| Clothing designer Gabriele is living proof that dreams are what we make of them. In fact, her card features the slogan "Be careful what you wish for... it may come true." During the span of the last year, that's exactly what she's been doing with a dream of her own -- a dream now spun into the reality of her business endeavor, Gabriele's Costume Delirium. |  |
Gabriele began to alter and to construct her own designs in her early teens. Even at a young age, she was self-motivated, imaginative, and in love with fashion. She experimented with artistic home-making projects, starting out making garments for her Barbie collection; then she progressed into designs for herself and her friends. |
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Unlike many designers, Gabriele's motivation was purely personal -- that is, she neither reacted to or against the latest trends. "I was so out there, I didn't even know what the current standards of beauty were! I just simply was not interested," she explains. Instead, Gabriele looked to the Medieval and Renaissance periods as sources for inspiration. Along the course of her development, she began familiarizing herself with the work of John Galliano and Copenhagen-based 'doom / gloom' textured leather design team, Conflicto. Now at the age of twenty-three, Gabriele has retained a sense of freedom from society's influence that enables her to produce works for the public without compromising her vision. "Gabriele's Costume Delirium is not for everyone. I work by appointment only, so that I maintain a one-on-one relationship with my clients. I strive to construct completely unique, expressive creations," she says. Anyone who's seen her work should attest to that: Utilizing bold cuts, brazen colors, and utterly wicked make-up, her designs are like a molotov cocktail of haute couture fashion and surreal nightmarish decorum. |
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In short, Gabriele's Costume Delirium is the actualization of a realm where fashion and art cross-pollenate. Over the past few months, Gabriele has been presenting her vision by way of the fashion show / performance format, including an Aveda AIDS benefit at the notorious DNA lounge. These sharp-pointed rubber and PVC faery tales have all been received with great critical acclaim and have always thrown the audience a substantial share of delirious surprises. Her next scheduled show is February 15, where Gabriele's Costume delirium will be headlining the opening night bash of the fetish club Flesh and Steel in San Jose (400 S. First St., 10 p.m., 21 +). Impatient? For your own showing, give her a call at 415. 252. 1118 and set up an appointment! |
