THE OBSERVATION BOOTH
OP-ED BY ANDREA DIALECT
I’d rather people say do you know this designer? Do you know Tyrone Chablis? So I don’t use people’s names to say I made this outfit for such and such all the time. You know what I mean?
“Fashion is about not being afraid; it is about being bold. You make a statement when you have something to say with your wardrobe. When it comes to putting clothes on my clothes are not easy. When you put them on you have to have confidence. Its strong design and either the design is going to outweigh you or your going to outweigh it. Sometimes clothes can be so powerful that it intimidates people!”
YOU DON’T DRINK IT YOU WEAR IT… PUT ON, POUR IT ON!
SHADOWING TYRONE CHABLIS
“Growing up my mom, my aunt, and everybody always wanted us to be ourselves. So I never had a problem with expressing myself creatively. I was always into the arts as far as art goes drawing, sketching, making things, creating things, tearing things apart, and building things up. I have since I was a young boy. You have so much within you, and it takes other people to see that sometimes.
“Like your teachers in school, I had a lot of art and different teachers that recognized my gifts. I was the class clown too and I liked to cut up. I loved spontaneous bull crap. But it was a positive thing because I always wanted to learn something new every day. I still want to learn every day something new.
“In junior high school, I worked in a tailor shop when I was about twelve or thirteen years old. ‘Neil McLucas’ the guy who owned ‘Mr. Mack Tailor Shop’ knew that I was into sewing so he had me come work with him. He taught me some extra stuff. He’d always make a statement about the needle and thread. He’d say, ‘this right here can take you anywhere in the world if you really want to do this,’ and he was right. I never forgot him. He was a mentor.
“You know, you don’t realize how many of those kinds of mentor guides God puts in the path of your journey. Now that I think about all those people along the way the different programs, the affiliations with the different artists that supported. Those people that want to help you get where you’re going.
WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT TODAY’S FASHION?
The Intimate Knit Collection
“…Well I think that people are trying to find their personality. As far as their wardrobe building goes, some people select to follow others. But I don’t like the term trend unless you’re a trendsetter. People tend to want to follow what you’re doing because you’re leading with ideas and a different perspective. Fashion is about not being afraid, it’s being bold.
“You make a statement when you have something to say with your wardrobe. When it comes to putting clothes on my clothes, is not easy. When you put them on you have to have confidence. It’s strong designs, and either the design is going to outweigh you, or you are going to outweigh it. Sometimes clothes can be so powerful that it intimidates people!
“I don’t think it should be that way but sometimes that’s what it is. I will always say that my evening wear designs speak volumes because it’s always couture and I’m being for real about it. I’ve noticed ever since starting as a designer in high school that my designs have always had that edge and that one-of-a-kind type of approach to clothes. I never realized what I was doing and now they’re talking about taking things apart and putting them back together and putting a name on them as ‘Sustainable.’ I never knew even with that that it was what I had been doing. I’m always rebuilding and remixing things. It’s interesting using found objects; now it’s eco-friendly.”
CONCEPTUAL VISION
“When I create there should be no stress just free flow. When an idea comes to you it should just happen. When you’re thinking too hard it’s not pure. I believe in that now, I believe in that because I’m always trying to create my own way, and be unique along each journey. From leather, and cotton to different textiles, transforming latex. I mean I played with it all. My inspiration can come from anywhere and anything. It can be dirty toilet water.
“No seriously, it’s like walking down the street and you saw some oil and water on the corner of the curb, by the drain and it made such a beautiful visual palette and you say, ‘Oh, wow you know what that reminds me of?’ So inspiration comes from everywhere. Sometimes I stop and try to take a moment and take it all in and look beyond what I see; because you’ll stop it where you are at some point and there’s something else if you just look beyond that. Do I make any sense to you?
IT’S ALWAYS CHABLIS
“In couture, I like to keep it simple you know because it’s already very strong by its being couture, you know what I mean? Someone may say what is that, what is this because the fabrics aren’t the usual fabrics and some of the approaches to the garment are different, and I don’t ever say that that’s what I’m about because I like to make everything you know. All things for men and the women. But there’s something about that hardcore evening wear that’s a statement maker. That’s what I like, it’s something about that.
