio on a sunny Sunday afternoon as I am typing up this blog post. When you truly love something, time doesn't exist. The minutes and hours and days and weeks and months feel like no time has passed because you're so engulfed and consumed by what your heart and soul craves. Yes, it sounds absolutely ridiculous but if you have found your passion in life, then you understand exactly what I mean.
The month of March is going to be a crazy busy one! I wanted to share a "working in the studio" post because that is what my entire month of March is going to look like. I won't be sharing as much on the blog other than the new lingerie collection updates simply because I won't have the time to be creating new content specifically for the blog. However, I am really excited to be documenting my entire design process with this new lingerie collection. I'll be sharing every look from start to finish!
As always, thank you so much for stopping by and checking in to see what's new! What is your passion? What makes you happiest in life? Where do you find your solace?
xoxo
Madalyn Joy
