Embroidered Fashion Illustrations for Selvedge Magazine

Not long ago, I was contacted by the editor of Selvedge Magazine asking if I would take on the assignment of creating illustrations for story about Lyon silks. Even though I no longer have a separate website for my artwork, Selvedge editor Polly Leonard had found selected images of my embroidered 18th century dress illustrations on the web and wanted me to create similar images for an upcoming issue. Being swamped with other work, I initially declined. Even so, Polly convinced me to give it a try and  few days later I was glued to my chair in my studio, working frantically away to get the job done for deadline. 

Blinded by desire by Ingrid Mida 2010

Fashion is my Muse.

Since I was a little girl, I have been intruiged and fascinated by fashion. I started making clothes for my dolls and later made clothes for myself. Inspiration came to me from Vogue magazine and I saved babysitting money for fabric purchases. I can still recall my mother once adding up the cost of the huge stack of Vogue magazines in my bedroom and harshly criticizing me for "wasting" my money. I did my own fashion "illustrations" including the one above (scratched out at age 12).

To some people (like my mother), fashion is a frivilous affair. But to me, it is a tool allowing me to dress for the role I chose to play on any particular day (ie., goth princess, boho artist, glamourous socialite, plain vanilla mom, sexy secretary....). The whimsy and fragility of fashion is to me endlessly fascinating.

Fashion is my muse.