“When it comes to creating you can have something sitting for years and it’s still in your head, then the time finally comes when it’s time to visit it or revisit it. Everything doesn’t just get tossed, some things are still in the incubation stage. Then one day it’s done, finally. I find that to be one of the most rewarding feelings of completion; something that took all of that time, years later. I remember years ago I had a vibe like that for broken glass and mirrors. This was way before they started making mirror dresses. Eventually, I did that mirror dress, way before they did mirror and that’s where my head was.
“I photograph every piece that I make, and I have a lot of stuff from the past that I have to get out of storage before I’m outta here. That’s the one thing that I want to do before I go. I want to document all of that stuff of different people and different programs that I was a part of. The childhood and the teenager stuff, the high school programs, college. Sharing my time, and my journey even though there’s a lot there. I am aware of all those different and great, great moments. ‘Great moments on the runway baby!’
“Many opportunities to support and help others have come along the way. But you’re supposed to do that. I don’t like belonging to clicks or different people’s programs that create stagnation amongst us. I think that we should be uplifting each other regardless of how advanced we are, and where we are in any of this. Because everybody needs to be uplifted. Come on, stop it!
“On the flip side, as far as helping and giving go, I stopped trying to think about it, but I don’t want to feel that I’m being used. Everybody thinks that you need to give you know and I had to work for mine and they have to work too but I will help. Now when it’s a value attached to it it’s a difference, that’s why it’s a difference in the garment its design, and price.
“I don’t make prom dresses for everybody because you’re going to your prom. I don’t want to sew like that. But I will make a prom dress for someone, and they pay me for that. It’s just like a wedding, it’s a difference when a client is working with a professional. I don’t want to waste it, especially on someone who doesn’t appreciate it or value it.
TIME CAPSULE
“When it comes to my creations, all of my babies are my babies. I’ve been asked on occasion if I have a capsule collection that I can leave behind. What is a capsule collection you ask? My capsule collection was created in those 30 years that I just told you about Andrea. It’s those things from the past; the middle whatever you as the designer had that you did strong. Those are the things that make up a capsule collection.
“For me, one of mine is definitely the T-shirt collection. Those dresses speak to people you know. They’re personalized with a message. Each piece is customized to that point of view or I can look back to the eighties when I used to do a lot of leather and suede. I loved doing a lot of that what they called black white art transformed on velvet and I turned that into clothes and my leather and feathers, my sweater shirts, all of that line.
“Then also that Urban Tropical Collection that Cruise Line that was just Yin and Yang, there was a lot of different Chinese symbolism but with peace love and good vibes, on fabric. Just amazing stuff. The Tyson Beckford, the Tracy Ross, the Miss World Pageant, Virgin Islands. The different fashion shows, even the ones that I used to give back in the day all just amazing. It’s been a long time, a long, long time!
ETHICAL FASHION
“Many opportunities to support and help others have come along the way. But you’re supposed to do that. I don’t like belonging to clicks or different people’s programs that create stagnation amongst us. I think that we should be uplifting each other regardless of how advanced we are, or where we are in any of this because everybody needs to be uplifted. Come on, stop it!
“On the flip side, as far as helping and giving go I stopped trying to think about it, but I don’t want to feel that I’m being used. Everybody thinks that you must give, and you know I had to work for mine and they have to work too but, I will help. Now when it’s a value attached to it it’s a difference, that’s why it’s a difference in the process and the garment.
“I don’t make prom dresses for everybody because you’re going to your prom. I don’t want to sew like that. But I will make a prom dress for someone, and they must pay me for that. It’s just like a wedding; it is different when a client is working with a professional. I don’t want to waste it, especially on someone who doesn’t appreciate it or value it.
FROM HEAD TO TOE
“I name my designs but not every piece. “The Elvis Jail House Rock” Dress. (Multicolor stripes) that the model Liz wore at the “WBLS Lenny Green Family Day, in Brooklyn,” It was one of a kind so I named it. I made that piece for that presentation the night before. In my mind, it took about half of the day to create but on the sewing machine, it took me a couple of hours because I knew exactly what I had to do!
