By Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter
Any woman knows how hard it is to look for the perfect outfit for a special occasion. Despite the endless array of clothes in department stores and designer shops, it always feels like everything is too trendy, too short, too dowdy, ill fitting or in the wrong color.
Going to a designer to have a custom-made dress may be one solution. Many people still think couture is only for celebrities and rich people, but high-end designer Kay Kim believes otherwise.
"As a woman, you have to experience at least once in your life, what it is like to have a designer make a dress specially for you. A couture designer can make a dress for you that is one-of-a-kind. The designer can give you advice about style,'' she told The Korea Times, at her shop in Cheongdam-dong, southern Seoul.
Kim, who studied fashion design in Yonsei University and fashion consulting in Paris and London, designs clothing for her clients based on their age, body type, lifestyle, occupation, hair and eye color. Her clients include young women, professionals, business executives and expatriates.
Her designs are classic and elegant, but with a hint of sexiness. She focuses on the people who will wear her clothes. She meets with her clients at least three or four times to discuss the design of the clothes, and to make sure they fit perfectly.
"When I design a dress, I always think of the person who will wear it. For example, in the case of a petite 29-year-old woman with dark brown eyes, dark hair and long neck, I want to make a tube top dress to show off her arms and shoulders, and to make her look taller. … I also choose a dark color like black or deep red to match her fair skin,'' she said.