“Andrea” that Lace dress did you feel a little Taj Mahal with that piece? What did you think about the jewelry, because the jewelry was handmade too? All the jewelry was handmade that accompanied the designs. The trail of that gown, that lace dress even though she had it shrugged, and head wrapped almost Kundavai-sh, she gave it that international look that day but if you take that down. That blue lace dress could also be red carpet ready; sexy with shoulders out, cleavage you know what I mean. So many dresses in on, everybody talked about that dress. Did you see the crowd’s reaction? Amazing!
“There are different reactions to different vibes. But they’re usually always positive ones. The crowd loved the looks and the models in the Caribbean Parade that we were a part of in Jersey City. They did an awesome job and they looked fabulous. As so our experience with those participating in the Kemfest The Future is Black Afro Futurism Fashion Show in Newark shown here in my “Intimate Knits Collection,” They were fierce!
TAKE A BOW
“Don’t get me wrong, as designers we all want to work with different celebrities or different people of course that’s portfolio building. But it doesn’t take that to get where you have to be all the time. It takes being around the right people that can open doors. That might be in different arenas. That may be somebody, in merchandising; it could be a person in PR. So other elements can get your garments and ideas placed in the right space and the right place. Getting the right people around you that will admire your work and that’s where those other people and other attachments come from, because it’s also word of mouth.
“Jerry Gant was one of those people and my favorite designers to work with, but he is no longer with us. But he left a legacy of fashion and art and I finally realized what he meant when he’d say, “make sure you document what you do and let the world see what you do, and you get out there and celebrate yourself in what you do.”
“Most of the time people won’t do that for you because they don’t want to put you somewhere that they want to be and sometimes we hold ourselves back because we want to bring someone else along for the journey. But you have to also take into consideration yourself. Yes, so I appreciate learning that and so many other things from my late great friend Jerry Gant.
“Linda Street played a big part in Jerry and I meeting paths and sharing ideas because my main connection was with her. We were two people coming together in fashion and she was into the arts. The different things that we had going on with a store in Montclair called “Over The Edge” created a whole lot of opportunities for all of us. But there were other designers that I worked with, but Jerry was my favorite on the local scene!
“I love supporting others. I love the exchange and I have one that I’m looking out for right now, “Amore William Ayala.” He likes the energy of Angel Claudio another designer who’s no longer with us. He was a young man that always admired my work and my style, and I worked with his aunt and did fashion shows with her and with him as a young man and he’s really doing his thing now. He’s really doing it hard in Atlanta. He recently sent me a reel of his and I was blown away. That’s what I’m talking about so it paid off. So you don’t know who’s watching you. There’s always somebody watching.
“Being a host and a commentator is one thing, but I also do interior design. I like just everything about creating the interior aspect, draping, building a set to the staging of a house, and even a person. It’s all the same stuff, that’s art. People who influenced me in my work that’s also art because I’m into Manson, Marilyn Manson you know, and people like that Lenny Kravitz, rocker energy.
“As far as designers, Alexander McQueen, he’s no longer here, but he’s my favorite. All of those people that are doing things I love I don’t have favorites because it’s so many. There are all these new artists and performers out here and I’m not locked onto anyone specifically because things are always changing.
“The latest project that I am embarking on is helping an organization that has been out here for almost ten years “The Jefferson Foundation.” I found someone to represent a part of her pageantry that has been allowed to be a crowned winner and she doesn’t have to struggle. Just by her interview, she has already been accepted Miss Silva Diva, Miss Black America Program. This lady has been working at this for years. She gives scholarships to young women and young men, seeing someone working so hard for something or someone, that’s a good thing. I like to support people who support people.
“As far as “Tyrone Chablis” there are some things in the works as always so stay on the lookout and remember, “You don’t drink it, you wear it!” That comes from the creative aspects of my collections and my name. It’s just what it is … Wear it!
DID YA KNOW THAT…
Fashion designers like Tyrone Chablis sketch designs of original clothing, footwear, and accessories. They sketch designs, select fabrics and patterns and create or give instructions on how to make the products they design.
What are the elements of fashion?
The four basic ingredients or elements of design used in fashion are shape or silhouette, line, colour and texture.
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